Connect | Formation Groups

Garrett Rocha

Minister of Spiritual Formation & Witness | (he/him)

Engaging Community

Duke Memorial formation groups offer an opportunity for curiosity, learning, conversation, and relationship with a goal of journeying together towards better faithfulness. Duke Memorial offers a range of formation groups for people at various stages of life and faith.
​Contact one of the leaders below or Minister Garrett for more information. 

Short Term Small Groups

Sanctuary in the Margins

Wednesdays | April 27 - May 25, 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM | In-Person
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​A 5-week video study facilitated by Gair McCullough.
​Rachel Held Evans was a theologian who saw the family of God as a diverse bunch of clumsy-yet-beautiful people of different races, cultures, beliefs, faiths, genders, and sexual orientations just doing our best to be human. By reaching for the outsider and bringing their voice and perspective into the fold, she hoped to start conversations and inspire change. Rachel said: “The folks you are shutting out of the church today will be leading it tomorrow. The future is in the margins.” As resurrection people, are we willing to let die the ways of doing Church that do not serve God, ourselves, or our neighbors? How can we mourn and honor those ways of faith? What new sanctuaries might arise?

Join facilitator Gair McCullough for discussion of 5 videos with Rachel Held Evans titled, “A New Family: Opening the Doors of the Church.”

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Prophets, Poets, and Revolutionaries

Mondays | April 25 - May 23, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Online

​5 part small group with Minister Garrett.
What is a prophet? It is an interesting question that challenges those who want to dig into scripture and faith with the intention to hear God’s voice today. Mixing scriptural study with pop culture, this small group explores the prophetic voice of where to listen to the voice today. The study will be guided by a chorus of thinkers, poets, and artists including James Cone, Langston Hughes, Walter Brueggemann, Ray Bradbury, and others. 
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Book Study: Grounded by Diana Butler Bass

Wednesday evenings or Thursday mornings (TBD) | In person

A 6 Week book study with Pastor Heather​. 
In Grounded, Bass argues that what appears to be a religious decline in America actually signals a major transformation in how people understand and experience God. The distant God of conventional religion has given way to a more intimate sense of the sacred that is with us in the world. This shift, from a vertical understanding of God to a God found on the horizons of nature and human community, is at the heart of a spiritual revolution that surrounds us! “Grounded” explores this cultural turn as Bass unpacks how people are finding new spiritual ground by discovering and embracing God everywhere in the world around us—in the soil, the water, the sky, in our homes and neighborhoods, and in the global commons.

Fill out this google survey for day and time availability.

This is Us

​Sundays starting April 24th, 9:30 AM | History Room
This class will explore the history,  ministries, and missions of Duke Memorial. This time together is part of welcoming new members interested in joining the church. This class is not a requirement to join the church and is open to all people interested in getting to know the church and is open to all members of the church who want to get to know the church in an intentional way. We will have current members join for extra conversation. 

Join Minister Garrett and special speakers on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am in the History room. Sessions will be hybrid as the course allows.

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Sunday Formation Groups

Open Door Class
Join by Phone 
1) Call: 301-715-8592
2) Enter Meeting ID: 990 2074 3125
3) Participant ID: Press # to bypass
4) Meeting Password: 887260
5) Use *6 to mute and unmute​
Sundays | 9:45 AM | In-Person & Zoom
We are a traditional Sunday School class meeting each Sunday from 9:45-10:45 to study Scripture and enjoy time together. We use the Adult Bible Study Series, video presentations about the holy land or biblical personalities, and enjoy the varied talents shared by our three teachers.  We welcome those from 30 to 95+ (open to all).  The Open Door classroom is located on the second floor of the Education Building around the corner next to the elevator.
Contact: Linda Adkinson

Beginnings in Bradshaw
Sundays | 10:00 AM | In-Person & Zoom
We are a relaxed and friendly group of folks with young children, from babies through grade school.  We meet by Zoom on Sundays before worship from 10:00-10:45, and we divide our time between fellowshipping and discussing scripture from the week’s lectionary.  A study guide with a few thought questions is emailed on Fridays, but advance preparation is entirely optional.  Please join us, with your kids, your dogs, your pancakes – whatever is happening in your world on Sunday morning!
Contact: Eliza Ferguson

People in the Parlor
Sundays | 9:30 AM | Zoom
Our group is very informal and we welcome adults of all ages, sexes, marital status, etc. who are interested in having real, open, honest dialogue and discussions about living a Christ centered life.

​New 2022 Study: God in the Movies 
We hope you’ll join us for our upcoming “God in the Movies” study beginning this Sunday, February 6 at 9:30am. Each week together via Zoom, we will spend the first half of class watching part of a movie (back to back weeks will be needed to complete each movie). The second half of class will be spent discussing our thoughts, as well as background on the making of the film, and it’s impact.
Contact: Stephen Zapotoczny

Mary Martha Class

1st Sunday of the Month | 9:45 AM | In-Person
Join us in the Lullaby/Mary Martha room behind the sanctuary on the 1st Sunday of the month.
​We also meet every Sunday during Advent. We use the Upper Room series to guide our devotion and fellowship.
Contact: Nadine Hoover 

Hiking Church

​Sundays | Time Varies | 1-2 times per month | Local Trails
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​Can we have church outside? Yes!
Join us for Hiking Church and spend your Sunday morning outside. We'll meet at a local hiking spot 1-2 times a month for a short devotion and light hike. We hope that this new opportunity will provide a new way for people to connect who might be inside-hesitant during COVID or are just looking something different. Sign up We'll see you at the trailhead!
The Basics
  • Hike & 15 minute devotion - Typically 2 hours
  • Fair-Good weather - No special experience or skill necessary - Be able to walk 1-3 miles over varied terrain

LGBTQ+ Sunday School

Meets on Varying Sunday Mornings
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As Duke Memorial continues to welcome all fearfully and wonderfully made people, we take another step in offering an LGBTQ Sunday School for queer-identifying and exploring persons. At 9:30 a.m. on April 24, May 1, 15, and 22, we will gather at the church to engage in spiritual formation with a focus on the Imago Dei (image of God) in each other, facilitated by various queer-identifying persons from the Duke Memorial LGBTQ formation group.

​Please contact Melissa Fretwell at melissaifretwell@gmail.com with any questions.

​Mid-Week Formation Groups

The Seekers Connection

Wednesdays | 8:00 AM | In-Person
​The Seekers is a group that has been meeting on Wednesday mornings at 8 am since 2016 when we studied the book of Matthew. Since then, the reading has included the Bible as well as religion and spirituality in general and how it impacts our lives as Christians.  All are welcome to our usually small group, so if you are a morning person, please consider joining us. We hope to see you there.
Contact: Gary Boyd

LGBTQ+ Formation Group

Meets on Varying Sunday Evenings
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​We are excited to offer a new formation group! We hope to create a safer space that we may come together in fellowship, heal from our past and present experiences, and grow into our better selves. This group is open to all, including allies, to explore faith and life together. In our first meeting we will introduce ourselves as well as dream about what kind of community we hope to create. Future meet-ups will be in various places across Durham and Raleigh.

​Wednesday Morning Women’s Group

Wednesdays | 9:30-11:0​0 AM | In-Person
Feb. 23 - May 25 2022
This spring we will be reading and discussing Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu. We warmly welcome new members to join us!
Contact: Karalyn Colopy or 919-956-7875

Heart of the Bible
A Weekly Scripture Study
Tuesdays | 9:00 AM | Zoom
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Heart of the Bible Study is moving to Tuesday mornings, starting January 18, at 9:00 am, and will meet via Zoom for one hour. Heart of the Bible is a more transformational than informational Bible study.  There are lots of books, commentaries, and academics available if you want a scholar’s view of the text. We are inviting the Holy Spirit to open us to hear God’s word for us in this place, at this time, as we read and discuss the text together. The more people involved, the richer and broader the perspectives and interpretations we will hear. We share our thoughts and questions as we study the text without seeking to convince others of our answers. You are welcome whether you are new to the Bible or seminary trained or somewhere in the middle. Bring your curiosity, a Bible, and a willingness to be surprised by God.
Contact: Renee Burnette or ​919-451-3233

Living Into The Scriptures
Join by Phone 
1) Call: 301-715-8592
2) Enter Meeting ID: 982 0261 0429
3) Participant ID: Press # to bypass
4) Meeting Passcode: 292199
5) Use *6 to mute and unmute
Thursdays | 10:30 AM | Zoom
Our new book, Barking to the Choir, by Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle, is a moving account of what his work at Homeboy Industries taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship, and how it is transforming the lives of gang members in Los Angeles. Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins through the people Boyle meets. One example of the stories is one about new father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, who thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. Together, the stories uplift the soul and reveal how right life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness. The stories “cause us to laugh, cry, pray, and, most importantly, invite us to build Boyle’s vision of kinship—a community where there is no division, no ‘us’ and ’them,’ but simply us.” New members are welcome.
Contact:  Ann Stallings Smith - 919-384-2981

The Downtown Group

Thursdays | 7:30 PM | In-Person
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The “Downtown Small Group” invites YOU to join us each Thursday for fellowship and conversation. We typically discuss current events with a Christian lens. Each week we will email the questions and location. No preparation is needed!