Refiner’s Fire is an opportunity for ENC students to support each other by listening.

Gabie Schmidt, President of Refiner’s Fire, says the purpose of the ministry is to “focus on other people’s stories.” This is a chance for students to share personal testimonies to encourage and support others in the community. Schmidt wanted to create a place where students could freely express what God was doing in their lives.

There are many different topics covered each semester during Refiner’s Fire. This year, they have explored topics of healing, the struggles of mental health, the journey of following God’s call, and the perspective of eternity.

“We wanted to do something that’s not your typical Church service,” says Schmidt. During a Refiner’s Fire experience, there is music, prayer, and a guest speaker. This is more of a laid-back approach to worshipping God when compared to Church services and chapel. Schmidt wanted to show students that devoting time to God can be fun and relaxing.

During the first Refiner’s Fire meeting of the semester, three ENC students committed their lives to Christ. This life changing experience brought many students closer to each other and God. Schmidt described this as the “highlight of the year.” It made everyone at the meeting aware of how prevalent God is in the community and in students’ lives.

Refiner’s Fire is similar to Kingdom Experience in the sense that it is student led. This means that only students are involved in planning and executing the meetings. Schmidt chooses the dates of the meetings and who the speakers are, and the speakers chosen are normally fellow students. The committee is in charge of setting up the musical aspect of the meetings.

This organization has been running since it was started in 2000 by Mike Lyle, Charlie Luong, and Jeremy Scott. However, the leadership of Refiner’s Fire changes from year to year and different presidents and committee members have the ability to vary how Refiner’s Fire is run. This year, Refiner’s Fire meets in the basement of Angell Hall one Sunday each month at 8pm.