From the desk of the Refuge Executive Director
Hello new friends!
I am so excited and feel truly blessed to have recently been appointed the Executive Director of this ministry that I love so much. Please allow me to share a bit of background about myself…I initially came to Refuge as a client over 17 years ago. I was pregnant and a bit apprehensive. When I came here for the first time, I was welcomed by Janice. At the time, I did not know that she was the Executive Director. Janice’s kind and inviting nature made me feel at ease. I visited Refuge for the very practical purpose of getting some assistance with my pregnancy. It was a temporary situation in which I found myself and needed support. But God! On that day, Janice uplifted me, prayed with me, and simply reflected the love of Christ through her compassion and understanding. That single day, so many years ago, neither of us could have ever imagined what the Lord was orchestrating and what seeds He was sowing in the valley I was walking through.
In my decade of serving as the Client Service Director here at Refuge, I have been so blessed to meet and love on thousands of clients. God has given me the opportunity to see His glory through the lives of these women and the children they carry in their womb. From my view on the front row, I have seen how His ministry at Refuge has changed the lives of women and men along with saving the lives of hundreds of children.
Now that I occupy a desk on the opposite side of the building, I am gaining so much insight about you. I am truly amazed at what you do! Through your loyal support and generosity, you have provided life-saving encouragement and services to so many families that I have come to know and love. You have my heartfelt gratitude for that.
As we move ahead, I pledge to you to continue to seek the Lord’s will for this ministry. I fully recognize that you make a choice of your own accord to give to Refuge. I will never take that for granted. My hope is to meet as many of you as soon as possible in the coming months. We are currently in the planning process for a few community events…more about that soon.
The Refuge staff and I have dedicated many hours to prayer and planning as we embark on this new chapter. We are drawing from the book of Ephesians for our compass in 2025.
Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus in Eph. 3:14-21 specifically stood out as a light to our path.
“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Allow me to explain why this particular passage in God’s word stood out to us...
Our Clients – “from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name” – Every one of us is made in the image of God. Every family that walks through our door, regardless of situation or circumstance, has been brought together for His glory and to bear His image. We will never forget that and treat every client with dignity, compassion and love. This is our pledge to our beloved clients.
Our Supporters – “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love” – This describes you. This describes why you choose to give of your resources to further His ministry at Refuge. I don’t know all of you (yet), but I am positive that each of you has a story. One which may be similar to mine, where you walked through a valley and met the Lord there. You have grown roots and become established in His love for you. I am sure this is why you have a passion for others walking a similar path. Thank you for your faithfulness! We strive every day to remember the trust you have placed in us .
Our Goal – “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” - This is our mission. When we meet a woman dealing with the circumstances of an unexpected pregnancy, our number one goal is to point her to Christ. We want to show her that He has not forgotten her. We long for her to know the child she carries is a blessing the Lord has given her, so that she may grow closer to Him. Though she may have entered here leaning on the knowledge of a fallen world, our goal is to help point her to Him who created her and created the one she now carries. With your help, we have been blessed to do this for over 40 years and we will continue through the Lord’s provision.
Our Lord – “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” This verse has been on my lips since I first sat down in this chair. This ministry is His. Some versions substitute “immeasurably” with “exceedingly” or “abundantly”. I personally love all three words to describe what He does. I am living proof of “more than we can ask or imagine”! We have certainly witnessed exceedingly through His provision for the past 40 years in ministry. We have seen abundantly through the way that you are faithful to give. Just look at the fact that we were able to give out over 43 thousand diapers last year!
Our Impact – “to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations” - Immeasurably is definitely more than we can imagine. A generational span is defined as somewhere between 20 to 25 years. The ministry of The Refuge Center is now operating well into our second generation within this community. More than 2000 children have been born to Refuge clients who were contemplating abortion. We have no way to measure what impact those children will make. But He does! Approximately 11,000 families have received pregnancy support provided by The Refuge Center since 1984. Even those parents that chose life immediately, (never considered abortion) were prayed for, prayed with, encouraged, advised and provided for, according to whatever circumstances they were struggling with. This side of heaven, we could not possibly measure the generational impact of your support for His ministry of The Refuge Center! “to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations!”
Love, Kelbie
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