Gospel Community groups are the primary vehicles through which theRefuge gathers to live life for Jesus in and among our community. We do this throughout the Memphis area by experiencing our city’s culture, loving people and seeing lives transformed for Jesus through authentic relationships.
Why gospel community?
The primary purpose of Gospel Community is to lead people in our communities to Christ while connecting with fellow believers. This means reaching out to family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends and the stranger on the next block. At the heart of Gospel Community is the desire to create a community of believers who worship Jesus, love one another and embody the mission of theRefuge to make disciples. God has called us to a continuous lifestyle of worship and relationship with Himself that is cultivated and nurtured within the body of Christ. The church is a people and a gift of God. At theRefuge, Gospel Community groups are the place where discipleship and caring take place. It is where we encourage one another to be worshipers of our Lord. It is where the church becomes the body – loving, caring for and challenging one another. It is also within community that we engage culture and incarnate Jesus in the nooks and crannies of our society. We were created to worship Jesus in our community in the image of our creator, who Himself exists in community. It is our desire that our neighbors are blessed and touched by the love of Jesus through the lives of our members.
How does gospel community work?
Gathering weekly for fellowship and accountability, study and prayer, good times and even the occasional tear, theRefuge’s Gospel Community groups are an essential expression of our church’s mission. Gospel Community groups meet once a week in various neighborhoods and communities throughout the Memphis area. In Gospel Community, people talk through life issues, eat and drink together, pray together, laugh together, struggle together and serve others as we are transformed by the grace of God in our lives.
Why is gospel community so important?
Getting connected at theRefuge means taking part in a Gospel Community group along with participating in the Sunday corporate worship service. Sundays are a time for worshiping Jesus together, hearing the preaching of God’s Word and sharing in Communion. Gospel Community groups are the place where the seeds of the word, planted through preaching and corporate worship, take root and become real. It is the place where we build relationships with one another and live life together. It is within these groups in the neighborhoods and towns of the Mid-South that we can participate in the work that God has called us to do as a church. Gospel Community groups provide an opportunity to love and bless the city in unique ways.
But I'm new here!
We’re all new here, which is even more reason to be part of a community of believers showing love and support to each other. That’s one of the many wonderful things about theRefuge. Life is hard. It was never meant to be lived in isolation. Community is a gift of God intended to help us see and experience the good news of Jesus in profound and tangible ways. If you are new to theRefuge, if you are a new believer in Christ or if you just find yourself lost and in need of a place to be loved, then Gospel Community is the perfect place for you to belong, ask questions and experience your faith in a community of people who care for you.