Bonfires & Belief: Freshman Alexis Franklin’s Bold Vision for Chicago Youth
Alexis Franklin
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
When the pandemic hit Chicago, community dried up. Gone were the face-to-face interactions
that bonded lives and knitted congregations together. When this happened, Oral Roberts University (ORU) freshman Alexis Franklin—then a high school senior in Country Club Hills, Illinois—was
asked by her church to start a small group for local youth.
Her bold vision for this group ... “Bonfire Sessions.”
“I already had this idea,” Alexis said, “of doing bonfires because we were in the heart of the pandemic. I thought maybe people at my church would enjoy it. But the first week it rained so we couldn't do a bonfire outside.”
That first session wasn’t a “bonfire” as Alexis had envisioned. Instead, because of the weather, the first one had to be held in Alexis’ garage. And initially, she thought it wasn’t a success because nobody from her church came.
“At our first meeting,” Alexis said, “there were about 15 young adults. Some were my friends. Some were friends from school. Some were friends of friends that I didn't know. But that first night, 11 people gave their lives to Christ or re-dedicated their lives. And then the next week, the number actually doubled.”
“I believe my mission,” Alexis said, “is to help people go all in for Christ. We get to a certain point of stagnation, or we’re satisfied with just believing. But Jesus didn't call us to just believe. He called us to commune with Him and to be a follower.”
Catching Fire in Chicago
What started small began to grow through word-of-mouth and social media. After the first week, Alexis moved her “Bonfire Sessions” outdoors, inviting more and more local students to her backyard revivals. As word spread around Chicago, Alexis' backyard began to fill with students seeking a moment of prayer, worship, and community. These moments, centered around a bonfire, eventually grew to more than 100 people.
“We used the bonfire to confess things,” Alexis said. “I believe there's a freedom that comes with confessing things out loud. People would write down on a piece of paper what they were done looking at. Some people wrote down a movie they shouldn’t be watching. Some people wrote down a song they shouldn’t be listening to or a negative word that’d been said to them. And then we’d ball the paper up and burn it in the bonfire. And that's why they were called Bonfire Sessions.”
Alexis hosted 15 Bonfire Sessions for the Chicago community. The last session had to be moved to a public park because Alexis’ address had been widely circulated, leading to overcrowding in her backyard and traffic jams along her street. This last session, which was combined with a conference hosted by Alexis’ parents, brought in over 300 people.
“I believe my mission,” Alexis said, “is to help people go all in for Christ. We get to a certain point of stagnation, or we’re satisfied with just believing. But Jesus didn't call us to just believe. He called us to commune with Him and to be a follower.”
Bringing Her Fire for People to ORU
When it came time to choose a university, Alexis’ first encounter with ORU came via YouTube. Living in Chicago, Alexis had never seen the ORU campus, but on YouTube, she started watching ORU’s weekly Chapel videos.
“Watching Chapel,” Alexis said, “I really felt the presence of God. After that, I did a virtual tour, and as I watched, I was like, wow, this university is really cool! And then finally, I went to a Quest Event in Tulsa, and I absolutely loved ORU! I felt the peace of God say, ‘Alexis, you're going to go to ORU.’”
The compassion for people that Alexis demonstrated in Chicago is the same compassion she’s brought to ORU. As an ORU freshman, Alexis joined ORU’s Outreach Program which partners with local nonprofits to help people in the community.
“I’m serving in an after-school program associated with John 3:16 Mission, which works with the homeless,” Alexis said. “I’m working with middle schoolers and high schoolers in Tulsa.”
Occasionally, Alexis leads youth worship at John 3:16, drawing on her background as a professional singer. In Chicago, Alexis, along with her three sisters, is a member of the gospel group A4L (a/k/a “All for Love”), which has performed on iHeartRadio and at Chicago’s Gospel Fest. A4L’s new album will be out on October 15th on all platforms.
"When I graduate from ORU,” Alexis said, “I want to go into ministry. But I want to use my Advertising and PR major to help ministries grow. We're getting into a technological age where a lot of people are on their phones. And if the phone doesn't capture their attention, people aren’t going to be interested. In the ministry, there has to be people beyond preachers ... people who can answer the question ‘What do I need to do to engage people more?’”
ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 142 nations (from 2019 to 2022) to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the most diverse colleges in America.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.