|
The Beloved Community at The Trees Newsletter
An Episcopal faith community exploring together what a life of faith "outside of a church" may be.
|
|
|
1701 Pleasant Green Road, Durham, NC 27705.
Look for the sign by the mailbox. When you arrive, you'll find a winding driveway. We will have signs along the way to direct you to our gatherings.
|
|
|
|
THIS WEEK AT THE BELOVED COMMUNITY
|
Wednesday, January 29
Thursday, January 30
Sunday, February 2 - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple 3:00 PM - Religious Trauma Support Group 4:45 PM - Gathering and Time for Prayer 5:00 PM - Worship with Eucharist Each week during our worship gathering we will have a lectionary discussion. If you are interested in exploring the lectionary readings ahead of time, we’ve put together a list of resources, including podcasts, websites, and blogs. They are found on our “This Week” page.
6:00 PM - Shared Meal of soup & bread
Keep up with all that's going on with The Beloved Community at The Trees with our online calendar.
|
|
1701 Pleasant Green Road, Durham, NC 27705. Look for the sign by the mailbox. When you arrive, you'll find a winding driveway. We will have signs along the way to direct you to our gatherings.
|
|
|
Bring a device and save paper:
|
At The Beloved Community at The Trees we are committed to being as environmentally friendly as possible. We will have a sign when you enter with a QR code for you to access the order of worship. You can also view the order of worship ahead of time, here.
|
|
|
|
Each week at The Beloved Community at The Trees we have a lectionary discussion as part of our time together. If you are interested in preparing ahead of time, below are some links to resources you may enjoy.
|
|
|
Religious Trauma Recovery Support Group 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, 3:00 - 4:30 PM Meeting this Sunday! 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 weekly to discuss personal experiences of religious trauma and learn together about healing.
|
|
|
|
|
Parents, Families, & Friends of Queer Youth Support Group 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
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 the bible actually says about being queer, how to be supportive family, and how to process your own experiences someone who loves a queer youth.
|
|
|
|
God After Reconstruction - Zoom Book Study Wednesdays from 7 - 8:30 PM January 8 - January 29 Led by Rev. Phillip Bass
Deconstruction is hard. Bad views of God and harmful experiences lead many of us to deconstruct. But we're right to run from the nonsense we've been taught and from those who hurt us. God After Deconstruction will not be welcomed by traditionalists. It's not a book for people who think conventional theology works. It isn't for people who just want to tweak a bit what they've been taught. Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller offer an open and relational vision of God. This vision makes sense; it fits our experience; it's livable. The open and relational view aligns with our deep intuitions about love and freedom. God After Deconstruction is for those deconstructing and those wanting help after deconstruction.
January 8 - Chapters 1-3 January 15 - Chapters 4-6 January 22 - Chapters 7-9 January 29 - Chapters 10-12
|
|
Beyond A Binary God Zoom Book Study Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:30PM February 5 - February 19, 2025
Led by Rev. Phillip Bass
All are made in the image and likeness of God. If this is what we believe, then trans people, like all people, reflect something of God, and not just in the ways that they share in common with others, but also in the ways that they are different. They remind us that God is beyond all of our categories, even gender. In this book, Tara Soughers explores theology from the position of a trans ally―a parent of a trans young adult as well as priest. What does it mean about God and about humans, that there is not a strict gender binary? How can we affirm and include what we have learned about the permeability of boundaries to affirm those whose path does not follow traditional cultural stereotypes, and how might the broadening help us to understand the God who is never two for Christians, but both one and three? What gifts does this broader understanding bring to the church?
February 5 - Chapters 1-2 February 12 - Chapters 3-4 February 19 - Chapters 5 & Epilogue
Next in our Formation Series we'll review the book, "When Religion Hurts You." Our 2025 Formation Series is now on our website. You can look ahead to what we will be studying here.
|
Below are some other formation opportunities offered locally:
|
BISHOPS OF THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA RESPOND TO WEEK'S EVENTS
|
|
Dear Friends in Christ,
On Tuesday, our presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, and the president of the House of Deputies, Julia Ayala Harris, issued a letter to the church bidding our prayers for the new administration. They also expressed concern over a number of executive orders related to immigration. They urged President Donald Trump and Congress “to exercise mercy and compassion, especially toward law-abiding, long-term members of our congregations and communities; parents and children who are under threat of separation in the name of immigration enforcement; and women and children who are vulnerable to abuse in detention and who fear reporting abuse to law enforcement.” See the full text below.
Later that day, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, preaching in the Washington National Cathedral at an interfaith prayer service, spoke respectfully and directly to President Trump, asking him to have mercy on those made vulnerable by his recent executive orders and to recognize LGBTQ+ people who are members of our families. We heard her words as an invitation from one leader to another to act with the compassion and love that Jesus invites each of us to extend to our neighbors. We are thankful for Bishop Budde’s courageous witness to the Gospel and the values of our baptismal covenant.
We honor these three leaders and their faithfulness in speaking the truth in love and calling us all to God’s vision of respect and dignity for every human being. We join with them in asking for your prayers, and stand with them in supporting and defending all those at risk.
Faithfully, Bishop Sam Rodman and Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson
|
EPISCOPAL 101: SIGN OF THE CROSS
|
|
"The Sign of the Cross means, essentially, “Amen,” indicating personal assent. The cross is Christ’s victory sign, and Christians have long used it to claim identification with his triumph over sin and death.
To make the sign, one touches fingertips to forehead, abdomen, left breast, and right breast. Traditional times are: after dipping fingers into the blessed water upon entering a church; upon concluding private prayer, before and/or after receiving the elements of Communion; during worship, at the Opening Acclamation, end of the Gloria in excelsis, end of the Creed, at “blessed” in the Benedictus est, Domine which is attached to the end of the Sanctus, and in the text of the Eucharistic prayer, and during the blessing concluding the Eucharist. In other words, watch other participants, and follow their lead. You catch on quickly.
At the Gospel, a special version of the sign of the cross is used, tracing the cross with thumb on one’s forehead, lips, and heart. This represents the ancient prayer, 'God, be in my head and in my thinking; God be in my lips and in my speaking; God be in my heart and in my understanding.'" (Source: St. Edmund's Episcopal Church, San Marino)
|
|
Each week, St. Philip's generously donates flowers to The Beloved Community. It has become our tradition to send flowers home with members of the community each week. This practice invites those who receive flowers to remember the community throughout the week, as well as enjoy the beauty of St. Philip's gift.
Have you enjoyed taking altar flowers home with you and having them as a reminder of our community’s love throughout the week? Once you are done enjoying the flowers, please remember to return the vase next time you come to The Beloved Community so we can keep the flowers and love circulating in future weeks. Thanks!
|
FIRST SUNDAYS LECTIONARY DISCUSSION
|
At The Beloved Community at The Trees we have begun a new practice of having someone from the community lead our lectionary discussion on the first Sunday of each month. This is an exciting opportunity to learn new ways of worshiping and prayer, as well as hearing from voices from within our community.
Thank you Chris Reed for leading our first Sunday in February. We look forward to the gift you will share with The Beloved Community.
|
As we approach our second year of being The Beloved Community at The Trees, we'd like to start sharing our gifts and ministries with others. During our recent "Where Are We" meeting it was decided that on every "5th Sunday" TBC would engage in a service project to minister to others.
For the Community Service Fifth Sunday Project (March 30, 2025) of the Beloved Community, we are raising money for a very worthy organization, The LGBTQ Center of Durham. They are in great need for funds to continue the very important work of supporting the LGBTQ community in our area. They have recently had to reduce their staff to a bare minimum while still carrying on the work of the organization. So please give from your heart and spread the word to everyone you know. In the current political atmosphere, there is a greater need than ever to support those doing this vital work. - Anthony Bishop
To donate to The LGBTQ Center of Durham you can make a check out to The Beloved Community and include "LGBTQ Center Donation" on the subject line. You can also donate via PayPal using the QR code below. Be sure to indicate "LGBTQ Center Donation" with your donation.
|
|
If you would like to coordinate an outreach Sunday, please let us know. The other 5th Sundays in 2025 will fall on August 31 and November 30.
|
|
RELIGIOUS TRAUMA WORKSHOP
|
|
You are invited participate in a workshop on Religious Trauma. Led by our own Justis Mitchell, this 3-hour workshop is offered at no charge. Please invite anyone who may benefit from learning more about Religious Trauma.
Date: Saturday, March 8 Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Where: The Trees
In this workshop, participants will learn more about the specific realities of religious trauma. This workshop aims to be an introduction to the concept of religious trauma, its particularities in comparison to other forms of trauma, and offering different therapeutic ways of processing it. This workshop will give participants the opportunity to ask questions, become more trauma-informed in their work/ministry/life, and bring awareness to the tangible ways religious trauma is present. Utilizing both a theological and clinical framework, this workshop will analyze the intersectional ways that religious trauma continues to affect those in our midst, and what we can do to be more present with those around us who have religious trauma.
|
DISCERNMENT: QUEER YOUTH GROUP
|
One of the dreams for The Beloved Community at The Trees for 2025 is to begin offering a youth group for queer youth and allies. To make this dream a reality, we need a small group to plan, advertise, and run the group. Here's how you can help: Be in prayer for this period of discernment, for a team to come together to support this ministry, and for queer youth who need to know that they too are God's Beloved. Join the team! Help us dream about how we can support queer youth in their faith journeys. Spread the word to others about this ministry.
|
During our weekly worship gathering, 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. In addition to this practice, we will be adding 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, Julia, Kathy, Laurie, Melody, and Paul.
|
As we are starting to form a community, we are hoping to put together a directory to make contacting one another outside of our gatherings easier. If you would like to be included in the directory, please send your preferred name, email address, phone number, pronouns, mailing address, and a photo (or whatever combination you are comfortable with) to welcome@belovedcommunitydurham.org. We have a few of our community already in the directory. If you would like a copy of our current directory, please let us know.
|
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, our formation opportunities, supplies for our healing ministries, etc. If you would like to contribute to the ministries of The Beloved Community you can do so via cash or check donation, as well as through PayPal.
Check donations can be mailed to: The Beloved Community at The Trees 1701 Pleasant Green Road Durham, NC 27705
PayPal donations can be made using the QR code or link below: You can donate directly through the PayPal site here.
|
|
We are grateful for our sending parish, The Church of the Nativity, Raleigh, which supports our community through their prayers and the sharing of their resources.
We are grateful for the use of The Trees, graciously provided to us at no cost by St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 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 gathering on the ancestral territory of the Eno, the Tuscarora, the Occaneechi, and others.
|
1701 Pleasant Green Road Durahm NC 27705 United States of America
|
|
|
|
|
|