Hello! My name is Jacob Lagus. I am studying at UTS on exchange from St. Olaf College in the United States, where I am studying mathematics and computer science.
One of my favorite places to spend time around the greater Sydney area is at Hillsong Church. Hillsong Church is one of the most popular Christian churches around the globe, and they are based right out of Sydney.
Prior to coming here to study at UTS, I was familiar with Hillsong largely through their music. The church supports numerous in-house musical groups, such as Hillsong UNITED, Hillsong Worship, and Hillsong Young & Free, each of which has global tours and far reaching impacts across the globe. As a Christian myself, the music that Hillsong church has created over the years has had a large impact on my life and my own personal journey. One big draw for me to come to UTS was the opportunity to be able to attend Hillsong Church while studying here.
Getting to Hillsong is incredibly easy from UTS. I go nearly every Sunday, either for a morning service at 9:00 am or 11:15 am, or for a more youth-oriented evening service at 5:30 pm. From UTS, Central train station is about a 5-10 minute walk away. From Central, you can take a train to Hillsong, which transfers at Epping, in about 40 minutes total. The church is then right across the street from the metro station.
A couple of bonus notes: if you go to a Sunday service at Hillsong, public transportation caps out at $2.70 for the day, which makes the transportation highly affordable! Also, Hillsong has 2 “City” campuses, which are closer to UTS, but I prefer going to the “Hills” location that I am describing.
Upon arriving at Hillsong for a service, you are greeted with many warm welcomes and friendly faces. Because they are such a large church, services are often times filled with people, so it can be a great way to meet new people with common interests! Services generally last about 1.5 hours, filled with incredible worship and good teaching on the Bible.
Personally, I love spending my time at Hillsong because the services are so refreshing and inspiring. Living in the heart of the city certainly has its pros and cons, but for me, it is nice to get away from the city for a bit each Sunday. This allows me to have quality time to myself going to and from church, which I often spend listening to podcasts. But most importantly to me, it provides soul-filling worship, inspiring preaching and teaching, space for reflection, and much needed time with God.
Hillsong Church is a staple in my weekly schedule here in Sydney. In addition to Sunday services, they also have events going on all throughout the week that aim to further connect people to community and help people along in their faith journeys. Definitely check Hillsong out if you are looking for a church in the area or even if you are not!