Pastor Robert was first ordained as a Baptist pastor in San Diego, California. His life is dedicated to the shepherding God’s people and walking with them through every season of life. Pastoring is not just something he does—it is the calling that God placed on his life. He counts it an honor to preach and teach those that God has entrusted to him. Whether he is praying, preaching, teaching, or encouraging someone who feels worn down by life, his heart is to point the world to the hope, grace, and truth found only in Jesus Christ.
He is also a general contractor by trade. He’s spent many years building, repairing, and restoring homes—and that practical work has shaped the way he approaches ministry. Just as a home must be built on a solid foundation, our lives must be built on the unchanging truth of God’s Word. He preaches and teaches only the truth of Scripture, without compromise and without apology. He believes the Bible is God’s perfect and authoritative Word.
The Lord has changed his heart from what it once was to a heart that has given him a love for people, a passion for God’s Word, and a desire to serve wherever he is needed. It doesn’t matter if he is holding a hammer or a Bible, his mission is the same: to glorify Christ and care for His people with authenticity, integrity, and a servant’s heart.
Pastor Mike gave his life to the Lord when he was 16 years old, not long after meeting his now wife, Merrie’. They were married in 1983 and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Mike’s role at Refuge Fellowship is to facilitate our weekly Bible Study, run the church administration, and occasionally preach. Mike is passionate about teaching, encouraging, and worshiping God. Prior to being the associate pastor, Mike designed computer server systems. In his spare time, He enjoys hiking with Merrie’.
Chelsea gave her life to Christ at the age of six, and then felt God’s call to be a children’s pastor at the age of nine. At the age of seventeen, she went on her first missions trip to Romania, where she heard God’s call to be a missionary. While in Bible College at Bethany College of Missions, she served for sixteen months on the mission field in Central Asia, teaching English and helping translate materials. She graduated in 2011 with a dual degree in Bible and Theology and Intercultural Studies. Just two months later, she received an offer to become a children’s pastor in Oregon, where she served for six years, during which she earned her Master of Arts in Children and Family Ministry.
Merrie came to the Lord as a preteen, where she attended church on her own. After high school, she went to Northwest Christian College, where Pastor Mike called her from his college dorm in New York to propose. They were married in May of 1983 and have two kids and 2 grandkids.
Merrie has a passion for missions. She founded the nonprofit, All4missions, to raise support for missionaries. She has also been on missionary trips to orphanages in Haiti and Mexico. One highlight of the Haiti trip was that the team made 667 pairs of pants for the orphans.
In Merrie’s spare time, she enjoys cooking, especially baking, knitting, crocheting, and sewing to raise money to support missionaries. She also likes hiking with Mike.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Thank You for Your Support
Your donations help to support:
U.S. Missionaries traveling our country to help churches and their congregations.
Local ministries such as feeding and clothing the homeless, local outreach,
Bible Studies, Church Services and reaching the lost in a fallen world.