GET TO KNOW US

History

Refuge Bible Church was born on July 12th, 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic through the union of two separate church bodies - Refuge Church and Petra Bible Church.  Petra Bible Church, having been an established neighborhood church since 1953,  sought new leadership and guidance.  Refuge Church, a local church plant started in 2015, was eager to make a difference and to get established in the community.  At the start of the pandemic, however, Refuge became displaced from the local school where they were meeting.

Current

Through a series of conversations, the leadership of both churches began to realize that they could accomplish God’s mission more effectively together rather than separately. Like two pieces of a puzzle coming together, both bodies agreed to unite as one in their pursuit to honor Christ, build each other up, and be a part of something new. 

God’s sovereign timing and His grace were evident throughout the entire process and we are beyond excited to see what He has in store for RBC moving forward.

VISION & MISSION

To see Christ magnified in the completeness of our Love, Unity, and Maturity

RBC is a church that EQUIPS the saints to know Christ, CARES for those in need,
and CULTIVATES community across generations, for the glory of God.

WE BELIEVE

God

There is one God, who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, equal in divine nature and perfect in every way1. They exist in perfect love, harmony and community with one another. Furthermore, each person of the Trinity has a unique role and function in their relationship to each other and to the world.

God's Word

His Word, the Bible2, is the divinely inspired revelation of God, which came through the agency of man, preserving both a divine and human origin3. It is fully reliable, trustworthy and without any error in the original manuscript. It records the story of God’s redemptive work of humanity and the world. The Bible is fully authoritative revealing who God is and what we are called to do here in this world. 

God the Father

God the Father is the maker of heaven and earth. He is sovereign and full of love, mercy, justice, kindness, and in His great love towards the world He purposed redemption by sending His Son Jesus4. 

Jesus Christ the Son

Jesus is both fully God and fully man, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross in our place to pay for our sins, rose from the grave to conquer death and is now seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for His people. Jesus’ work on the cross accomplishes the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, right standing with God and the gift of the Holy Spirit for all who trust in Him. He will return again to bring His new heavens and new earth to make all things right5. 

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit applies the redemptive work of Jesus in the believer through the conviction of sin, new birth and the sealing of salvation. The Spirit is also active in guiding and maturing the believer into Christ-likeness. He freely bestows gifts unto believers to do the work of ministry, advancing God’s Kingdom here on Earth6.

His Story

God made us in His image and everything He made was good but we chose to center our lives on ourselves and on the pursuit of things rather than on God. This has led to disintegration of creation and the loss of peace---within ourselves, between ourselves and in the nature itself. War, hunger, poverty, injustice, racism, bitterness, meaninglessness, despair, sickness and death all are symptoms.
This grand story covers:
  • Creation and God’s Image7
  • Sin, Fall, Brokenness and Rebellion of Humankind8 
  • Pursuit of God through Abraham and the people of Israel9
  • Incarnation, life, cross, death and resurrection of Jesus10
  • Salvation, The Church, The Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God-New Life and New Creation11
  • The Judgment and Second coming of Jesus Christ 12
  • Reconciliation and Restoration of all things-New Heavens and New Earth13

His Plan

Our sins caused this great separation between God and humanity which caused brokenness in this world, but in His great plan towards His creation, God entered history in the person of Jesus in order to deal with all the causes and results of our broken relationship with Him. By His sacrificial life and death He both exemplifies the life we must live and rescues us from the life we have lived. By His resurrection He proved who He is and gave us the hope of eternity by renewing creation where all things are restored to full joy, justice, peace and glory. The Gospel is the good news about the God who has acted in history to save us and make things new and this Gospel is the climax of this beautiful story and plan of God. This salvation work is a free gift, apart from any human merit and can only be received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone14.

His People

Between His first coming and His second coming, we live by faith in Him. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work (rather than ours) for our relationship with God, His healing kingdom power comes upon us and begins to work in us. Christ gives us a radically new identity, as sons and daughters of God, to freely love and care for one another. He puts us into a new community of people and commissions us to care for His world and the people in it. We are called to make disciples and proclaim Jesus to the ends of the earth. This living out of our faith gives a partial, but real, foretaste of the healing and redemption of the world that God will accomplish when Jesus returns. We attempt to live as Jesus lived with a focus that begins with a love for God and extends itself to love and help reach our neighbors and those who are far from God and in our community15.
Ready to attend a service?