Let me introduce myself – if you don’t know me already. My name is Lizzy, and I’m the CEO of Adore UK (formerly known as EDGE – Every Day God Encounters). After 8 years of being EDGE, we became Adore UK on 27th September this year.
Some of you are probably asking some of the following questions:
Why have you changed the name?
Why did you choose the name, ‘Adore’?
What is the meaning behind the name, ‘Adore’?
Well, that’s what I am here for – to share with you why we have become Adore, and what it means.
The Background Story
At the end of 2019, EDGE had been running for around 3.5 years and I would say it was at that point where God was really showing us who we are and giving us the vision for who we were becoming. If you remember what happened a couple of months later – we were thrown into lockdown and we were unable to meet. Most of what EDGE did at that time was face to face so we had to be spontaneous and act quickly.
That is when EDGE started doing online stuff (just like the rest of the world). What you won’t believe about me is that as much as I enjoyed being online for my own enjoyment, I could not stand the thought of moving my work to being online. Despite this, I knew we needed to go with the flow and trust God with what he was doing.
It was at this time that my parents were toying with the idea of possibly moving up North. They had already stepped down from pastoring the local church and they were seeking God about what was their next step. At EDGE, we were also starting to explore different ways we could reach the girls we were working with because of the financial pressures we were under as a charity. God had already told me clearly during my quiet time that He was preparing us for a new season – I just didn’t know what or how that new season would look.
The Big Move
At the beginning of 2023, my parents felt that God was calling us to consider the move up North. We came up to Yorkshire for the weekend and viewed a few houses, visited a church and looked around the area. The first house we looked at was perfect for us, even though we would have to take a leap of faith when putting an offer on it. There was a ramp up to the front door, it was a bungalow so everything was on one level, it had a wet room and a big bedroom with a ceiling hoist for me – when you’re a wheelchair user, this house seemed too good to be true!
We prayed about it and had a real sense of peace about the situation. That same week, my Dad put an offer on the house and it was accepted. It wasn’t as easy as that because our first sale fell through, and on a number of occasions we nearly lost the house. It was very frustrating and we each felt like our trust in God was tested a number of times. Although there were short periods of time when we felt like our prayers weren’t being answered, God soon reminded us that He was with us and that He was in control of the situation.
God Was Doing A New Thing
One of the things I felt very uneasy about when it came to the big move was how EDGE was going to work. At the time, we were a team of four, and three out of the four of us lived in Mid Wales. I knew I had to trust God because we had trusted Him when it had come to buying our new house, so I had to accept that if it was God’s will for EDGE to continue, then He would make it work. There is a verse he kept reminding me of, which is found in Isaiah.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)
I didn’t realise until January this year what God was saying to me through this verse. I just thought He meant that He was moving me up North with my family, I didn’t realise that God was actually doing a new thing when it came to ministry.
Around Christmastime, it all became a bit overwhelming with living so far from the rest of the team and the work of EDGE seemed to be booming. In fact, I was so looking forward to some time off over Christmas to enable me to rest and not think about EDGE. After Christmas, I was attending a prayer meeting and I was feeling very weary and God spoke to me clearly in that moment and said to me, “Lizzy, I am going to grow the team.”
A Weight Lifted Off My Shoulders
At that moment, God reminded me of Isaiah 43:19. I felt like He had physically taken this worry off my shoulders and that He was going to deal with it for me. It was at point that I went home and spoke to the two other members of the team. We agreed to pray about it because if God had promised to grow the team, then we wanted the women He had planned to be part of the team.
At the same time, I shared Isaiah 43:19 with the team. In our individual quiet times, God made it clear to each of us that He was also calling us to change the name of EDGE.
With A New Team Comes A New Name
During my individual time with the Lord, He laid the names of two women on my heart. I asked the other two members their thoughts, and we all agreed that those two women would be a great asset to the team. They had giftings that we were lacking and we had been praying for. I emailed the two women on a Friday and asked them to pray about it for first.
By the Monday afternoon, they had both emailed me back saying “Yes”. In fact, they had both been asking to show them ways in which they can serve Him. My email was an answer to prayer for them both and that confirmed for us as a team that this was definitely a God thing.
As a team, we started seeking God for this new name He had for us. We found it hard at first because we knew that when it was right one that God would confirm it for us, but every one we went through did not seem right. It got to the point that it felt like we had exhausted all options. Then God reminded me that He had a name for us, and He would reveal it to us when the time was right. We mustn’t get stressed, though, because what’s the point?!
Something I knew for sure was that I wanted a name that described who we are and what we are about. The most important thing for us at EDGE and continues to be of importance for us at Adore is the community we have. Adore isn’t just a religious organisation, but we are a family of girls and women who feel a sense of belonging. We wanted that to reflect in our name.
By Lizzy Price
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