March at The Trees
33 hours. That’s how long it took me to disconnect, get quiet in my soul and spirit, and to finally hear the birds sing. I knew my soul needed some tending at the start of Lent. I could not quite put words to it, but the weather and intensity of January and early February slowly pulled me away from Center/Love/God, and I knew I needed some re-anchoring. With the exception of staying connected to my family and with the gracious support of colleagues, I unplugged for 33 hours from being available and connecting. I was quiet, I prayed, I listened, I lit a candle or two, I journaled, did yoga, walked a lot (those monks are on to something) and read soul-supporting material.
What I noticed at the end of that quiet was yes, the birds were singing quite loudly at times. Is anyone else out there like me, missing the birds singing? Are you noticing nudges within your soul and spirit to slow down, start a new practice, or let something go this Lenten season so that you are better able to listen for whoever or whatever may be trying to sing? It’s not too late.
Yes, there are fewer birds out there which may be part of the reason I could not hear the singing. We have lost 3 billion birds since 1970, yes, you heard that right. This really should make everyone’s jaw drop. According to the Audubon Society,"The rapid declines in birds signal the intensifying stressors that wildlife and people alike are experiencing around the world because of habitat loss, environmental degradation, and extreme weather events….when we see declines like those…we need to remember that if conditions are not healthy for birds, they’re unlikely to be healthy for us.”
Here at The Trees we have 50 acres of trees and our trees are the home to a variety of birds. We are working on conservation partnerships to keep our birds chirping for a very long time. Do you miss hearing the birds? Do you even notice that you are missing hearing the birds? Please join us for many upcoming opportunities to be quiet, settle your soul and spirit, and yes, listen to the birds. Scroll down and sign up to join us!
Bird singing promised.
With peace and hope,
Featured Events
Contemplation is not a spiritual vacation, not a way to numb ourselves or escape the world. We do not pray to get away from our lives. We pray in them, in our fear, our grief, our anger, our confusion, and we bring all of it into stillness. To sit in contemplation is to open ourselves to the Living Presence at the heart of everything, a quiet but insistent movement toward wholeness, toward justice, toward communion.
Lenten Quiet Day
Tuesday, March 3 10:00-2:30 pm
(every first Tuesday of the month)
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. When you join us for quiet day, we encourage you to consider:
Really unplugging. Pause the tendency to produce, achieve, scroll .….
Trying a new practice to help with slowing down, paying attention, and listening. Creative tools and Lenten contemplative practices will be available.
The hope for this time is that you will take a break from the rigors and demands of your normal routine (we know this is not easy) to pause and listen to your deepest self and to God within and that you will go back into the world with clarity towards right action.
A Contemplative Path Through Lent: A Different Kind of Fast
Starting February 24-March 31
Tuesdays 11:30-12:30
Are you feeling like you would like this Lenten season to be different? Is the way of the Desert Fathers and Mothers who modeled silence, detachment, and stepping away in order to deepen and clarify calling to you this year?
Using the book, A Different Kind of Fast by Christine Valters Paintner, we will explore practical contemplative practices while we consider letting go of endless distractions and busyness. There will be opportunities for practicing, sharing, reflecting, and journaling.
Using the book for daily practice is recommended but not required.
Forest Bathing Walks
March 20, 9:30am-11:30am
Friday Morning Equinox Walk - Register
March 21, 4:00pm-6:00pm
Saturday Equinox Walk - Register
March 29, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Palm Sunday Sacred Saunter - Register
Forest Bathing is a quiet, contemplative experience of connecting with yourself and the natural world through simple sensorial activities. This gentle practice improves our mental, physical and spiritual well being. Equally as important, Forest Bathing also benefits our Earth by deepening our connection to the web of life.
Elizabeth Newman, a certified Forest Bathing guide, will lead walks at The Trees March through June. Email Elizabeth to get information about future walks.
Between Death and Resurrection: half-day retreat
Holy Saturday, April 4 9 am - 1 pm
bring your own lunch
Suggested donation $35
Stations of the Cross trail will be available until 6 pm.
Sign up HERE
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. What in me, or in us, is dying or needs to die? What in me, or in us, is coming alive or needs to be reborn? By entering the contemplative silence, we will practice with these questions together.
Facilitated by Timothy Hinton: Having trained in a number of contemplative disciplines for many years, Timothy Hinton is an experienced retreat leader. He teaches in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State.
Walk through Holy Week @ The Trees
Stations of the Cross
Holy Week: March 29 - April 4
(except Wednesday 4/1)
10 am - 6 pm
Come walk and pray at our Stations of the Cross located on the Owl Trail during Holy Week.
Walking the Stations of the Cross imitates the practice of early Christian pilgrims visiting the places of Jesus' Passion in the Holy Land.
Worship with The Beloved Community
Palm Sunday - Regular worship time, 5:00 pm, followed by our normal meal
Maundy Thursday - 6:30 pm, including stripping of the altar and draping in black, with an altar of repose to the side as we leave.
Good Friday - Joining St. Philip's for 6pm Agape Meal and 7pm Maundy Thursday service (see link below)
Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil, outside with fire at 6:30 pm. We will use the prayers from the past year to light the Easter Vigil fire.
Easter Sunday - Regular worship time, 5:00 pm, followed by a meal
403 E Main Street, Durham
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
Thursdays 9:00 - 10:15 am
Our practices will be inspired by the words of poets and mystics from various traditions. Email Olynda Smith to register for any of these events or with questions. Info here.Nature Journaling with Liz
Fridays 10:30 - 11:30 am (all Fridays in March)
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 needed – rain or shinePrayers 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.
Looking Ahead
Fireside Conversations: Rhonda Mawhood Lee
Tuesday, April 28 6:30-7:30 pmJoin 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.”
In Closing
Withdraw
Luke 5:16
My God, I withdraw
so that I might be drawn closer,
that nothing may hinder this flux of love.
This arid place
deprives me of the praise
that attempts to water my soul.
No applause
from the hands of mortals,
no lauding from their lips
can satisfy
like the silence
of this moment. With You,
O sacred silence!
O saintly stillness!
O solemn solitude!
Taking space
to feel the air
passing through pulmonary pathways.
Remaining connected
to this holy ground
beneath my feet.
Keep me grounded
that I may not be found
with hubris, forgetting
that I am
ever of
this humus.
– Drew Jackson in God Speaks Through Wombs
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.
