An Episcopal faith community exploring together what a life of faith "outside of a church" may be |
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The Beloved Community at The Trees Newsletter |
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1701 Pleasant Green Road, Durham, NC 27705
Look for "The Trees" sign by the mailbox and follow the winding gravel driveway to the parking areas near the house. We will have signs along the way to direct you to our gatherings. |
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This Week at The Beloved Community Upcoming Dates Worshipping Together Healing Ministries Featured: Summer Focus on Women, Pride Month Offerings, Spotify Pride Playlist, All Creation Service, LGBTQ+ March and Resource Fair Formation Pastoral Care and Prayer Ways to Get Involved
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THIS WEEK AT THE BELOVED COMMUNITY |
Wednesday, June 10 – May Formation Book Study |
7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom (link provided below) |
Thursday, June 11 – Coffee with Community |
9:00–11:00 AM, Starbucks on Guess Road (3801 Guess Rd, Durham) |
Friday, June 12 – Dinner, Documentary, & Discussion: "Pray Away" |
Sunday, June 14 – Third Sunday after Pentecost at The Trees |
3:30–4:30 PM – Parents, Families, and Friends of Queer Youth Support Group: Support for Siblings of LGBTQ+ Youth
4:45 PM – Gathering and Prayer with the Anglican Rosary
5:00 PM – Worship with Eucharist
6:00 PM – Shared Meal of Soup and Bread |
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Sunday, June 21 – All Creation Service |
5:00 PM, The Trees (outdoors) |
Saturday, June 27 – Durham LGBTQ+ March and Resource Fair |
10:00 AM, CCB Plaza (start), LGBTQ Center of Durham (end) |
Sunday, June 28 – Pride Sunday |
Wednesday, July 1 – Feast of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Celebration |
6:30 PM, St. Titus' Episcopal Church, 400 Moline St, Durham |
Keep up with all that's going on with The Beloved Community through our online calendar |
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1701 Pleasant Green Road, Durham, NC 27705
Look for "The Trees" sign by the mailbox and follow the winding gravel driveway to the parking areas near the house. We will have signs along the way to direct you to our gatherings. |
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Accessing Our Order of Worship |
We at The Beloved Community are committed to being as environmentally friendly as possible. We invite you to bring a device to access our Order of Worship online. We will have a sign at the entrance with a QR code that you can scan for a digital copy of the liturgy. You can also use this link: Order of Worship |
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Prayer with the Anglican Rosary |
Prior to our worship services on Sundays, we gather to pray together at 4:45 PM using Anglican prayer beads. You are invited to join us, and you are welcome to use one of the rosaries provided or bring your own. |
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We have a lectionary discussion in place of a sermon as part of our time together.
If you are interested in preparing ahead of time for our discussion, we have compiled a list of " Resources for Reflection" on our website that you may find helpful. |
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Religious Trauma Recovery Support Group
1st and 3rd Sundays, 3:00–4:30 PM at The Trees |
Religious trauma occurs when a person's religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging. Traumatic religious experiences may harm or threaten to harm someone's physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or spiritual health and safety. You are invited to join us as we gather to discuss personal experiences of religious trauma and learn together about healing. |
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Parents, Families, & Friends of Queer Youth Support Group
2nd and 4th Sundays, 3:30–4:30 PM at The Trees Meets this week! |
This group is offered for anyone who considers themselves family or friends of a queer youth. The purpose of this group is to explore together what scripture actually says about being queer, how to be supportive family, and how to process your own experiences as someone who loves a queer youth. |
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Throughout the summer, we will be highlighting stories of women in scripture during our Sunday worship services. If there is a scripture passage you would like included, please let Phillip or Jodi know. |
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From May through August, we will be reading and discussing three different books that engage gender and sexuality in our formation gatherings online on Wednesdays. Our July study of one of Pauli Murray's books is also one of our Pride offerings this summer. |
Womanist Midrash by Wil Gafney May 6 – June 10, 2026 |
Song in a Weary Throat by Pauli Murray July 1 – 29, 2026 |
Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber August 5 – 26, 2026 |
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Documentary, Dinner, & Discussion: "Pray Away" |
Friday, June 12, 2026 6:00–9:00 PM, The Trees |
We will gather for another documentary screening to watch "Pray Away" and talk about the harms of conversion therapy and programs.
Dinner will be provided. All are welcome to attend. (Please note that this film is rated PG-13.) |
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Sunday, June 28, 2026 5:00 PM, The Trees |
The last Sunday of June is our Pride Sunday. We will celebrate Pride together as part of our worship gathering. |
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Add to The Beloved Community's Spotify Pride Playlist |
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Welcome Summer! All Creation Service |
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Sunday, June 21, 2026 5:00 PM, The Trees, outside |
The Trees is partnering with The Beloved Community to hold an outdoor service for the summer solstice. All are invited to attend.
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Durham LGBTQ+ March and Resource Fair |
Saturday, June 27, 2026 Starting at 10:00 AM, Downtown Durham |
On June 27, the LGBTQ Center of Durham is hosting the “Our Day Out” Remembrance March & Resource Fair. The title “Our Day Out” comes from 45 years ago, when the first LGBTQ+ march in North Carolina was held on June 27, 1981 in response to the anti-gay assault and murder of Ronald “Sonny” Antonevitch.
As National Pride Month comes to a close, community members will gather near Major the Bull to march from CCB Plaza at 10:00 AM and progress peacefully to the LGBTQ Center of Durham’s offices for speeches and a resource fair with more than 40+ community organizations tabling.
Starting Location: CCB Plaza, 201 Corcoran St. Ending Location: LGTBQ Center of Durham, 114 Hunt St.
The Beloved Community has registered for a tent/table and chairs at this event. If you are interested in staffing the table and sharing info with folks about our community, please sign up through this form: Resource Fair Sign-Up |
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May Book Study: Womanist Midrash by Wil Gafney |
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Wednesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom May 6 – June 10, 2026 Led by Carolyn Kreuger and Jodi Belcher
Join us as we examine the women of the Torah through the prism of Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney's Womanist Midrash, Volume 1: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. In this book, Gafney employs what she calls her "sanctified imagination" to give voice to marginalized and often unnamed biblical women. She centers the experiences of Black women and others on the margins to challenge traditional hetero-male-normative and patriarchal interpretations of sacred texts.
In addition to discussing selected portions of this book, we will be looking at biblical texts from the lectionary through Gafney's lens and engage our own sanctified imaginations in relation to that scripture and the women revealed or hidden there.
All are welcome! Books will be available in the Beloved Community lending library for anyone who needs a copy. If you have a Spotify subscription, you can also access an audiobook version there.
Reading and Discussion Schedule Week 1, May 6: Womanism, Midrash, God (She/They), & Eve Gafney: Introduction & Ch. 1, pp. 15–27 Scripture: Genesis 1:1–5, 2:18–23
Week 2, May 13: Sarai/Sarah & Hagar Week 3, May 20: More Women of Genesis Week 4, May 27: Shiphrah, Puah, & Other Women of Exodus Gafney: Ch. 2, pp. 87–106 Scripture: Exodus 1:15–22, 4:24–26, & 21:7–11
Week 5, June 3: Women of Leviticus Week 6, June 10: Women of Numbers
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July Book Study: Song in a Weary Throat by Pauli Murray |
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Wednesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom July 8 – 29, 2026 Led by Deacon Dan Laird
Our focus this summer is on women in scripture and of the church, and our July Formation is on Pauli Murray’s book, “Song in a Weary Throat.”
This is an in-depth reflection of Pauli’s life and achievements. To cover it all would take months, so I’m recommending that participants in the book study read the first 19 chapters on their own. These early chapters focus on Pauli’s growing-up years as well as the challenges of education and employment as a woman of color in the mid-twentieth century.
The formation sessions will focus on chapters 20–35, which include the legal, religious, and activist work of Pauli Murray.
I look forward to delving into the work of this incredible woman and our patron saint!
Reading Schedule July 1: Celebration of Pauli Murray’s Feast Day at St Titus, 6:30 pm July 8: Recap/Summary of Chapters 1–19 July 15: Chapters 20–23 July 22: Chapters 24–27 July 29: Chapter 28–End |
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To learn about our future book studies, you can check out the Formation page on our website. |
Phillip's availability is now online. You can request a meeting with Phillip by using his Google Calendar page, which you can also access on our website by clicking "Meet with Rev. Phillip" under the "About" menu.
If there is a pastoral care emergency, you are encouraged to reach out to Rev. Phillip or Deacon Dan directly. |
During our weekly worship, we set aside time to remember those who are in our prayers. It is our practice to name them individually and to remember them communally. We also add an ongoing prayer list to our order of worship for those who appreciate having the names recorded for their prayer practices between worship gatherings.
If you would like to add yourself or someone else to the prayer list, please contact us at welcome@belovedcommunitydurham.org. You are welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable. Only the person's first name will be included in the order of worship.
This week we remember Alayna, Anthony, Billy, Bob, Chris, Gregory, Kerry, Marie, Maureen, Nikki, and Susan. |
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For a small community, we have a lot going on! Because our mission is to offer a safe and affirming place for those healing from religious trauma, we never want anyone to feel that they must give (financially or otherwise). However, we also recognize that volunteering to support our ministries can be a way for some to heal.
With that in mind, if you feel a desire or calling to help out, below are a few ways you can do so. To sign up, follow this link to our Volunteer page. |
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Each Sunday, we gather for a simple shared meal of soup and bread after worship. This time of gathering together around a table has been fundamental in our building The Beloved Community.
We welcome more folks to get involved in bringing a meal, purchasing food for a meal, or assisting in the kitchen with meal prep and cleanup.
If you would like to help, you can sign up on the Volunteer page. If the cost of the meal is prohibitive, you can receive reimbursement by speaking with a member of the finance team. |
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Each Sunday a member of the community picks up flowers from St. Philip's Episcopal Church in downtown Durham and brings them to The Trees for our worship service. We are in need of a few more people to transport flowers on a monthly rotation.
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To help all of us enter into the Narrative Lectionary readings and discussion, we have someone "set the scene" every Sunday with an introduction to the reading that offers us more context for understanding the scriptures. |
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We have requested use of The Trees on the first Fridays of each month in 2026 for social gatherings. In the past, we've enjoyed game nights, documentaries, craft nights, and more.
If you are interested in organizing a First Friday Social Gathering, let us know! |
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To make it easier for our community to share announcements, the communications team has set up a simple form to submit announcements or information for the newsletter and other communications. You can access it at this link: TBC Newsletter and Social Media Submission Form
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We rely on your gifts to offer the ministries of The Beloved Community. Although we strive to keep our overhead low, we do face financial responsibility. Your financial donations support our weekly meals, formation opportunities, supplies for healing ministries and worship, and other resources. If you would like to contribute funds to the ministries of The Beloved Community, you can do so with cash, check, PayPal, or ChurchTrac.
Mailing Address for Check Donations The Beloved Community at The Trees 1701 Pleasant Green Road Durham, NC 27705
ChurchTrac Donations You may make a donation directly into our account through the ChurchTrac link below. Donations can be done with credit/debit card or an ACH bank transfer. |
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We are grateful for our sending parish, The Church of the Nativity in Raleigh. Nativity supported The Beloved Community through prayer, shared ministries, and financial oversight for our first year.
We are grateful for the use of The Trees, graciously provided to us at no cost by St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham. We also give thanks to St. Philip’s for the gift of flowers. Each Sunday, St. Philip’s shares their flowers with The Beloved Community so that we too may enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
We also acknowledge that we gather on the ancestral territory of the Eno, the Tuscarora, the Occaneechi, and other Indigenous peoples. |
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1701 Pleasant Green Road
Durham, NC 27705
USA
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