Monthly Newsletter | September 2025
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Dear colleagues in ministry,
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My gathering prayer for you is that you’ll encounter some friction. I pray that at some point along the way the Wi-Fi will give out. That you’ll get turned around in the hotel. That you’ll have to stand in a line for dinner. Not for the whole trip, not every time. But I pray that just once or twice you’ll encounter something that slows you down.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about why we gather in person. I got stuck in my head until I encountered some friction of my own. I was working on a reading project that pulled me out of my normal routines. I entombed myself at a local university library for a day of uninterrupted reading. Around noon, I raised my head from my work and walked to my husband’s office to meet him for lunch.
It wasn’t a long walk, but it was long enough that I could have been doing something productive with the time. However, my rhythms had been disrupted and nothing was at hand.
So, I just walked. My mind wondered. My skin felt hot under the sun, cool under the trees and then hot again. Walking through a college campus, I recalled my own college days walking from class to class, from dorm to dining hall and back again. Then and now, the walks created some transition space as I moved from one activity to another.
And I wondered if part of the gift of gathering in person is encountering just a bit more friction than we’re used to. It’s a digestive pause between the different moments in our day.
Perhaps Zoom makes things too smooth for us. There’s no settling in, no running back for another cup of coffee. There's no lingering around the table after the official meeting has ended. Click, my document closes. Click click, and I’ve joined the meeting. Click, the meeting disappears. Click, click, seven new emails call for my attention. My, how productive I am today.
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| Associate Director for Thriving Congregations
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September 9 Webinar: Findings from the Thriving Congregations Phase 1 Formative Evaluation
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This presentation provides an overview of findings from the Thriving Congregations Phase 1 Formative Evaluation completed by Jennifer Haraway and her team in 2023-2024. We will share insights about Thriving Congregations programs, participating congregations and the coordination program. There will be time for small group reflection and Q&A as well.
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Connect before the Gathering: September 23
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Gathering Orientation and Pre-Arrival Conversations |
If you love feeling the energy in the room or want a sense of what to expect at the gathering, this conversation is for you!
Join us on Tuesday, September 23, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. ET for an overview of the event including how to find the shuttle at the Indianapolis airport and what you’ll need to submit a travel reimbursement. The second part of the conversation will be in breakout rooms, connecting you with others who share your affinity interests.
We especially encourage all first-time gathering participants to attend. The orientation part of the conversation will be recorded.
Add to calendar via our online community
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Two Things to Do Before the Gathering
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If you will be requesting a reimbursement... |
Register as a Duke Vendor |
This year, in order to submit expenses for reimbursement, you will first be required to register as a vendor with Duke University. If you haven’t already registered, search your inbox for an email from invitation@paymentworks.com, which will prompt you to register as a vendor. This will allow us the ability to distribute the reimbursement funds. During the registration process, you will be asked to provide information from your W-9 as well as given the opportunity to request electronic payments in lieu of mailed check payments.
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If you would like live event updates... |
Join the Online Community |
Sign up here and fill out your profile and then download the app for updates on the go. You will also have the opportunity to connect with other grantees and access event resources.
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November 11 Webinar: Spiritual Direction: A Practice for the Age of Exhaustion
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Everyone is tired. This is what our work with pastors and lay leaders has shown us in both our Thriving in Ministry and Thriving Congregations programs. We do not have a silver bullet to offer. But spiritual direction is a tool, a practice, that can enliven and rejuvenate weary souls. Individual and group spiritual direction are now common in many denominations. They help people learn to grow in awareness of God's presence, reflect on their lives and ministries, and discern what steps to take when approaching a threshold moment in life. What if congregations, often weighted down with the work of creating a Sunday worship experience and managing the organization, also learned to practice awareness, reflection, and discernment together? In this webinar we will explore spiritual direction and how it can be used with individuals, groups and congregations. We will share how both our Thriving in Ministry and Thriving Congregations programs use this ancient Christian practice and its concepts as spiritual nurture for exhausted congregations and leaders.
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If there have been any leadership changes in your project, please let us know via this Program Contact Update form so we can make sure the right people are receiving important updates. If you encounter any problems or have questions while filling out this form, please email leadership@div.duke.edu.
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You may access materials created or curated by the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program and Projects, including webinars, sustainability resources, updated grant reporting guidelines and more, in our Box folder and in the Resource Library space in our online community.
You can post resources directly in a discussion thread in the online community. If you would like your resource added to Box, please email Sarah.
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Partner Resources: Religion Demographics for Your Zip Code
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This tool from the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) assists church and community leaders in accessing free online information about their communities. The initial map shows the location of other churches in your area and the Community Profile Builder provides you with social, economic and religious information on the community or neighborhoods you select.
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Faith & Leadership is the free online learning resource of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, which is home to the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program. We will regularly point you to stories, essays and interviews that support your projects. If you are not receiving Faith & Leadership’s biweekly publication, please contact Averee. Interested in sharing what you are learning by writing for Faith & Leadership? Please contact Sarah.
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When the author got a second car, her life was much easier. But that convenience came at a cost — the small connections between people that build a sense of belonging.
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Trying to do more work faster? Stop. Moving slowly allows us important time to dream, make crucial connections and preserve insight.
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The expansion of virtual meeting options during the pandemic allowed us to continue our work and personal interactions more safely. Now, we need to rediscover the value of in-person gathering versus online efficiency, writes a director of grants for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
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Upcoming Events and Deadlines
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Conducted by Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.
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