On December 11, 2013, Darlene was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a Sunday morning message she recently gave at Hope Unlimited Church, the Church she and her husband pastor. She spoke to their congregation and to all of us. Listen to her message and please continue to pray for her to be totally healed. She has great reasons to remain on Earth for a long time more. Her ministry is unique, exceptional, and totally full of Christ. Multitudes have come to Christ as she ministered in the song and verbally.
rlene Joyce Zschech (/dɑrˈliːnˈtʃɛk/; born Steinhardt on 8 September 1965) is an Australian Pentecostal Christian worship leader and singer-songwriter who primarily writes praise and worship songs. Described as a “pioneer of the modern worship movement”,[1]she is the former worship pastor of Hillsong Church and is currently a member of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith
Zschech started on television at the age of 10, as part of an Australian kids’ show, Happy Go Round.[3] When she was 13, her parents divorced,[4] and the emotional stress of television and her parents’ divorce resulted in Zschech struggling with bulimia for about four years.[5]
In 1980, when Zschech was 15, her father rededicated his life to Christ and began taking her to church, where she gave her heart to Christ and met her future husband Mark.[6] Later, when they married, Mark suggested they move from Brisbane to Sydney, which was confirmed at a small church they were visiting one Sunday when the guest speaker said in the middle of his sermon, “This doesn’t happen to me very often, but whatever it is you two prayed last night, God says do it now.”[7] They began attending Hills Christian Life Centre, which would become Hillsong Church.
Zschech sang jingles for a number of international companies including McDonald’s, KFC and Coca Cola,[8] until she eventually came on staff at Hillsong Church after penning “Shout to the Lord.”[6] She released a vinyl album in 1987 called “Make the Choice” and a cassette album in 1993 called “Pearls & Gold.”[9]
Zschech and her husband Mark have three daughters, Amy, Chloe and Zoe. In 2000 she had a miscarriage after 12 weeks.[10]
In 2003, Zschech released her first ‘official’ solo album, Kiss of Heaven. Change Your World followed in 2005. She has since released two albums in 2011 called Simply Darleneand You Are Love. In addition to writing songs, Zschech has written five books: Worship (1996), Extravagant Worship (2002), The Kiss of Heaven (2003), The Great Generational Transition (2009), and Revealing Jesus: A 365-Day Devotional (2013).
On 11 December 2013, Zschech was diagnosed with breast cancer.[11]
Hillsong Church[edit]
Zschech was the worship pastor of Hillsong Church from 1996 to 2007, during which time she served as producer, vocal producer, or executive producer for more than 20 albums under the Hillsong Music label and wrote more than 80 published worship songs.[12] Under Zschech’s leadership, the album People Just Like Us (1994) was the first Christian album in Australia to go Gold as well as the first to go Platinum[13] and the album For All You’ve Done (2004) debuted at #1 on the Australian Record Industry Association album charts.[14] Zschech explained Hillsong Music’s stance in her book Extravagant Worship in a prayer: “Father, let them quickly get their eyes off of us. We just want to point them to you, God, because you are the Author of truth. You are the only One who is to be praised.”[13]
Zschech stepped down as worship pastor in 2007 with the blessing of Hillsong Senior Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston to become Senior Pastor with her husband of Church Unlimited in Charmhaven.[15]Reuben Morgan was appointed to the Hillsong worship pastor position in 2008.
Hope Unlimited Church[edit]
In January 2011, Zschech and her husband became senior pastors at Church Unlimited, later renamed Hope Unlimited Church, in Charmhaven on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Hope Global[edit]
In April 2004, the Zschech family visited Rwanda, Africa and were inspired to launch “Hope Rwanda: 100 Days of Hope,” a faith-based global initiative that provided hygiene options and education for the citizens of Rwanda, which eventually morphed into Hope Global.[16] According to the official website, Hope Global currently exists to “offer practical solutions to countries devastated by war, genocide, and poverty.”[17] It has major centres in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Cambodia, runs long-term development projects, such as Hope Education and the Village of Hope, and has hosted Parramatta Eels trips to Rwanda with CEO Paul Osborne
DARLENE CZCHECH - FACING HER CANCER WITH CHRIST