About

In 2015, God gave us (Bee and Amanda Vang) a vision to reach the multi-ethnic community in Appleton. We began to pray and seek the Lord for clarity on how to pursue this calling. God led us in obvious ways to serve with The Christian & Missionary Alliance. We learned that multiple Alliance leaders in our district had been searching for someone to reach the next generations of Hmong in Appleton. After extensive assessments and interviews, I (Bee) was licensed as a pastor with the C&MA and began to plant Refuge Church to reach the multi-ethnic community on September 1, 2015.

We are blessed to be the parents of three adorable boys: Silas, Isaiah, and Abram. We love spending time together outdoors and are continually learning what it looks like to live on mission for God’s kingdom!

Our Vision

Refuge Church exists to ignite a movement of multi-ethnic Christ-followers to Reach, Develop and Send the next generations.

OUR STRATEGY

Gather

We are a church that gathers together for the worship and adoration of Jesus Christ! We were made to worship and join together to praise our awesome Savior, Jesus Christ!

Reach

We are a church that extends ourselves for the sake of the world so that they may hear the good news of Jesus Christ. This is about a prayer-saturated movement and action that puts ourselves out for the potential of others coming to Christ.

Develop

We are deeply and personally invested in the lives of those coming to Refuge and growing in their faith! Our hope is that they would know the fullness of God’s love for them by moving toward the character & priorities of Jesus, resulting in praise and adoration of Jesus.

Send

We are a church that equips and sends people to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ. We join God in sending and empowering His followers into the entire world so that the world may know the love of God, the sacrifice of His Son, and the power of His Spirit.

Our Values

SIMPLY, THE GOSPEL
At Refuge, we believe that the gospel of Christ is entirely applicable and relevant and therefore at the very center of all we do.
God, seeing our condition and plight, was not content to leave us there, but instead was moved by His great love to thoroughly and effectively act. Sending His Son Jesus Christ to fulfill what we could not, He redeemed and reconciled not only the individual believer, but the whole of creation. God’s act of love empowers and enables us to act in like manner. Every other value we have is a derivative of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Psalm 31:7; John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; Romans 8:19-25 1 Cor. 2:2; Ephesians 2:4-10)
AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
We, in like manner to Christ, look to show the character and priorities of Jesus in relationships even when we fall short.
One of the first things that God did in drawing the nation of Israel to Himself was revealing His character and priorities. Why? Because God knows that the first step toward intimacy of relationship is authenticity. Jesus completed this work when He came and endured the same struggles we have, so that we may model and live His love towards one another.
(John 13:34-35; John 14:10-11; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 4:32-37; Romans 12:9-13; Romans 13:8-10; Philippians 2:4-8)
INTENTIONALLY MULTI-ETHNIC
The gospel transcends culture and context and because of this every tribe and tongue will proclaim the glory of God.
Our desire and prayer is that our gathering of believers in Christ will reflect this and speak of the reconciliation of a people to God regardless of the individual’s context, culture or ethnicity. We believe that when this happens it does not devalue or degrade the individual or their cultural context, but actually ascribes worth to it in being an expression of the manifold character and creativity of God.
(Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:13-22; Colossians 3:11; Revelation 7:9-10; )
MULTIPLYING DISCIPLES
Every gospel-centered ministry will, at it’s core, fulfill the call to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
In the same way that Jesus sent his disciples to the ends of the earth to make disciples as the primary means of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, we believe He calls us to the same work and means of spreading the Gospel. Every work that God does multiplies!
(Matt. 28:19-20; John 15:4-8; Acts 9:31; Acts 12:24; 2 Tim. 2:2; )
CRAZY GENEROSITY
Just as God’s generosity was ludicrous, ours should be equally crazy!
It is absolutely absurd how much generosity God showed us in sending His Son to take our place in paying the penalty for our sin. It is equally absurdly generous that Jesus did it. If the wisdom of God is foolishness to man, the cross is exhibit A. God’s love for this sinful world compelled this action and we believe that His love at work in us should produce a similar, even identical, effect.
(John 3:16; Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 8:7; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; 1 John 3:16-17)

Our Mission

The mission of God is to make disciples who have the character and priorities of Jesus.
(Matt. 28:19-20)

Refuge Church Statement of Faith

  • We base our beliefs on the infallible Word of God, the Bible, which teaches that: There is one God,1 who is infinitely perfect,2 existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.3 Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man.4 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.5 He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,6 as a substitutionary sacrifice,7 and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.8 He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures.9 He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest.10 He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace.11 The Holy Spirit is a divine person,12 sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,13and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.14 The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.15Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:16 he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature,17 are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.18 The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment;19 and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.20 Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.21 It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,22 being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.23 This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.24 Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.25 Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.26 The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church,27 which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.28 The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.29 There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;30 for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.31 The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent 32 and will be personal, visible, and premillennial.33 This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.34 
  • 1 Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Matthew 5:48, 3 Matthew 28:19, 4 Philippians 2:6–11, 5 Luke 1:34–38, 6 1 Peter 3:18, 7 Hebrews 2:9, 8 Romans 5:9, 9 Acts 2:23–24, 10 Hebrews 8:1, 11 Matthew 26:64, 12 John 14:15–18, 13 John 16:13; Acts 1:8, 14 John 16:7–11, 15 2Peter 1:20–21; 2Timothy 3:15–16, 16 Genesis 1:27, 17Romans 3:23, 18 1Corinthians 15:20–23, 19 Revelation 21:8, 20 Revelation 21:1–4, 21 Titus 3:4–7, 221Thessalonians 5:23, 23 Acts 1:8, 24 Romans 6:1–14, 25 Matthew 8:16–17, 26 James 5:13–16, 27Ephesians 1:22–23, 28 Matthew 28:19–20, 29 Acts 2:41–47, 30 1Corinthians 15:20–23, 31 John 5:28–29, 32 Hebrews 10:37, 33 Luke 21:27, 34 Titus 2:11–14 
  • Jesus Christ is our Savior. The Name of Jesus has impacted lives around the world for more than 2,000 years. He is a universal Savior, promising that: “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is an exclusive Savior. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name in heaven given to men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12. Contrary to what contemporary culture tells us, there are not multiple paths to God. There is only one—Jesus Christ
  •  Jesus Christ is our Sanctifier. Many Christians understand God’s promise of salvation but do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. For those who neither understand nor allow the Holy Spirit’s control in their lives, the results have a profound effect. Unsuccessful struggle against sin and a lack of power in life and ministry frustrate those who have asked Jesus to be their Savior but not their Sanctifier, resulting in a lack of joy in their walk with Christ. At the point when we are born again, we become members of God’s family. We believe He paid the price for our sin and that his followers are—set apart from those who are not born again—and are seen as holy because of what Christ has done. 
  • Jesus Christ is our Healer. A great portion of Christ’s time was dedicated to healing the sick. He healed all kinds of people: the blind, the paralyzed, the lame, the deaf, lepers, those who had fevers, and many with chronic illnesses. We find no record in the gospels of Jesus turning away anyone who came to him for healing, nor do we find that any disease was too difficult for him to heal. He even raised the dead. Miraculous healings still occur today—evidence that Christ is still our Healer. 
  • Jesus Christ is our Coming King. The physical return of Jesus has been the subject of speculation and controversy since His ascension into the clouds, which is recorded in the New Testament Book of Acts. Knowing that countless millions still have not heard the gospel, The Alliance is committed to doing its part to complete Christ’s Great Commission before His imminent return.