When Eddie Phiri first walked through the doors of Hillsong Cape Town in 2009, he felt utterly lost and alone. Finding himself in a new country without work or family support, he went to the one place he knew he might find a sense of home. As the words of “You Hold Me Now” by Hillsong United wrapped around him, Eddie knew he was meant to be there. This grace was a God-given certainty in a season of swirling change.
in Cape Town, he felt God telling him he wasn’t there to sing. This was the toughest time in Eddie’s life. He was in a new country with no employment, no home and no family support. Church was the only safe place for him, but being told not to do the only thing he felt he knew had stripped him of his last sense of familiarity.
In spite of all this, Eddie still had a strong conviction to serve. Not knowing what else to do, Eddie decided if he Zimbabwean born and raised, Eddie lost his parents couldn’t sing, he was going to serve the calling that he at a young age. Raised largely by extended family, loved. With no background in production whatsoever, growing up he often felt he had little in the way of care he started at the beginning. He picked up a cable and or understanding. Ultimately it was lack of options for learned how to roll it. This simple act of service was the employment that drove him to leave Harare as a young start of a new trajectory that would define his life for adult looking for work in South Africa. Armed with little years to come. but his faith, and a relationship with Jesus that had set him apart from his family of origin from a young age, he Even when Eddie was living in a homeless shelter for left his homeland for the hope of a better future. four months, he went to church every Sunday and faithfully served. Whilst living at the homeless shelter South Africa can be a problematic place to navigate for he begrudgingly participated in a retreat they held foreign born Africans. Only a year before Eddie’s move, meant to inspire the residents to reflect on their a wave of xenophobic violence swept the nation in 2008 dreams. Having only recently begun serving at church leaving 67 people dead. This was the atmosphere Eddie on production, Eddie wrote something down he didn’t was walking into, but it was his only option. believe would be attainable – to be a sound engineer. He received feedback that it was highly unlikely he would After a short time in Johannesburg, Eddie had to leave succeed; and if so it was a goal that required a formal after disagreeing with the relative he was working for education and would take him up to ten years. about the ethics with which he ran his company. This was how he found himself at Hillsong Cape Town, being Eddie did it in five years, without a formal education. encouraged in a dark season by a song written on the Entirely self-taught, he achieved this dream by showing other side of the world. This was the foundation on up every Sunday. Eventually he became a project which the rest of his story unfolded. manager, found employment in the church and helped launch other Hillsong campuses in Cape Town. Since the age of nine, Eddie had been singing worship throughout Zimbabwe, for crowds of up to 5000 Eddie often felt like he wasn’t qualified to be a sound people. Though he was sought after for album deals, he engineer or a production manager. He felt like he was never saw worship as a career for himself. But singing an imposter in what was a professional environment. worship was what he intimately knew and deeply loved. But he kept showing up anyway, believing in what he calls the power of presence. Even that familiarity was about to change. Upon arrival
