The Heart Behind Ignite 2025

WHY NOW?

On July 6, 2023, during a time of prayer, the phrase “Ignite 2024” came to me. Ignite began as an annual event founded by Sister Grace and a small team, dedicated to sparking “flames of passion and compassion” among youth. It started at our local church, RCCG Chapel of Praise in Far Rockaway, and grew to impact young people across NYC.

I often catch glimpses of the 2018 Ignite Service in Brooklyn, where I served as a photographer. They come as still pictures: hands and hearts lifted in worship—“an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord” ...

I was home for the summer, having returned from my church in Ithaca, reflecting on how I had

encountered God in a transformative way. For the first time, I saw people my age actively following Christ, and I witnessed how He renewed my mind and broke chains I hadn’t even

realized were binding me. By giving God my full “Yes” and surrendering entirely, my life was

forever changed.

I began to long for a similar revival here at home—for my church friends and family who had

been caught in the routine of going to church to instead encounter Christ in a real, personal way. To not just know of God, but to know Him intimately and choose to follow Him sacrificially because He’s worth it.

When I asked Sister Grace about Ignite, she shared that she and the team felt God calling them into new seasons. I knew then that it was time to pick up the torch. Since that moment, I’ve been praying fervently, and the burden for this vision has only grown stronger. I believe now is the time for hearts to be set ablaze again.

Though the Ignite event will officially relaunch in 2025, the Lord already ignited this vision

before the end of 2024. Together with the entire Ignite team, we invite you into the presence of

God—to experience a fresh flame of passion for Jesus, to be overwhelmed by His love, and to

have a radical encounter with Him that will change your life forever.