Canadian popstar Justin Bieber is in Australia attending Hillsong Church’s annual global conference.
Hillsong is Australia’s largest church (with several offshoot locations worldwide), and the conference is expected to draw over 20,000 people. It will last five days and feature renowned christian speakers and worship music groups. Among the featured speakers will be Pastors Rick Warren from Southern California’s Saddleback Church, Joseph Prince from the New Creation Church in Singapore, and Judah Smith from Seattle’s City Church.
Hillsong Church said in a statement regarding Bieber’s attendance: “People come from across the world to Sydney each year to attend Hillsong Conference. Justin is here — like tens of thousands of others — as a delegate who is seeking to build stronger foundations into his life.”
He is not participating in the conference in any other capacity. Out of respect for his privacy we will not be making further comments.
Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston said Bieber, 21, had paid his own way to Australia.
“It was a last minute thing. I really admire him for it,” Houston told Australia’s Ten Network News.
“I think a lot of things got the better of him, like happens with young kids,” the pastor related to Nine Network television.
Bieber made news last year for being cited for reckless driving in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario and vandalism for egging an LA neighbor’s house.
“No doubt he’d probably be the first to say he lost his way in a whole lot of ways and, yeah, I think he realizes that it’s now-or-never time to try to build better foundations into his life,” Houston added.
Bieber’s friend, rumored to be girlfriend, Hailey Baldwin, 18, reportedly flew with the singer to Australia in a private jet and will also be attending the conference. She is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, who has been outspoken about his Christian faith.
Conference speaker Judah Smith, 36, and Justin Bieber are friends as well. Smith is pastor of one of the largest churches in Seattle. He became acquainted with Bieber through his mother, who liked to play his sermons at her home.
Image Credit: Instagram/JudahSmith
Smith met his mother, Pattie Mallette, at a conference years ago. She told the pastor her son liked his sermons; helped put him to sleep. Smith did not know how to take that at first, but a friendship developed.
The pastor told Fox News: “I’m very proud of Justin. What’s amazing about [him] and many young men today [is] it’s not easy to be a man of faith. It’s not easy to make good decisions.”
“Justin certainly loves God and is passionate about being… the man that he wants to be,” Smith added.
h/t: The Guardian
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism - Equipping You With The Truth