Oversight of Hillsong London

Hillsong London is not a building, it is a vibrant, thriving community of people sharing life together and seeking to worship God and develop our relationship with Him as we journey through life.

The following pages will introduce some of the people you may encounter in Hillsong London, and explain a little of their experience of life in our church.

Rather than just produce a list of dates, places and achievements we asked them all the same five questions to give you a little insight into the heart of Hillsong London.

Gary & Cathy

Cathy's Answers

How long have you been a Christian?
I gave my heart to Jesus when I was at Uni, about 28yrs ago.

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
12 years!

In a sentence, what do you do?
I stand alongside Gary, leading the church and lead Sisterhood in London.

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
One of my memorable and hilarious moments in church was when George, one of the young guys was for his first time, encouraging people to give their lives to Jesus at the end of a service. Everyone was very quiet and honouring of the importance of this moment when he said "God doesn't know who you are....... but Jesus does....... and George loves you" And people still responded to the invitation!!!!!!!

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
God never ceases to amaze me but i'll share one occasion that remains vividly in my mind. A lovely family in church had just given birth to their second child and the doctors had met with them to tell them that everything was not ok and their little girl had Downes Syndrome. This was not the outcome they were expecting. Gary and I went to hospital to visit them and pray and they were surrounded by an amazing, supportive, praying, caring church family. Gary simply prayed that God would have His way and over the next few months of continued tests with medical specialists the report came back ........I don't know how we could have made such a mistake, we are so sorry to put you through this but your daughter does not have Downes Syndrome and is perfectly normal!!!! To see Gods healing power at work is always phenomenal.

Pete and Michelle

Pete's answers...

How long have you been a Christian?
I was born into a Christian family, so I guess my whole life. However I made my own personal decision when I was 7years old. I remember it clearly; lying in my bed one night after hearing the gospel preached at a service, and thinking 'ok, I'm gonna do what the preacher said to do'. I made a decision, said a prayer and actually felt really different – peaceful and at rest. I was water baptised at 12 and have served in church from about that age too.

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
My family emigrated from England to New Zealand when I was 15years old. I always wanted to come back to the UK and after eight years in NZ, two years in Australia and following getting married to Michelle I moved back here ten years ago. We went looking for a church straight away and Hillsong happened to be the first one we came to. It was early days then and church was meeting in a university hall. Gary was talking about his vision for our church in London and we were 'in' from the first day! I joined the worship team soon after arriving and we got involved in a connect group.

In a sentence, what do you do?
I help Gary & Cathy in whatever area is needed basically. I oversee a lot of the day to day aspects of church life, plus I lead worship regularly and speak from time to time.

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
Yes. The first Sunday we arrived we were so amazed by the welcome and the way people engaged us so quickly. That’s has stuck with me from day one. I hope we always welcome people that way no matter how big we get.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
At Hillsong Conference I remember standing there thinking 'Jesus, this is all about You. You are at the centre of everything we're doing here. You are at the centre of everything I do. You are at the centre of my dreams and aspirations. Without You, this is all pointless. All I want is You!' It was quite a God moment for me. Reminding myself of His centrality to everything we are and do. When He's in that position everything else works. I love serving God by building His Church.

Technical Engineers (Sound, Lights & Video): Luke Makepeace

How long have you been a Christian?
I have been a Christian since I was about 8yrs old

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
I came to Hillsong in January 2005

In a sentence, what do you do?
I look after the Bump team and technical side of Church.

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
When I joined the bump team I met some of the best people you could know. One person I met was a guy called Stewart Mack(aka Blue Steel) he was so inspirational in the way he served at Church and volunteered at the church office, he inspired me that I too could give my time and energy to something bigger and more important than myself. This was such a revelation that I just love serving on team and doing life with people as I serve. I have some of the best friends in the world just from getting to know people on team.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
Even as a Christian for a long time I personally struggled with the aspect that I was a sinner and through doing life got a mindset that every time I committed sin I was not good enough to be forgiven. I used to believe that every time I sinned whether that be having a bad thought about someone or drinking too much, I let my mindset get in the way in my relationship with Jesus. When Joseph Prince came and spoke in 2006 about Grace. This was such a revelation for me I found the way Joseph Prince communicated through the bible that God knew all my sin past, current and future and still sent Jesus to die on the cross for me, just because he loved me! This set me free from my thinking of I was not worthy to be forgiven and accepted but got a revelation that Jesus was perfect & sinless, his crucifixion on the cross was to pay for my sin and therefore I was set free. This was so mind blowing I felt a difference in my whole life through church, work, friendships and even though Church had been a major part of my life, I felt like I was completely set free and the chain had been broken.

Teams Pastor: Tim Norbury

How long have you been a Christian?
6 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
6 years

In a sentence, what do you do?
Make sure all our teams are healthy and our volunteers are well looked after

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
God has used many people at church to shape the person I am today. When I started serving on team, Jason Field invested so much time in me. He would call every week to see how I was, and make sure I was getting connected into church life. His patience in training me as a team leader was clearly done through a genuine heart for the house. He did everything with excellence. We talk about the importance of caring for each other and doing life together, and Jason showed my by example what that was.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
The most memorable God encounter for me was when I prayed for all the hurt of past relationships to be taken away. I was in a bad way before coming to church. In an instant, I felt new. It was no temporary fix. The pain went, and stayed gone. I tried so many other ways of overcoming some really deep emotional scars - but it was only God that could take them away.

Kids Pastors: Phil & Christa Barnard

How long have you been a Christian?
All our lives (don't ask how long that is...)

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
Phil - 7 years. Christa - 4 years.

In a sentence, what do you do?
Phil is the Children's Pastor - helping make church accessible for our youngest and most precious. Christa leads All Stars and Voltage - our Kids Church experience for children in primary school.

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
Seeing the church gather around a family who had lost their youngest daughter. God worked mightily through His church as people generously and willingly saw that every need was met through prayer, support and finance. In the midst of a very dark hour, it was a beautiful and moving experience. It was the Church of Jesus at its very best.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church? Seeing newborn child after new born child being healed miraculously and against all medical understanding. It reminds me time and time again that our lives are held firmly in His hands.

Youth Pastor: Phil Kyei

How long have you been a Christian?
3.5 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
2 years

In a sentence, what do you do?
Youth Pastor and Icare Co-ordinator (don’t know my official title)

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
Summer camp 2011 amazing God encounter with 500 youth passionate for Jesus. What made all the more poignant was just a day earlier 100s of youth around the country were involved in the riots Summercamp was a time where the young people of our church left with a real sense and purpose of what God has called them to do.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
In my connect group we were praying for God to step into situations affecting our lives. We had a guy who had been suffering with leg pains for nearly a year so we all got round him and began to pray truly believing that God was going to do what only he could do . The very next morning the problem had completely disappeared!

Young Adults: Simon Gibbes

How long have you been a Christian?
I grew up in church but I can clearly remember making a stand for a relationship with God when I was 17

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
4 Years

In a sentence, what do you do?
I pastor and give leadership to the Young Adult and University aged bracket in church

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
I served with George Botha on the Young Adults team for 2 years. We found a van and did a road trip to Wales, had a BBQ on the beach and slept in barn listening to farm animals all night. That was my introduction to ministry // I lost Gary's car once...that was memorable

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
At a Young Adults Summer Retreat 3 years ago in a moment of worship. It definitely shaped me to be who I am now and gave me a real heart for the age bracket that I now serve.

Connect Groups: Shaun Stuart

How long have you been a Christian?
7 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London
7 years

In a sentence, what do you do?
Look after Connect Groups

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
Not of the top of my head it always seems to be happening:)

Evening College: Andrew Cherrie

How long have you been a Christian?
23 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
1 year 9 months

In a sentence, what do you do?
Give Leadership to the Pastoral Team in Hillsong Church

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
Teaching at the evening college as it launched in 2010

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
Touching Heaven service just gone - really felt God moving and inspired by the stories of people being healed.

Hillsong Men: Sam Hewitt

How long have you been a Christian?
23 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
6 years

In a sentence, what do you do?
I lead the relatively new Hillsong London Men

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
During the two years I spent helping out with the Tuesday night Leadership course I had the privilege of doing it with a team that I remember more as family. That group of people had such togetherness and dedication to the vision we were serving. I looked forward to every Team Connect Group, because there was a genuine sense of care and a warmth that was so inviting.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
A few years back we ran a course called Leading in God's House. One particular Tuesday night Mark Hopkins, from Hillsong College Sydney, lead the whole class in to a Holy Spirit-filled evening. I remember it feeling as close as I can imagine to the Day of Pentecost in the Upper Room written about in Acts 2. Prophetic words were spoken and many spoke in other tongues for the first time.

Green Light: Luke Brendling

How long have you been a Christian?
I have been a Christian for 7 years

How long have you been in Hillsong London?
I have been in Hillsong London 8 months – did attend Hillsong Bible College in Sydney for 2 years (2006 – 2007)

In a sentence, what do you do?
I am a Ministry Assistant to Gary Clarke, Pastor and help lead Green Light

Can you tell me a memorable experience or interaction with another person/people in the life of church?
After speaking a message one Sunday, a girl and her friends came up to me.  The girl was clearly upset, so I asked if she was ok – she replied saying that she had been a strict atheist all her life, but her friends had convinced her to check out church.  She was very unsure but eventually said yes…and the rest is history  -because at the end of that service with tears rolling down her cheeks – she said to me ‘I want to say Thank you, today my eyes were opened, I gave my life to Jesus’.

Can you tell me an amazing God encounter you've had somewhere in the life of church?
Had a real God encounter at our Saturday evening Touching Heaven night in the Indigo just recently.  Felt His presence in such a way its hard to put into words… All I can say is that I was overwhelmed by His goodness, His faithfulness, everything He has done for me and what He is doing and is about to do in our nation.