Our communities, transformed by the love of Jesus.
Our Vision
Refuge Community Church is a new church serving South and Southeast Austin. We see the beauty of South Austin, what it is and what it can be, knowing that God has uniquely formed this community to show a part of who He is. From the rolling hills down East Oltorf to the bustling sidewalks of South Congress, from the rising steeples of St. Edwards University to the taco joints lining South Pleasant Valley, we are convinced that God has a plan for South Austin that's more beautiful than any of us can imagine! Below is our vision for South Austin.
PEOPLE MADE NEW
We believe the love of Jesus has a very real impact on his people. As we submit ourselves to him, we increasingly live in our new identity, his child and a new creation. We see a future Southeast Austin where huge parts of our community are transformed by Jesus’ love. This gives way to the next part of our vision.
FAMILIES RESTORED
Currently, nearly half the households with children in Southeast Austin are single-parent households, often struggling financially and barely getting by. We want to see that number cut down. Not through new and wealthier families moving in, but the current families being restored. We see a future Southeast Austin with healthy relationships, restored from past trauma, and financial wholeness that brings generational change.
COMMUNITIES EMPOWERED
Currently, nearly 20% of households in Southeast Austin live on under $25,000 annual household income. While we recognize the temptation to idolize money and financial stability, we also know Jesus desires for his people to be cared for and to care for their families. As a result, we see a future Southeast Austin that is trained to provide valuable services, making a living that provides generational change through opportunity and stability.
TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW
How are we going to do that? Well, our long-term vision is to serve Southeast Austin through a Community Resource Center, funded through resources outside the community, that offers holistic care for members of the community. We see things like addiction care, career advancement opportunities, mental health care, childcare, and subsidies for local needs being met there.
TODAY
What about right now, though? Well, we have a saying, “idealism is the origin of either pain or impact.” When you have a big idea, you can either implement it stubbornly or wisely. Oftentimes when we implement an idea stubbornly, demanding it comes exactly as we saw it ideally, it leads to frustration and disappointment. However, when we implement the idea wisely, scaling down but not letting go of the long-vision, we can make an impact now and later on.
We want to be wise and impactful now. So, right now, our young church efforts are focused on two areas: FAM
FAM (Family Advocacy Movement) is currently a ministry at Refuge focused on seeing families move toward financial, relational, and emotional wholeness. You can read more about it at famaustin.com. We aim to launch FAM in Fall of 2024.