2025 Year-In-Review

SEE THE FULL BREADTH OF OUR WORK BY TAKING A LOOK AT OUR 2025 YEAR-IN-REVIEW. Learn more about our Mission, Vision, Values, and People.

Video by Fly Squirrel Film

Year-End Campaign

Join us in working toward a more caring, connected, and just Durham.

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Pilgrimage: A Journey Through Durham’s Story, Our Stories, and God’s Story

The Durham Pilgrimage, the Alabama Pilgrimage, the Genesis Journey, the Pilgrimage Alumni Network. This year we have nurtured transformative impact through life-changing journeys.

  • 12 Durham Pilgrimages in 2025
  • 173 Durham Pilgrimage participants in 2025
  • Over 1,000 Durham Pilgrimage participants to date

In a feedback survey for participants on the Durham Pilgrimage:

  • 100% “The pilgrimage increased my understanding of Durham’s history.”
  • 98% “The pilgrimage helped me understand how Durham’s story and my story are related.”
  • 98% “The pilgrimage helped me understand how Durham’s story and God’s story are related.”
  • 98% “The Pilgrimage helped me develop a sense and practice of the theology of place.”
  • 98% “I developed meaningful relationships during the Pilgrimage.”
  • 1 Genesis Journey with 17 participants
  • 3 Pilgrimage Alumni events and monthly alumni emails with engagement opportunities
  • A Durham to Alabama Pilgrimage design and development team created a plan to sustain the
  • Durham to Alabama Pilgrimage for years to come
  • 10 new pilgrimage facilitators trained

“It was amazing and I’ll never forget the experience” 

– Pilgrimage Participant

“I had what I thought was a pretty good grasp of Durham history going into Pilgrimage.  I learned even more about the history and perhaps more importantly about the cultures that have formed today’s Durham.  The experience has made me look at Durham from a new perspective and given me renewed hope for her future.”

– Pilgrimage Participant

“Thanks so much for doing this. It’s such important work.”

– Pilgrimage Participant

“It was a godsend. I wish everybody could do one.”

– Pilgrimage Participant

Unifying, Equipping, and Mobilizing Churches

Through Journey to Thriving, the Mt. Level Community Partnership for Racial Justice (MLCPRJ), convening church leaders, and connecting churches with the community, we are supporting churches as they follow Christ’s call to be unified and to love their neighbors in concrete, comprehensive, and sustained ways.

In a feedback survey for participants on the Durham Pilgrimage:

  • 23 total gatherings of church leaders in 2025.
    Sacred Fire city-wide Pentecost Worship Service with over 10 churches and over 200 attendees (with MLCPRJ).
  • Launched and sustained 3 cohorts – 17 total congregations – for Journey to Thriving, a three-year in-depth program of learning about Durham, reflecting on congregational identity, and adapting to the world around us.
  • Held three Journey to Thriving workshops on adaptation and local history.
  • Held coaching sessions and offered supportive consultation to congregations through Journey to Thriving.
  • Mobilized churches to respond to immediate needs related to Hurricane Chantal damage, food and nutrition, clothing, housing, transportation, financial assistance, and support for immigrants in response to immigration raids.
  • With MLCPRJ, hosted a book study on Migrant God: A Vision for Immigrant Justice by Isaac Villegas.

“I hope to become a church who is not afraid to change, and who is not afraid to claim Durham’s story as part of our story. We want to adapt as we learn more, and as our folks and communities’ needs change. We want to be good neighbors to our community and the people who live in it.”

– Journey to Thriving participant

Community Education and Collaboration

  • Partnered with MLCPRJ for CDF Freedom School where 50 scholars grades 1-8 received 6-week summer academic and life-skills enrichment.
  • Hosted a week of “Locked in Solidarity” events to respond to mass incarceration and care for people who are justice involved.
  • Hosted Bull City Madness 3v3 basketball tournament bringing together over 20 organizations, businesses, and congregations for community building and collaboration.
  • Co-hosted “No Longer Strangers” event on immigration with World Relief.
  • Published Advent in Durham devotional – printable, daily emails, and podcast – featuring 27 Durham leaders reflecting on Christ’s coming in Durham during Advent.
  • Hosted Advancing the Vision with Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings: recap, full event video.

Give to DurhamCares

We are seeking to raise all the support we need to sustain this work in 2026. Our goal is $200,000, and so far we have raised $180,000. Will you make a gift to help us reach our goal?

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