Oct 15, 2025 | Sarah Borgstrom Lee

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1–2, NIV)

In the beginning, the Spirit of God drew near to the chaos — the quivering mass of unformed energy that would become the heavens and the earth. In the beginning, God drew near to the mess. And from the mess of life as it actually is, God brought forth light and life.

At IGNITE 2025, students encountered a God who isn’t afraid to get into the thick of things — for the sake of making all things new.

A Creative Beginning

On Friday, the exploration of God as Creator and Creative began with a talk from Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell, Artist in Residence for IGNITE 2025. She invited youth to embody the Scripture with her. Whenever they heard the word “light”, they were invited to raise their glow rings; when they heard “darkness”, to lower them; and when they heard “Spirit of God” or “wind of God”, to blow bubbles.

Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell calls students to embrace their creativity and share their light with others.

She encouraged youth to think carefully about their understanding of light and darkness:

“When God created light, the darkness didn’t go away — not all the way. That became a problem… We tried to avoid the dark, found ourselves running pretty much all the time. As we got older… we realized that darkness wasn’t a hue or a color. Darkness became bullying. Darkness is coming home and finding out your dad was detained.”

“Darkness isn’t just the absence of light. It’s a feeling of being separated — from God, from joy, from light.”

Beaugelin Caldwell’s honest reflection on what truly feels dark created space for students to share the places where they were experiencing darkness in their own lives. Throughout the weekend, in addition to creating art, she invited students to embrace and express their own creativity by drawing self-portraits and personal images of Jesus.

“Sympathy is our strongest instinct”

On Saturday, Michael Beck and Woo Kang shared the stage for sessions 2 and 3. Their messages emphasized that human beings were created good, and created for connection.

Michael Beck walked students through the creation narrative, highlighting that after each act of creation, God proclaimed it was “Tov” — Hebrew for “good.” And after creating humans in God’s own image, God declared they were “very good.”

Michael Beck unpacks Genesis 1 with students on Saturday morning.

But soon after came the first “not good” in the biblical story — and no, it had nothing to do with an apple or a tree.

“It is not good for humans to be alone… The triune community created us for community,” Beck explained. “God comes to get us in the person of Jesus Christ. You were designed for love — made for community.”

Woo Kang echoed the message:

“We have to allow the love to be louder than the lies of shame.”

Rev. Woo Kang invites young people to share God’s blessings with others.

An Afternoon of Hope and Connection

After a break for lunch, students returned to the Wildwood Convention Center ready to learn, play, share, and grow. Some gathered in East Hall for Open Mic, others played games in the Exhibition Hall, while others joined various breakout sessions.

More than a hundred students and leaders gathered in Ballrooms B & C for a Q&A session with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. Their questions ranged from playful — “What’s your favorite color?” — to profound: “How has your understanding of God changed as you moved from a layperson, to a pastor, to a district superintendent, and then a bishop?”

In the same room, Lauren Jenkins, a licensed mental health counselor, met with students to discuss how to support someone struggling with mental health. In a powerful and engaging session, Jenkins described hope and connection as two of the most important protective factors in mental wellness.

“Hope,” Jenkins declared, “is believing that change is possible.”

Students share messages of hope with each other.

In addition to offering practical education on recognizing signs of mental health struggles, she also invited students to participate in creating a Hope Wall behind her table in the Exhibition Hall — where they could take or leave messages of encouragement.

Messages on the wall included:

  • “Every failure is an opportunity.”
  • “It gets better.”
  • “God will help you through it all.”

The messages from the afternoon resonated with the young audience. Maemae Carroll from West Lawn UMC shared: “It’s really fun and exciting. I love the concerts, and I really liked the meeting about mental health. I have a few friends who need help with that.”

Don’t Be a Hoarder of Blessings—Be a Creator of Connection

On Saturday evening, Woo Kang and Michael Beck returned to the stage. Kang shared a story of how his family used to drive 5 hours each way from Ohio to Chicago — the nearest Korean grocery store. After a 10-hour trip, his mom would unload a few things, then immediately have the family get back in the van to deliver groceries to Korean neighbors who couldn’t make the journey themselves.

“With blessing comes calling,” Kang proclaimed. Michael Beck echoed the theme: “What if everyone’s calling was to create community with others?”

As the day drew to a close, Bishop Moore-Koikoi invited students to reflect on where they were experiencing God in their lives and to choose to live into their calling.

Bishop Moore-Koikoi invites young people to embrace the uniqueness of their callings.

“Live into your call, because you are important in God’s plan… It might sound funny to say that, but God needs us to be instruments of God’s love and God’s light in the world. The world needs you to live into your calling.”

Students came forward to pray with leaders and volunteers — some dedicating their lives to Christ.

“All of Creation Reflects the Truth of Who God Is”

On Sunday morning, Bishop Moore-Koikoi gave the capstone message of a powerful weekend: “Being part of a diverse body is one of the greatest gifts we can receive.”

Each person is a reflection of the image of God. Everyone needs to shine so that we can truly see who God is. “We need you to love your unique self. We need you to stand firm in your image of God — to know that you are good, just the way God made you.”

Young people depart, ready to reflect the image of God and bring light to all the places God is sending them.

As IGNITE 2025 came to a close, students left not just with memories of worship, laughter, art, and community—but with a renewed sense of purpose. They were reminded that God’s creativity is not distant or abstract, but alive within them, even in the chaos and questions of everyday life.

Called to reflect God’s image, to create connection, and to bring light into dark places, these young people returned to their homes and churches ready to live boldly into their callings. IGNITE wasn’t just a weekend—it was a launching point for a generation committed to love, hope, and transformation in the world.

Post-IGNITE 2025 Resources: