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Refuge leaders magnify glory of God in service BY RYLEE ROBERTS Staff Writer
“There are lots of places around the world where people would literally die to have the opportunity to have that many Christians in one place,” said Colton Miller, a senior Christian studies major and one of this semester’s Refuge speakers. Miller had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at Refuge last semester. Shortly before Christmas break, James Taylor, the Campus Ministries director, asked him to consider taking on the position of this semester’s second Refuge speaker. After prayerful consideration, Miller accepted and joined the Refuge team. This semester he will lead alongside last semester’s main speaker Madison Burch. Burch is a senior Christian studies major with an emphasis in Christian ministry. Miller and Burch both hope to work in some kind of church ministry following graduation. Over her college career, Burch can trace the Lord preparing her for Refuge leadership. Freshman year, her mentor was a Refuge speaker. The following year, her then boyfriend, now fiancé, served as one of the Refuge speakers. God let her see behind the scenes and helped her to indirectly invest in the ministry and position. Leading peers in Bible study is an honor, but it comes with a heavy weight of responsibility. “I don’t want to say anything heretical,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of pressure, too, with acknowledging I am not the most knowledgeable or most equipped person for this position.” He accepted the position with great humility and aims to lead in the same manner. Burch similarly acknowledges this great responsibility that comes with the position. “It’s a lot of pressure because you are handling God’s Word,”
Seniors Colton Miller and Madison Burch are extremely enthusiastic about this semester of Refuge. They both have prayed that God will move in big ways on campus. (photo by Justin Trostle)
Burch said. “You are teaching and training people in what they believe about God and scripture.” While students see Burch and Miller on stage once a week, they do not see the intense labor that happens behind the scenes. With potential for miscommunication, ever-present, critical study must be done of each preached passage. Along with their exegesis, Burch and Miller meet with Taylor to discuss their sermon texts before preaching. They do not take their roles lightly as they lead their peers in pursuit of faith. Miller and Burch each spent their college summers working at camp. Their experiences shaped them and prepared them in different ways. Burch served two summers working for Kanakuk at the K-7 camp. During her first year, she led a group of eighth and ninth grade girls each week. Because Burch experienced immense growth in her walk with the Lord at a similar time in her life, she took care to build up her campers as best she could. When she returned for a second summer, Burch was promoted to a Unit Coordinator position. She had to learn how to healthily confront people in times of con-
flict. Enforcing rules instead of just following them helped her learn to let go of what people might think about her after she gave constructive criticism. “Sometimes it is necessary for us to say the harder things in order to build God’s Kingdom further,” Burch said. “I think the church has a bad habit of neglecting to say the hard things or talk about the more difficult topics that seem darker or like they might hit too close to home for some people.” Burch understands the need to talk about passages that are often overlooked in church because the body can benefit from them. Miller also felt prepared for Refuge by his camp jobs and school experiences. He spent his college summers working at Camp Siloam and plans to return again this summer to lead a discipleship and leadership program for high school students. Throughout his time at camp, Miller learned the power of consistency. With more fervency than any other time in his life, Miller met with God daily on a deep, personal level. “I attribute most of the fruit the Lord has brought about in my life to consistency, whether that’s be-
ing with Him in His Word or by being with other believers,” Miller said. As Miller approaches his final semester at Ouachita, he is asking the Lord to use him. “I hate for people to be alone,” Miller said. “If there is anything the Lord could do through me this semester, I would want Him to show people they are not alone in what they are walking through.” Miller and Burch alike have hearts for people, wanting to continually invest in them and provide them with community. Fellowship is part of what Burch values in Refuge. It provides a connection as students come together for the same purpose: to worship. They can ride together and talk about it afterwards. Having healthy accountability in relationships with fellow believers while following God on a daily basis is a biblical concept for sharpening the body of Christ, and Refuge is a refreshing experience that highlights biblical community in these ways. “These are things we think are exceptional about our camp experiences, but the body of Christ is supposed to be living like this every day,” Burch said. “We simply
stop when we get back to our busy schedules.” Burch loves to hear how God speaks through her to people or ways that God uses her. Affirmation like that reminds her that the work is worth it. She loves to see people passionately following the Lord, pursuing their faith seriously, and asking hard questions “Refuge is one little piece of what the Lord’s doing on campus,” Burch said. During his time at Ouachita, Miller has participated in the Men of Eta Alpha Omega, serving as their philanthropy chair last semester. He also served as a Life Group leader his junior year and a resident’s assistant in Flippen-Perrin dorm his sophomore year. He also participates in a weekly home group. Burch has also been active on and off campus in her three years. She serves as a tutor for the Academic Success Center. She has participated in the Women of EEE and served as their chaplain last year. Burch was also a part of Ouachita’s cheer team her first two years. Off campus, she has worked with the youth girls at Second Baptist Church in Arkadelphia.