Carrying the Fire

Randy Izaguirre, Class of 2022, teaches the congregation at Grace Avenue Church in Conroe, Texas.

For Highlands College alumnus Randy Izaguirre, the call to ministry has always been connected to a place and a people he loves. Izaguirre entered Highlands College with the hope of giving back to the church that first invested in him: Grace Avenue Church in Conroe, Texas.

Highlands College became the training ground that prepared him to return to his home church. As his relationship with God deepened, he also grew in character, discipline, and responsibility and developed a deeper understanding of what it meant to carry the call of God well.

Randy ministers to a student at Grace Avenue’s Student Night.

“Highlands College helped me grow up,” Izaguirre said. “It challenged me in my relationship with God, and as God grew me spiritually, I began to grow in other areas of my life.”

After graduating from Highlands College in 2022, Izaguirre joined the team at Grace Avenue, ready to serve wherever he was needed and contribute to what God was already doing in his community. The church was growing rapidly, and Izaguirre launched its student ministry, creating a place where students could encounter Jesus, find community, grow in their faith, and begin developing as leaders.

Since then, hundreds of students have given their lives to Jesus. Izaguirre has watched students take meaningful steps in their faith, develop a hunger for God, and step into leadership themselves. As the student ministry continued to grow, so did Izaguirre’s responsibility as Student Pastor, eventually opening the door for him to help Grace Avenue Church reach a new community.

Randy and his wife, Vanessa, launched the Huntsville, Texas campus for Grace Avenue Church.

Izaguirre recently helped launch Grace Avenue Church’s second location in Huntsville, Texas, and stepped into a new role as Campus Pastor. The opportunity marks a significant new season for him personally, but it also comes during a remarkable season in the life of the church. He is seeing people across Grace Avenue Church pursue God with an intensity that is shaping the way the church gathers, prays, and makes room for the Holy Spirit.

“We’re in a season of revival and fire,” Izaguirre said. “There’s a deep hunger for God in our church right now. People aren’t casually interested in the things of God; they’re pursuing Him.”

That hunger has led to tangible life change. People have experienced God’s presence in services, received healing and deliverance, and surrendered their lives to Jesus. Some have walked through the doors for the first time after hearing what God had done in the life of someone they loved, only to encounter Jesus for themselves. Watching people become increasingly passionate about the presence of God has been one of the most meaningful fruits Izaguirre has witnessed.

As the church has grown and his leadership responsibilities have increased, Izaguirre’s understanding of vocational ministry has deepened. He has come to see more clearly the intentionality required to care for people, develop leaders, and create environments where others can grow, as well as the weight and privilege of faithfully stewarding what God has entrusted to him.

“I believe God has started the fire, but it’s my responsibility to bring the wood daily,” Izaguirre said. “That means staying close to Him, continuing to grow in character, and faithfully stewarding what He’s entrusted to me.”

For Izaguirre, bringing the wood is a daily decision to remain close to Jesus and continue growing in the areas no one else may see. As his opportunities to lead have grown, he has become increasingly focused not only on what God has entrusted to him but also on who he is becoming as he carries it out.

That perspective has changed the way Izaguirre sees both ministry and the global Church. The Church does not exist to advance the ambitions or recognition of those who lead within it but to glorify Christ, make Him known, and advance His Kingdom. Understanding that has helped Izaguirre recognize the importance of keeping his identity separate from his assignment.

What continues to set his heart on fire is not a role or title but knowing Jesus personally and having the opportunity to help others know Him, too. That foundation has also given him a clearer understanding of the humility required of those who serve the Kingdom of God. His encouragement to emerging ministry leaders is to remain submitted, stay faithful to what God has placed before them, trust His timing, learn from the leaders around them, and remain teachable enough to recognize how much there is still to learn.

Ultimately, ministry comes back to the Great Commission. Jesus has entrusted His followers with the message of the Gospel and commanded them to make disciples. Reaching people is not simply about growing a church; it is the responsibility of believers to make Jesus known.

That responsibility is also why Izaguirre challenges current Highlands College students not to view their college years as merely preparation for a calling that begins later. The habits, decisions, and convictions formed now will shape the way they carry greater responsibility later. Character is not something to develop only when the assignment arrives, and ministry is not something that begins only after graduation.

“Don’t minimize the season you’re in. You’re not just training for ministry, you’re a minister right now,” Izaguirre said. “Don’t wait until you’re ‘sent’ to become the person God is calling you to be.”

His advice carries the perspective of someone whose own assignment has continued to grow since graduation. The goal is not to reach a position more quickly but to become someone who can faithfully steward whatever God chooses to entrust to them.

For Izaguirre, that is what it means to carry the fire. God is the One who ignites it, but every day brings another opportunity to remain close to Him, faithfully steward what He has entrusted, and carry that fire forward. As Izaguirre continues this new chapter leading Grace Avenue Church in Huntsville, he is asking his Highlands College family to pray for wisdom as he leads, for his family, and for him never to lose sight of the One at the center of his calling.

As we pray for Izaguirre to continue carrying the fire God has placed in him, may we also be faithful to carry what God has entrusted to each of us, making Jesus known wherever He has called us.

Randy baptizes a young adult at the Conroe campus.

Student Night at Grace Avenue Church is an opportunity for students to know God and hear His Word.

Students gather at the altar for prayer as Randy leads them in prayer.

The Huntsville, Texas, location gathers in worship.

Connect with Randy on the Alumni Network.

*Information correct at the time of publication: September 2026.