With the Refuge, we have a unique opportunity to reach the subculture of the underground music of the youth. We recently hosted Musician’s Hour, which is a music night for professional musicians to come together and fellowship and hear about Jesus. Many of these paid musicians are playing in nightclubs and bars, and with our ministry we are able to be a life line to these bands that would normally never be accepted in a traditional church. We encourage them to play their loud music and showcase their talents to each other, but we unashamedly preach the Word of God and the Gospel to them.
Musician’s Hour at the Refuge
July 3, 2018 by
Center of Life and The Refuge
March 12, 2016 by
Pastors Joshua and Emi Hernandez are still faithfully pastoring and feeding kids at Center of Life Church at the Refuge. Please pray for this couple and our partnership feeding these impoverished children.
The Refuge Events
November 12, 2014 by
We are still holding Worship Events at the Refuge Youth Center with great testimonies of people being refreshed and touched by the Lord.
We have guest worship leaders come in regularly. Our most recent event had people from five different churches and two other ministries attend. Our vision is to be a refreshing watering hole for other ministries to come, have fun, and get filled up with the Lord through worship.
The Refuge is also home to two local churches that will still operate while we are in the USA. Please continue to pray for the Refuge to operate smoothly while we are away.
UP Next: Nabunturan
September 4, 2014 by
Pastor Jerry’s beautiful church location before Typhoon Pablo destroyed it.
The “Refuge Out” evangelistic concerts are targeting Nabunturan next. We are hoping to reach a lot more people than we did with the Trento Concert. We learned a lot in our past concert and we intend to reach as many lost souls as we can. I am hoping to do a preliminary scouting trip very soon to work out the logistics. Right now we are hoping to have the concert in September depending on the decision of the key pastors that we are working with like Pastor Jerry Casidsid.
Pastor Jerry Casidsid and his wife at our 2010 Pastor’s Conference.
Like many places in Mindanao, Nabunturan was heavily damaged by Typhoon Pablo in December 2012. Many years before that, we preached at Pastor Jerry’s large church in a big building filled with young people. Unfortunately, that building was totally destroyed during the typhoon and now the church has been meeting in a small house for almost two years.
Pastor Jerry’s small church today.
We are praying and believing for God to bring restoration to these faithful churches and pastors who quietly go unnoticed by the rest of the world despite overwhelming circumstances. We are praying for our concert to add scores of newly saved young people to the local churches and bring new life and excitement to the pastors for the Glory of God.
24 Hour Worship Marathon at the Refuge
May 9, 2012 by
About one week ago, we hosted our first 24 hour praise and worship marathon at the Refuge. We had about sixty on-fire youth passionately worshipping God the whole time. It ran continuously for 24 hours from Friday until Saturday night. It was amazing to see the hunger, fire, and passion the youth displayed the whole time. The atmosphere for worship and soaking in God’s presence was just wonderful.
Sheena who attended announced that her friend Khael was healed at the event, “He testified how his sore throat was instantly healed when he joined the 24 hour non-stop worship.”
Another attendee told me she clearly heard answers from God about things she had been praying for months about. She also told me she enjoyed God’s presence so much that it was hard for her to leave.
This event was such a wonderful success. We can’t wait to have the next one.
The Refuge Goes On
February 20, 2012 by
During the past few months, despite going through a paralyzing time, the Refuge is still running. The Bible and Missions training there graduated their first class of students and Edge Radio is still holding public events there. We are also having evangelistic film viewings.
One of the biggest challenges we have at the Refuge is a lack of equipment. Every time we hold an event, we have to borrow two or three guitar amplifiers, instruments, a LCD projector, drum cymbals, etc. We also have no furniture for our huge downstairs fellowship area. We are hoping to convert the downstairs into a coffee house where youth can come at all hours to study, have fellowship, and receive counseling. We are also hoping to remodel the upstairs with some acoustic foam to help with the deafening reverb during the concerts.
James 4:2 says, “You have not because you ask not.” Well, I’m asking now for help. We immediately need a LCD projector, amplifiers, guitars, and a new drum kit. We also need to furnish our downstairs so we can have a place for the youth to hang out. I envision having a coffee bar with lots of furniture, games, and for it to be a fun place.
With your help, we can transform this place into a greater soul-winning machine with ongoing discipleship and change happening in the hearts of the youth of this city.
The Refuge Youth Center’s First Event
August 1, 2011 by
This is the view of The Refuge Youth Center from the MacArthur Highway.
The Refuge Youth Center opened for its first event on July 28, 2011. We hosted the Edge Connect which is a meeting for Edge radio listeners to meet the radio deejays and staff of the radio station. Many unsaved young people attended this event.
We had the Christian band Whitefield play a mini-concert for this event. They requested that I give a salvation altar call during their last song which I gladly obliged. I gave a short salvation message to which everyone responded by praying the prayer of salvation and repentance with me.
The strong response to the first altar call at the Refuge.
I’m so thankful to have such a powerful God who provided us a place to preach the Gospel to young people here in Davao City. This is only the start of what God is about to do in The Refuge.