“Surry Hillsong – Come into the Light”

This will be a parody of Hillsong church, using the theme to represent the all-encompassing community values of “diversity, respect and inclusion”. Our mission statement is to achieve a world with the DENOMINATIONS UNITED.

The entry will comprise of “A God” who will be spinning discs from heaven’s console in the sky, atop a representation of a ‘religiou$’ multimedia empire. The Surry Hillsong bus is involved to transport believers from the parade Start Area near Central Station to the place of worship, our sister multimedia empire ‘Jox Studios’.

One hundred to 200 believers will make the pilgrimage in costume. Each worshipper will be responsible for creating a costume of his/her choice. This costume can be related to any religious reference – for example Christian, Shinto, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Mormon, Catholic, Muslim, a cult or a famous/infamous religious character. And we would like to see some SECTS in the parade this year! DIRTY, SECTSY DENOMINATIONS. Your costume can be designed around your budget and sensibilities. Therefore may be as extravagant, as reverential, as cheeky or as $2 Variety Store “cheap and cheery” as you like. Anything religious is possible. Groups of friends participating around their own theme are encouraged! For example the greek or roman gods, a choir, satanic rituals or scientology.

What are your thoughts?

Don’t forget that F2B will be marching for the 3rd time this year.

I’ll be posting details later.

Hmm, well I think enough people know about Hillsong – in the last couple of years of the Howard Government, they were pretty much used as the main example of a the new influential ‘megachurches’.

There were even stories about how many Australian Idol finalists came from Hillsong one year!

But, as to parodying them… sigh. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. There’s plenty of history in the LGBT community of parodying religious figures or organisations. Fred Nile. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence etc.

I just feel like it’s the kind of thing that increases the divide and makes life for LGBT Christians, who are trying to live with a foot in both ‘camps’, more difficult.

I can’t see religious communities being at all impressed with the LGBT community in general after this.

Um… so what else is new? 😆 😆 😆

The relgious communities have never been impressed with the LGBT community at all, ever… thats pretty much the point of mocking them I imagine.

If the Christians can get up there and say homosexuality is wrong etc in the name of freedom of speech and belief then the LGBT community ought to be able to call them morons for doing so… for that too is a belief. 😉 😆 😆

We were trying to build a bridge with pentecostal churches, hillsong being one of them, I hope we wont be burning that bridge. I spose we can only wait and see.

Yeah, I’d love to know who is organising this. I just hope that there is no hidden agenda or motive behind it. Lets get behind the F2b team so we can educate and inform others about the real issues confronting GLBTIQ people and their faith/spirituality.

Im hoping its going to be for the better but also hope that in having the freedom to express and speak out, we use that freedom wisely, if everyone spoke out what they wanted and how they wanted without forthought somewhere, where would we all be? it would almost be like a slinging match “this is what i want” but ” this is what III want” and “this is what you look like when you say that” nooooo “THIS is what YOU look like when you say THAT”, where does it end 🙁 . The ways and means we do things can make the difference between accomplishing something good or having it bite the dust with drawn out recovery.

Parody can be fun if done in the right way and certain digs have been done in the past achieving nothing but a laugh and sometimes incurring an insult changing nothing. Im hoping if it brings a good laugh, everyone involved will get the joke…just my thoughts 😉 (prob. be a big fuss about nothing, time will tell)

Will be marching with F2B in spirit all the way. 8)