A CHURCH WHERE GOD IS BUILDING KINGDOM CHAMPIONS

We Invite You to ENTER Into A New Dimension of GLORY here at Refuge By The Lake

Refuge is a Safe Place to WORSHIP God in the Beauty of Holiness, To RECIEVE the Engrafted Word of God, and To GROW towards Spiritual Maturity. We are Progressive, Moving in Faith, and Ready to Go to the Next Level in God!

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Senior Pastor CA Lewis

Join Us for Worship!

Senior Pastor CA Lewis

The Legacy Continues:

Senior Pastor Reverend C. A. Lewis

Senior Pastor is no stranger to the Prophetic, Apostolic Anointed move of God. She was the fourth eldest child, born to Roosevelt Zeke Sr. and Clithiel Lathaw Ratliff. As a child, she overcame some major health issues such as Asthma, Polio, and Acute Pneumonia, in which she was near death. Pastor Lewis even recalls seeing the death angels, gray figures with no faces, surrounding her bed. It was then that her mother, who would later become one of the only women in the City of Memphis, TN, to be ordained and installed to the office, told her that they were going to Rebuke Death and call on the Name of Jesus. Pastor received her Healing, and came to understand the pure Power of God and has been following after God ever since.
As a young girl, she and her sisters sang for and recorded as the Pattersonetter, a group named after the late great Bishop G.E. Patterson, who presided over the Church of God In Christ until his demise. She has trained voices, praise teams, and choirs, as the Minister of Music, and most recently, recorded several songs of Worship with her brother and sisters in the Ratliff Singers Group.
Pastor Lewis co-founded Refuge Fellowship Church, along with her husband of 45 years, and has served faithfully as a prayer warrior, teacher, musician, singer, and pastor. Additionally, she served in the Army National Guard and later retired from the US Army Reserves. That experience as a soldier equipped her with leadership, caring, and comradery skills along with the principle of obedience. She worked full-time in management at the US Postal Service, until retiring in 2018, and it was these management and leadership skills that have guided our church through challenging periods.
Devotion to our Bishop was her number one concern in his late years. Having seen firsthand the devastation of Bishop's first stroke in 2002, she remained committed to the Vision God had for Refuge and upon his healing, received the Mandate to continue the Legacy as Senior Pastor. She is a woman of vision and courage and whole-heartedly believes in the Bible Scripture that says, "And they that do Know their God, shall be Strong and do Exploits," Daniel 10:32b!

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Opportunities For Worship

Kingdom Building Class (Christian Education and Enrichment) Tuesdays 6:30pm
Sunday Mid-Day Worship Assembly @ 12:30 pm
Wednesday Kingdom Concepts On the Go @ 12pm via Facebook Live
Wednesday #NextUP! Kingdom Champion Radio Broadcast from 12:30pm - 12:45pm CST via JOY1340AM, 98.7FM or www.joy1340.com

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Refuge Bible Institute: Classes Offered

At Refuge Bible Institute, Each Semester, we will offer 2, 8 week Foundational Classes. Winter Session I: Growing Toward Spiritual Maturity & Beyond A Reasonable Doubt.

Testimony of Life: Bishop/Founder Willie J. Lewis, Sr.

Willie Lewis, Sr. was the youngest child born to the Union of Jesse and Lillie Lewis of West Memphis Arkansas. He received his formal education within the West Memphis AR Public School System.

His Mother moved him and his sister to St. Louis MO, where his mother was studying to be a nurse. The streets of Missouri were not kind to Willie, as he repeatedly experienced conflicts and altercations. He began a downward spiral at a young age culminating in smoking, drinking, drugs, and gang activity, in which he lost his left eye, He concealed his continued drug use and tried to live a normal life, marrying Harriet Lewis and fathering two children, Duane and Alisa. Although he loved his family, he failed because he was an addict with a growing habit. As stated in his book, "From Dope to Jesus," he thought he would be a drug addict for life with no hope for recovery. It was at his lowest point, he could hear his mother's voice whispering to him that his only hope was in Jesus. Jesus could save him and set him free!

Man's extremity is God's opportunity to do the impossible, the unthinkable, and the unimaginable.

After being framed, sentenced to 20 years in a Texas Federal Prison, and stabbed by inmates, who were armed with sharpened forks, he was released after only 1 and 1/2 years! What a miracle! God was showing him that he was greatly loved. Willie came to Milwaukee after his release to live with his sister and brother-in-law, Pastor Joe and Mary Tatum. They prayed, labored with him, and assured him that God would deliver him. He received Salvation, healing, and deliverance as he accepted Jesus as his Savior! After training at Miracle Valley Bible College and traveling the country and abroad preaching the Gospel, God blessed him with a wife, Corlis, and three children: Carmen, Candace, and Willie Jr.

He has encountered many saints and workers in the ministry that have touched and blessed his ministry such as Rev Joe and Lady Tatum of Lighthouse Ministries, Rev. A.A. Allen, Rev. Gene Martin, Rev. Don Stewart, Rev Carmen DiBiase, Mother Ellis, Mother Atwater, Mother Gertrude Pitt, Elder Norman Pitt, Bishop Harold Dawson Sr. of New Hope Ministries, Rev. Woods of Action for Christ, Bishop Darrell Hines of Christian Faith Fellowship Church, and Mother Naomi Scott. Refuge Deliverance Church was instilled in his heart as a haven for the unlovely, the sick, the lonely, the rejected, and the ashamed.

In 1977, in a little storefront building, Refuge Deliverance Temple was born in prayer and fasting. Soon, we moved to another location on Teutonia and Capitol. After 1 and 1/2 years, the church acquired the present location on 2767 N. Teutonia Ave. Anointed and spirit-filled services attracted young and old alike. There was a spiritual awakening for all. Over the years, many have been blessed and prospered under his leadership and this ministry.

In 2002, Bishop-Elect Lewis suffered an intracranial bleeding (stroke). God blessed him to live and prosper even when doctors predicted that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. After battling different ailments and recoveries, Bishop began preaching again. His last message to Refuge included an exhortation to press forward, even though he may not be there. The congregation may not have known exactly what that meant, however, in retrospect, we believe he was already making preparations to meet his maker. On, October 11, 2017, at 5:54 am CST, God called his servant home to enter into his rest. We miss him greatly, but we know that he is with the Lord. He was acknowledged as a Bishop of the Lord's Church Posthumously at his Homegoing Service on Friday, October 20th, 2017.

There is a Refuge for the People of God

Located in the heart of Milwaukee's 53206 neighborhood, our church has served as a Refuge for the lost, unloved, oppressed, and hurting souls. With Ministries such as Refuge Reach Out and Touch Wednesdays, where we go out into the community to pray and minister to souls in need of a reminder that God Loves them and Jesus died for our sins so that we may Live an abundant live and receive Life Eternal. Other Ministries have included Vacation Bible School, Nursing Home Ministry, Kingdom Building Sunday School Classes for youth and adults, Kingdom Concepts on the Go, which offers Bible Study via Social Media, as well as a Lunch program called Martha's Cabinet! Contact us to get involved in this great move of God!!

Email:

rfcm.mke@gmail.com

Refuge Fellowship Church Ministerial Staff

We are a Team Committed to seeing God's Glory Revealed in the lives of His Great People. That means YOU! God has a Purpose and Plan for our lives and it is our pleasure to present ourselves as Living Sacrifices, in service to our Great and Mighty God! We Look Forward to Serving You!