Convocations to start back up with ‘Blind Side’ coach, Hillsong lead pastor next week

The Liberty University Convocation lineup for the Spring 2018 semester will kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 24, with former University of Mississippi Football coach Hugh Freeze, along with his wife, Jill, and Senior Minister of Pinelake Church Dr. Chip Henderson.

Hugh Freeze was portrayed in the Academy Award-winning movie, “The Blind Side,” which starred Sandra Bullock, Ray McKinnon, and Tim McGraw. Freeze played a small cameo role in the film. In Freeze’s six years as the head football coach at Ole Miss, he had an illustrious career with four straight bowl appearances, including a win in the 2015 Sugar Bowl. But in 2016, at the height of his career, Freeze was forced to resign due to a pattern of personal misconduct. This will be the Freezes’ first public appearance since Hugh’s highly publicized removal from Ole Miss. As the Freeze family’s pastor, Henderson will give raw and honest insight while the couple shares their story of mountaintops and deep valleys, testifying to the grace and redemptive power of God.

On Friday, Jan. 26, Liberty will host Hillsong NYC lead pastor Carl Lentz and the Hillsong NYC worship group. The church is part of Sydney, Australia-based Hillsong Church, which has dozens of church plants in 19 nations on five different continents, all serving cities as the local church and impacting the world with the Gospel. Lentz is a best-selling author and pastor who has been featured in publications such as Time Magazine, GQ, The New York Times, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and People Magazine.

Hillsong NYC will also lead worship at the semester’s first Campus Community at the Vines Center on Wednesday, Jan. 24, which is free and open to the public. The group will help kick off a series of messages on Ephesians titled “MOR(ph)E.” Hillsong Music is one of the most influential worship movements in contemporary Christian music history. With millions of albums sold and more than 700 million digital song streams, it is estimated that over 50 million people a week sing their songs in local churches and gatherings across the world.

A 10-day Convocation schedule is released each Monday.