Even though The Refuge is a small, local fellowship located in a small, rural community, we see ourselves as part  of God’s great plan to extend His Kingdom to the uttermost parts of the earth. In fact, as far as the State of Wisconsin is concerned, our official corporate name is The Refuge International, Inc. (We just don’t put that on our sign for fear people might think we’re getting a bit uppity!)

One of our goals is to see every one who fellowships at Refuge have a passport so that when the Lord directs them, they are ready to travel. We also support various ministries through prayer and financial gifts including, but not limited, to the following ministries:
 

• Discovery / Dave & Pam Innerebner

Being Christian in a tribal culture

Dave is the founder/director of Discovery
Mission agency: Youth With A Mission
Mission locale: Lac Coutre Oreilles (LCO) Reservation (near Hayward)
Mission focus: The First Nations peoples of North America (primarily those Native peoples living on the reservation but not exclusively).
Mission purpose: To train and equip First Nations people to minister in their own culture.
Family: Sons, Jeremy and Chris and daughter, Jainee Rain
Church home: Dave and Pam are members of The Refuge.

In 2007, Dave became the pastor of the Church of Love and Compassion on LCO, a fellowship affiliated with the Church of the Foursquare and located next door to the Discovery campus.
 

• Duane & Lois Pederson
  

Mission agency: Youth With A Mission
Mission locale: Bagio City, Philippines as well as Hong Kong and China
Mission focus: The Asian peoples of the Pacific Rim

Mission purpose: To disciple middle-aged and older individuals and equip them for Christian service. This is accomplished primarily through the Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS) of which they are the directors. Duane and Lois have been ministering in this capacity for many years now. A CDTS is geared primarily to those individuals who are at a “crossroads” in their life and are seeking a greater commitment in their walk with Christ. Like all DTS-es, it includes a two-month training time and a three-month outreach. Duane and Lois have led teams to Hong Kong, China and the Philippines.

Church home: Duane & Lois officially became members of The Refuge just this year even though we have served as their covering for some time.
Blog: http://dlpederson.blogspot.com/

In 2008, Duane and his team led an 8-week Discipleship Training Course among the Agta, indigenous Filipinos – 10 years ago still considered an unreached people group but no longer.

duane@pedersons.org
Blog

 

• The Well International

Mission locale: Barron, Wisconsin

Mission focus: Over 700 Somali refugees now live in Barron. In the fall of 2008, The Well incorporated and Pastor Jeff currently serves as its President. In December, we signed a lease on The Well’s current location in Barron. We partner with other individuals and churches who feel called to reach out to the Somali community there. We participate in prayer walks and have participated in the Christmas basket outreach for the past four years as well as the Night of Power vigil held on the third week of Ramadan. This is an unreached people group living right in our own back yard!

 

• The Chetek Youth Center Project /  “The Garage”

Mission “agency”: While officially it remains “The Chetek Youth Center Project, Inc.”, “The Garage” is the name that appears on the marquee.
Mission locale: Chetek, Wisconsin.
Mission focus: Elementary, Junior and Senior high students from Chetek, New Auburn, Cameron and other neighboring communities.
Mission purpose: The Youth Center opened for business on Memorial Day weekend in 2000. While not officially a religious entity, the Youth Center is intended to provide a healthy, moral environment where kids can congregate, recreate and enjoy each other’s company.

In many significant ways, The Garage is a refuge to many students on Friday and Saturday evenings that otherwise would be roaming the streets of our community and in danger of addictive behaviors.

Contact person:  Don Fritz (924-2126)
 

• The Chetek Food Shelf

Mission locale: Chetek, Wisconsin

Mission focus: To offer practical, benevolent assistance to those in temporary need. This assistance includes food, gas money, heat assistance, rent assistance and other forms of aid.
Mission support: The Chetek Food Shelf is cooperatively run between all the churches of Chetek. Several years ago, it was the decision of the Chetek Ministerial, which serves as the covering for the Food Shelf, that each church take one month of the calendar year to collect food stuffs and other donations for this benevolent ministry. April has been Refuge’s month since the beginning of this rotation. Usually, we invite Louise Driver, the Food Shelf’s director, to be with us on a Sunday in April and update us on the ministry and receive a special offering as well.

Contact person: Louise Driver (764-2072)
 

• The Barron County Justice Center’s Chaplaincy Program

Mission locale: Barron, Wisconsin

Mission focus: Since the construction of the new Justice Center a few years ago, TR has led a monthly worship service at the jail. Pastoral visits often follow these services. This past December for the third year in a row, we put together gift-baskets for each inmate of the jail and delivered all 130 of them in time for Christmas. Each basket included a gospel tract, a Christmas card and note from Pastor Jeff, Christmas cookies and candy. On Christmas Eve we also delivered a few dozen cookies for the jailers who were working either on December 24th or 25th.
 

• Salvation Army

Mission locale: Barron County, Wisconsin
 

Mission focus: The Salvation Army is a benevolent ministry which helps supply aid to people in crisis. Pastor Jeff is the President of the Barron County chapter. In addition to writing vouchers for the Army, every year individuals from Refuge and Focus participate in the bell-ringing campaign in December.
 

• Open Doors / Voice of the Martyrs
  

Mission focus: Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs are advocacy foundations that were set up to increase awareness of the persecuted church around the world. It is estimated that approximately 200 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution every year – be it economic deprivation and discrimination or imprisonment, torture and, in some cases, death.


Mission support: Every year Refuge participates in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOPP) held on the second Sunday in November. An offering is usually received to go towards the purchase of Bibles or Christian literature for persecuted believers.

This list, of course, is not meant to be exclusive. Other ministries are highlighted or introduced as it seems prudent to do so. As money is available, The Refuge in the past has sponsored students from our church or youth group who have participated in short-term mission endeavors to places such as Egypt, Honduras, Peru, Thailand and Morocco.