12th July, 2005

SIGHT'S music columnist JUSTIN MICHAEL was among the thousands who attended last week's Hillsong conference in Sydney. He recorded his many thoughts in a daily diary...

Sunday, 3rd July
4pm: Final pack for leaving on a jet plane. Anyone seen my toothbrush? Where on earth is my Bible? You can’t go to a conference without your Bible. I know I have another Bible, but it’s big and bulky. I need the small soft-back one that won’t hurt my shoulder after 10 hours of walking around Homebush Bay. Can’t find it. Fine! Heavy Bible it is...that makes me more spiritual anyway doesn’t it?

A scene from the 2004 conference. JUST WHAT IS THE HILLSONG CONFERENCE? • Hillsong is Australia’s largest annual conference. Held in July every year, its vision is to equip and inspire church workers and Christians from all denominations. • The conference was first held in 1986, three years after what is now known as the Hillsong Church was founded in Sydney’s Baulkham Hills. • More than 28,000 delegates attended this year’s conference, up from a mere 150 back in 1986. • People from 22 different church denominations and affiliations were represented at the conference. While almost three quarters of those who attended were Australian, others came from more than 80 countries around the world. • For the past five years, the church has hired the Sydney SuperDme and other venues at the Homebush Olympic site to accomodate the crowds. • More than 4,000 volunteers worked at this year’s conference. For more information, visit www.hillsongconference.com.

Jetstar terminal - got the silver pass. Looks good but it means I’m on the plane last. Still, I’ve got Jodi (my wife) and my mates Tim and Chrissy. Should be a fun flight. Wake up in Sydney - that was a fun flight!

Sunday night: Mercure Hotel in the city has half price rooms. We're living in luxury. This is a bad idea. We’re going to be in dormitories during the conference at the Chester Hill Bible College. No other way of looking at it, it’s a step down!

After dinner, we make the most of Sydney and pop down to Darling Harbour for dessert. Hands up all those who have paid more than $7.50 for a piece of cake? OK, now keep those hands up if you’ve paid $14.93? I’m serious. Don’t look at me like that. There were no prices written anywhere. I’m beginning to dislike this town.

Monday, 4th July
Monday morning, pick up hire car. Front tyres bald, windscreen wipers petrified, rear brakes squeal, cabin smells of cigarettes. Conclusion, cheap hire car is, well, cheap! I’m not liking this town - return to pick up crew from hotel. There's a $20 flat fee parking. OK, now I hate this town!

Skip to Monday night at Hillsong. There's nearly 29,000 delegates. We make it onto the top balcony of the Super Dome for the opening. Try singing and jumping at this height. Hooray for vertigo!

Fifteen minute opening includes explosions, massive video production, hundreds of dancers, a two minute James Morrison trumpet solo and Hillsong's Darlene Zschech finishing the whole shebang leading Rich Mullins classic, Awesome God. Incredibly moving time. Great opening.

A 10 minute address from New South Wales' Premier Bob Carr. I hear there was a lot said about this in the press. Let me assure you, the man can write a speech. I’m sure it was the most fun he’d ever had giving a political speech. At least 20,000 votes in it for him. But, without being too cynical, it was quite inspiring to see the church having a voice with the legislators of today.

Dr Jack Hayford speaks in first meeting. This guy has, I’m guessing, over 50 years experience in the ministry and a track record that suggests he is worth listening too. He spoke on Genesis 15:1-6 - “After these things...” . It's basically about how God prepared Abraham for the fulfillment of the promise of a child. Key phrase to remember - "all of Grace - all of God - all for good!"

OK, I don’t hate this town anymore. Start mentally preparing to enjoy the ride of the conference and to line-up for...well, everything actually!

Tuesday, 5th July
I don’t think there’s been any maintenance done on these dorms in the last five years. Still, the sheets are clean, beds are comfortable and at least half of the fridge is working. Of course 200 people are sharing that fridge. 'Nuff said.

At Homebush Bay (Olympic park) by 8:15am for 9am meeting.

Pastor Brian Houston gives a great message from Psalm 23 - "the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows”.

To summarise: there is nothing glorious about lack. Spoke of ‘lack’ being one thing that hamstrings so much of the good God’s people want to do on the earth.

Directly after the morning meeting, Pastor John Maxwell, author of many books on leadership stepped up. Check out The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership for what he spoke on. Key point: the one thing you need to know about being a great leader is that there is more than one thing you need to know about being a great leader!

Lunchtime: line up for coffee, line up for food, meet people you’ve known for years but can’t remember their names - call a lot of people ‘mate’, ‘pal’ and ‘dude'.

Afternoon stream session with Darlene Zschech on worship leadership. I’ve seen Darlene speak and sing at these conferences over the last 15 years. I can say with confidence that she now preaches like she never has before. It’s great to see an Aussie get so passionate about the church and about the people we’re trying to reach.

Tuesday night - two meetings. One at 5pm and one at 7:30pm as would be the case all week. Timmy and I go to the 5pm one - CeCe Winans leads the worship time. Dude, I want that band! These guys are amazing! I’m just too white to ever play like them, but I can dream. The girls go to the 7:30pm rally while we pop out for a steak - a good steak. Medium on the side of rare with béarnaise sauce and chunky chips. Must do this more often.


Wednesday, 6th July
Early to rise means early to car park means good seats for Joyce. Yup, Joyce Meyer! The ladies love this girl. I like her too, but the girls are just bowled over by her. The place is packed and aunty Joyce is telling us all to get our act together and serve Jesus and everyone’s right there with her. Fantastic.

The musicians' stream session. Dr Jack Hayford stepped up and gave seven keys that he looks for in his music pastor that have worked through his entire ministry. Once again, I’m all ears. You don’t ignore a guy like this. If you want the notes, shout me lunch and I’ll give em to ya!

Wednesday night we’re 30 seconds into the evening meeting with a brilliant production of an anthem-style worship song and suddenly a spotlight fixes on an afro! The place goes nuts. Guy Sebastian is on stage with the Hillsong team. He leads us in Hosanna, the song his brother wrote that you can hear on 96.3 Rhema FM (Justin is the weekday morning presenter at the Geelong-based station - Ed)!

The past two nights the crowd has been figuring out how to line up for meetings according to the color of the arm bands that we’d all been given. Shifting 20,000 people out a stadium so you can bring a different 20,000 people in is quite a feat. But, by tonight we’ve all got it down pat. Hooray for nice Christian people!

Thursday, 7th July
It’s Michael W. Smith day. Everyone knows it. The place is buzzing. Like that’s anything new. If you’re a Hillsong devotee you will know that by Thursday everyone has used up their natural energy and is now running on adrenaline. The coffee queues are becoming progressively longer, you’re asking for short blacks instead of lattes and you’ve now met people from churches all over the globe, which of-course you intend on keeping in touch with.

This day I met a couple from Iceland! As far as I know they were the only two people at the conference from Iceland and they had been married five days! Sigurdur and Hannah. He was half way through a medical degree and she was working for the Christian radio station in Iceland. I think I will follow these guys up!

Michael leads the musicians' stream in the morning. There are three streams this year. Pastors, community action and musicians. Me thinks there were a few people missing form the pastors and community action streams during this session. The session was held in the state sports centre. My best guess, around a 5000 seater. Just Michael and his piano. A bit of a testimony, an introduction for his wife Debbie and a bunch of classic songs. At one point his violinist/guitarist/singer Christa joined him with her violin. Stunning results. Once the sound guys found out where she had plugged her violin in. It was amazing to see Michael just doing the ‘organic’ muso thing. Very cool.

Evening meeting. Michael W. Smith leads the singing. Reinhard Bonnke preaches. The place is just bubbling over with enthusiasm. When a guy who has held meetings in Africa for 1.6 million people at one time talks, you listen. It’s a very inspiring message full of great testimonies to God’s goodness. In the end though, for him, it’s still a simple message: “I preach the ABC’s of the Gospel. I want souls! Hell empty, Heaven Full!”

Friday, 8th July
Pack bags and say goodbye to dormitories of Chester Hill. I won’t miss those water-saver shower heads. Who invented those anyway? Still, I did like the breakfasts they put on. I have a new recipe. Two ladles of Nutri-Grain and three ladles of Coco Pops with full cream milk and a cup of tea. Breakfast of champions. Thanks Bible college guys.

Get to the conference by 8:15am again. By now my brain is so full of new thoughts, inspiring images, conversations that change your life and music that’ll keep you singing in the shower and everywhere else for a long time, that I don’t think I can take any more. It’s been a great conference once again. The ways in which these guys are doing church these days would get the hardest heart curious to check it out. The complete gamut of styles was here this year. From evangelist Reinhard Bonnke doing the “ABC’s of the Gospel” to Hillsong's Pastor Brian Houston telling us it’s hard work but worth it to change your community, to Joyce Meyer getting us to ‘get over ourselves’ as only she can, to John Maxwell helping people to stretch themselves and those around them."

CeCe Winans, Michael W Smith, the Hillsong team of musicians, dancers, singers, sound, lighting, video, production. All absolutely professional. Inspiring to see people serve God so passionately. Dedicated would be the key word here. An absolute army of volunteers (must have numbered at least a thousand) make this conference work. A big thanks to all those who were wearing the red shirts each night as volunteers.

Have to catch a plane at 4pm to get back to Melbourne for the Ce Ce Winans/Guy Sebastian gig at Richmond AOG. I’m hosting tonight, think I’ll contemplate all I’ve learnt on the plane.

Jodi and I buy a dozen Krispy Kremes for a friend and head home. I wake up at Avalon airport. Another great flight. Another great Hillsong conference. Coffee anyone?