Welcome Home

After most of the interviews were done, I grabbed Alicia, went down to the Tube and headed to church--Hillsong London. I was pumped! I had staked out the theater the day before just so I wouldn't get lost. Let's just say it's hard to miss their location.

We found our seats in the balcony and I think Alicia (who is super conservative) was shocked. I was in heaven! The music started and worship seemed to go by super fast. Looking at my watch I realized it was 45 minutes later and Alicia would be late for her last interview if she didn't leave right away. So she missed the sermon which was a shame.

They had a guest speaker, a man by the name of Sy Rogers. His testimony is this: he became a Christian before almost having a sex change operation. Yeah, talk about life change. He has an amazing ministry and testimony.

I think the thing that struck me the most about Hillsong was their sense of community. They translate services into several languages. Your bulletin and all the signs say, "Welcome Home!" Even though they're a large church, they read prayer request cards and praise reports from the stage. They have people in the lobby who can help you find a job, an apartment or a small group to be a part of.

Briefly, as I stepped out of the theater back into the hussle and bustle of Totenham Square, I thought, "Gee, would it be weird if I moved to London just for this church?"

Makes me wonder, how do you build that community? I left impressed not by the lights or the stage, but the people and the overwhelming sense that you were welcome and that you belonged.