Lent is a season that lasts 40 days in western churches. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. This year Lent starts on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and concludes on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Lent is a time to prepare for the celebration of Jesus's resurrection at Easter. Christians have observed this season in a variety of ways throughout church history, including praying, reading scripture, fasting, taking on a spiritual practice, giving to others, and prepar

Outreach ministry is putting faith into action by intentionally reaching out beyond The Trees to help and serve others in practical ways. The Beloved Community at The Trees Outreach plays a vital role in demonstrating our core values of loving our neighbors and showing compassion. This year, our 5th Sundays Outreach program made significant contributions to The LGBTQ+ Center of Durham, Pauli Murray Center, and St. Joseph’s Breakfast Ministry of Durham.  The 5th Sunday Outreac

Serving as a deacon at The Beloved Community is one of the most grounding and meaningful parts of my life. It’s a role that constantly reminds me that service is not just something we do—it’s something we become. Every week, I get to witness quiet miracles: people showing up for one another, offering kindness when it’s least expected, healing, and finding hope in places where hope once felt thin. As a deacon, I feel both humbled and energized. Humbled, because I’m entrusted w

In the middle of all the chaos we see in the world that we inhabit, I have been thinking a great deal lately about hope. In the middle of...

When the world you know is crumbling all around you, what story do you tell? When the place you’ve called home your whole life has been reduced to rubble and when the community that nurtured you and your neighbors, your caregiver and your neighbors’ caregivers, and your caregivers’ caregivers for generations from birth has been ripped apart by forced migration, flights to foreign towns and wildernesses to seek refuge, and violent deaths inflicted by war, what do you say to yo

In the famous Genesis story of Jacob wrestling with God we read, “Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When...

My reflection on how and why I serve at The Beloved Community at The Trees. After moving back to Durham two years ago, I felt lost. “Now...