Glowing Embers is a movement among youth and their families with the purpose of supporting Charity African Missions in Ghana, West Africa. Though not a large movement, it has been growing in influence over the past year. This article is presented as an introduction and invitation to Glowing Embers.

The 2005 Charity Bible School was the initial “spark” that got things started for Glowing Embers. Brother Weston Leibee, on furlough from Ghana, spoke to the youth about the need for commitment to missions. In response to his challenge and call, over 100 young men and women expressed a desire to make a serious commitment to missions as supporters. Over the next few months what would become Glowing Embers was brainstormed, provided structure, volunteers, and set in motion.

While the Charity Bible School was in session, another Bible School for church leaders in Ghana was finishing. Daniel Kenaston had shared via email some of the highlights from Bunbon where about 65 men from 33 villages gathered for classes. The following excerpt is from Bro. Daniel’s e-mail and will make clear why the name Glowing Embers was chosen.

“We asked a question at the beginning of the classes and continued to refer to it through-out the weekend, and I would like to share it with you here as it represents some of our heart burden and strategy as we seek to raise up Konkomba churches here. I asked the men on the first day what would be the best means of starting the cooking fires needed to cook for the whole village of Bunbon (2000 people) if we had only one match.

“In this context all the men present immediately knew the way to solve the problem of starting 400 cooking fires with one match. Just start one good fire and let each house come and take a few coals to their own house! We challenged them repeatedly not to think of the classes as just for themselves, but to see themselves as coming to get a few coals to take back to their village churches. This thought blessed and challenged us throughout the weekend and we joy in the knowledge that many of the men did just that, resulting in a new knowledge and fire in each of the 33 little churches represented by these leaders!!

“The most important thing with the above fire-starting scenario is that there be a strong fire at the center so that others can come and take some back home with them. Continue to pray with us that the fire at the center will stay strong, and that we, along with our more mature leaders here can continue to provide clear leadership and anointing for the work as a whole. Rejoice with us in the thrill of these meetings and keep praying for these fire-bearers as they work for God in their own villages. Pray that His wind will blow upon the fires started until Konkomba land blazes with His Glory!!”

Glowing Embers seeks to facilitate relationships between supporters and missionaries. Supporters are asked to make a sacrificial commitment of their various resources to help fuel the fire burning in the hearts of the missionaries. The missionaries are asked to communicate their needs for specific ministry and daily living. One goal is to have young people see their praying, giving and writing as being vitally linked to Jesus’s Great Commission. A second goal is to give our missionaries the needed encouragement, prayer cover, and resources to do what the church has sent them to do in Jesus’ name. Our hope is that relationships between supporters and missionaries will deepen as both groups see themselves as working together as the “one, new man in Christ” proclaiming peace to those near and far (Ephesians 2).

Glowing Embers has been slowly gathering momentum and growing in size. We are still learning how best to facilitate communication, and we rely heavily on the patience and zeal of the young people to keep things going forward. The following is a description of how Glowing Embers works:

Currently there are eight teams made up of 6-8 young people. Each team has a leader, someone local here in Pennsylvania, who is the link between the team and the team’s missionary. Each team member is asked to give sacrificially, pray regularly, and write consistently to their missionary.

Each month the team leaders have four main responsibilities. The first is to help put together the Glowing Embers Newsletter. The second is to get an update from their team’s missionary with prayer requests and any other information. Thirdly, they send out the newsletter and update via snail mail to each of their team members. Finally, they try to answer any questions their team members may have.

Newsletter articles are written by team leaders, editors, missionaries and anyone else who wants to support missions (this means you). We have a sister behind the scenes who writes, edits and does the layout for the newsletter. In each newsletter we try to give encouragement to Ember Members in the areas of sacrificial living, prayer and letter writing. We also try to include testimonies from Ember Members and quotes from well-known missionaries. We make the articles short and motivating as a means of encouraging Ember Members in giving, praying and writing.

Our prayer is that God would use these efforts to keep the fires burning for missions both on the field and in the home churches. We hope you will consider making a serious commitment to missions, if you have not done so already. May God’s Spirit continue to fan the fires of love for Jesus, His kingdom, and His people.

~Tavi Rendon

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