COVID-19 UPDATE
Duke Memorial will continue to follow the guidance of government officials, health experts, and denominational leaders.
We have suspended most in-person gatherings and invite you to join us online.

Click "Join Online" next to your group name.
​Contact Pastor Kris about joining an online group.
View this Virtual Gathering Etiquette document for tips about meeting virtually. 

Connect | Formation

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 Pastor Kris for more information. 

Rev. Kris Williams

Minister of Adult Discipleship & Witness
kris@dukememorial.org

New Opportunities | During COVID-19

Centering Time with Your Pastors
​We invite you to gather with us online for 30 minutes of prayer.
Mondays at 9:00 am | Wednesdays at 12:00 noon | Fridays at 5:00 pm 

​We will be using as our guide, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals 
by Shane Claiborne, Enuma Okoro, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
​
We are going to begin a new way of practicing the “daily” offices. Our hope is to bring some centering and settling to this strange and uncertain time in which we find ourselves. 
No need to RSVP. For more information, Pastor Kris

Sunday Morning

Open Door Class

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

People in the Parlor
Laugh, learn, commiserate, and celebrate with others as we share the joys of raising children in faith. We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:45-10:45 am in the Parlor for fellowship, prayer, and discussion.
Contact: Stephen Zapotoczny

Beginnings in Bradshaw
This class is for parents of younger children who are looking for ways to connect to others in the same stage of life and to explore God’s Word together each week. This is a conversation-based class in an informal setting, and all are welcome to join us!
Contact: Eliza Ferguson

Mary & Martha Class

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 ​​

Mid-Week Formation

Wednesday

The Seekers Group

Wednesday Mornings | 8:00 AM | The Parlor
Of all the books I read and retreats I attended during my Red Cross years, Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People made the most impact. Habit #5 (which should be #1 in my opinion) says Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.
​In her book, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, Barbara Brown Taylor implicitly uses this habit as a guide in her own journey to rekindle her Christian roots. As she states, “Holy Envy …is a book about how my envy of other traditions turned into holy envy, offering me the chance to be born again within my own tradition.”
Join the Seekers Group on Wednesday mornings at 8am in the Parlor beginning on January 29th as we read Holy Envy and explore the traditions of other religions and how such insights can inspire our own Christian faith.
Contact: Laurie Hays Coffman, Croasdaile Village Chaplain
Contact: Gary Boyd 

Wednesday Morning Ladies

Wednesday Mornings | 9:30 AM | The Parlor
We will be reading and discussing "Sabbath" by Mueller.
We have refreshments from 9:30 to 10 and then discussion until 11. All ages are welcome...we are a diverse group.
Contact: Barbara Self - 919-383-1830 or Karalyn Colopy - 919-956-7875

Thursday

Living Into Scripture
Thursday Mornings | 10:30 AM | The Parlor
We are a woman’s group who are trying to learn to live into the scriptures. We study books like Dr. Thomas Langford’s  Christian Wholeness. We will have a speaker one day in January on “Mindfulness Meditation.” We had a speaker in the fall on “Centering Prayer.”
After the our discussion we go to eat lunch at Croasdaile Village dining room about 12:30 PM. All are welcome to join us.
​Please call Ann S. Smith for more information at 919-384-2981.

The Downtown Group
Thursday Evenings | 7:30 PM | Location Varies
The “Downtown Small Group” invites YOU to join us each Thursday to dive even deeper into this year’s Congregational Theme, “You are welcomed. You are loved”. Each month we will have a different theme to discuss. The month of March we will be discussing: Age. Join us Thursday evenings as we study and discuss how we at Duke Memorial can be more welcoming of people of all ages!

Contact: Beverly to be added to the email list (and know the location)

Friday

JJ Henderson Bible Study

Friday Mornings | 10:00 AM | JJ Henderson Towers
Join us 10:00-11:30 am every Friday for Bible Study with our neighbors at JJ Henderson Towers.  
Contact: Don Underwood or Jerry Smith

Monthly Groups

Primetimers
Older Adults who gather on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm (Oct-Jun). During this season of social distancing, we invite you to join us online for fellowship and conversation.
​Contact: Tom Adkinson

Joy Club

A group of adults who enjoy fellowship and outings to interesting places and events in our area.
​Contact: Connie Chandler
Upcoming events: to be rescheduled after this season of social distancing. 
Some virtual tours you might take include:
  • National Parks | earth.google.com
    • "Each spring, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation dedicate a week to celebrating the protected spaces in our communities. Today, we’re bringing the national parks to you in a Google Earth guided tour through 31 different parks around the country."
  • North Carolina Zoo | nczoo.org
    • "The Zoo is also closed, but we have lots of animal stories to share.
      Join us virtually every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. for a fun, educational presentation about animals and nature."
      ​Archived videos are available on their YouTube channel.
  • Virtual Museums | mcn.edu
    • The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources and Online Collections.
      "In the blink of an eye, once-crowded museums sit empty. We’re preparing ourselves for social distancing and potential quarantine. This is the time for museum technology to step up and fill the void. The potential of online collections, virtual tours, and social media campaigns have always been there, but now the opportunity for impact is incalculable."
  • Northern Lights | explore.com
    • "Welcome to nature's most amazing light show. Located at the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Churchill, Manitoba, this live cam is located directly underneath the aurora oval--one of the best places on earth to watch the aurora borealis, the spectacular atmospheric phenomenon better known as the Northern Lights. Late winter and early spring are the best times for the aurora, so be sure to stop in during the months of February and March!"

Contact

Duke Memorial UMC
504 W. Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC  27701
(919) 683-3467 
office@dukememorial.org

Join Us

Sunday Formation | 9:45 am
Sunday Worship | 10:55 am 
Mid-Week Formation
​Community Missions