Trip To Sydney : Hillsongs Conference

Conference date. We made our way to Sydney Olympic Grounds where the conference would be held. Our initial trip there got us started with a long walk there as we got lost between train stations and ended up walking almost to an hour after being told it was a good 20 minutes walk there. I can't imagine how a good walk is when we were already walking as fast as we can. Fortunately, the climate was not humid but cooling that actually got me going. I can't imagine myself back in Malaysia walking. I'll be soaked with sweat and the BO, lets not even go there.

We arrived safely at the ground and headed to a shed where we would collect our conference pack. Inside, there were many leaflet and most importantly, our programme book which we would be depending for our sessions and venues. It would be a hectic time during the next few days. Starting off from home at 730am and reaching back around 1030pm or sometimes 12am. It would be a very long day. I could have join the rest back early but I decided to stay on until the end as my intention to come here was mainly to go for the conference and try to learn as much as I can from it.



With that I found the theme for this year's conference very appropriate. Strength. It seems I needed that more considering the long day that I would have to go through. I asked about those who went to previous conference before about the theme. There seem to be a continuous theme going on as to how Hillsongs would like to see the conference going on. Last years conference was about Passion. The previous years was about the Word. It seems like the church was trying to equipped the church in the Word and building on the passion that would sustained them through and giving strength so that can reach to the people. It was amazing to see how all of this tied together and it was obvious through the sessions and sermons.





I enjoyed myself throughout the conference. The preaching of the Word and the sermons that came across was inspiring, encouraging and challenging. There were many speakers whom I was really blessed namely John Maxwell, Joyce Meyer, Reinhard Bonke and Darlene Zschech. I couldn't help not taking notes because it was so refreshing to hear the Word being spoken. Besides that, I was really blessed by the worship. As many would know, Hillsongs is known for the praise and worship, having come out with an album every year and that was not an exception this year. The title of the new CD is "God He Reign". We sang many of the songs throughout the conference and boy, does it sticks to your head especially when you sing it everyday. The songs were fantastic maybe because I was there to experience it live. I am not sure whether it be the same for those who listen to the album later on. There was a couple of songs I totally enjoyed namely "Salvation Is Here", "Saviour" and another song which was not in the album but do not know the name of it. If any of you know about it, let me know. It goes like,

"How great is our God, Sing With Me How Great is God, All the World Will Sing, How Great is Our God."



Besides having the Hillsongs team, I was priviledge to have caugt Michael. W. Smith and Cece Winans. I was totally in awe when I heard Cece. Being a R&B and soul lover, I could really sense they were singing from their hearts out. Though I didn't know the songs that were being sung, but you could feel God's presence in that place. I was in no hesistasion responding to the God with my own song of praise and it was an awesome experience. The band was great as well and was totally in awe with the drummer especially being a drummer myself. My thoughts on Michael W. Smith was a bit different as he started out looking more like a performance to me. I sat standing not knowing whether to worship or see the display in front of me. However, it soon change midway as he became to sing some familiar tunes and instantly the song spoke to my heart and I could feel God's presence within me. With that, I began to response to Him and the experience was intense. It was such a blessing to be worshipping alongside such pretigious worship leaders which we hear of in CDs but to experience God with them in person is priceless. It was such a joy to be able to worship God with tens and thousands of people in one place with people of different denomination, ethnic groups and countries. God was in the house and He had once again proven that He reigns. My fear left me at that instance and I had a different perception of the conference.





The workshop was equally as good. I decided against attending things related to worship only soley because I wanted to learn of many different which I had an interest of knowing and learning to see if I could move in that area. The pastors and leaders session was very good. Besides that, I had a chance to get to know some aspects on recording an album, get to know what the creative arts group at Hillsongs do and go through, listen to the ever accomplished song writer Reuben Morgan who have wrote countless songs on song writing and participated in an advance drama session just to have a practical approach about it and to compare with what I had learn in theatre back in uni.



I can recall vividly one of the session in which Darlene and a number of elders from Hillsong gave a talk on Sexuality. It was one of the first session of the conference and it really blew me away especially with the topic of such sensitivity. They were speaking on sexuality and how the effects of sexuality affects our worship and our personality as God's children. It makes sense to see how the church have began to take sexuality likely that it wouldn't strike the church but it has began to show its presense by the way youth wear their clothes, the lifetsyle youth go through in terms of relationship and the reaction of the church as to the over increasing lifestyle that tarnish the purity of the youth. It was a very strong message that was put across and was very pleased with what I had heard from Darlene and more see her setting a good example. Throughout the entire time, I realise she is very modestly dressed in which she covers herself from the top to the tip of her toes whether during session or up stage worship leading. I could see that God had anointed her with a leadership in worship. There was a vast difference compared to other worship leader during the conference. I could see that she exert authority and power in leading the congregration to meet with God in worship. It was such a blessing to have met her and more so experience her gift first hand.

During the conference, I managed to meet up with Huei Weun and Pei Li who became my conference kakis throughout the 5 days. I didn't manage to sit with Mike, Jenny or Su Ann as they had to leave early. Fortunately, I had some company for the conference and enjoyed the fellowship with them especially trying to hide in the toilet to go with the next batch of crowd in order to get good seats. It was really funny. Besides that, it was a good sharing time with one another about how the conference is and how it taught us some valuable lessons. It was really cool to just hang out with them. Thanks gals!



It was a really good conference overall and really enjoyed myself. This would be my first birthday celebrated outside the country and also one of the most enjoyable though I would be away from family and friends on this day. Its hard not to say that I do not miss the time I spend there because I do but I hope that whatever I had gathered from this conference I would be able to contribute back to church or even share with my friends of the experience there. There are thoughts in my head of going back there for next years conference as it would be the their 20th anniversary, it would all depend on finances and also number of leave I can take since work will start already.