Second Refuge Invitation

Friends,

I wish you could read the e-mails I received this week in response to the REFUGE invitation we sent out last week. The responses are very encouraging. I’ve copied them out of the emails I received.

Here are just a few:

1. A youth minister writes...
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE WISHED FOR THIS!!! LOOKING FORWARD TO IT....

2. A husband writes…
Randy, I cannot wait! My friends and I attended some of the very first REFUGE gatherings and it had such an impact in our lives. Thank you for bringing it back and for making it FREE! What a great blessing and ministry to youth workers! I have already put it on the calendar for my wife and me. Thanks so much!

3. A personal friend of mine writes…
Randy, count me in! I have missed REFUGE and I’m excited all over again about this. There have been so many “stakes” that have been placed in my walk with the Lord and many of them have come around REFUGE. Thanks for offering this again. God is good!

4. And my absolute favorite…
YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY !!!! *doing a little jig in the office* My wife and I went to a REFUGE in b-ham in '01. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys rock! We will always love Student Life!! Thanks for thinking of the little guy!

5. One more response we received this week…
Psalm 40:1—I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
When I attended this 10 years ago it was a monumental moment in my call and life! God moved mountains and reminded me that He is not always silent! Thanks for listening to Him. You guys do an amazing job in reaching, teaching and encouraging. Thanks!

These responses confirm that REFUGE was a valuable and meaningful experience 10 years ago, and that there is a need for such a gathering again.

NEW DETAILS…We have some new details to report.

REFUGE will be hosted at THE CHURCH AT BROOK HILLS. This is the home church for many of us who serve at Student Life and we are pleased to invite you to join us. Again, the dates are September 8-9, 2008. We will begin around 6 p.m. on Monday evening, September 8th, and we will meet on Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening. Again, REFUGE is free—our gift to you.

We are planning for REFUGE to be a time to focus on Who we serve. There will be no exhibit halls, no seminars or anybody telling anybody "how to do" anything. I am praying that we can clear our minds of job descriptions and programs for a couple of days…please!

My pastor, Dr. David Platt will be a part of the REFUGE team. David and Heather have been with us at Brook Hills for almost two years. They adopted Caleb last year from Kazakhstan and then found out that they were expecting…hello Joshua!

I am also looking forward to sharing my heart during REFUGE. In all 15 years of Student Life, I have never put my name on the poster as a speaker for a Student Life Camp or event. And after REFUGE, I may never speak again, but God is so good, and we have been so blessed...I just want to brag on what God has done in my life and my family’s life and in Student Life...I already know what I want to say…I can't wait to share with you.

I am still working on a few more invitations to complete the team…more to come.
Again, I am thankful to Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin for giving their time to share in this gift to you.

We had hundreds of responses last week. Many people confirmed their plans to attend (almost 500) and others have asked for more information.

WE WILL NOT BUILD A WEBSITE FOR REFUGE, so please don't look for one. We hope a few e-mails will serve us well in communicating the details.

In a few weeks we will release a list of hotels near Brook Hills. Sometime in a month or so we will create a single web page where you will be asked to go to provide us with some details. But for now, please just hit reply and tell us if you’re coming and if your spouse is coming with you.

Based on the response, we are not ready for this e-mail to be forwarded. I will let you know if we have extra space available in a few weeks.

Thanks for trusting us with your students!

Randy