THE BLESSING: A STORY OF UNITY
A glimpse of what can happen when we choose unity over division.
In 2020, at a moment when much of the world was being forced apart, something unexpected began bringing the Church together.
One song started travelling from city to city, nation to nation, church to church.
The Blessing, written by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Steven Furtick and Chris Brown, became more than a song being sung on Sunday.
Worshippers from different churches, denominations, cultures and languages began creating their own expressions of it and singing a blessing over their cities and nations.
It wasn't one organisation trying to create a global movement.
It wasn't one church building a brand.
It was far more organic than that.
Versions began emerging across Australia and New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Different languages.
Different traditions.
Different generations.
One heart.
One voice.
AUSTRALIA JOINS THE STORY
Australia became one part of that much bigger global story.
Hundreds of churches, worshippers and contributors from across the country came together to create The Blessing Australia, an independent WorshipCollective.co project.
Large churches.
Small communities.
Different denominations and traditions.
People who may never normally have found themselves in the same room — let alone the same recording.
Luke Munns served as Creative Director of the Australian project, helping bring the different voices, performances and contributions together.
But what stayed with us wasn't simply how many people were involved.
It was the diversity of the people involved.
No one needed to become the same.
Unity didn't require anyone to surrender their convictions, history or tradition.
People simply brought what they had and added their voice.
The vision was simple: lay aside the things that can unnecessarily divide us — background, perception, style and preference — and focus again on what unites us.
Jesus.
There was something powerful about that.
One heart.
One voice.
One sound.
WHERE THERE IS UNITY
Psalm 133 says:
“How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.”
And later:
“For there the LORD bestows his blessing.”
That truth sat at the heart of the project then, and it continues to resonate with us now.
Unity doesn't require uniformity.
It doesn't mean everyone comes from the same church.
It doesn't mean everyone shares the same story.
It doesn't mean every expression of worship has to look or sound the same.
And it certainly doesn't mean pretending differences don't exist.
Sometimes unity begins when people simply decide that what they share is greater than what separates them.
When Jesus is at the centre, there is room for different generations.
Different traditions.
Different sounds.
Different stories.
Still one Church.
THE THREAD CONTINUES
Looking back now, The Blessing Australia feels like an early expression of something that remains very close to the heart of UNITED Nights.
Not one organisation.
Not one church.
Not one denomination.
Not a closed circle of people.
But a place where people can come together around a shared heart.
The experience left us with a bigger question:
What else could happen if we created spaces for people to come together like that again?
What could happen if old friends and new voices stood beside each other?
If churches and ministries collaborated without competing?
If artists were encouraged to create rather than copy?
If worship had room to breathe?
If a new generation was given permission to bring its own sound?
Maybe that's part of what UNITED can mean in this new season.
Not sameness.
Not hype.
Not building one name above another.
But creating room.
Room for worship.
Room for creativity.
Room for collaboration.
Room for people.
And above all, room for Jesus to remain at the centre.
WHAT'S NEXT
UNITED Nights is only beginning.
There will be new music.
New collaborations.
New rooms.
New people.
And plenty of stories still to tell.
Some of those stories will reach back into moments that shaped us.
Others are being written right now.
And some haven't happened yet.
But The Blessing gave us a glimpse of what can happen when people choose unity over separation and simply bring what they have.
Maybe what's next begins the same way.
One heart.
One voice.
One sound.
Jesus at the centre.
UNITED STORIES
Stories from where we've been, what we're building now, and what's ahead.