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We’d love to have you at REFUGE this year!

Monday, January 16th, 2012

It’s not too late (or too early) to make plans to attend REFUGE this September!  As a reminder, REFUGE is free gift to you who are serving in student ministry across the country.  It is 2 days of renewal, away from the craziness of youth ministry, for you to recharge.  Bring your spouse!  Bring your youth workers if you’d like!  We’d love to have you.

When we hosted REFUGE in 2010, our personalities included David Platt, Kristian Stanfill, Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Gregg Matte, Matt Carter, Aaron Keyes, Mandi Mapes, Tony Merida, and Mark Hall of Casting Crowns.  We look forward to hosting friends like these again in September.  More information will come regarding the specifics.

There are 3 locations to make it easier for you to attend.  Hotel blocks will be set up in each of these cities near the venue.

Dallas (Sept. 10-11, 2012) at Prestonwood Baptist Church

Birmingham (Sept. 17-18, 2012) at The Church at Brook Hills

Orlando (Sept. 24-25, 2012) at First Baptist Church

For now, mark your calendar and click the “Sign Us Up” button to let us know of your plans to attend.  We look forward to our time together in September!

Venues for REFUGE 2012 announced!

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

As we continue to prepare for our time together at REFUGE next September, additional details are coming together and excitement is growing!  Our venues for the 3 events in 2012 are as follows:

Dallas, TX – Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano Campus

Birmingham, AL – The Church at Brook Hills

Orlando, FL – First Baptist Church, Orlando

Registration is steady right now – so don’t forget to reserve your spot for one of these locations!  Just click on “Sign Us Up” to let us know your plans to attend.

Join us in prayer as we continue to seek God’s direction in the planning phases.  We anticipate all He has in store for REFUGE!

Registration is Available

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Registration for REFUGE 2012 is now available online!  We will be hosting REFUGE in Orlando, Birmingham, and Dallas next September and can’t wait to have you with us for this worship time together.

More details concerning the personalities and other specifics related to these events will be posted as they are known.  For now, just click on “Sign Us Up” to let us know you are coming.  We look forward to seeing you at REFUGE 2012!

REFUGE 2012

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Many of you have been asking if we are holding REFUGE again in the future…and we are!  REFUGE will return in September 2012!  We will be hosting REFUGE in Dallas, TX, in Orlando, FL, and at one other location in the Southeast.

Much more information will follow, as well as a date when we will open registration for these experiences.  Please continue to check back for details in the coming months.  We will be updating this page as we progress in the planning.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

REFUGE messages now available!

Monday, October 11th, 2010

Many of you have been requesting access to the messages from our time together last month at REFUGE, both in Dallas and in Birmingham. We now have those recordings available for you!
These linked files include the messages only.

Here are the links from Dallas:
Matt Carter
David Platt
*  Unfortunately, we were unable to record Gregg Matte’s session in Dallas.

Here are the links from Birmingham:
David Platt (Monday night)
Tony Merida
David Platt (Tuesday night)

You can click to listen to the message, or right click to “download” and save it to your computer.

Please let us know if you have trouble accessing these files or if there are other ways we can assist. We are praying that your fall is full of fruitful ministry and an outpouring of God’s spirit in your lives. Glad to partner in ministry beside you!

Thank you for serving!

Friday, September 24th, 2010

I am continuing to think about some of the things I was personally challenged with during our time together at Refuge.  If you were able to join us, we hope that those moments were rich and refreshing for you.  We pray that even today you are encouraged in what you do and Whom you serve.  Have you stopped to think how you and I get to be connected to the Creator of all things?  We get the privilege and excitement that comes from serving and pointing people, both young and old, to Him!  Lot of ways we could pour out our lives, but there is nothing like pouring it out to God as a drink offering, with Him fully controlling the flow.

I want to take one more moment, in conjunction with Refuge, and say thank you.  Thanks for serving the bride 52-weeks a year; thanks for investing in countless students; thanks for making an impact on families all across your community; and thanks for being the light on the hill for so many to see.  At Student Life, we are proud of you and love cheering you on.

Each time we host Refuge it seems to be one of our favorite gatherings.  This year was no different.  Our team will soon add more details to the blog concerning message downloads and any other follow-up details.  We hope to gather again for Refuge in September of 2012.  Until then, let us know if there is any way we can serve you and your ministry through a Student Life event, Student Life resource, or simply in prayer.

Blessings,

J. Roger Davis
Student Life

Birmingham Info

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Our team just got off the road Wednesday night from our journey to Dallas for the REFUGE experience there this past Monday and Tuesday.  What an incredible time we had together in the the Word, in worship, and in prayer.  We are very excited to see the Birmingham crowd this coming week!

As you make final preparations for the journey, please keep a few things in mind.

1.  If you still need hotel accommodations, there are rooms available at the Drury Inn, and you need to call the group reservations line to get the Student Life rate (800.325.0720).  There are also a few rooms left at the Hilton.

2.  The address for The Church at Brook Hills is 3145 Brook Highland Parkway (Birmingham AL 35242)  Traffic around the Highway 280 corridor near the church is always stacked up during rush hour, so please keep this in mind for your travel arrangements.

3.  Monday night, the doors will open at 6pm with the first session beginning at 7pm.  Look at our Schedule tab for the details of each session.  When you arrive, you will see Student Life staff that will be directing you inside the building to the worship room.

4.  We are unable to offer childcare for REFUGE.  Please plan accordingly.

5.  Pray, Pray, Pray.  We trust that God will move in your hearts, your lives, and the ministries He has entrusted to you.  We can’t wait to see that unfold!

Dallas Information

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

We are closing in on the final days before REFUGE in Dallas this coming Monday and Tuesday.  Our staff is in fervent prayer for you all and the requests you have shared with us.  We are very anxious to see you face to face and honor you for your ministry to teenagers!

As you make final preparations for the journey, please keep these things in mind.

1.  If you still need hotel accommodations, there are rooms available at the Hampton Inn – Addison, TX (they are still honoring the Student Life group rate here.)  You can call (972) 991-2800.

2.  The address for Prestonwood Baptist Church is 6801 W Park Blvd. Plano, TX 75093.  (We will be at the Plano location.)  There are toll roads near the church, so please be prepared.

3.  Monday night, the doors will open at 6pm with the first session beginning at 7pm.  Look at our Schedule tab for the details of each session.  When you arrive, you will see Student Life staff that will be directing you inside the building to the worship room.

4.  We are unable to offer childcare for REFUGE.  Please plan accordingly.

5.  Pray, Pray, Pray.  We trust that God will move in your hearts, your lives, and the ministries He has entrusted to you.  We can’t wait to see that unfold!

Hotels for REFUGE

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Many of you are making your travel arrangements for REFUGE next month and are asking about hotel accommodations.
We have a Student Life group rate available at several local hotels in both Dallas and Birmingham. Those group rates are coming to a close soon, as the hotels will be opening up our room block to other guests. Please make your arrangements as soon as possible to get the best deal!

There are a few hotels that are already filled, so please make note of the following:
In Dallas, the Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt Place are both at capacity. (And you might want to bring along toll money for the roads near Prestonwood.)
In Birmingham, the Holiday Inn Express and Wingate are both full at this time. (Please make note that Highway 280 is typically a parking lot during the evening rush hour time frame – and this is the main road near The Church at Brook Hills.)

We are anxious for our time together in just a few weeks and look forward to worshipping with all of you!  You are in our prayers!

Schedules for Dallas and Birmingham

Monday, August 9th, 2010

REFUGE is just a few short weeks away and we know you all are making plans for the time we will spend together!  We are very excited as we have been in contact with many of you, confirming your registration and finding out how we at Student Life can be in prayer for you, personally and professionally.  Just a reminder, if you have not confirmed your registration, give us a call at 800.718.2267.

DALLAS SCHEDULE
Monday, September 13th
6pm – Doors Open at Prestonwood Baptist Church
7pm – Session #1 – Gregg Matte (speaker); Aaron Keyes (worship); Mark Hall and Juan DeVevo of Casting Crowns (special guests)

Tuesday, September 14th
9am - Doors Open
10am – Session #2 – Matt Carter (speaker); Kristian Stanfill (worship); Mandi Mapes (special guest)

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6pm – Doors Open
7pm - Session #3 – David Platt (speaker); Kristian Stanfill (worship); Mandi Mapes (special guest)

BIRMINGHAM SCHEDULE
Monday, September 20th
6pm – Doors Open at The Church at Brook Hills
7pm - Session #1 – Louie Giglio (speaker); Chris Tomlin (worship)

Tuesday, September 21st
9am - Doors Open
10am - Session #2 -Tony Merida (speaker); Kristian Stanfill (worship); Mandi Mapes (special guest)

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6pm – Doors Open
7pm – Session #3 – David Platt (speaker); Kristian Stanfill (worship); Mandi Mapes (special guest)

As a reminder, if you are looking for lodging in either location, click on the Birmingham or Dallas tabs for a map of local hotels and special Student Life group rates.  Continue to follow the blog for more updates as we draw closer to our time together.  We are praying for you!