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 |
Wednesday, January 7 – January Formation Book Study: The Cost of Discipleship |
Thursday, January 8 – Coffee with Community |
9:00–11:00 AM, Starbucks on Guess Road (3801 Guess Rd, Durham) |
Sunday, January 11 – The Baptism of Jesus Sunday at The Trees |
3:30–4:30 PM – Parents, Families, & Friends of Queer Youth Support Group: "Supporting Your LGBTQ+ Child as a Person of Faith"
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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Tuesday, January 13 – Virtual Religious Trauma Support Group Begins |
Friday, January 30 – The Beloved Community Visioning Meeting |
Friday, February 6 – First Friday Social Gathering |
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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Narrative Lectionary and Discussion |
We are using the Narrative Lectionary for our Sunday scripture readings, and 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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Virtual Religious Trauma Support Group
Tuesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM, Jan. 13 — May 5, online |
This group, led by Sam Laurent, Ph.D., is for anyone who identifies as having experienced religious trauma. This is an open group—you may join at any time—though we encourage beginning early to support the full processing experience. You can register to attend at this link: Virtual Religious Trauma Support Group Registration Form |
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Deacon Dan has written a blog post about the Beloved Community's outreach during 2025. It highlights the organizations and ministries to which our community contributed with each of the 5th Sundays of 2025 and why outreach matters for the Beloved Community.
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Welcoming Jesus into Our Homes in Advent and Christmas |
During the Advent and Christmas seasons, members of our community took turns taking baby Jesus home with them to practice hospitality akin to Las Posadas traditions and to reflect and pray on the coming and presence of Christ. Through this practice, baby Jesus's journey among us offered a way for our community to connect and pray with one another as well as to connect with God throughout Advent and Christmas.
Here is an image from Jesus's stay in one home as he enjoyed the company and hospitality of new friends: |
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January Book Study: The Cost of Discipleship |
Wednesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom January 7 — February 11, 2026 Led by Rev. Phillip Bass |
In "The Cost of Discipleship," Dietrich Bonhoeffer asserts that "when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount, Bonhoeffer offers a critical examination of the distinction between "cheap grace" and "costly grace" and calls us to examine how we experience and practice grace. Bonhoeffer not only wrote about the cost of discipleship, but he also lived it in Nazi Germany.
This is an important study for us during a time when we too are called to enact the kind of discipleship to which Christ calls us, one that believes all are God's beloved and none are unwanted, unloved, or unwelcome.
We have 10 copies of the book freely available at the Lending Library at The Trees for those who do not have access to the book. All are invited to be part of the study and conversation, even if you have not read the material in advance. You can register for the book study through this form: Cost of Discipleship Book Study Registration Form
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Reading and Discussion Schedule
January 7: Introduction and Part 1 January 14: Part 2, chapters 6–13 January 21: Part 2, chapters 14–17 January 28: Part 2, chapters 18–20 February 4: Part 3, chapters 21–26 February 11: Part 4, chapters 27–32 |
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Phillip's availability is now online. You can request a meeting with Phillip by using his Calendly 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 Anthony, Gregory, Kerry, Maureen, Nikki, and Patty. |
Prayers for Chris's Discernment Process |
You are invited to join in praying for Chris and his parish discernment committee this week and in the weeks ahead as he seeks to discern in community the call of the Spirit in his life.
"Loving God, who calls us by name and is with us wherever we go, we give thanks for the presence and movement of your Spirit in Chris's life. We pray for your guidance for Chris in this season of discernment, that he may more fully recognize the gifts and calling you have given him and find joy in the path into which you are inviting him. This is our prayer." |
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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: |
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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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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.
If you would like to provide a meal, your gift would be appreciated. You can sign up through our online calendar by selecting "Community Meal" for the Sunday you choose.
You are also welcome to purchase a meal for the community and turn in your receipt for reimbursement. Just ask Phillip or anyone on the finance team for more info. |
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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! We have hosting spots open for March 6 and beyond. |
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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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