Hillsong’s vision for a global church and a global family is reaching further and wider with the launch of seven new sites, including its first church plant in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The others are San Francisco, Bali, and one more site in Portugal as well as Perth in Western Australia and Wollongong, south of Sydney. It also announced a new online platform, Church of the Air, for people living in remote Australia to gather together and join in the weekly Hillsong church services by registering and logging on.
“Hillsong church is going to add a room to our church family in ISRAEL,” Hillsong’s Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston wrote on Instagram.
“From Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and from the ends of the earth back to Israel.”
Houston ended his post with the hashtags, #prayforHillsongIsrael and #TelAviv.
The news about Hillsong’s expansion into Israel comes ahead of a Hillsong Worship Experience Israel tour from 18-27 April organised by Hillsong USA. The tour of biblical sites for church members includes worship services in Jerusalem, Galilee and Caesarea led by Brian and Bobbi Houston with music provided by the Hillsong United worship team.
“I see a church that is big enough to dream on a global scale, yet personal enough for every ONE to find their place.” – Brian Houston
Speaking of the planned church in Bali, Houston joked: “This will be a Campus of Hillsong Australia. It’s almost Australia. I may have to visit this campus a lot!”
Hillsong has grown from a single church founded in suburban Sydney in 1983 to an international ministry that reaches thousands in cities in 17 countries including London, Paris, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Copenhagen and Moscow. As well as 72 services every weekend across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and Northern Territory, there will be a total 32 campuses overseas including the latest additions.
In 2014 Houston articulated his vision for Hillsong as: “The church that I see is a global church. I see a global family: One house with many rooms, outworking a unified vision.
“Positioned in the heart of culture, in great diverse urban centres, I see buildings that struggle to contain the increase of all that God is doing; occupying land and places that are miraculous in provision and impossible to ignore.
“I see a church that is big enough to dream on a global scale, yet personal enough for every ONE to find their place. I see a church that beckons ‘WELCOME HOME’ to every man, woman and child that walks through the doors.”
Pray
Some prayer points to help
Thank God for Hillsong’s growth and pray that many more people will come to know Jesus through its ministries.