www.nextwaveonline.com News Hillsong London - Pioneer Again 19 June 2014 Hillsong Church London has, in a short space of time, established a name as one of Europe’s leading churches. Under the leadership of Pastors Gary and Cathy Clarke, the church now has campuses spread across the city – each one growing fast - and has planted thriving churches in Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Barcelona. The church is part of the global Hillsong family of churches, led by Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, which also has campuses and churches across Australia and in New York, Los Angeles, Kiev and Moscow. Mal Fletcher recently featured as speaker for the central London campus, meeting at the famous Dominion Theatre, and in the Surrey campus, led by Pastor Kris and Kaliegh Mikkelson. Since their arrival in the UK from Copenhagen ten years ago, Mal and Davina have made Hillsong London their home, having been friends with Brian and Bobbie Houston since the mid-1980s. When he is not travelling, Mal attends services at the Dominion. ‘The thing that some people fail to understand about Hillsong London – and Hillsong churches generally – is that this is a church, not a series of events running on Sundays.’ ‘On any given weekend in a venue like the Dominion Theatre, people are coming together for worship, fellowship and teaching. They’re not attending a hyped-up concert.’ ‘The backbone of the church is its huge network of small groups, known as Connect Groups. It’s pretty much the same model John Wesley used, under a new name!’ Mal spoke on The Pioneer Spirit and the messages were very well received, with 75 percent of one of the larger services responding for prayer at the end. Many people indicated their desire to make a decision for Christ. Mal adds: ‘Gary’s vision is to see a large network of campuses spread across London and other parts of the UK. Though the planning is deliberate and often gradual, the strategy is moving relatively swiftly toward becoming a reality.’ To hear Mal’s messages at Hillsong London, visit the church’s website (under Podcasts).www.nextwaveonline.com |