Hillsong Church tour ends on high note

are facing life’s challenges, that is when you need to bring a voice of praise to God through music.
“Although you may be in prison or any other form of bondage, gospel music is able to set you free. That freedom is only accessible through Jesus Christ.”
These were the words of Pastor Phil Dooley of the Hillsong Church, Cape Town, during a concert held last week Saturday at the Celebration Church in Harare which was marking an end to the week-long

All-Africa-tour by the Hillsong praise and worship band.
The tour began in Livingstone, continued in Francistown and ended in Harare.
Quoting a verse from the Bible in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas sang songs unto God while in prison until an angel was sent by God to set them free, Pastor Phil Dooley -who was the main speaker at the concert – explained that gospel music should be taken seriously.

He said by it, a Christian is able to find freedom from life’s challenges while at the same time praise and worship God.
The call to freedom, hope and restoration was basically the main theme of their Africa tour and although the concert was compressed to less than three hours, it served its purpose as hundreds who attended renewed their commitment to God after an alter call by Pastor Dooley.

Having last performed in Francistown, Botswana at Francistown Rugby Club, Pastor Phil Dooley said his group decided to save the best for the last by winding up their tour of Africa in Zimbabwe.
“We have visited Francistown, Livingstone and now we are in Harare. We came through Bulawayo and we enjoyed our experience there.
“We are passionate about Africa and that’s why we have embarked on this All-Africa-tour. We are also very passionate about Zimbabwe.

“We believe this is a time for Africa. It’s also a time for Zimbabwe and for you and me” Said Pastor Dooley amid a deafening applause from the crowd.
Pastor Dooley said despite the bumpy roads in some parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe his praise and worship band had all systems in place to give Zimbabwe the best of Hillsong live contemporary Christian music.
While still explaining the role of gospel music in the life of a Christian, the crowd that was mainly comprised of youths from across different denominations from Harare and outside was evidently impatient as they waited expectantly to enjoy the live sound of Hillsong music whose international fame has spread far and wide across the world.

As the praise and worship band that was mainly youthful finally took to the stage the flood-lights were switched off and the auditorium immediately switched to life as hundreds of Hillsong music enthusiasts poured to the dance floor to cheer at the stylish performance of the Hillsong praise and worship band.

Most of the tunes were familiar sing-along songs such as One Way, God is able, Take it all and Hosanna while a few more were introduced for the first time to the crowd. Despite the screen display of lyrics on each song, the fact that the crowd was able to sing along to each new song showed how much the sound and tune of Hillsong music is imprinted in the hearts and minds of Zimbabweans.

Hillsong praise and worship leader who is also an author and song writer Darlene Zschech could not join the Hillsong praise and worship band on their All-Africa-tour as she was said to be busy on pastoral business back in Sydney Australia. But despite her absence the praise and worship band that was led by Hillsong London lead singer Peter Wilson showed that they meant serious business as shown by their polished performance that kept the crowd on their feet for two hours. The energy and vigour of the youthful praise and worship band was unmistakable as they took turns fronting the band.

Powered by a state of the art P.A system, the sound of Hillsong tunes echoed through the whole auditorium and one could not resist the temptation to dance in enjoyment. I had the impression that I had seen the best of guitar strumming skills from other artists across different musical circles.

My notion was proved wrong, as I watched in admiration the guitar strumming abilities of the Hillsong praise and worship band whose skill and talent are of high quality and clearly display a high level of ingenuity.
After the show, an excited Ron Martin -who co-ordinated the concert – said in a side interview that the turnout had been pleasing and that many people had been blessed and renewed their commitment to God.

He added that Hillsong music was all about touching people’s lives and praising God through music.