Friday, April 8, 2022

Spotlight: The Refuge Church

In a little more than five years since its inception, The Refuge Church continues to grow and is all about helping discover why they were created. 

“We’re all seeking meaning and purpose in our lives,” said Pastor Adam Herald of The Refuge. “We believe The Refuge is a place where everyone can find that.”

From its new location at 765 Roosevelt Trail in Windham, members of The Refuge are excited about the upcoming Easter season and beyond.

Easter is a big one,” Herald said. “We are offering our regular worship experiences at 9 and 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday. However, for this year we are asking people to register for one of our services at www.refugemaine.church simply so that we know how to best serve the people in attendance that day.”

Another event that church members are excited about is the return of Windham’s annual Summerfest in June.

“We have partnered with the Town of Windham in the past to provide an inflatable playground at the event,” Herald said. “What I love about what we do at Summerfest is that this inflatable playground is free to the public.  Because of the generosity of our people, we are able to sponsor this with no cost to the community. I'm really looking forward to this event this year because I've really missed it the past.”

According to Herald, the church’s future objectives are simple.

“The goal for the future in our community is the same as the goal today. We want to show people that when they make Jesus their Refuge, they never have to be overwhelmed by the storms of this life. If we've learned anything over the past two or three years, it's that storms in life come.  The question we must answer is, ‘Where do I run when those storms come?’  Well, we hope to be a small part of the answer to that question.”

Herald said that the mission of The Refuge is when they make Jesus their "Refuge," they never have to be overwhelmed by the storms of this life.

“Storms in this life are guaranteed to happen, but the good news is that there is a place and a person to run to.  We show people how to make Jesus their Refuge,” he said. “We do this through our Weekend Experiences every Sunday morning at 9 and 11 a.m.  We also do this through providing an opportunity to form relationships in small groups.  The number one need we all have is relationships, people need people.  One of the greatest services that we can provide at The Refuge is relationships.”

The one aspect that distinguishes The Refuge from other local places of worship is its culture, Herald said.

“I think the thing that separates any organization from the next is the Culture,” he said. “At the Refuge we have five ‘Culture Values’ that we focus on including:

1- We will be dreamers and risk takers.  Not settling our dreams to remain dreams.

2- We will be known what we are for and not what we are against.

3- We will laugh as much as we breathe... as hard as we can stand... and a little louder than normal.

4- We will be in our city and for our city and fiercely love people we haven't even met yet.

5- We will be excellent in all things, because excellence honors God and inspires people

Herald says that the church is as relevant today as when it was founded on March 5, 2017.

“I think the most significant thing we do is just give people a place to belong,” he said. “We always say, ‘You don't have to believe what we believe to belong here.’ People have told us over and over that they have found a place to belong at The Refuge Church.”

Another factor that draws those searching for a great church to The Refuge is its warmth and acceptance of others.

“We love people because God loves people,” Herald said. “He has a purpose and a plan for mankind.  That plan includes knowing him, living in freedom, discovering why we were created, and for us to leave an impact in this world. If anyone is interested in these things, we invite them to come check us out.”

For more information about The Refuge, call 614-REFUGE (614-733-8431), visit the church website at www.refugemaine.church  or find them on Facebook at The Refuge Church. <

No comments:

Post a Comment