the movement has begun…the remnant has been stirred…the warriors are mounting…a city that has been oppressed for too long is about to be shaken. feel free to join in with us as we make this journey together. if you are wanting to read the latest information please check out the news link. it is there that you will be able to read all of the details of this journey as they unfold.

what have we been doing for the last 2 years:

located next to the city rescue mission downtown oklahoma city, we have been on a journey trying to repair on old building that was once used to sell drugs and for prostitution.  we heard that this building was responsible for approximately $1 – $2 million dollars a year in drug/prostitution sales.

in march 2007, God called us out to be apart of something that had to do with discipleship, but not sure what all of that entailed.  so, in june 2007, we moved out from California and began position ourselves to be apart of what He wanted us to do and for 4 hard months we didn’t hear a thing.  it didn’t make since why He had called us out, but we were convinced that He wanted us here.  so it all started as we began to desire to clean up the building and clean up the alley way behind our building.  in this alley it would be common to see dozens if not hundreds of drug deals a day not to mention other activities.  beginning to clean alleys and the neighboring streets was the best thing that could have ever happened.  that process began to teach us what it looked like to abide in the center and fight for the edge on a real physical side with real spiritual implications.

so, with the help of our very first work group, we cleaned up an alley by picking up trash (beer/liquor bottles, fastfood wrappers, shoes, blankets, clothing) and whatever else that was not natural.  by doing this it began to instill in us the philosophies that we now use which are things like:

1. to love God and our neighbor:  loving our neighbor was the tricky part because our neighbors are homeless people and businesses owners, crack deals and car dealers, prostitutes and pizza owners…so what do you do with that.  but by picking up trash (our rules for what to pick up and throw away was anything unnatural ie: cigarette butts, broken glass, blankets, cardboard, etc), we were serving both ends of the neighborhood spectrum.  of course it makes since to the business owners who for years despised the homeless problem due to the dilapidation of their neighborhood.  but how does picking up blankets, tents, cardboard beds, serve the homeless population.  our heart was soon to trigger that our help was more long term rather than short term.  our heart was to get the homeless home, to call the prodigals back, to raise the lame and to walk.  so by loving our homeless neighbor we began to get the itch to stop making it comfortable for them to stay in their position of “lying in ruins” (haggai 1) and to start fighting for them to be about character.  to stop helping them reach happiness, but holiness, rather to go from comfort to character, to enabled to engaged.

   downtown bus station and reno ave to the freeway exit on classen rd. and sheridan. Our focus was to bring about redemption, transformation, and restoration so that we could put on display the fingerprints of Christ.  Our focus too, was remove the fingerprints of the enemy which is to kill, steal, and destroy.

what is the refuge up to right now:

Phase 1: Abide in the Center

• We have moved into The Refuge
• There are about 25 of us who living missionally together.
  • We are living intentionally learning to be about accountability and community believing that these are the two ingredients for discipleship.  As we pursue this command of making disciples, we believe that process is what advances the Kingdom of God.
• We would say that we are about three things:
  • Celebration
    • Vision
    • Prayer
    • Worship
    • Teaching (mainly big picture stuff)
  • Character
    • Community
    • Accountability
  • Commission
    • Fruit
    • Adding to the Church
    • Discipleship Making
    • Expansion of the Kingdom

Phase 2: Fight for the Edge

• Success on the “edge” looks like the following:
  • Neighborhoods restored
  • Community being developed within neighborhoods
  • Neighbors serving neighbors
  • Vacant lots turning into playgrounds or commuity gardens
  • Streets look clean and mowed and edged and swept
  • Those who live within The Refuge community are being equipped and released to move into other neighborhoods.  These neighborhoods ideally are 4 blocks away, but can and will be 4 countries away.
  • There are several within our community who see themselves one day in the near future living life abroad bring renewal to other communities, cities, states, and even nations.