Ignite first began as a small group of young adults who met in John and Kathy Brubaker’s living room in order to encourage each other and maintain vital connections with the church. Since then, the group, led by the Ignite team, has grown to about 60 members who gather monthly at Grantham BIC to support each other in serving Christ’s kingdom. A stirring time of worship last year at the Miami General Conference inspired John, Kathy, and the rest of the team to pass on its vision to other young adults across North America by taking Ignite on the road.

On July 20, 2007, the Ignite team arrived at Fairview BIC church in Englewood, Ohio for its fourth cross-country gathering this year, ready to “stir a passion for God’s heart” in the young adults there. Having already made stops at churches in Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Ontario earlier in the spring and summer months, the team looked forward to worshiping, mingling, and praying with the young adults in Ohio.

Meredith Korn, mobilization support facilitator of the BIC World Missions staff and a member of the Ignite team, shares that the time was moving. New Light, a traveling vocal ensemble from Messiah College, provided the group time to reflect upon the goodness of the Lord. Kara Niesley, a member of Fairview BIC and a current BIC missionary in Spain, offered her talents in leading worship and shared her testimony.  Also, with many of the night’s attendees having just come from spending a week at Memorial Holiness Camp, Meredith notes that Ignite provided a time and a space for individuals to “continue to process the challenges they got from camp.”

During the closing response and prayer time, the team saw the Lord speaking to many hearts. One young woman, a close friend of a current BIC missionary, talked with Ignite leaders until late into the night about how she had felt called to pursue missions for years, but had pushed it aside, afraid of facing the uncertainties of missionary life. For her, Ignite brought everything into a manageable perspective, renewed her vision of working in a ministry with Muslims, and prompted her to look into going on a London trip. Other youths also expressed that they were convicted that night about their distance from God. In the small groups, they asked for prayer that God would renew their passion.

This year as they’ve traveled, the Ignite team, too, has encountered the Lord in the midst of challenges, discovering how God uses even those times to show His great glory. When the Ignite team was in Ontario, for example, a particularly violent summer storm knocked out the power for the entire evening. The Wainfleet church staff and a generous neighbor offered up two generators for use, which kept the computer, projector, and sound system powered. Though the electricity went out briefly several more times, the band kept worshiping, and so did everyone else. Meredith recounts that, “the circumstances really added to the celebration of God's love and provision. We were reminded how blessed we are to almost always have electricity, unlike many people in the world. God showed up and swept through the place, not allowing physical limitations to hinder the praise of His Name!”

While each Ignite gathering has its own unique set of circumstances, the Ignite team focuses on combining common themes with new expressions inspired by God’s spirit at each venue.  As Meredith relates, Ignite leaders desire, not necessarily that everyone they come into contact with would become overseas missionaries, but that they would be “encouraged to risk more to get closer to God.” Given the changes which Ignite has already sparked in the hearts and lives of those who have attended it, it seems that Ignite is doing just that.

Ignite will be heading to Upland, Calif. on October 5th, and Chambersburg, Pa. on October 20th, head here for more information!