October 1, 2026

Greetings!

For the past few weeks, many of us have been reading and discussing Gregory Boyle’s Cherished Belonging. At the heart of the book is a simple but demanding conviction: before anything else, we belong to one another. Our task is not to decide who is worthy of belonging, but to learn to see and cherish the belonging that is already there. I’ve been thinking about that alongside something I wrote down recently as a challenge to myself: “Extend grace somewhere today that you don’t think it belongs. Because the very fact that we don’t think grace belongs somewhere may be a pretty good sign that it is especially needed there.”

Grace, after all, is easy enough to extend to people we understand, people we agree with, people we like, or people who have earned our goodwill. The harder work begins at the edges we create—between us and them, deserving and undeserving, friend and stranger, neighbor and enemy. Those are often the places where grace begins to look most like grace. This Sunday gives us a wonderful opportunity to think about those edges.

In Adult Forum, we will mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi and explore the life and witness of one of Christianity’s most beloved—and challenging—saints. Francis sought a life of radical simplicity, humility, peace, and kinship. He called the sun his brother and the moon his sister. He embraced those whom society pushed aside and crossed boundaries others were afraid to cross. His life invited people to imagine that our circle of belonging might be much larger than we ordinarily suppose. Fittingly, later that same day, Duke Chapel will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals at 3:30 p.m., a tradition inspired by Francis and his remarkable sense of kinship with all of God’s creation.

And in worship that morning, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. Across the world, Christians separated by geography, language, culture, denomination, politics, history, and countless other differences will gather around the same table. None of us owns that table. None of us gets to decide who deserves the grace offered there. We come because Christ invites us.

Maybe that is one of the things we most need the Church to help us practice right now: recognizing just how wide the circle already is. To look at another person—not first as a category, an argument, a problem, or even an enemy, but as someone who belongs within the vast reach of God’s love. To recognize, as Francis did, kinship where we have been trained to see separation. To trust, as Boyle reminds us, that belonging is not something we ration out to the deserving.

So perhaps this week’s invitation can be a simple one: Extend grace somewhere you don’t think it belongs. And then pay attention. You may discover that grace was already there before you arrived.

Blest be the tie that binds,

THE DURHAM PILGRIMAGE OF PAIN AND HOPE

The Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope is an opportunity to discover how your spiritual journey is connected to the place you live—Durham, NC.

As we journey together, we’ll immerse ourselves in the story of Durham and the biblical story, making space to reflect, listen, and consider what these stories mean for how we live our lives in Durham today.

Join us October 2–4 for this transformative experience as we connect Durham’s story, your story, and God’s story.

Registration

Register at www.durhamcares.org/pilgrimage

Important: When registering, be sure to choose Fall Duke Chapel (not Spring).

RACIAL EQUITY: FILM & CONVERSATION 

Join us this Saturday, October 3, from 4–7 p.m. at the home of Gary and Billie Bauer for an evening of film, fellowship, and conversation. We’ll watch My Name Is Pauli Murray, a documentary exploring the life and legacy of Pauli Murray, a pioneering lawyer, activist, poet, and priest whose work helped shape the fight for racial and gender equity. Murray grew up in Durham, making their story especially meaningful to our local community.

We’ll gather at 4 p.m. to watch the film together. Following the movie, we’ll share a light meal and have a group discussion about Murray’s life, work, and legacy.

Can’t make it at 4? Feel free to watch the film on your own and join us around 5:30 p.m. for the discussion and meal.

Please sign up here to let us know if you plan to attend.

ADULT FORUM

With a variety of guest speakers, Adult Forum offers presentations and discussions on a wide range of thought-provoking topics, including Biblical studies, current social issues, and the work of mission agencies. Adult Forum meets in person in Westbrook Lower Level room 0012 and by Zoom. The link is here.

October 4: Pastor Ryan - “St. Francis at 800: More Than the Saint Who Loved Animals.” Eight hundred years after his death, St. Francis of Assisi remains one of the most recognizable and beloved figures in Christian history. But the real Francis was far more interesting—and challenging—than the gentle saint surrounded by birds and animals that we often imagine. Join Pastor Ryan for a conversation about Francis’s remarkable life, his embrace of poverty and simplicity, his encounters across boundaries, his sense of kinship with all creation, and the movement he inspired. Along the way, we’ll ask what this 13th-century saint might still have to teach the Church—and us—800 years later.

October 11: Matt Shadle, Catholic theologian, ethicist, and author of the Window Light newsletter - "Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas, on AI and human finitude"

October 18: Dr. Meredith Riedel, a scholar of the history of Christianity -

October 25: Brett Pardue, Visiting Researcher at Boston University School of Theology - "The Gown Speaks First: What the Church Hears Before a Sermon Begins" Before a preacher reaches the sermon’s first sentence, a congregation is already learning whom to trust. A Geneva gown. A rhinestoned stole. A preacher’s voice breaking into song. Each can teach a room what authority is supposed to look and sound like—and who seems strangely out of place. Drawing on his recently published article in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Brett McKinley Pardue brings Christian vesture into conversation with drag performance and the visual and sonic life of worship. What does preaching communicate before words—and what if faithful authority arrives dressed differently than we expect?

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Join us this Sunday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. on the Duke Chapel Quad for the annual Blessing of the Animals worship service. Dogs, cats, and other animals will join ministers and the Durham Children’s Choir for this special service. Pet owners are welcome to bring their animals to

receive a blessing as part of the service.

The 30-minute service will include music from the Durham Children’s Choir, Scripture readings, and a sermon. Individual animal blessings will take place immediately following the service.

Please note: Those bringing pets are responsible for their animals and are asked to bring only pets that will be safe around children and other animals.

The Blessing of the Animals is inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, a thirteenth-century friar known for his love of animals and the natural world. Francis believed that all creation could give glory to God, writing in his Canticle of the Sun, “Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures.”

WEDNESDAY BOOK GROUP

Our Book Group begins a new year with Gregory Boyle’s Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. Drawing on decades of stories and relationships from Homeboy Industries, Boyle invites us to consider what might happen if we truly believed that everyone is inherently good and that we belong to one another—no exceptions.

Join us for this four-week study, September 16–October 7, as we explore belonging, compassion, kinship, and the kind of community we are called to become.

Wednesdays by Zoom | 10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. Choose whichever group works best for you.

Please plan ahead and take a look at our upcoming Book Group schedule here.

JOIN LOAVES AND FISHES TODAY!

Do you like to cook? Or maybe you don’t like to cook—or don’t know how—but would still like to be of service to others in times of joy, sorrow, or need. Then join Loaves and Fishes!

We are a group of men and women in the congregation who provide meals to fellow congregation members when they are celebrating the birth of a new baby, recuperating from surgery, dealing with grief, or simply in need of a helping, caring hand.

Take-out is fine—there’s no requirement to cook! Please consider joining us as we care for one another through the special gift of a meal.

Contact Pam Marcom at pmarcom1@gmail.com or 919-451-8662.

OCTOBER EVENTS — SAVE THE DATES

Mark your calendars and join us for these upcoming opportunities to gather, connect, and enjoy time together!

Sunday, October 18

Congregation Picnic

4:00–6:00 p.m. | Piney Wood Park Picnic Shelter, Durham

Saturday, October 24

October Service Project

9:00–11:30 a.m. | Food Bank CENC at Durham

EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP AT THE CONGREGATION

Are you interested in learning more about the Congregation at Duke University Chapel—or considering making the Congregation your church home?

Join us this fall for Exploring Membership, a three-session opportunity to get to know one another, learn more about the Congregation and our relationship with Duke Chapel, explore the faith and practices that shape our life together, and consider what it means to belong and participate in this community.

We will gather on Sundays, October 11, October 18, and November 1. On October 25, rather than meeting for class, participants will be invited to experience the life of the Congregation with fresh attention. Those who choose to become members will be welcomed into the Congregation during worship on Sunday, November 8.

Whether you are ready to become a member or simply curious to learn more, you are welcome. Participating does not obligate you to join.

Register Here for Exploring Membership:

https://congregationatdukechapel.breezechms.com/form/9635dd

SAVE THE DATE - CONGREGATION OVERNIGHT RETREAT

Join us June 4–6, 2027, at Caraway Conference Center for a special weekend away filled with fellowship, connection, and time together as a congregation. All ages are welcome!



Stay tuned for more details and registration.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

John Weinerth: John passed on September 2. You may view John’s obituary here. Please keep John and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Layne Baker: Remains in Pettigrew Rehabilitation Center.

CHECK OUT EACH COMMITTEE'S MEETING

Committee Meetings listed below are open to all who wish to attend

Administration Committee

This Sunday

📍Chapel Lounge and via Zoom

The Administration Committee will meet the 1st Sunday in October.



Fellowship Committee

This Sunday

📍Congregation Office

The Fellowship Committee meets every 1st Sunday immediately following worship in the Congregation Office.

Mission & Outreach Committee

This Sunday

📍 Chapel Kitchen

The Mission & Outreach Committee meets every 1st Sunday immediately following worship in the Chapel Kitchen.

Racial Equity Group

This Sunday

📍 In person and via Zoom

The Racial Equity Group meets the 1st Thursday of every month. Please contact Mindy for meeting location and with any question.

Stewardship & Finance Committee

📍 Via Zoom

The Stewardship & Finance Committee meets on the Tuesday before the 3rd Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Education Committee

📍Chapel Kitchen

The Education Committee meets every 4th Sunday after worship at 12:15pm in the Chapel Kitchen.

Visitation & Care Ministry

📍 Congregation Office

The Visitation & Care Ministry meets every other month.

eNEWS SUBMISSION REMINDER



All committees’ completed eNews submissions are due to Kirsten Ford by Monday at 5:00 PM.