Pastor Steve Coble met and married his wife Kristin in 2019. Kristin spent the previous year serving an orphanage in Haiti and sensed she was being called to come back home and become a nurse. Steve was serving at a large church close to downtown Chicago. After experiencing the loss of his Mom, Steve and Kristin took some time to grieve, while Steve also continued to serve God as a pastor at his local church. It was at this time that they found God to be a “very present help in their time of trouble.” 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, they witnessed many churches dissolve or lose significant numbers of congregation members. Steve and Kristin began to feel a greater calling to help people come to faith in Jesus. As they met more and more people who no longer went to church but maintained a love for Jesus, this strengthened their passion to help others experience God more deeply.

Already passionate about multi ethnic ministry, Steve and Kristin found that their views were shared by many, as they heard over and over from people longing to experience a multiethnic church where Jesus was at the centerpiece of everything they do. Steve and Kristin saw a need to bridge the gap they felt existed between formation and mission. They believe the more rooted a person is in God, the healthier they are, and the greater impact they can make in God’s Kingdom. Through much prayer and discernment, they sensed God’s calling to plant Refuge.