April at The Trees
In the Garden
reflection from Duncan Smith,
The Trees Development Board Chair
Even though I am writing this on the cusp of Holy Week, I assume that you are reading it either during Holy Week or as we have emerged into Easter. Some of my most powerful memories of Holy Weeks past, were walking around the city block that surrounds St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in downtown Durham doing a variation of Stations of the Cross. The walk with the cross is one of the primary components of our noontime Good Friday service.
One particular Good Friday walk has stuck with me through the years. It was a chilly and misty day when we began and as we moved from station to station, I noticed all of the cars that were driving by on their way to or from lunch, heading to a doctor’s appointment or one of those other tasks that fill up our days. In my mind, none of these vehicles slowed down, none of the drivers even glanced in our direction. I had always taken literally the gospel readings that had the entire city of Jerusalem in the streets watching as Christ or Simon of Cyrene carried that wooden death sentence up to Golgotha. I imagined throngs of people surrounding the scene of the crucifixion. On that particular Good Friday, it occurred to me that it might actually have been closer to my experience in downtown Durham. Only a handful of disciples and followers accompanying Jesus to the fulfillment of his ministry. For everyone else, Jesus passed by, un-noticed, unseen, unknown.
In the gospels, there are many way stations along Jesus’ path to the completion of his work on Earth. One that occurs just before the traditional re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, is his night in Gethsemane. Where Christ asks for “this cup to pass from me” and the disciples are not able to stay awake. I personally believe that it is in Gethsemane, when Christ accepts the will of his Father that the Resurrection begins and the original sin of that other garden undone. Mary Oliver’s poem “Gethsemane,” has the grass, roses, crickets and more wide awake with Jesus while his all too human friends slept. This Good Friday, I will go to St. Philip’s noontime service but I will also go out to The Trees and walk the Stations of the Cross. At The Trees, I will slow down, take time to notice, be with nature, hope and pray that like the grass, the crickets and the trees, that I stay awake through the final days of Holy Week, Easter season and beyond.
Walk through Holy Week
Holy Week Stations of the Cross
March 29 - April 4
10 am - 6 pm
(not Wednesday, April 1)
This week, come walk and pray at our Stations of the Cross located on the Owl Trail. Walking the Stations of the Cross imitates the practice of early Christian pilgrims visiting the places of Jesus' Passion in the Holy Land.
No need to rsvp, just come as you are able.
The Beloved Community @ The Trees
Our friends at The Beloved Community invite you to join them in worship.
Maundy Thursday - 6:30 PM
Foot washing and worship @ The TreesGood Friday - 12 PM
Stations of the Cross @ St. Philip’sHoly Saturday - 6:30 PM
Easter Vigil, outside with fireEaster Sunday - 5:00 PM
Regular worship time, followed by a meal
St. Philip's Episcopal Church Holy Week Schedule
Featured Events
Between Death and Resurrection
Holy Saturday, April 4
9 am - 1 pm
Suggested donation $35
bring your own lunch
Stations of the Cross available until 6 pm
Framed by the great liturgies of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, this morning contemplative retreat will explore some of the spiritual themes connected with death and resurrection.
Retreat full – please join us next time!
Monthly Quiet Day
First Tuesday (April 7)
10 am - 2:30 pm
Open to all, no sign up needed.
Come join us for quiet and centering surrounded by the trees. The house and trails are all open and available. At noon, we will offer Simple Presence, a shared time of silence for 10 minutes.
We hope you will take a break from the demands of your normal routine, listen to your deepest self, and that you will go back into the world with clarity towards right action.
Earth Day at The Trees
Wednesday, April 22
Join Elizabeth Newman for a special Earth Day Forest Bathing Walk
3 - 5 pm
Registration
Also consider joining us for this 31 day Earth Day Challenge: take action in your own home, celebrate the nature around you and call for political change.
Complete every challenge, let us know, and we will recognize you at our Open House on May 14th!
• • •
Additional opportunities for Forest Bathing with Elizabeth include:
Friday Afternoon Walk
April 10, 2 - 4 pm
Registration
Sunday Morning Walk
May 3, 10am - 12pm
Registration
Fireside Conversations
Tuesday, April 28
6:30 - 7:30 pm
Join us as we partner with The Beloved Community to welcome Rhonda Mawhood Lee, priest, spiritual director, and daughter whose mother died by suicide. She will share from her recent book, Suicide and the Communion of Saints.
“Drawing on her vocational insights and personal experience, Lee offers a compassionate vision for understanding and responding to suicide. With clarity and candor, she reflects on the unintended consequences of many traditional Christian teachings around suicide. In search of a better way, Lee turns to the communion of saints—a theologically rich concept that Christians can draw on to reframe their relationships with people who have died by suicide, and with those who are at risk of ending their own lives.”
Looking Ahead
“Beautiful Things” Open House
Thursday, May 14
12 - 6 pm
Mark your calendars and join us as we celebrate all of the Beautiful Things that God is doing here at The Trees! Friends from The Beloved Community, LEAP, Prayers & Poetry, Nature Journaling, Forest Bathing, & yoga will be around and offering drop-in experiences. The day will start with shared silence and a prayer offering for our Earth. Our new website will be launched and new merchandise will be on display. Drop in and try all of the Beautiful Things happening at The Trees. We look forward to seeing you!
Wonder in the Woods Series
May – October
A series of retreats designed to help us reconnect with our innate and holy sense of wonder.
We believe that transformation opportunities belong to everyone and are committed to reducing financial barriers to participation. Thanks to support from St. Philip’s and other donors we are able to offer these events on a sliding scale.
Standard $50, Reduced $30, Pay It Forward $95+.
Reorienting to Wonder
A SoulCollage® Day Apart
with Becky Hambrick, M.ED
Saturday, May 16
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Join us for a SoulCollage® Day Apart, as we consider what it means to reorient ourselves to Wonder - that state of being in which we find ourselves surprised by something amazing, marvelous, sacred. Let’s explore this concept together as we spend the day creating SoulCollage® cards and connecting with ourselves, others, and God. Through simple, guided collage-making and reflective journaling, we’ll explore how creativity becomes a way of re-orienting ourselves toward wholeness and wonder. No artistic experience is needed. All materials are provided, and beginners are warmly welcome.
Sign up HERE to receive a registration link.
Wonder with Words
with Jodi Belcher
Saturday, June 27
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
This day of retreat is an opportunity to wonder with words through writing. It will include time for solitary writing, conversation with fellow writers, prompts and self-guided activities to inspire your creativity, and time to enjoy nature at The Trees. This writing retreat is for anyone who wants to write, whether in a specific genre or as a spiritual or meditative practice, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned author.
Registration link coming soon.
Wonder in the Woods for our Younger Friends
in partnership with St. Philip's Children & Family Ministries
Thursday, June 11 – Saturday, June 13
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$100
Open to children who are in preschool (age 4+ and potty trained by June 11, 2026) through those who will have completed 5th Grade.
More information & Registration HERE
Partner Offerings
Women’s Yoga and Ayurveda Retreat:
Honoring the Moon
Saturday, April 18
9 am - 4 pm
$150
This women’s yoga and Ayurveda retreat day will be dedicated to rest, de-stressing and learning ways to care for ourselves at each moment of our cycle and how to work with that wisdom through perimenopause and beyond. Guest teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner Ivy Ingram will share about the four "inner seasons" and how they can inform us as we apply the wise practices of Ayurveda to support total balance and health through all phases of our cycle.
There will be a full yoga practice in the morning, there will be beautiful nature trails to explore, a potluck lunch, other awesome women and chocolate. Need I say more?
Space is limited. Half day options available as space allows.
Refresh & Reconnect Retreat
Saturday, May 9
10:30 am - 4:00 pm
Sliding scale $95-150
You’re invited to a day retreat at The Trees led by Lindsay Voorhees, an occupational therapist and Kripalu yoga teacher. With a balance of group and individual time, you'll have space to reconnect with yourself and notice what is emerging in you (or even ready to bloom). This retreat is open to all seeking intentional rest and reflection; folks navigating life with health challenges are especially welcome.
The retreat flow:
~ Opening circle with gentle movement & meditation
~ Reflective journaling & intention-setting
~ Lunch gathering with vegetarian & vegan options
~ Solo time for being in nature, yoga, creative/crafty play, etc.
~ Closing circle for sharing and integrating the experience
Cost: Sliding scale $95-150
Mother’s Day Bouquets
preorder &
pickup Friday, May 8, 1 - 4 pm
Spring Forth Farm Mother's Day bouquets are being offered through The Trees this Mother's Day. Spring Forth Farm is a small family-run flower farm and homestead in Hurdle Mills, NC. Owners Megan and Jonathan Leiss are deeply committed to caring for God's creation through careful and loving cultivation of the land and surrounding biodiversity and ecosystems.
10% of Mother's Day Bouquet sales will be donated to the South Elementary School Garden Club in Roxboro, NC.
Weekly Offerings
Beloved Community Worship Service
Sundays 4:45 pm
Prayer of the Anglican rosary, followed by a worship service with Eucharist. A simple supper is served afterwards.
Learn more hereMorning Yoga with Olynda *moving to Fridays*
Fridays 9:00 - 10:15 amThis Spring our practices will be inspired by the words of poets and mystics from various traditions. Physically, Olynda will make sure to include some exciting strength work and twists alongside our work of increasing mobility. This will help us stay strong, centered, grounded and yet still receptive, flexible and open. This class is open to all levels of yoga students! Olynda gives many options so all can get the right practice for them!
$220 for all 13 classes * includes recordings & options for make ups if needed.
$20 for drop in for registration: olyndasmith.com/yoga
Nature Journaling with Liz
Fridays 10:30 - 11:30 am (not April 3, May 29)
Slow down and observe the changing of the seasons with a nature journaling practice. No experience needed – you don't need to be "good" at drawing to enjoy tuning in to nature!
no sign up neededPrayers and Poetry
Fridays 12:00 - 1:15 pm
Experience the beauty of prayers, poetry and nature at The Trees.
no sign up needed
The Beloved Community at the Trees is an Episcopal faith community exploring together what a life of faith "outside of a church" may be.
Weekly worship, support groups and fellowship activities. All are welcome.
Visit our website to
learn more about The Trees,
see the full schedule of offerings,
and register for events.
New website coming in May!
In Closing
Gethsemane
The grass never sleeps.
Or the roses.
Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.
Jesus said, wait with me. But the disciples slept.
The cricket has such splendid fringe on its feet,
and it sings, have you noticed, with its whole body,
and heaven knows if it ever sleeps.
Jesus said, wait with me. And maybe the stars did, maybe the wind wound itself
into a silver tree, and didn't move, maybe
the lake far away, where once he walked
as on a blue pavement,
lay still and waited, wild awake.
Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye-shut, that could not
keep that vigil, how they must have wept,
so utterly human,
knowing this too must be a part of the story.
– Mary Oliver
With Gratitude
We are so filled with abundance, trust, and deep hope here at The Trees. We are grateful for all donations to The Trees or gifts in honor or memory of a friend. This is a growing ministry and all resources are used to care for the house and the land. Gifts are tax deductible. Please let us know if you'd like your donation to support a particular project.
