By Marin Murray, News Editor
A refuge is defined as something that provides shelter. It is a place where people feel safe and free of fear. It is a place where one does not have to worry about the stress of Tunes season or that big exam coming up or that one hard thing that you can’t stop worrying about. So, every Thursday night, students at Ouachita press pause on their daily schedule to spend time with God, finding refuge in Him.
Refuge is a weekly campus gathering led by students serving on the Campus Ministries team that meets at 9 p.m. on Thursdays, which allows the Ouachita community to come together to grow closer to the Lord through worship, preaching and fellowship.
“Throughout the year, I hope that Refuge is a place where people come and feel like they can slow down, be with the Lord and be in community,” senior Refuge speaker Gracie Campbell said. “The heart of what we hope to accomplish through this ministry is to be a place that fosters community. I hope that people feel like they come to a place where they have community and that they feel like they can be honest and raw and open.”
While Refuge is a place for students to find safety and rest in the presence of Jesus, escaping the busyness of their daily life, even more so, it is a place where they can belong and grow in their walk with God.
“I think what is so cool about Refuge is that it is completely voluntary,” senior Refuge speaker Tate Goodrum said. “Refuge is late at night. It is completely free for everybody who wants to come. And everybody is coming not to hear somebody speak and not to hear the songs that we are singing, but to experience God. I think it’s just something very beautiful that people are coming freely from all different backgrounds and coming together.”
Coming into this school year, the focus of the Refuge team has primarily been on going back to the simplicity of the gospel, reminding students and even themselves of the simple yet profound truths found in God’s Word, which will serve as the foundation for the rest of the year.
“The vision has just been about reaching the new believers and reaching people who are ready to take simple steps in their faith,” Campbell said. “It has been really neat just to see how even our friends who are a lot more mature in their faith have still benefited from coming back to the simple aspects of the gospel.”
This first series that the speakers have put together has placed an emphasis on going back to the basics of what the gospel is and how to live it out. From what it means to encounter Jesus to how that affects your life and the lives of others, the central focus of the first four weeks is summed up in a single word: simplicity.
“I hope that students take away how to wrestle faithfully with the Lord and how to understand truth in a simple way,” Campbell said.
This year, eight seniors comprise the team leading Refuge; four, including Campbell and Goodrum, are speakers, along with Noah Terry and Braden Wagley. The other four members rotate leading worship each week. Each student went through an application and interview process before being selected for the team. For all of them, especially Goodrum, it is something they cherish greatly, leading the ministry that has impacted their time at Ouachita.
“I went to my first ever Refuge with my brother when I was a junior in high school,” Goodrum said. “I remember sitting in the pew at Second Baptist and thinking that this is really cool. I hadn’t experienced this or been around a community of believers like this before. So, now, fast forward to today, and getting the chance to serve and help lead, it’s such a blessing and such a cool full circle moment.”
While leading Refuge is a significant honor for these seniors, it also comes with a platform of sorts. However, one of the team’s focuses for the year is to remind other students that they are no different than anyone else.
“Something that we are all reminded of daily is that ultimately it’s not about us,” Goodrum said. “I think that’s just the main heart, and I want that to be communicated. We are some normal people with everyday struggles, but we are serving the same God. We are all the same, just trying to become more like Christ. And so, I think that’s a huge thing that also goes into the heart of Refuge.”
“There are two main things that come to mind when it comes to what we want students to leave with,” Goodrum said. “One is that they find refuge in God, and two is to cultivate a community that is centered on that idea of refuge.”
Overall, just as its name suggests, Refuge is a place where the Ouachita community can come and find shelter in God’s presence and the company of other believers.
