Refuge Church DNA - Part 1
This post marks the first in a series which will introduce you to the DNA of Refuge Church. We hope that you'll be able to get a better idea of who we are, what we believe and how you can be part of the family here as we all seek to come home and find hope in Jesus Christ.
Refuge Church was born under a different name: First Baptist Church. The church was first organized by Scandinavian immigrants during the later part of the 1800s as a baptist congregation. Those roots deepened and grew throughout the 1900s and remain strong to this day. The early days of the church found it affiliated with the Swedish Baptist denomination and eventually that denomination changed its name to the Baptist General Conference and, more recently, to Converge. Refuge Church remains connected to the Converge conference to this day.
In 2016, First Baptist Church of Willmar changed its name to Refuge Church. The church felt that this was an important step to emphasize the values and mission of the church in the Willmar area. The church name change carried with it three core values that Refuge hopes to embody in the surrounding community: retreat, renewal and response.
The next three blog posts will unpack each of these ideas in more detail.
First up will be retreat:
"Together we recognize our worth in the Lord’s eyes as we walk alongside of each other in joy, in brokenness, and in hurt. We live out the reality that God is our refuge as we provide a safe and accepting place for those who are near to Christ and those who are far away."
Check back soon for the next post in this series!
Refuge Church was born under a different name: First Baptist Church. The church was first organized by Scandinavian immigrants during the later part of the 1800s as a baptist congregation. Those roots deepened and grew throughout the 1900s and remain strong to this day. The early days of the church found it affiliated with the Swedish Baptist denomination and eventually that denomination changed its name to the Baptist General Conference and, more recently, to Converge. Refuge Church remains connected to the Converge conference to this day.
In 2016, First Baptist Church of Willmar changed its name to Refuge Church. The church felt that this was an important step to emphasize the values and mission of the church in the Willmar area. The church name change carried with it three core values that Refuge hopes to embody in the surrounding community: retreat, renewal and response.
The next three blog posts will unpack each of these ideas in more detail.
First up will be retreat:
"Together we recognize our worth in the Lord’s eyes as we walk alongside of each other in joy, in brokenness, and in hurt. We live out the reality that God is our refuge as we provide a safe and accepting place for those who are near to Christ and those who are far away."
Check back soon for the next post in this series!