In August 2013, after a season of not being in a church environment (although I grew up and church and went to church previously) a friend invited me along to go to a Hillsong church service. I agreed to go with and this arrangement went on for two weeks, as the church environment at Century City is a lot, especially for me as an introvert. The third Sunday, however, my friend could not make it. So I went on my own.
During pre-roll, the following words flashed on Screen : ” You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” That struck me, as I could identify with this – a wandering exile, that thought he could not be part of church family.
Fast Forward to 2017, although I served in the Welcome and Hello Teams from 2013- 2015, and taking a break in between, God called me back to the gifting I have with creative technology and I joined the Creative Tech team and Century City. God was not done with my story!
In June 2018, I received a message from the then creative tech lead in Stellenbosch (as some Sundays I helped out in our Stellenbosch location, to also grow myself in the Creative Tech environment), that due to roster changes, he have to play guitar that Sunday Morning and that I had to be on my own on the sound desk. To add a twist to the story is that our Lead Pastor, Phil Dooley was preaching, not over the link but in person. So no pressure to the rookie (me) on the sound desk, haha. It was during the message by Pastor Phil on Psalm 1, on being planted like a palm tree, that I felt the call. That I must make Hillsong Stellenbosch my home. I did, and since 1 September 2018 , I have been part of what God has been doing in Hillsong Stellenbosch, in the good seasons, and in the waiting and staying season. I found Home.