Connect | Formation Groups

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Mick Raynor

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

Email | Mick

Engaging Community

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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 Mick for more information. 

Short-Term Formation Groups

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Sacred Wholeness

Sundays | 9:30 AM | In-Person | Starting September 17th
Sacred Wholeness is a learning journey about the shared holiness and worth of all persons. We explore the theology, biology, and psychology of what it means to be humans while looking more specifically at the spectrum of human sexuality. We will engage with the Bible and science for 12 sessions to help expand our understanding of human sexuality by approaching the content with curiosity and openness. 

Classes begin Sunday, September 17 during the Sunday school hour for adults, youth, children grades 1-5 and PreK and Kinder! All are welcome and invited. Adults will meet in the Bradshaw Room and Youth will meet in the Parlor. Contact Emilee with any questions! Emilee@dukememorial.org 

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Exodus for Normal People 6-Week Book Study

Wednesdays | 6:00 PM | In-Person | Starting September 13th
Behind the scenes of movies like The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, or Exodus: Gods and Kings, is a complicated, and at times, messy biblical story. In this short guide to the book of Exodus, Biblical scholar Peter Enns doesn't just break down the story for the average person to understand but takes us behind the story—to the history and traditions that led us to the story as we have it today. 

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Sunday Formation Groups

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​Journeys

Sundays | 9:45 AM | In-Person | Starting November 13th
Has your faith journey been a roller coaster the last few years? Many of us are starting new stages of life, and feeling uncertain about what the future looks like. Let's talk about it! Led by Pastor Mick. ​We'll meet in the Terra Cotta room located on the ground floor of the sanctuary building. 
Contact: Pastor Mick Raynor

Open Door Class

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Join by Phone 
1) Call: 301-715-8592
2) Enter Meeting ID: 985 2685 0304
3) Participant ID: Press # to bypass
4) Meeting Password: 532033
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 The Parlor

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Sundays | 10:00 AM | In-Person
We are a relaxed and friendly group of folks with young children, from babies through grade school.  We meet in the Parlor 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

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 

LGBTQ+ Sunday School

Sundays | 9:30 am | The Commons
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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. in The Commons to engage in spiritual formation. This fall we will be exploring theology through Disney movies facilitated by various queer-identifying persons from the Duke Memorial LGBTQ formation group. 

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

Dinner Church

Dinner Church is a gathering where all the most important things happen at the table. Think of a good dinner party with a spiritual twist –good conversation and prayerful moments. We gather around dinner tables (or a restaurant's table) and join others as we break bread and get to know one another better. Our mealtime lasts from 1 hour to 1.5 hours each week. We plan to begin Dinner Church groups again this September. Sign up below!

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​Mid-Week Formation Groups

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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. Starting September 13, we will be reading Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary by Marcus Borg. We meet in the Commons each week. 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.

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!

​Wednesday Morning Women’s Group

Wednesdays | 9:30-11:0​0 AM | In-Person | The Commons
The Wednesday Morning Women’s Small Group will meet this fall on Wednesdays 9:30-11:00 am in the Commons, beginning September 20. We will be reading the book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay Gupta.  We invite you to join our merry group as we read, learn, share, and grow each week over coffee and snacks.
Contact Karalyn Colopy (karalyncolopy@gmail.com) with any questions.

Heart of the Bible
A Weekly Scripture Study

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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

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Join by Phone 
1) Call: 301-715-8592
2) Enter Meeting ID: 985 3396 2565
3) Participant ID: Press # to bypass
4) Meeting Passcode:  046720
​5) Use *6 to mute and unmute

Thursdays | 10:30 AM | Zoom
We have a discussion each week, pray for each other and check on each other during the week. Meetings will start September 21 and will be on Thursdays weekly at 10:30-12:30pm. On Oct. 5th we will be meeting in-person to screen the movie "Walking across Egypt" together. Come join us!
Contact:  Ann Stallings Smith or Miriam Anne Glover-Wetherington