TAYA SMITH (Hillsong United Worship Leader) Everything I'm involved with in church has gone to the next level in a really awesome way since I joined UNITED in 2013: We get to travel, we get to be part of a team that's bigger than ourselves and a church that's bigger than ourselves. It's blessed my life ridiculously. It’s all a lot to take in for a country girl born and raised on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Especially after the success of “Oceans,” which I had the honor to sing lead on. The song is all about stepping out and trusting God in areas where you have no idea how it's going to turn out. There are no borders. It could go any way. I feel like God's speaking to me through the song. I started out at the church as a volunteer in the youth and young adults ministries and the creative team at the City Campus. Then I got involved in the church’s youth worship group Young & Free. Whenever I’m not travelling, I enjoy pastoring the creative team, running prayer meetings and leading worship in a weekend service.
JAD GILLIES (Hillsong United Worship Leader) The crazy thing about this movie is none of us really took it seriously in the beginning. We were like, “Yeah, right. They would seriously make a movie about us.” But, you know what? The thing about Hillsong United and Hillsong Church is that God took some pretty ordinary kids and some pretty ordinary people and over 30 years has actually done something quite significant. It's something none of us could have done on our own. So hopefully the movie changes people's perspective and gives them a bit more reality of what it actually looks like to believe in who Jesus is and live a life that reflects that. I’ve been part of the UNITED team for 10 years now. I’m the creative pastor at Hillsong Church and oversee both the technical and worship leadership teams across the church’s Australian campuses. My passion for the house of God was first ignited when I served in the music and youth ministries of my home church in New Zealand. I led worship there at 17 before moving to Sydney at 21 to pursue the study of Worship Ministry at Hillsong International Leadership College. I spend the majority of my time working pastorally and coaching our teams in the theory and practice of servant leadership. I’m most happy, though, spending time with my wife Rebecca, and our two kids, George and Harriet, watching sports and listening to good music.
JONATHON “JD” DOUGLAS (Hillsong United Worship Leader) This movie is a brilliant opportunity that we didn't go chasing to get out the message of what we believe: which is who Jesus is and how much he's changed our lives. Hopefully it inspires and helps people. Even for people who've had nothing to do with church, I hope it will be interesting, And I hope it will give them a little bit of an insight that going to church isn’t about following a religion, it’s about following a person named Jesus. I grew up in Hillsong Church, attending the Hills Campus with my family from the age of 4, and I’ve been involved in Kids and Youth Ministries since that time. The love and encouragement I experienced growing up at Hillsong played a vital role in the development of my passions - the greatest of which is a firm belief in the power of a healthy local church in seeing God’s Kingdom established across the earth. I oversee Hillsong’s Creative Campus Pastors in Australia. My wife, Lauren, partners with me in ministry, and our two beautiful daughters, Indie Bo and Sailor Rose, and our new son, Jones, are always along for the ride.
