Peace Hill at Avila

Morning Silence
2025-06-04 08:00, 2025-06-18 08:00, 2025-07-02 08:00, 2025-07-16 08:00, 2025-09-03 08:00, 2025-09-17 08:00, 2025-10-01 08:00, 2025-10-15 08:00 (America/New_York) and 9 more dates
Morning Silence is an ongoing event that occurs from 8:00 – 9:00 am on Zoom on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Rotating facilitators provide a few words about the theme(s) for the day to introduce each session. Two sessions of silence (20 minutes) follow with a brief time of stretching in between. The time concludes with 10 minutes of sharing from the participants. To be added to the notification list, please go to contact us page.

Practice, Poetry and Play
2025-06-04 08:30 - 14:30 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
Clergy Together for a Day of Re-Creation, Song, and Joy

Location: Avila Center for Community Leadership, 711 Mason Rd, Durham, NC 27712

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This will be the second of three gatherings in 2025 with the intent of providing helpful space and time for clergy conversation and camaraderie.

Retreat facilitators:

Lois DeloatchMusic Artist; Senior Fellow, Self-Help

Lois Deloatch’s prior leadership roles include Executive Vice President at Self-Help, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement at NCCU, and Executive Director of the NCCU Foundation. For 21 years, she worked at Duke University as Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Major Gifts Officer, and Development Officer. She is also an active music artist, a longtime resident of Durham, and a native of Northampton County, NC. Her service with Peace Hill is focused on uplifting the community, especially under-resourced and systematically oppressed people, and advancing peace.

Racquel GillMinister for Intercultural Engagement, Duke University Chapel

In addition to her work at Duke Chapel, Racquel Gill is the Theologian in Residence for the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South and a member of the board of directors at the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Racquel is grateful for the radical welcome and acceptance she received from the Peace Hill community and continues to share and explore connections between advocacy for the world and the life of the Spirit as a board member.

Chalice OveryAssociate Pastor, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church; Spiritual Director, Root Cause Collective

In addition to her roles at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church and Root Cause Collective, Chalice Overy co-directed a BIPOC clergy support initiative through Duke Divinity School’s Clergy Health Initiative and provides spiritual support for folks doing justice work. Chalice believes that a connection to The Divine or one’s own soul is necessary for sustaining integral justice movements. She focuses on trauma-informed and culturally-informed spiritual practice, and enjoys movement, spending time outside, skiing, and pickleball.

Registration is limited. A healthy lunch, drinks, and snacks will be provided. For scholarship requests, please contact elaina@peacehillavila.org.

Sponsored by Peace Hill, RCWMS, and Duke University Chapel.

Seasons Within
2025-06-20 09:00 - 15:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
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How Do You Keep the Music Playing?

In the midst of changes, challenges, and choices, how do you keep the music of your heart alive? How do you allow your soul to continue to sing out its deepest longing in a world that often seems, gone mad?

We will gather as beloved community and share our hearts’ songs through meditation, sharing our stories, labyrinth play, and yes, even making melodies, strung together by love and light.

Facilitator Shirli Hughes says: “As a musician, I am always listening for hidden melodies, found in unexpected places that bring joy to my soul. This is the joy that I want to share with you and watch in wonder as you discover and reconnect with your own inner song, waiting to be set free!”

Seasons Within is a quarterly retreat series to celebrate the equinox and solstice sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila.

Public Talk with Lama Rod Owens
2025-07-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Eno River Unitarian Church, 4907 Garrett Road, Durham, NC, 27707, United States
Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Durham NC

Online registration is now closed. Participants are welcome to register at the door.

In a time of systems collapse and rapid change, we are invited to remember who we are and resolve to do the work of learning to be free in an unfree world.

This ticket option is for the Thursday evening talk only. If you would like to attend the weekend retreat, please register at this link. Please note, registration for the weekend retreat includes Thursday admission.

Presented by Bhumi Durham in partnership with Peace Hill at Avila.

Learn more about Lama Rod Owens here.

The Werk of Getting Free
2025-07-25 15:00 - 2025-07-27 15:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
Avila Center for Community Leadership, Durham NC

Join Waiting List

We are living through an apocalypse, a period of deep truth unveiling. This revelation seems overwhelming especially as it calls into question our participation in social systems that perpetuate violence, including racism and white supremacy. Through skillful practice, we can meet these challenges, remember who we are, and lean into love, community, and belonging. Join Lama Rod Owens as he guides us into relationship with our suffering and with both the seen and the unseen worlds to do the work of abolishing systems of violence. Through connection to the elders, the elements, land, indigenous wisdom, our magic, and our practice, we can learn to be the medicine we and our communities need.

During our time together on retreat we will share the work and werk of getting free, which will include:

Meditation

Movement

Ancestor practices

Earth-based rituals and practices

Group dialogues and discussions

Laughter and joy

Love and compassion practices

Presented by Bhumi Durham in partnership with Peace Hill at Avila.

REGISTRATION PROCESS:

The first round of applications is now closed. To join the waiting list, please fill out the form at this link:

Join Waiting List

We expect this retreat to be oversubscribed, so preference will be given to BIPOC, LGBTQ people, and those who have been studying with Lama Rod. The first group of applicants will be admitted in May, after which all remaining applicants will be added to a waiting list. Admissions will continue until the retreat is full, and often there are last minute cancellations which allow those still on the waiting list to be admitted.

TICKET PRICING:

Residential retreat (includes single-room accommodations and meals): $500

Residential retreat (pay it forward to help us provide support): $600

Supported residential retreat (scholarship rate): $350

Non-residential retreat (commuter ticket includes meals but not overnight accommodations): $300

The Thursday evening talk is included in any of these registration options.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

The retreat containerAfter the opening program on the first night until the noon meal on the third day, everyone is invited to enter into silence throughout the buildings and grounds. At times, such as the Q&A sessions, silence will be lifted in the meditation hall.

This supportive silence invites all yogis to refrain from verbal and written communication with others, including telephone calls, texts, and emails. There will be an emergency number for emergencies.

MealsCoffee and tea will be available during the retreat. Meals will be vegetarian. Please let us know allergies and food intolerances on your application form.

LodgingAll rooms are single, and some are more accessible than others. Please let us know your accessibility needs on the application form. Some of the rooms that require stairs are large double rooms, and a limited number of these can be shared at a lower cost upon request.

Accessibility Please help us make this retreat as accessible as possible by telling us about your accessibility needs on the application.

Location of the retreat The retreat venue is Avila Center, a 20-minute drive from downtown Durham and a 35-minute drive from the Raleigh Durham (RDU) airport.

The Avila Center for Community Leadership is a nonprofit community center, where people and groups connect, deepen their work and rejuvenate. The mission of the center is to support and connect community organizers and leaders working together for systemic change in the South and beyond. The buildings are surrounded by 50 acres of green space and trails.

You can learn more about Avila at this link.

If you have questions about this retreat or your registration, please contact Karen at BhumiDurham@gmail.com

Seasons Within
2025-09-22 09:00 - 15:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
Homecoming: An Autumn Immersion

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You’re invited to join us for a day of celebrating the sensuous autumn season. With the intention of finding inner peace in these changing times, we’ll come together to share in a day of mindful practices such as meditation, journal writing, labyrinth walks, and movement. We will focus on the richness of this beautiful season to gain insights and healing from Mother Nature.

If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable,those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable. -Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Facilitator: Phil Mathews, Peace Hill Board of Directors

Phil Mathews worked in pastoral ministry for over 30 years, including serving as HIV/AIDS Chaplain, Program Director for AIDS Interfaith Network of North Texas, and a variety of roles at the Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). While Associate Pastor at MCC of Washington DC, he led mission teams in the Dominican Republic. His last service in professional ministry was as Pastor of Imani MCC of Durham NC. Peace Hill has become one of his “faith communities” since retiring from ministry in the church.

Seasons Within is a quarterly retreat series to celebrate the equinox and solstice sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila.

Footsteps Ahead of Ours
2025-09-26 17:00 - 2025-09-27 18:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
A cultural review of the first occupants of Orange and Durham counties

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Beverly ScarlettCo-Founder, Indigenous Memories

Join Beverly Scarlett for a transformative overnight retreat exploring the history of the land, water sources, and the first occupants of Orange and Durham counties, filled with live music, movement, and storytelling. Together, we’ll learn about the lives of Indigenous, Maroon, Slave, and Free People of Color who occupied land along the Historic Indian Trading Path now called Mason Road, and how that history shapes the place many of us call home today. Footsteps Ahead of Ours is an opportunity to gain knowledge that has been erased and rewritten in familiar historical narratives, in a way that you’ve never experienced history before.

As part of the retreat, participants will have the opportunity to visit sacred burial spaces maintained by Indigenous Memories, including several likely ancient Indigenous burial mounds, disrupted burial mounds, and a Maroon cemetery where Indigenous and Free People of Color are buried in the same space. During a 3-mile historical hike, Beverly will share the art of dowsing, instruction on identifying Indigenous burials and slave burials.

Participants will learn about and have the opportunity to take part in the The Hillsborough Legacy Project, which explores the genetic and historical stories of the Hardscrabble/Pleasant Grove Plantation in Hillsborough, North Carolina, as well as how this history impacts the modern health of descendants. On Saturday, participants will also enjoy live music performed by Ajusher.

The retreat begins at 5:00 pm on Friday and ends at 7:00 pm on Saturday. The registration fee of $249 will cover lodging, meals, and the retreat program. A limited number of commuter tickets are available, and a discounted rate will be available to those opting to share a room. Scholarship assistance is available to those with financial need. To request a scholarship, please email information@peacehillavila.org

Scholarship funding is generously provided by Bluestem and individual donors.

About the Retreat Leader

Judge Beverly A. Scarlett is a native of Orange County, North Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Augustine’s College and a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law-Evening Division. Upon graduating from law school, she returned to her home community where she practiced law as a solo practitioner, assistant district attorney, and district court judge. After retiring from the State of North Carolina in 2021, Judge Scarlett began focusing on the history of her ancestors. She co-founded Indigenous Memories along with her sister Yolanda, being supported by her sister Jackie, and cousins Maureen and Teresa. Through her work with Indigenous Memories, Judge Scarlett utilizes modalities of the arts (paintings, music, storytelling and writing books) to share the rich history of her Indigenous, Maroon, and Slave ancestors as found in court records, newspapers, and traditional oral history. Judge Scarlett proudly shares the history of her family to provide a more complete history of the lives of People of Color in Alamance, Durham, and Orange counties, and to lend context to the recorded history of North Carolina’s Piedmont.

About the Retreat Setting

Avila Center for Community Leadership

The retreat will be held at Avila Center for Community Leadership, a rural setting 20 minutes north of downtown Durham. Originally a Carmelite monastery that has since been transformed into a center for community organizing, Avila offers private and shared accommodations nestled into the woods. The 50-acre property includes trails, a labyrinth, as well as numerous spaces for conversation and quiet moments of contemplation.

Nourishing meals featuring local farm-fresh ingredients will be provided by Netta’s Pantry, including dinner on Friday and breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, as well as plenty of snacks and beverages.

This retreat is for those with curiosity about the place they call home and an openness to relearn what they have been taught, as well as those looking to reconnect with the land and with each other.

Sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be received at least 30 days prior to the retreat for a refund, less a $25 processing fee.

Weathering the Storm: A Contemplative Retreat in the Manner of Friends
2025-10-24 12:00 - 2025-10-26 12:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
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Join us for Weathering the Storm: A Contemplative Retreat in the Manner of Friends, October 24-26, 2025, at the Avila Center for Community Leadership in Durham, North Carolina. Together we will reflect upon the storms that we are now encountering, whether in our nation, community, or as individuals. Who might we become through the storm? What may be lost? Gained? In what ways have we been faithful within the storm?

All are welcome. Participants from varying spiritual backgrounds will experience the distinctly Quaker manner of contemplation in community. There will be opportunities for both solitude and for sharing. We will have silent time for prayer and reflection, walks among the trees, and contemplative interaction with scripture, as well as worship together and sharing out of the silence. Participants may, if they wish, meet one-on-one with a retreat leader.

Our retreat leaders are April Allison of Durham Friends Meeting in North Carolina and Maryann Concannon of Red Cedar Friends in Lansing, Michigan. This retreat is co-sponsored by School of the Spirit and Peace Hill at Avila, and Elaina Eakle of Peace Hill will provide on-site support for the retreat.

The retreat begins with lunch at noon Friday and concludes after morning worship on Sunday. The registration fee of $560 will cover lodging, meals, and program. A commuter rate of $400 is also available. Scholarships are available for those with financial need. If you have questions, email info@schoolofthespirit.org.

April Allison

April Allison is a member of Durham Friends Meeting (North Carolina), a spiritual director, board member of Peace Hill at Avila, and an experienced retreat leader. She has led contemplative retreats under the care of the School of the Spirit in Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina since 2012.

Maryann Concannon

Maryann Concannon (Red Cedar Meeting, Lansing, Michigan, Lake Erie Yearly Meeting) is a graduate of The School of the Spirit program, Participating in God’s power. She enjoys crocheting and knitting. She lives with her rescue dog, Evie.

Schedule

The retreat will begin with lunch on Friday, 10/24, and end after morning worship on Sunday, 10/26.

A detailed schedule will be sent in advance by the retreat leaders.

Flexible Fees

The full cost of attendance is $560. A commuter rate of $400 is also available (includes meals and retreat activities but not lodging).

Our intention with Contemplative Retreats is to break even. Because retreat center costs have gone up, we have had to increase the cost of the retreat. We recognize that this cost may be prohibitive for some attendees, and assistance is available! Please reach out to us about scholarships at info@schoolofthespirit.org.

Registration

Please register early, as you are led.

Registration is in TWO steps.

STEP 1: Please fill out the registration form. The form will ask for your personal information, your room and dietary preferences, and how you will pay. At the time of registration, you will pay either the full cost of $560.00, or the minimum payment of $75.00 and indicate that you would like to receive a scholarship form.

STEP 2: Instructions as to how to pay will appear on your Confirmation Page. Paying online will take you to PayPal where you can pay via credit card. You do NOT need a PayPal account to do this. If you will be making multiple payments, please reach out to us at info@schoolofthespirit.org to set up a payment plan.

Alternatively you can send a check made out to the School of the Spirit Ministry, for the amount in the table. Mail your check to: The School of the Spirit Ministry, c/o 4 Long Shoals Rd. Ste. B484 Arden, NC 28704.

Keep an eye out for an email from us with any further instructions.

Cancellation Policy30 days or more prior to the event, full refund less $30 processing fee. 14-29 days prior to the event, 50% refund. Less than 15 days, no refund.

Calm in the Chaos
2025-11-05 08:30 - 14:30 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
Lessons and Practices from the Works of Barbara Holmes

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Spend a beautiful fall day with clergy colleagues as we are led in learning about and experiencing spiritual practices from the late Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes. The day will include large and small group conversations, spiritual practices, times of silence, and a nourishing lunch. Read about Dr. Holmes, author of Crisis Contemplation and other books on contemplative life, here.

“When everything around you is beyond your control and you shatter, you find within you a space of solitude, peace, and refuge that allows you to begin to gather yourself again.“ -barbara holmes

This is the third in a series of three clergy support events sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila, The Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, and Duke University Chapel.

Retreat Facilitators

Dr. Dumas Harshaw, Peace Hill Board Treasurer

Dr. Dumas Harshaw has dedicated over five decades to Christian ministry, focusing on teaching, preaching, and spiritual formation. Ordained by the National Baptist and American Baptist conventions, he has preached globally and studied Christian thought extensively. He is a student and researcher of the thought and impact of Howard Thurman around “Contemplative Engagement,” allowing him to bring expertise as a board member that deepens the foundations of Peace Hill’s work.

Evelyn Craig, Peace Hill Board Chair

Evelyn Craig serves as a Spiritual Director for pastors and those studying at Duke Divinity School. She thrives on her ecumenical involvements with seekers from all denominations and those not affiliated with religious institutions. Evelyn enjoys long walks and Tai Chi. She found her “tribe” through Peace Hill at Avila, and appreciates learning from others in the Peace Hill community, allowing her to expand her awareness and experience.

Seasons Within
2025-12-21 15:00 - 21:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
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The darkness invites our curiosity to rest in what we don’t yet know, and listen with compassion. On the longest night of the year, we’ll gather to ground, breathe, and remember that faith lives in the body. Together, we’ll witness ourselves and each other, honoring this sacred pause as the light begins to return.

Come as you are. Leave as you will.

We will gather from 3:00pm – 9:00pm to explore standing meditation, gentle movement, and restful reflection. Bring a yoga mat, blankets, pillows/bolsters, and a journal to support your practice. Dinner is provided around 5:30pm.

Facilitator: Shakira Bethea

The winter retreat will be led by Shakira Bethea. With over a decade of experience as a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, Shakira’s deep commitment to embodied living has evolved over time, shaping her brand Rhythmic Bloom.

She guides others on a transformative journey of spiritual and personal growth, helping them reset after grief, depression, and life’s hardships. Through loving honesty and mindful movement, she supports individuals in finding resonance, reclaiming their rhythm, and embracing a life of deeper connection and purpose.

You can learn more about her work at www.rhythmicbloom.com.

Seasons Within is a quarterly retreat series to celebrate the equinox and solstice sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila.

Elder Spirituality
2026-02-14 09:00 - 2026-02-15 15:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
The Possibilities of Now

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Rescheduled from original dates (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) due to inclement weather.

Our spiritual lives change as we age and as our circumstances change with it. In this retreat, we will explore our spiritual journeys in the context of our later years, when there is more time in the rearview mirror than on the road ahead. What changes and losses are you grieving? What new opportunities, gifts, and invitations are you noticing? What are you yearning for? What signposts of wisdom are you noticing within yourself? Through creative activities, contemplative prayer, and reflective conversation, we will journey together through this elder land, discovering what might be possible and what we may need to leave behind.

The retreat begins at 9:00 am on Saturday and ends at 3:00 pm on Sunday. The registration fee of $225 covers lodging, meals, and the retreat program. A limited number of commuter tickets are available, and a discounted rate will be available to those opting to share a room. Scholarship assistance is available to those with financial need. Please email information@peacehillavila.org to request a scholarship.

Retreat Facilitators

Cate Alexander

Cate Alexander is a spiritual companion/director and contemplative group leader, who currently facilitates a contemplative eldering group at the Center for Action and Contemplation, where she completed three years of study. Recognizing that the spiritual journey is lifelong, Cate enjoys accompanying others in the sacred work that is uniquely theirs to do, and in gathering the wisdom of their lives, so that they might pass freely the gifts of the journey. Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, her training encompasses spiritual formation, contemplative practice, Ignatian spirituality, discernment for major life decisions, grief support, trauma-informed companionship, Christian and wisdom traditions, and social justice. Cate holds academic credentials from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (sociology/political science), Johns Hopkins University (communications), and George Mason University (conflict resolution).

Mary Kay Glazer

Mary Kay Glazer is a true friend, a calm, non-anxious presence, and a creative and quirky soul. She typically brings her whole eclectic self to the variety of things she does, including her work as an ordained interspiritual minister, spiritual director, retreat leader, Life-Cycle Celebrant®/ceremony specialist, and writer. Having been raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, she has been a Quaker since 1989. Her background includes a master’s degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Spring Arbor University, Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program, and School of the Spirit’s Spiritual Nurture Program. She was once a television news producer, then worked in public relations for a variety of places, including the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, NY. She lives in Eastern NC with her husband. Learn more at www.mkglazer.com and www.soulsongceremonies.com.

About the Retreat Setting

Avila Center for Community Leadership

The retreat will be held at Avila Center for Community Leadership, a rural setting 20 minutes north of downtown Durham. Originally a Carmelite monastery that has since been transformed into a center for community organizing, Avila offers private and shared accommodations nestled into the woods. The 50-acre property includes trails, a labyrinth, as well as numerous spaces for conversation and quiet moments of contemplation.

Nourishing meals featuring local ingredients will be provided by Chef Netta of Netta’s Pantry, including lunch and dinner on Saturday, breakfast and lunch on Sunday, and plenty of snacks and beverages.

Sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation requests must be received at least 30 days prior to the retreat in order to receive a refund, less a $25 processing fee.

Public Talk with Lama Rod Owens
2026-03-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Eno River Unitarian Church, 4907 Garrett Road, Durham, NC, 27707, United States
Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Durham NC

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As the land around us awakens, we will settle into community practice, grounding ourselves in an awareness that helps us meet the world’s unraveling with clarity and compassion.

This ticket option is for the Saturday evening talk only. If you would like to attend the March 8-10 retreat, please apply at this link. Please note, registration for the retreat includes Saturday admission.

Presented by Bhumi Durham in partnership with Peace Hill at Avila.

Learn more about Lama Rod Owens here.

Awakening into Spring
2026-03-08 15:00 - 2026-03-10 15:00 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
Avila Center for Community Leadership, Durham NC

Retreat Application

We are excited to once again offer a retreat with Lama Rod Owens March 8-10. As the land around us awakens, we will settle into community practice, grounding ourselves in an awareness that helps us meet the world’s unraveling with clarity and compassion.

A retreat allows us to do the deep work and healing that our minds, bodies, spirits, ancestors, and the earth are calling for so strongly. It is a gift we can give ourselves which also affects all the lives we touch.

If you are new to practice with Lama Rod or new to meditation retreats, you are most welcome. Also most welcome are those who have formed community during last year’s retreat at Avila and previous retreats with Lama Rod.

We will meditate together and engage in movement, compassion, and earth-based ancestor practices and rituals. Both residential and commuter opportunities are available, and we have scholarship assistance. There is an application process and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks will have priority.

The retreat begins on Sunday, March 8, and ends on Tuesday, March 10. Lama Rod will also offer an evening talk that is open to the public on Saturday, March 7, which is included with retreat registration.

If you have any questions about the registration process or about the retreat center, email Elaina at elaina@peacehillavila.org.

If you have other questions about the retreat, email Karen at BhumiDurham@gmail.com.

Learn more about Lama Rod Owens here.

Presented by Bhumi Durham in partnership with Peace Hill at Avila.

REGISTRATION PROCESS:

There is an application process for this retreat. Please note, you must have an approved application in order to register. To apply, please fill out the form at this link:

Retreat Application

We expect this retreat to be oversubscribed, so preference will be given to BIPOC, LGBTQ people, and those who have been studying with Lama Rod. Admissions will continue until the retreat is full, after which applicants will be added to a waiting list. Often, there are last-minute cancellations which allow those on the waiting list to be admitted.

TICKET PRICING:

Residential retreat (includes single-room accommodations and meals): $500

Pay-it-forward Residential retreat (help us provide support to other participants): $600

Non-residential retreat (commuter ticket includes meals but not overnight accommodations): $350

Pay-it-forward Non-residential retreat (help us provide support to other participants): $400

All ticket options include the March 7 evening talk.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

The retreat containerAfter the opening program on the first night until the noon meal on the third day, everyone is invited to enter into silence throughout the buildings and grounds. At times, such as the Q&A sessions, silence will be lifted in the meditation hall.

This supportive silence invites all yogis to refrain from verbal and written communication with others, including telephone calls, texts, and emails. There will be an emergency number for emergencies.

MealsCoffee and tea will be available during the retreat. Meals will be vegetarian. Please let us know allergies and food intolerances on your application form. We can usually accommodate dietary restrictions.

LodgingAll rooms are single, and some are more accessible than others. Please let us know your accessibility needs on the application form. Some of the rooms that require stairs are large double rooms, and a limited number of these can be shared at a lower cost upon request.

Accessibility Please help us make this retreat as accessible as possible by telling us about your accessibility needs on the application.

Location of the retreat The retreat venue is Avila Center for Community Leadership, a 20-minute drive from downtown Durham and a 35-minute drive from the Raleigh Durham (RDU) airport.

Avila is a nonprofit community center, where people and groups connect, deepen their work and rejuvenate. The mission of the center is to support and connect community organizers and leaders working together for systemic change in the South and beyond. The buildings are surrounded by 50 acres of green space and trails.

You can learn more about Avila at this link.

If you have questions about this retreat, please contact Karen at BhumiDurham@gmail.com

What's Love Got To Do With It?
2026-03-12 09:30 - 14:30 | Avila, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC, 27712, United States
How to love ourselves and each other in a divided world

Photo by Angie Wright

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This day retreat at Avila Center for Community Leadership will invite participants into one of the most challenging and transformative teachings shared across many spiritual traditions: the call to love one’s enemies while also learning to love oneself with honesty, dignity, and care.

Rather than treating these practices as opposite, we will explore how they are deeply connected and mutually empowering. What does love look like? What does love require of us? How can we embody love in the midst of discord and division?

Rev. Angie Wright and Rev. Dr. Cathy S. Gilliard will guide participants as we explore personal challenges, unhealed wounds, and hopes for moving forward with greater intention and grace.

Sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila and RCWMS.

Retreat Facilitators

Rev. Angie Wright

Rev. Angie Wright is the author of Loving My Enemies & Other Outlandish Pursuits, a memoir of family, faith and power. Angie is a retired UCC pastor devoted to the pursuits of justice and mercy. She has two splendid sons and one precocious 8-year-old grandson.

Rev. Dr. Cathy S. Gilliard

Rev. Dr. Cathy Gilliard is a retired United Methodist Church pastor, having most recently served as senior minister at Park Avenue United Methodist Church, New York, NY. She is the proud mother of two wonderful sons and six amazing grandchildren.

Loving My Enemies & Other Outlandish Pursuits

This memoir of faith, family, and power follows Rev. Angie Wright’s commitment as an activist and pastor to stand against hate without indulging the temptation of hating the haters. In her story, spirituality meets social justice, and betrayal pushes against the ethic of forgiveness. Rev. Wright probes questions most of us have to face at times in our lives: How do we reconsider our relationship with people we’ve been taught to hate and fear? And when others wreak harm on us or our communities, can we respond in ways that summon their humanity while protecting our own?

Purchase the book here.
