Refuge Church features:
Plant St. Louis Interview by Darren Casper with special guest Pastor Trey Herwick, pastor of Refuge Church…see below.
Interview by Darren Casper with Pastor Trey Herwick:
DC: The name of the church is Refuge. Tell us the connection between the name and the vision for the church.
TH: The name Refuge was a long and arduous task trying not to be too trendy but also trying not to be too traditional. The name, however, has become much more than that as we try to be a safe place for people who have all kinds of spiritual questions and issues. There are a lot of people in St. Charles who carry church baggage who need a place where they don’t feel the need to be perfect or put on the smile, but they can come and deal with their stuff. From Sunday morning messages to the people who attend, we try to make it ok to be happy…we don’t frown on that!, but we also try to make it ok to be messed up. In everything we do we try to point to a BIG Jesus and a small us…that makes being messed up a fairly sweet and crowded place to be. There are others in St. Charles who’s only exposure to the church is a negative one. They are pushed aside by bumper stickers and marquees that sometimes serve only to distance them from Jesus and set a barrier 20 miles away from the Gospel. To these people we try to reach the heart first and become a refuge for them to come and express their frustration, get past the exterior stuff and either accept or reject Jesus without all the extras. Once the heart changes, then we can work on some of the other stuff.
DC: You guys have launched in St. Charles and have a connection to a particular area. Where is that and why?
TH: Well, I always joke that it takes a certain ego to walk in to St. Charles, Missouri and say “no one can do church like I can!” But thankfully, God uses that ego to get the church going and then humbles the mess out of you in the process. We feel a call and burden to North Main Street. It’s more the mindset than the geographical location. North Main is the gathering place for artists and bars. For the people mentioned above, this is where they’re going to hang out. We want to see this area of St. Charles thrive in its local businesses. We want to see it revived as a great place to hang out and spend time. We want to see it become THE premiere place to visit when in St. Charles…for more than just to drink your cares away. We have built some great relationships with owners and occupants on North Main and even have a bar owner that comes to the church. This is the place where long standing St. Charlesites gather, talk, discuss life, perhaps try to get away from stuff…what better place to be with the hope of the Gospel than right there!
DC: What do you see or hope to see in ‘the second half of ‘08 into ‘09 for Refuge?
TH: There are so many things that I would like to see for Refuge. We would love to find a place to not have to set up on a weekly basis, that would be great! Our birthrate seems to be out pacing China’s! We dedicated 12 babies in May and we have 9 more in October to dedicate!!! That’s crazy!!! So our prayer has been for God to raise someone up with a burden for ministering to families and helping equip parents to pastor their kids. We have so many great volunteers, but I would love to see the right person be able to really guide that in our church. I would also like to see us continue to impact our culture. It’s amazing to hear ripplings and discussions here and there about the work going on in North St. Charles, especially with us and Matthias’ Lot, and we’re humbled to be involved in it. We are trying to develop some great partnerships with other churches in our zip code to work with mercy ministries and help care for our poor and needy. So, how much of this happens in ‘08 or ‘09 is anyone’s guess, but we’re excited to keep moving forward.
DC: What else would you like people to know about the church?
TH: There is something very cool at Refuge. Our heart from the get go has been not to be the every-church church but certainly not to be the anti-church church. It’s encouraging to me the relationships we’ve been able to form with some other churches in our area and the incredible diversity in the backgrounds of the people who call Refuge their home. My prayer for Refuge and for our people is that we fight the necessary fights and steer clear of all the the things that cause the Bride to get sidetracked. We pray for amazing unity in the body of Christ because that’s how all men will know that we are disciples. And finally, probably the greatest need and the greatest temptation is that we are more a part of God’s kingdom work and not our own. It’s amazing how much our little kingdoms try to work their way in, but God will have none of it. I think when those things are in line, we bond together as the body of Christ, grab our water pistols and start charging!
