Beliefs

The Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three persons within the unity of God’s being, who are equally divine, who know and love one another, and who from all eternity have together worked for our salvation.  The beginning and end of all things.  The creator of matter.  The author of life.  God has one nature, name, and being.

We are all sinners, as God finds us, guilty, helpless, powerless, unable to lift a finger to do God’s will, or better our spiritual position by our effort.  Sin separates us from God, and leads to death.  All human problems are symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.  Sin breaks our relationship with God and each other and then leads to devastating consequences in the world around us.

God does everything, first to last, that is involved in bringing man from death to life: He plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies.  We call this the Gospel, or Good News.  The message of the Gospel is how we have been rescued from sin and death and saved to a relationship with God.  It’s not about something we do, it’s about something that has been done for us by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The words of God given to the prophets and the apostles, written down in the Bible, comprise the main way we encounter God.  To encounter the words of the Scripture is to encounter God in action. We believe this collection of stories, songs, poems, letters, histories, and moral codes weave together to form a complete story from first creation to new creation. With the help of the Spirit, we seek to interpret, contextualize, and live out this story even today.

Following Jesus is a group activity.  The Church is made up of every person who puts their hope and faith in Jesus Christ.  It is a place where the first are last and the last are first.  We believe the Church should be a SAFE PLACE for ALL PEOPLE regardless of race, language, political persuasion, sexual orientation, age or any other factor.  All people, means, all people.

Refuge recognizes the sacredness of monogamous covenental marriage for all loving couples, including same-sex partners. We affirm that God’s love knows no boundaries and celebrates the diversity of human relationships. We seek to honor and uplift the sanctity of marriage, providing support and care to all couples as they journey together.

We believe that those who put their hope and faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him.