Watch Now “Our Daily Show Interview! Dr. Kristi Lemley: Ablaze: Bringing Ministry to the Riverbend!” JERSEYVILLE/GRAFTON/EDWARDSVILLE/GRANITE CITY/ALTON – Living in the Light Ministries invites you to “encounter the presence of God” at Ablaze. Dr. Kristi Lemley, who founded Living in the Light Ministries, explained that Ablaze is a service where people from across the community come together to worship, hear testimonies and pray. The ministry will wrap up their tour of the Riverbend region in the next week, with plans to hold Ablaze services in Jerseyville, Grafton, Edwardsville, Granite City and Alton. Lemley explained that the services allow them to spread the word of God and share peace and hope with people who need it. “If you had the cure for childhood cancer, would you keep it secret? No. So if we believe Jesus is the answer, we shouldn’t keep it secret,” she said. Every Ablaze service begins with a local pastor who welcomes everyone to the service and leads them in prayer. They then have 15–20 minutes of worship, usually with a local band. This is followed by a testimony, and then Lemley tells a story from the Bible. There is time set aside for prayer, and people are welcome to come to the altar and pray with local pastors. Lemley said they see people with different backgrounds at every service. Some people who come to Ablaze are in the midst of a crisis, and others are simply weighed down by the “heaviness of life.” The services aim to renew attendees and offer healing to those who need it. “There is such a peace and a joy that happens, and the weight of the world is lifted,” Lemley explained. “It is just such a powerful thing to feel the heaviness lift…It’s just powerful to see people recognize that there is hope.” Lemley said they’ve met people who were in active addiction and were “delivered” by the end of the service, and others who came complaining of back pain and left feeling much lighter. Whatever the situation might be, Ablaze hopes to bring people closer to God and to each other. Lemley noted that people are more isolated than ever; Ablaze promotes connection. “Especially because of COVID and because of just the way the world is, people are very isolated,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to come together and recognize that nobody battles alone, that there are people who care about them, and, bigger than that, to know that there’s a God who sees them and sees right where they are and sees their struggle.” By the end of the summer, Ablaze will have traveled to six counties in the Metro East region. Their next stop will be at Dolan Park in Jerseyville on July 26, 2024, followed by Grove Memorial Park in Grafton on July 27. Both services start at 6:30 p.m., and people are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. Ablaze will then travel to Edwardsville City Park in Edwardsville on Aug. 2, 2024. The service starts at 6:30 p.m. They will wrap up the summer with services at Wilson Park in Granite City on Aug. 3, 2024, and the Alton Amphitheater in Alton on Aug. 4, 2024. Services start at 6 p.m. They will also have a baptismal in Alton, and people are encouraged to invite their own pastor to baptize them. Lemley hopes to see many attendees at all of Ablaze’s remaining events. She wants to invite as many local pastors as possible so that they can connect people with churches in the area. She hopes to help foster a feeling of God’s presence at all Ablaze services. “That is success to me. Am I obedient and have people felt the presence of the Lord, no matter how many people are there?” she said. “We do want [attendees] connected to a local church because when we leave, we want them walking in a community of believers and growing in their faith.” For more information about Ablaze, including updates on the upcoming services, you can visit their official website at Ablaze.Global. To get your church involved in the Ablaze services, email [email protected]. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
