Hillsong United

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Hillsong United is the youth ministry of Hillsong Church. The youth ministry is combined of four different ages groups that meet separately but have "United" nights when they come together. The different age groups are; Fuel for years 7 to 9 at school, Wildlife for years 10 to 12 at school, Powerhouse for ages 18 to 25 and Frontline for ages 25 to 35.

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[edit] History

When Hillsong Church started in 1983, known as Hills Christian Life Centre, a youth group was established. The first youth pastor was Darko Culjak who was a bible college student at the time. Donna Crouch was appointed as an assistant in late 1984 due to the expansion of the youth group. Donna Crouch became the youth leader in 1987 . Phil and Lucinda Dooley became youth pastor in 1996, when the youth comprised of two age groups, Wildlife and Powerhouse. After a revival at the 1998 Summer camp, the youth ministry began to have "United Nights" when both age groups came together. This is where the name of the youth ministry, Hillsong United, came from. When Sydney Christian Life Centre became the "City Campus" of Hillsong Church, they adopted the Hillsong United youth format, as have all extension services. In 2007, Paul and Andi Andrew became the new youth pastors, as Phil and Lucinda Dooley moved into other areas..... In March 2008, Hillsong United released their first "hits" compilation called "The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts As One" which consists of two CDs containing live performances of the band's hit songs.

[edit] Hillsong United music

After the 1998 Summer Camp revival, the worship team of the youth ministry began writing songs and after releasing an EP, the 1999 album Everyday was released. Since that time the Hillsong United worship team has released an album each year and has grown in popularity. Along with playing in Sydney, the team currently travels the world, touring and holding conferences with thousands of attendees. The Hillsong United band is currently led by Joel Houston, the son of Hillsong Church senior pastor Brian Houston. The current Youth Pastors of Hillsong United are Paul and Andi Andrew, who took the position in early 2007.

[edit] Conferences and events

Hillsong United hosts a variety a of different camps and conferences throughout the year. The conferences held at Hillsong Church are the Hillsong United Youth Conference during Hillsong Conference and Encounterfest (where the live Hillsong United albums were recorded). On Nov 10, 2007, Hillsong United along with Brian Houston and Phil Dooley will host a conference in Orlando, Florida. The band will also experiment with broadcasting their performance live on Xanga as an interactive concert event.

The youth ministry also has an annual Summer Camp, held in January.

Tribal wars at Jam United 2006'
Tribal wars at Jam United 2006'

[edit] Hillsong United Youth Conference

Hillsong United Youth Conference (formerly Jam United) is the youth conference of Hillsong Conference for young people in years 7 to 12 at school. While Hillsong conference is held at Sydney Olympic Park, Hillsong United Youth Conference is held at the Hillsong Convention Centre in Baulkham Hills. The youth are bused onto the Hillsong Church site in the morning and are taken back to the Acer Arena for the night rallies. The day consists of;

  • Morning rally, with the Hillsong United band leading worship and guest speakers including the Hillsong United youth pastors
  • Electives, including the brotherhood, the sisterhood, leadership, worship, dance, programming and multimedia
  • Tribal wars, when everyone is divided into four tribes that compete in games

[edit] Encounterfest

Encounterfest is an annual event when the Hillsong United youth ministries unite for an encounter of God. Held in October, this is where the Hillsong United band recorded their annual live albums. Encounterfest 2007 featured guest speakers Judah Smith and Zach Hunter.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links