1. About these Terms
These Terms of Service govern the use of The Refuge Community's website and the online features through which we provide information, receive requests, manage registrations, communicate with participants, and accept donations.
“The Refuge,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to The Refuge Community, a Christian ministry and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Where a form, registration, or checkout presents these Terms for your acceptance, your affirmative acceptance applies to that interaction. Please review the Terms before completing an interaction that requires your agreement.
Our Privacy Policy separately explains how personal information is collected, used, stored, and shared. Accepting these Terms does not provide additional marketing or media permissions beyond the choices you separately make.
Specific programs or activities may have additional terms presented before registration or participation. Those terms govern the particular activity and supplement these website Terms.
2. Website forms and eligibility
Our website does not offer visitor accounts. Administrative sign-in is reserved for authorized ministry administrators.
Website forms, registrations, and payment transactions are intended to be completed by adults who are at least 18 years old and have the authority to provide the submitted information or authorize the transaction.
A parent or legal guardian must submit information and provide any required permissions for a child participating in our programs. These requirements do not prevent families from viewing age-appropriate public ministry resources together.
You agree to provide accurate information to the best of your knowledge and to contact us when a material correction is needed. Do not submit information in another person's name without appropriate authority.
3. Nature of our ministry and support
The Refuge provides Christian teaching, prayer, fellowship, educational resources, and community support.
Website content and ordinary prayer or ministry support are provided for spiritual and educational purposes. They are not a substitute for professional medical, mental-health, legal, financial, or other licensed advice or treatment.
We do not guarantee a particular spiritual, personal, medical, financial, educational, or other outcome from using our resources or participating in our ministry.
An assistance request does not guarantee that financial aid, goods, services, or another form of support will be available. Assistance depends on the nature of the request, available resources, and any applicable program requirements.
Our website forms and email are not emergency-response services. Do not rely on them for immediate help. For an emergency requiring police, fire, or ambulance assistance in the United States, call 911.
4. Respectful and lawful use
We welcome sincere questions, respectful discussion, and participation from people at different stages of faith.
You may not use our website or ministry communication channels to: threaten, harass, exploit, impersonate, or intentionally deceive another person; submit fraudulent registrations or payments, distribute spam or malicious software, or deliberately interfere with website operation; attempt unauthorized access to administrative systems, private submissions, or information belonging to another person; or publish another person's private information without permission or falsely represent that you speak, fundraise, or enter agreements on behalf of The Refuge.
Respectful disagreement or criticism does not, by itself, violate these Terms.
We may reject abusive submissions, remove content from spaces we manage, or restrict access when reasonably necessary to address misuse, protect participants, or comply with law. Any action involving a paid registration remains subject to the applicable program terms and legal rights.
5. Requests, submissions, and private discussions
When you submit information, you authorize us to receive, process, and use it to handle your request or participation as described in our Privacy Policy.
Submitting a message does not transfer ownership of your story or give us unrestricted permission to publish it. Promotional use of an identifiable testimonial, image, voice, or personal story requires separate consideration and appropriate permission.
Prayer requests are handled as described in our Privacy Policy. Website submissions should not be treated as a promise of absolute confidentiality or immediate pastoral attention.
Please respect the privacy of other participants. Do not redistribute another person's prayer request, personal testimony, or private group discussion without appropriate permission.
Private retreat materials and participant-only meetings are not intended for redistribution or access by nonparticipants. Public livestreams and public social-media discussions are different: information you post there may be visible to others.
Nothing in these Terms prevents lawful reporting of abuse, misconduct, or safety concerns to appropriate authorities, or seeking confidential legal advice.
6. Email updates and communication choices
General ministry updates are optional and require the applicable signup or opt-in.
Accepting these Terms, submitting a prayer request, registering for a program, or making a donation does not by itself subscribe you to general ministry newsletters.
Leaving the optional updates checkbox unchecked does not create or reactivate a general newsletter subscription. It does not, by itself, cancel an existing subscription.
We may still send communications necessary to respond to your request, acknowledge a donation, or coordinate a program in which you have registered to participate.
You may unsubscribe from general ministry updates through the unsubscribe option in those emails or by contacting contact@therefuge.help.
These Terms do not provide consent for a future automated text-message program.
7. Registrations, interest forms, and participation
Submitting an interest form, volunteer application, church-interest form, or partnership inquiry does not automatically confirm a place in a program, a leadership or volunteer role, church membership, employment, or a formal partnership.
Registration and participation requirements are those communicated for the specific program. Please review the applicable confirmation and instructions rather than treating an expression of interest as a confirmed registration.
Program details may change because of weather, safety concerns, venue availability, staffing, attendance, or other circumstances. We will communicate material changes to registered participants using the contact information provided.
Any applicable fees, cancellation conditions, refund terms, or refund guarantees communicated for a program govern the registrations to which they apply. These website Terms do not override a specific refund guarantee or remove rights associated with an existing registration.
When a paid activity's cancellation or refund terms are unclear, contact us before completing payment.
Children's participation
Parents and guardians must review the supervision, attendance, pickup, and care arrangements communicated for the particular program.
Submitting a website form does not by itself establish a drop-off childcare arrangement or authorize medication administration, medical treatment, or transportation. Those arrangements and permissions must be addressed separately where applicable.
Partner venues
Activities hosted at an outside venue may also be subject to that venue's separately presented admission, conduct, safety, payment, and participation rules.
A partnership with The Refuge does not mean that The Refuge operates every service or activity offered by the venue.
8. Donations and payment authorization
Online donations are processed through Stripe, including the card and digital-wallet options available at checkout.
By authorizing a payment, you confirm that you are permitted to use the selected payment method and approve the amount shown.
Payment credentials must be entered through the payment provider. Do not send complete card numbers or bank-account credentials through our ministry forms or email.
Donations support The Refuge's charitable and ministry purposes. A donation does not purchase a guaranteed outcome, assistance award, leadership position, or other benefit unless a particular benefit is expressly described.
Any gift designation expressly accepted by The Refuge will be handled consistently with that designation and applicable requirements. Contact us before making a gift subject to special restrictions or conditions.
Payment errors and refund requests
Contact contact@therefuge.help promptly about a duplicate payment, an incorrect amount, a suspected unauthorized transaction, or another donation concern.
We will review the request in light of the transaction, applicable law, payment-provider requirements, and any specific terms presented when the gift was made. These Terms do not impose a universal “all donations are nonrefundable” rule or promise that every completed gift can be returned.
Nothing in these Terms limits rights you may have through your financial institution, payment provider, or applicable law.
Recurring gifts, where offered
Where recurring giving is offered, choosing and confirming that option authorizes the recurring amount and schedule disclosed at checkout.
You may request cancellation of future gifts through any available payment-management option or by contacting us. Cancellation of future installments does not automatically reverse gifts already processed.
Tax treatment
A payment to a nonprofit is not automatically fully tax-deductible. Deductibility can depend on the nature of the payment, any goods or services received, applicable law, and the donor's circumstances. Registration fees or payments covering benefits such as meals or lodging should not automatically be treated as fully deductible donations.
Contact us for a donation acknowledgment or a correction to donation records. Obtain qualified tax advice concerning your own situation.
9. Ministry resources and intellectual property
The Refuge retains the rights it holds in its original teaching materials, recordings, written content, graphics, and branding. Third-party materials remain subject to their respective owners' rights.
You may share links to our publicly available sermons, podcasts, resources, and website pages.
Materials specifically offered for download may be used in accordance with the permission accompanying them. Unless otherwise permitted, contact us before republishing complete resources, selling copies, distributing private retreat materials, or using our branding in a way that suggests authorization or endorsement.
We do not grant rights to music, Bible translations, guest contributions, photographs, or other material beyond the rights we hold.
Nothing in these Terms restricts fair use or other uses permitted by law. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on its circumstances.
10. Photos, videos, recordings, and testimonials
These Terms are not a media release.
Accepting these Terms, subscribing to updates, registering for an activity, or attending an event does not by itself give blanket permission for promotional use of your image, voice, name, or personal story.
Any separate media permission should identify the uses being authorized. Permission concerning a child must come from a parent or legal guardian.
Please respect photography and recording instructions provided for particular activities. Do not record or distribute private ministry conversations or participant-only sessions without appropriate permission.
Questions or concerns about a particular image, recording, or testimonial may be sent to contact@therefuge.help.
11. Outside websites and services
Our website uses outside services for functions such as hosting, email communications, payments, fonts, and podcast delivery. It also links to platforms that are operated by other organizations.
Those services may have their own terms and privacy policies. A link or integration does not mean that The Refuge controls all content, practices, or services offered by that provider.
Review the applicable provider's terms when using its services. These Terms do not remove any responsibility The Refuge has under applicable law for its own actions.
12. Website availability and accuracy
We aim to provide useful and accurate information, but website content may contain errors or become outdated. Contact us about a material error or unclear program detail.
Our website and free online resources are provided on an “as available” basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, error-free operation, or continued availability of every feature or resource.
We may update, suspend, or discontinue website features when necessary for maintenance, security, or changes in ministry operations.
A website change or interruption does not by itself cancel an existing registration, remove an accepted donation restriction, or eliminate an applicable refund obligation.
13. Limits of these Terms and preservation of rights
Any disclaimer in these Terms applies only to the extent permitted by law.
These Terms do not release claims for personal injury or death, excuse fraud, gross negligence, or intentional misconduct, or exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
They do not replace activity-specific safety procedures, parent permissions, transportation agreements, or other documents appropriate to a particular program.
Nothing in these Terms removes applicable privacy rights, payment-dispute rights, or refund rights. These Terms do not require you to defend or reimburse The Refuge for claims arising from The Refuge's own wrongdoing.
14. Governing law and concerns
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and applicable federal law, subject to any protections that cannot lawfully be displaced.
We encourage you to contact contact@therefuge.help so that we can try to resolve a concern directly.
Contacting us is not a required condition before exercising a legal right, reporting a concern to an authority, or seeking timely legal relief.
These Terms do not require mandatory arbitration or impose a waiver of jury-trial or class-action rights.
15. Changes and relationship to other documents
We may update these Terms as our website and ministry activities change. The effective date identifies the current version.
For material changes, we will provide notice reasonably suited to the change and seek renewed acceptance where needed. A revised version will not retroactively remove rights associated with an earlier donation, confirmed registration, or existing dispute.
A specific program agreement governs the subject it addresses. Our Privacy Policy governs the information practices it describes, and a separate media permission governs the uses it authorizes.
If a provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.
16. Contact information
For questions about these Terms, registrations, donations, or website use, contact: The Refuge Community, contact@therefuge.help.
Effective date: October 11, 2026.
Read our Privacy Policy.