What is Refuge Cleveland?

Refuge Community Church opened its doors in Pastor Don and Miss Dawn’s home in 2017. But the story begins almost three decades earlier with Pastor Don growing up in Cleveland in the 1980s. It was then that Don watched bussing come and steel mills leave. Moreover, he watched his neighborhood become vacated houses and people leaving for the suburbs with their resources. He too tried to leave, but that all changed when the Lord called him and his family to start reaching people in that very same neighborhood.

Pastor Don believes that God loves people struggling with heroin, those who are homeless, those who dabble in the occult, and those who seek to numb the pain. So, God opened the doors to a ministry in that neighborhood that Don tried to leave, and that’s when Refuge Community Church was born.

Since coming to Old Brooklyn, Refuge has distributed food, held addiction meetings, hosted meals, and witnessed changed lives in the people of this neighborhood. The goal of Refuge is to meet people where they are, to share the love of Christ, and to disciple them to go out and reach others. We all deeply appreciate all that the Lord is doing and will continue to do. More so, we want to invite you to be a part of it as well.

What Do We Believe?

We believe in one God

There is only one Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(Deuteronomy 6:4, Genesis 1-2, Psalm 145:3, John 1:1, Psalm 90:2)

We believe in Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully divine and fully man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed authentic miracles, died in the place of sinners to pay for their sins, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, and works as a mediator in heaven.

(Matthew 28:18-20, John 1:1, John 1:14, Isaiah 9:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:21, Matthew 28:6, 1 John 2:1)

We believe in the Holy Spirit 

Spiritual life given by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for the salvation of man. His ministry includes indwelling and regenerating the believer, enabling him to live a godly life.

(John 3:5-7, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 6:19)

We believe in God's Bible

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God without error in its original writings it is:

Inspired  - The Bible was given to us by God through human writers.

(2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)

Infallible  - It is not misleading and is a sure, safe, and reliable rule and guide in all matters.

(Proverbs 30:5)

Inerrant  - It is free from all falsehood or mistakes and is entirely true and trustworthy.

(Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 5:17-18)

We believe man has a role in God's plan

Although man was created in the image of God, he sinned, causing physical death and separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and exercise their sinful nature in thought, word, and deed.

(Genesis 1:27, 2:17, Romans 6:23, 5:12-14, 3:23, 3:10)

We believe in salvation as provided by Jesus 

The sinless life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ provide the only basis for the salvation of all who believe. Only those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord, exercising repentance and faith in Him, are children of God.

(1 Corinthians 15:3-6, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, John 1:12)

We believe in a future that has hope 

The Lord Jesus Christ will return bodily to the earth to complete our salvation and establish His kingdom. All the dead will experience a bodily resurrection, the believer to eternal joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to judgment and eternal punishment.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 John 3:2, Daniel 12:2, Revelation 7:14)

Read the full Refuge Community Church Bylaws here

We also affirm the Baptist Faith and Message.