Our Story
Thousand Hills Hilversum started its first public worship service on Sunday, 16 April, 2006. Back then, Thousand Hills was called Hilversum International Christian Center (HICC). On 21 May 2006, Thousand Hills celebrated its Grand Opening in the Zuiderkerk – the building where Thousand Hills Hilversum still meets today. The new name Thousand Hills is inspired by Psalm 50:10.
Although Thousand Hills Hilversum started in 2006, the original vision was born in June 2004, when Sebastiaan van Wessem and Robby Bradford organised a musical tour in the Netherlands.
One day during the tour, they went to Hilversum, Sebastiaan’s hometown, and quickly realised that it was a very cosmopolitan town, home to many different nationalities, international companies and international schools. It was while driving through Hilversum that God opened their eyes to the need for an international church there as well.
In September 2005 the Van Wessems, together with the Bradfords and a church planting team, began to meet at the the Bradfords’ home. The group rapidly started increasing week by week, and there was soon a committed core group of supporters who were willing to help launch Thousand Hills Hilversum. We soon outgrew the Bradfords’ living room and moved to a wooden chapel bordering the woods around Hilversum.
Over time, thanks to various events and publicity, our website and above all, God’s leading, the original core group began to grow, and by the time Thousand Hills Hilversum officially opened its doors in April 2006, it had a regular attendance of 60 people. Just a month later, and we relocated to our current location in the Zuiderkerk, a beautiful church building dating to the early 1920s.
But Sebastiaan’s and Robby’svision was never just to plant one church, but to found a whole church planting movement. That’s why, in September 2007, Thousand Hills embarked on its first church planting project: helping to set up the New Day International Church in Almere. At the same time, Sebastiaan also initiated the start of a Europe-wide church planting network called Europe Advance.
In the past two years a vision has emerged in the hearts of Thousand Hills’ key leaders under the leadership of Sebastiaan to become a multi-site church; a church that meets in several locations, yet shares one name, one vision and one leadership team. It is our desire to help found other communities of believers in various cities, both in the Netherlands, and beyond, through the multi-site vision. We’ve already taken the first step on this road with the start of Thousand Hills The Hague in 2010.
The story of Thousand Hills is an example of what God can do when believers from all over the world work together in unity to let the light of Jesus shine in their communities. Even so, we know we’re only at the beginning of this journey with Him. Will you join us on our journey?
‘Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest’ (John 4:35)
Your Story
Would you like to share your experience of God with the rest of the church community? We encourage you to share YOUR story with us via Facebook.
Bibian’s story
I hope you are okay. My name is Bibian Lambart Mwale, a born again Christian from Zambia. I work for Christian Radio Voice, a Christian Ministry that broadcasts to Central and Southern Africa. I know you don’t know me but I just want to share with you this short encouragement. I’ve been in Holland from January and this week I will be going back home. During my stay here I came to your church.
Before leaving my home country I prayed that God should lead me to a living church where I could find people who were devoted to him. I was amazed when i entered the Thousand Hills building because there was such an awesome presence of God. I found it easy to pray and to worship my living God in the midst of the congregation. From the first Sunday I came, I told myself I would pray for the Church in Hilversum, your church.
I was really inspired when you spoke about ‘Crossing the Jordan‘. The messages were timely. The guest preacher who spoke about how God healed him from cancer truly tickled my faith. My experience in your ministry helped to increase my faith to new levels.
Please, always remember that you have a unique ministry and God is in your midst. He has promised that he will watch over your church and no gates of hell will prevail. I have come to realize that there are obviously so many challenges all around but God has raised your ministry to be the salt of Holland. Keep the faith until the very end and you will see the blessings of the Lord.
Bibian Lambart Mwale