Refuge is a church started in 2006 by a few families from the Journey in St. Louis along with some other friends in St. Charles. It was started with a desire to give a fresh face to “church” in St. Charles.
We would be classified as Orthodox Christianity. We believe strongly in the Bible and, more importantly, the Hero of the Bible - Jesus. We often say that Bible is a bunch of smaller stories that tell one big story, and that is that Jesus is the hero of our messed up lives.
Good question! It’s important to know that churches who claim Jesus as Lord (hopefully all churches under the banner of Orthodox Christianity) are NOT in competition with each other, rather they are in partnership. Christians, as portrayed in the Bible, are NOT a political group, rather a group of messed up people who have found hope and restoration in Jesus. There are different traditions, different preferences, different styles and some different interpretation of secondary issues. Some of these might make us a little different from other churches. The benefit of being a new church is that we are able to take our common mission (the good NEWS of the Gospel) and take it directly to our culture without having to follow as many established traditions that were helpful in previous generations, but might not be as helpful now. Make sense?
Well, here’s the great news, it’s not OUR church! The church that Jesus established on earth is made up of messed up people who have been “called out” to follow and serve Jesus. Every single person on the face of this planet is welcome to come and be a part. In being a safe place to seek, we invite people with spiritual questions, we invite people with hurts and pain, we invite people who just need to rest and be nourished, we invite people who are ready to work. There is typically only one person we would rather not have...if you are a Christian who is a part of a church currently that is teaching the Bible, but you’ve been offended or gotten your feelings hurt...STAY PUT. Find resolution, humble yourself, submit to your shepherds and do everything you can to make peace where you are.
The dress is very casual, the atmosphere is very casual, the people are very casual. We do have childcare available for kids through 7 years old...and there are a lot of them! Then, basically, we gather around, we sing together, we pray together and we teach through the Bible. Our hope is that no matter what your church experience that this is a place that you can feel at home and comfortable and not have to know all of the motions.
Our desire is to see St. Charles transformed into an unbelievable city. A place where there is economic prosperity for EVERYONE. Where there is opportunity to grow and develop as a person or as a family. Where there is racial equality that goes hand in hand with recognizing and affirming cultural diversity. Where the school district thrives because parents jump in and help in public school just as much as private school. Where the arts are valued and shared in tremendous venues such as the Art Foundry Centre on North Main St. Where the awesome parks and rec facilities are loaded with people enjoying time together outside in creation. Where political freedom is encouraged and embraced and diversity of opinion and spirited debate is positive and a part of the mainstay. Where neighbors help neighbors. Young, old, rich, poor, red and yellow, black and white can work together on their commonalities while having a good understanding of their differences. And ultimately, where lives are being transformed by a cause and care greater than what we can grasp right in front of us.
Well, we’re not salesmen, we’re people. And I guess the best way to find out about people is to come and meet them. We won’t bite and we won’t set up surveillance on your house or apt. The easiest way is to come to a Sunday morning service at 10 am. There are several other ways to stick your toe in the water and find out if this is a place to be a part of. Here are some links to some things we do:
TOM
Oasis
Breakfast @ the Columns
Community Groups
Events
If you have some more questions, feel free to email pastor(at)seekrefuge.net.