Durham’s story. Your story. God’s story.

Overview

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. Through the pilgrimage you will immerse yourself in the story of the city and the Biblical story as you reflect with others on what it means for how you live your life in Durham. Join us for this transformative experience connecting Durham’s story, your story and God’s story.

Pilgrimage Dates

Open Pilgrimages (anyone can register)

  • Open Pilgrimage – March 15th-17th, 2024
  • Open Pilgrimage – October 18th-20th, 2024

Custom Pilgrimages (reserved for designated groups)

  • The Summit Church
  • Trinity School: January 3rd-8th, 2024
  • Duke Chapel: February 23rd-25th, 2024
  • King’s Park – June 7th-9th, 2024
  • BRI(DDD)GE – August 16th-18th, 2024
  • Duke Chapel – October 4th-6th, 2024
Register
Payment

sample pilgrimage itinerary

Friday Evening

4:00pm – 4:15pm
Meet at Stagville Plantation (5828 Old Oxford Road, Durham, NC) and get settled

4:15pm – 4:45pm
Devotional to prepare for the Pilgrimage Immersion

4:45pm – 5:30pm
Native/Indigenous Story in Durham

5:30pm – 7:00pm
Stagville Historical Site Tour

7:00pm – 8:30pm
Dinner at Stagville with guided reflection

Saturday
Morning

8:30am – 11:30am

Meet at ReCity for guided walking pilgrimage of downtown Durham (112B Broadway Street, Durham, NC)

  • Pauli Murray

  • The Carolina Theatre

  • Black Wall Street – Parrish Street

  • Former Woolworths/One City Center

  • Discover Durham Visitors Bureau

  • Durham History Hub Museum

  • Duke Memorial United Methodist Church

  • NC Mutual Life Insurance Company

Saturday
Afternoon

11:30am – 1:00pm
Lunch at Provident 1898 (411 W Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC)

1:00pm – 2:00pm
Personal Reflection time at Provident 1898 and around downtown

2:00pm – 3:30pm
Virginia Williams (1957 Royal Ice Cream Sit-In Participant) at Provident 1898)

3:30pm – 5:30pm
Break

5:30pm – 7:00pm
Story of the Hayti community (WG Pearson Center – 1200 Spaulding Street, Durham, NC)

Sunday

9:45am -11:30am
Worship (Mt. Level MBC, 316 Hebron Road, Durham, NC)

12:00pm – 1:30pm
Lunch and presentation about the Latina/o community (Mt. Level MBC)

2:20pm – 3:25pm
Durham Then, Durham Now Panel (ReCity)

3:30pm – 6:30pm
Talking Circle and Dinner (ReCity)

testimonials

I felt so welcome at the church, even though I am not an African American – what a beautiful time to share in the spiritual heritage and culture of this church that has been in Durham for such a long time!
– Pilgrimage Participant
What a beautiful worship experience! I enjoyed seeing people filled with the joy of the Lord and to be part of a worship service. I got to see how the culture of a people different from me. I also felt very welcomed and valued by the members of the church.
– Pilgrimage Participant
I thought the range of sites we visited and speakers we had made the pilgrimage very valuable for me. It allowed me to reflect about how I fit in to the Durham community, and how I could go about in the future being a more productive/active member in the community
– Pilgrimage Participant

The Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope Video Curriculum is a complete video series based on the transformative Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope Weekend Immersion. While the Video Curriculum is not a substitute for the Weekend Immersion, it deepens the journey for people who have been on the Weekend Immersion and provides a pilgrimage-based opportunity for those unable to participate in the Weekend Immersion.

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Custom Pilgrimage

DurhamCares can organize a custom Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope for your church, organization, or group.

Contact Us

Pilgrimage Consulting

Interested in designing a pilgrimage in your city? We will work with you to shape a journey in your context.

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