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The Refuge Offers Coffee, Praise and Worship
by Kate Prichard
Around campus you've probably seen advertisements for the Refuge. Sidewalk chalk, moderator e-mails, signs on bulletin boards, "Refugee" T-shirts and sweatshirts, a video in the cafeteria, and the wooden sign outside of the Timberline announce The Refuge every week.
The Refuge is a non-denominational Christian group that was started at the beginning of the fall semester of 2004.
Every Wednesday evening between 6 and 8 p.m., Mars Hill students walk into the Timberline to be greeted by a friendly face and are given a nametag and an orange ticket. They then proceed into the room where they are surrounded by the sounds of music and conversing voices.
For the next two hours they enjoy the Coffee House where they can sit and talk, drink free coffee and eat free snacks, play card and board games, listen to music, or all of the above.
By 8 o'clock, at least 50 or more students have usually arrived, and Praise and Worship begins. The Refugee band is made up of MHC students and a few members of the Gateway Christian Community. They play and everyone sings songs that are projected overhead onto a screen at the front. A ticket is drawn from a basket and the winner can receive anything from a Bible to a brand new stereo CD player.
Dirk Helmling
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After worship, Dirk Helmling, the leader of the Refuge, comes to talk to everyone in a friendly and laid-back way, but always bringing a strong message to get his listeners thinking.
Dirk named it "The Refuge" because that's exactly what he wanted it to be: a refuge, a safe place. He says, "We wanted it to signify what it is. That sounds cheesy, but that's really it."
Its purpose and missions statement is, "Challenging and equipping students to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ."
Occasionally, the Refuge will change the routine. One week, an e-mail was sent out telling people to dress warmly and bring a flashlight because they would be spending some time outside. Dirk told everyone they were going on a walk and their destination would be a surprise.
The long train of Mars Hill students eventually ended up at the cemetery. They got a visit from a suspicious police officer, a few scares from friends looking to startle each other, and an interesting lesson and reminder on the brevity of human life.
The idea for the Refuge started when Campus Minister Daniel Terry and Associate Professor of Religion Marc Mullinax invited Dirk to bring his student ministry, called 29.11, onto the Mars Hill campus and combine it with Praise and Worship that was done at the old Mars Hill Theater on Wednesday evenings.
The 29.11 Student Ministries group met on Monday evenings for Bible study and was led by Dirk. The name 29.11 comes from a verse in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11. It says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They're plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
A big part of 29.11 and The Refuge's purpose is to help students understand that God has a purpose for their lives, and to find out what that purpose is and live it out.
Dirk's full-time job is to travel around the country and speak to high school and college students. He started 29.11 in 1999 because God changed his life, and he is confident that God wants to change the lives of students all over the world.
Helmling leads The Refuge on Wednesday nights and explains that it is different from other Christian organizations on campus because its specific purpose is to fulfill the Great Commission in the Bible, to "Go and make disciples of all nations." (Matt. 28:19)
The Refuge makes sure that it doesn't give its listeners a message and then simply send them away. Instead it aims to keep its participants involved throughout each week. This is the basis for the discipleship groups, or "D-groups," that are formed at the Refuge.
Helmling stresses that D-groups are crucial because, "It's the Great Commission, not the Great Suggestion." Through these groups, students are encouraged to become followers of Jesus and to help others become followers as well.
Students get involved in these groups, which are small and gender-specific (involving either only guys or only girls), and meet once a week to discuss a book that they are all given (for free) and talk to each other about whatever God is doing and can do in their lives. They are lead by adult volunteers from churches in the area and often involve food, and some good fellowship and advice.
The Refuge gives a lot of stuff away for free. Food, drinks, door prizes, and books all cost a lot of money. The Refuge is supported by churches in the area and the 29.11 Student Ministries. Churches including Woodland Hills, Biltmore Baptist, Forks of Ivy, and Gateway Christian Community donate money to the Refuge.
Helmling, who is not only the leader of The Refuge itself, but of a D-group as well, says that the biggest highlight of The Refuge is seeing the effect it has on students.
He notes that week after week, students are returning to the Refuge in large numbers. "Kids are growing in their walk with God," and that, he says, is what it's all about.
For a profile of Dirk Helmling and an explanation of 29.11 Student Ministries, see his website, www.2911.org,
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