Programming Update - March/April

With new life, colors, and shapes revealing themselves daily here at The Trees, we wanted to give you a quick update on our upcoming events…

The Way of the Cross

Come and walk the old Franciscan tradition of the Way of the Cross, adapted with meditations on our contemporary life, and placed along the Owl Trail. The trails will be open 8am to dusk, Tuesday through Saturday (3/26-3/30)

Refresh & Reconnect Retreat

A community retreat for tuning in, moving gently, and nourishing rest together.

During this half-day retreat, we will practice pausing, leaning into intentional rest, and exploring what refreshes body, mind, and soul. Balancing guided group activities and individual exploration, we will take time for tending ourselves through:

Gentle seated yoga + meditation
Mindful self-compassion practices
Opportunities for connecting with nature
Journaling + creative/crafty exploration
Time for sharing together

Folks navigating life with health challenges of any kind are especially welcome. We'll begin our time together by gathering over conversation and food.

Cost: Sliding scale $75-125 (includes simple vegetarian lunch)

Group size: Limited to 12 participants

Date: April 6, 12-4 PM

Click here for more information and to register. Email Lindsay ([email protected]) with any questions.

Lindsay Voorhees is an occupational therapist, wellness coach, and certified yoga teacher. She supports folks living with chronic and complex health conditions through 1-to-1 coaching/wellness support and group programs focused on empowering self-management approaches and accessible mind-body practices.

The Beloved Community

The Beloved Community at the Trees continues to meet Sunday evenings, 4:45-7pm for worship and a communal meal.

This community is most welcoming to all seeking healing, a community of faith, and simply an intentional worship life “outside of a church.” If you are interested or know someone who might be, please pass along the word.

We would also love to hear from you if you’d like to support in some way, including making soup, providing things like creative supplies for kids, or financially. https://www.belovedcommunitydurham.org/

Developing Your Memoir

In this generative writing course, we will come together to discuss different aspects of memoir and practice writing through prompts and exercises. A microsite with the course syllabus will be provided with readings and themes for each week so that writers can come to class prepared to engage in discussion.

Dates: TBD (please contact Shawna with interest)

Cost: $75-150 (sliding scale)

Shawna Ayoub is a Durham-based writer who practices and instructs classes focused on writing through trauma to truth and other forms of non-fiction. Her teaching and writing are equally informed by indoctrinated heterosexuality, racial, gender-based and religious violence, and identity. She is driven to write on difficult topics that support others in recognizing their own marginalizations in order to break free from societally imposed limitations wherever possible. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and she regularly teaches at the Center for Creative Writing and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Quiet Days

We are continuing to offer Quiet Days on the first Tuesday of the month. This is an opportunity to come out free of charge to spend an hour or several in our space, reading, writing, reflecting, or going on a walk on our trails. This is open to the public and there is no registration required. We serve a free light lunch at noon. 9am-5pm

Playing with Shape and Color: Painting with Debra Wuliger

Have you been longing to paint freely but the white canvas and choosing which paints to use feels like a mountain too high to climb? Sign up for “Playing With Shape and Color”, where artist Debra Wuliger will guide you to create an abstract shape design on a 9×12 inch canvas board by following her prompts.

Then Debra will lay out the perfect mixing paints so that you can easily create a dazzling array of colors. This way you can relax and let your heart and hand move across the canvas. When we are done we will share our paintings and what moved us to create it.

Leader: Debra Wuliger delights in painting joyous geometric paintings full of vibrant color. She also delights in guiding others to listen to their own intuitive voice and create. You can explore her work here.

Date: May 19th, 1:30-3:30PM

Cost: $40. Includes all supplies. Feel free to bring your favorite brushes and a painting smock.

Please register here.

Forest Bathing (booked)

Spend time among the trees reconnecting with yourself and the natural world on a Forest Bathing Walk led by certified guide, Elizabeth Newman. Check our website for future walks and email Elizabeth to schedule a private walk.