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: Retreat Registration, New Blog Post, Bishop Visit and Confirmation Class, Durham Pride, Introducing Our New Intern Formation Pastoral Care and Prayer Ways to Get Involved
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THIS WEEK AT THE BELOVED COMMUNITY |
Wednesday, September 9 – Virtual Religious Trauma Recovery Support Group |
Wednesday, September 9 – September Formation Book Study: Migrant God |
7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom (link provided below) |
Thursday, September 10 – Coffee with Community |
9:00–11:00 AM, Starbucks on Guess Road (3801 Guess Rd, Durham) |
Sunday, September 13 – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
3:30–4:30 PM – Parents, Families, & Friends of Queer Youth Support Group: Guidance on LGBTQ+ Youth Leaving the Nest
4:45 PM – Gathering and Prayer with the Anglican Rosary
5:00 PM – Evening Prayer
6:00 PM – Shared Meal of Salad and Bread |
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Thursday, September 17—Saturday, September 19 – Beloved Community Retreat |
Saturday, October 3 – Durham Pride |
10:00 AM – Durham Convocation Pride Eucharist, St. Joseph's Episcopal Church (upstairs chapel of parish house), 1902 W. Main St., Durham
12:00 PM – Pride Parade, starting at Duke University, East Campus |
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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Virtual Religious Trauma Recovery Support Group
Wednesdays, 12:00–1:00 PM online |
Looking for a safe place to process religious trauma and disappointment? Looking to find fellow people who have experienced similar pain and confusion? This weekly virtual group offers a judgment-free space to share, heal, and know you are not alone. |
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The Beloved Community Retreat Registration |
Friday, September 18, 8:00 AM — Saturday, September 19, 3:00 PM with Check-In beginning on Thursday, September 17, 5:00 PM
Cedar Cross Retreat Center 150 Cedar Cross Way Louisburg, NC 27549 |
Our retreat is quickly approaching, and all are invited to attend. We will gather at the Cedar Cross Retreat Center in Louisburg. The retreat will officially start Friday morning, but everyone is welcome to arrive the evening before as early as 5:00 PM. There is no cost to participate.
Items to bring: clothing bedding (sheets, blanket, pillow) towel toiletries bug spray closed toe shoes work gloves (if you have them, for trail clearing project)
If you are interested in carpooling to the retreat center, please contact Anthony. |
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New Blog Post: "Benjamin Introduces the Baptismal Font" |
Benjamin, the church mouse, has written another letter about The Beloved Community. This letter highlights our baptismal font and Blessing of the Water.
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Bishop's Visit and Confirmation Class |
Bishop Sam Rodman will be visiting The Beloved Community in November. In preparation for his visit, anyone who would like to be confirmed, received, or reaffirm their baptism is invited to participate in the confirmation class that St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham is offering this fall.
If you are interested or would like to learn more, contact Phillip. |
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Durham Pride 2026: "Always Forward, Never Straight" |
Saturday, October 3, 2026
10:00 AM – Durham Convocation Pride Eucharist, St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, 1902 W. Main St., Durham
12:00 PM – Pride Parade, starting at Duke University East Campus, 1400 W. Main St., Durham |
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Durham Pride is happening the week of September 27–October 3, and all are invited to join The Beloved Community as we participate in the Pride Eucharist and parade on Saturday, October 3.
St. Joseph's Episcopal Church is hosting the annual Durham Convocation Pride Eucharist: A Service of Worship, Communion, and Queer Joy at 10:00 AM in the upstairs chapel in the parish house. The offertory will go to the LGBTQ Center of Durham. The Beloved Community is also meeting up with other local Episcopal churches to march in the parade together, which starts at noon at the East Campus of Duke University.
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Introducing Our Intern for 2026–2027 |
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A Duke Divinity student is joining us for the academic year as part of her field education. Her name is Libby Carroll, and here is a little info about her:
Libby Carroll is a graduate of Baylor University, where she studied religion, philosophy, and writing. In June of 2024, she married Evan Rivera, a church musician and her high school sweetheart, on a beach in Puerto Rico surrounded by family and friends. They relocated to the Triangle from Texas later that summer so that Libby could pursue her Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School, where she is beginning her final year of studies. In her free time, Libby enjoys reading theology, creating and studying art, exploring Hillsborough with Evan, and frolicking outdoors with her dog, Oakley. She is passionate about living and learning alongside people traditionally marginalized by institutions and grateful for the ways these relationships enrich her perception of God’s presence in the world. |
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September Book Study: Migrant God by Isaac Samuel Villegas |
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Wednesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM, Zoom September 9 — September 30, 2026 Led by Anthony Bishop
In Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice, Isaac Villegas begins each chapter "on the ground" with protests in the streets, hospitality in migrant shelters, and shared meals in home kitchens. He then engages in biblical, theological, and political reflection to explore the significance of these sites of collective work. Join me to explore, study, pray, and consider our response to the migrant condition in our current political climate.
Copies of the book will be available in The Beloved Community Lending Library at The Trees for anyone who needs them.
Reading Schedule
September 9: Introduction & Chapter 1 September 16: Chapters 2–4 September 23: Chapters 5–6 September 30: Chapter 7 & Conclusion |
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To learn about our future book studies, you can check out the Formation page on our website. |
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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, Cheri, Chris, Gregory, Karen, Kerry, Mandie, Marie, Maureen, Nikki, September, 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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