Being an Ignite counselor is full of prayer, fellowship, and LOTS of fun. It is a time of selfless service for the purpose of inviting others into Christian community at UT. Counselors are the hands and feet of Ignite as an organization, fervently taking the time to build Christ-like relationships with their campers. During the spring semester, they get to be formed by the leaders in their camps on how to share the Gospel, lead a small group, and build strong friendships with campers. At retreat, they lead small groups and then follow-up with their campers during the fall semester and beyond. They walk with their campers as they visit churches, try out different organizations, and navigate the large campus that is the Forty Acres. The relationships that form between campers and counselors are truly beautiful and a testament to God’s intentionality.
The decision to apply to be a counselor requires a lot of thought and prayer. For one counselor, the decision came down to her love for the mission of Ignite: to provide spiritual growth for and an outreach to incoming students through the unity of the body of Christ, allowing them to see God’s influence at the University of Texas. She loved the idea of being able to be “that person” for someone, especially given that the first semester of college can be rather daunting. This counselor hadn’t attended Ignite as a camper, but she knew she wanted to be a part of this organization. She knew she wanted to help freshmen get plugged into the body of Christ at UT.
When asked about her favorite part about Ignite, this counselor enthusiastically answered, “the campers!”. She loved getting to know them at retreat and getting to hear each of their unique stories. She also mentioned how she was taken aback by how much she learned from them about her faith and how they have even helped her grow in her relationship with God. This counselor recalled how she had spoken to one of her campers while fishing over the summer. She encouraged her soon-to-be camper to go to Ignite, and a couple months later they were sitting next to each other in a small group! This counselor beamed about how wonderful and life-giving this relationship has been and how much she has been able to get to know this camper since leaving retreat.
While retreat is extremely fun and exciting, this counselor said the best part about Ignite was being able to, and encouraged to, follow-up with her campers after retreat. She loved walking with them through their first semester by giving them rides to church, studying with them in the PCL, or simply dropping off a pint of ice cream for them while they were doing homework. Also, being able to just be their friend has taught her a lot about the Christ-like relationships we are all striving for.
Upon reflecting on her experience in Ignite, this counselor used the word “Growing” to describe it. She recalled how much she learned from being formed and living out fruitful friendships within her camp in the spring as well as from her time with her campers at retreat and beyond. As a counselor in Ignite, you are constantly growing in your relationship with God and in your relationships with others.
Whether you’ve just gotten back into your faith or have been committed to living a life for Jesus for years, we encourage you to prayerfully consider applying to being an Ignite counselor. If you are on the fence about it, this counselor encourages you to read Romans 8:18 – For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing the glory that is to be revealed to us. There is so much happening now in this moment that you don’t realize God is actively using for His glory. Allow God to work through you and transform the lives of incoming freshmen and transfer students.
Here is the link to apply! Applications close 1/20/2024 at 11:59pm.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Leadership Training Execs at training@ignitetexas.org