April 22, 2007 was a special day in the Presence Zone. The Hilaros Fellowship from Johannesburg came into the monthly online gathering of Presence International to share their collective and personal stories. Their fascinating journeys of faith touched the hearts of all in attendance.

 

Sonnyboy Skosana, the original organizer of Hilaros, described the beginnings of the group. In 2003, he found himself disillusioned with his local church as he saw the Bible being used to “hit you over the head.”

 

He began to meet others who were disenchanted with conventional church too. They decided to meet for prayer, study, and fellowship. At this time, Sonnyboy prayed that God would help him see things that he did not know. This was a liberating experience because “in the institutional church you tend to follow along without asking. The knowledge base is limited. It may not be intentional, but thinking outside that is not taken very well.”

 

In the early days of Hilaros, people began asking questions about everything from tithing to divorce. At one point, the issue of the Second Coming came up. One group member suggested that there would be no future Second Coming. This was a radical idea, but Sonnyboy agreed to study it. “If I didn’t have the courage to leave my institutional church, I wouldn’t have had the courage to explore other things.”

 

Eventually, he came to believe that the New Testament spoke of a covenantal transformation, not of a physical return of Christ. A new theology was exciting, but Hilaros wanted more. Sonnyboy noted, “The information we had was freeing, but it was not enough. We wanted to know what does apply to me.”

 

This was when Sonnyboy encountered Presence International. Sonnyboy stated that all of the practical application presented on the Presence website “was what we were looking for.” Applying theology to daily living helped people in Hilaros experience abundant life.

 

Eunice Maselana described her transformation as “a wonderful journey that was initially overwhelming.” In 2004 she “felt that God had turned his back on me.” This is when she met the Hilaros group. Their conversations were life altering. “I realized God is fully present, and this helped me to embrace life.”

 

As a mother of two, Eunice says that she is “able to enjoy them. They’re able to see a different mom. Understanding God’s presence has worked wonders with me and my children.”

 

In October 2005, Eunice and the Hilaros fellowship participated in the online Transformations course provided by Presence International. “Transformations was very empowering. Transformations made me grow tremendously. I would never look back.”

 

When people ask Eunice her secret of joy and peace, she answers, “My secret is living in God’s presence.”

 

Howard Thabethe described his transformational voyage. Like others in the Hilaros fellowship, Howard found himself unhappy and stifled in the institutional church. He began questioning many accepted practices and came to his own new conclusions.

 

Laughing, Howard recalled, “Some things really changed like tithing and baptizing.” But there was more, “I am a man who loves to enjoy life. When I was in church, I lived in prison.  I could see what other people were doing, but I couldn’t enjoy it. Now I am free.”

 

Howard’s new approach transformed more than his religious practices. He said, “Living in the presence of God has helped me face anything.” Howard speaks from heartbreaking personal experience. In the past year, Howard lost his young daughter in a tragic accident.

 

“We’re still human beings. We can feel pain, but now we handle it in a different way. If you know that the presence is here, you live in a different way. Even when I’m feeling pain, God is here with me. I’m a new person.”

 

Now Howard lives more confidently, joyfully, and peacefully. “God will never leave you, even in the darkest place.”

 

Grace Moseki shared her compelling story of broken relationships and depression. With a warm voice and a beaming smile, Grace spoke with passion and candor. “God has given me good friends and family. God has given me love and grace.”

 

Grace describes what she has come to know in her heart. “I’ve learned who I am, and I have the power to love. That is liberating. I am now able to express every emotion.”

 

Fufu Mlambo was the youngest member of the group to speak. She expressed her amazement at what she has been learning. “We discovered a whole lot of things we never thought possible in this lifetime.”

 

Fufu elaborated on the human tendency to judge and condemn others. “It is easier to blame the next person than to accept yourself.” Her new approach allows her to “appreciate people for who they are without judging them. Embrace everybody, every way, every time!”

 

She came to this place in her life by realizing “God knows you and loves you. He appreciates you for who you are regardless of your shortcomings.”

 

The common theme of all of the stories was freedom, and this message resonated loudly since it came from South Africans who had been oppressed under Apartheid. Sonnyboy remarked, “We have freedom to live in the Presence of God. Freedom to love God. Freedom to be loved by God. Freedom to serve others without wanting them to be like us, with no ulterior motives.”

 

The inner freedom experienced by the Hilaros fellowship provides encouragement and a model for others. Hilaros inspires courage to step forward in life and to not fear questions, life’s difficulties, or even God. The liberation that comes in the awareness of God’s presence, initiates a process of personal out of which will emerge spiritual and emotional transformation.

 

Fufu Mlambo summed up the conversation best. “Being free in unexplainable! It allows you to find peace to be you in God.”

 

 

URL: http://www.presence.tv/cms/org-hilaros-zone.php

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