On a typical day at Avila Center for Community Leadership, the campus hums with energy. A wide range of groups connect and convene in the meeting spaces, working toward change in North Carolina and beyond. 

However, tucked away in a corner, one place at Avila always remains peaceful. Marked by a small, unassuming plaque, you might even miss it when you walk by. The Meditation Room at Avila overlooks the Peace Garden, both of which are maintained by Peace Hill at Avila. 

In the Meditation Room, which dates back to Avila’s time as a Carmelite monastery, you can find a place for prayer, contemplation, or a quiet moment. If you step through the sliding glass doors to the garden, you’ll be greeted by blooming flowers and an inviting place to sit and enjoy a warm summer day. 

Some exciting updates to these spaces are underway. In keeping pace with the ongoing renovations at Avila, the Meditation Room and the Peace Garden will soon be refreshed and transformed – stay tuned! In the meantime, during your next visit, we invite you to pause for a moment and enjoy the serenity that our corner of Avila’s campus has to offer. 

By Chalice Overy, Board Member

I was nurtured in the bosom of the charismatic Black Church, where silence was rare but contemplation abounded. We expected to commune with the divine in a way that was palpable and transformational, and through the wisdom of leaders like my grandmother and others, I learned the technologies that ushered us into that sweet communion. Despite my “formal” theological education, it is my formation in the Black church that has been most impactful.

One of the things that drew me to Peace Hill is its affirmation that contemplative practice takes many forms and that communion with God is essential to sustaining us in the work that we do in the world. As a spiritual leader, my desire is to help others foster their relationship with God and live out the fullness of their vocation in the world. I’m grateful to do this kind of work with Peace Hill, and also as a spiritual director, a mediator, and a preacher who enjoys re-storying sacred texts through a liberative lens.

In my 25 years in ministry, I have served as a youth minister, senior pastor and associate pastor in several denominations and church contexts. For the past 7 years, I’ve served as the Associate Pastor at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church–a place that gives me enough theological space to continue to grow. I’m also grateful to work among some amazing wellness professionals to provide “liberative, preventative, and intersectional wellness equity and healing justice services” through the Root Cause Collective.

I believe in work-life balance, or what the scripture calls “sabbath”. I make time for both rest and recreation–walking, weight training, eating good food, swimming, dancing, playing pickleball, and bathing in the wisdom of the natural world.

For the past two years, Peace Hill at Avila has hosted A Brief Respite, a contemplative gathering of nonprofit leaders that meets at Avila Center for Community Leadership on the fourth Wednesday of each month. A small but growing event, A Brief Respite began in response to a call from local nonprofit leaders. 

“I could feel in my body that as a nonprofit leader that could never shorten my to-do list, never find a way to take a breath, never stop to consider my own needs, I knew I had to find some sort of restorative rhythm to be able to continue to do the work I love, and be healthy and whole long term,” Dave Crispell, executive director of Jubilee Home, said.

Dave was not alone in yearning to slow down for a moment. According to a recent survey by The Center for Effective Philanthropy, 95 percent of nonprofit leaders are concerned about burnout. This awareness led Dave and Ben Haas, director of the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham, to search for a space for nonprofit leaders to rest and recenter themselves. 

“Having a little experience with Peace Hill, I sensed they and Terry knew a thing or two about creating the specific kind of space I was longing to inhabit and experience,” Dave said.

Terry Allebaugh, a life-long nonprofit leader and president of Peace Hill at Avila, recognized the need all-too-well.

“We set it up so that folks didn’t need to add something else to organize to their schedules; all they needed to do was set aside three hours on their schedule once a month and then find their way out to Avila,” he said. “We would have two hours of contemplative practice followed by lunch and conversation. With funding support from Westminster Presbyterian Church, we have been able to offer A Brief Respite for two years now.”

Ben emphasized the importance of inner life for nonprofit leaders, recalling Meister Ekhart’s assertion that “the outward work will never be puny if the inward work is great.” 

“Dave and I came to Terry with our sense of how punily Durham’s nonprofit environment resources that inner work, and our hopes of making greater space for it,” Ben said. “Peace Hill at Avila became an essential, faithful catalyst for that much-needed space. Month after month, A Brief Respite nudges folks immersed in human urgency toward the importance of putting on our own oxygen masks first. Accepting that simple invitation takes deliberate effort, and I don’t always make it. Every time I do, I leave deeply grateful.”

Dave echoed Ben in expressing appreciation for the space that A Brief Respite provides. 

“I always leave lighter, less exhausted, with more capacity to continue engaging, and believe I am better able to be the ED I want to be because of A Brief Respite,” he said. 

Priskila Arulpragasam, a graduate student in the UNC School of Social Work and intern at Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA), values the variety of approaches to contemplative practice offered by facilitators of A Brief Respite, as well as the consistent opportunity to slow down and rest.

“I think it’s really good to take some time to pause, because often, like with nonprofit work and with the work we do, we keep running, meeting after meeting, event after event,” she said. “I’ve always felt guilty when I didn’t do anything. I’d be like, ‘Am I wasting time?’ But, coming to and finding that space where I can be kind to myself and say, ‘you deserve this space,’ just, you know, absorb the environment, that’s something that’s been very valuable.”

Desireé Lucas, DCIA intern and graduate student studying social work at UNC and pursing a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University, affirmed the need for spaces like A Brief Respite. 

“I think just the fact that a space like this exist for leaders in the community, I think is really important, especially during very intense times like the ones that we’re in,” she said. “I think just the fact that it is a place for people to rest and take a moment to be present, I think is what makes it really valuable.”

Nonprofit leaders at all stages of their careers are welcome to join A Brief Respite. Every fourth Wednesday, attendees gather for contemplative practice from 10:00 am to noon, followed by lunch provided free of charge. There is no cost to attend, though registration is requested. Please email information@peacehillavila.org if you have any questions or if you’d like to be added to the mailing list. 

By Byron McMillan, Peace Hill Colleague of Counsel

When I first moved to New Mexico, I “stumbled” upon the book, “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I’m certain Harriett Tubman had something to do with it. 

It opened up my mind to indigenous wisdom and ecological consciousness. It opened up my heart to the idea of Radical Belonging that Barbara Holmes crystallized within me. 

Here are five principles that began helping me move through the disharmony of my colonized mind into the  harmony of what the Navajo call Hozho, the Cherokee call Eloheh, the Jews call Shalom, and some indigenous peoples of Africa call Ubuntu: 

1. Reciprocity: Emphasizes the importance of giving back to the Earth and maintaining a balance between taking and giving, fostering a relationship of mutual respect and care.

2. Gratitude: Encourages a mindset of thankfulness for the gifts of the natural world, which can shift perspectives from exploitation to appreciation and stewardship.

3. Interconnectedness: Highlights the interconnected nature of all living beings, promoting a holistic view of the world that values all forms of life and their roles in the ecosystem.

4. Respect for Indigenous Knowledge: Advocates for valuing and integrating indigenous wisdom and practices, recognizing their deep understanding of sustainable living and ecological balance.

5. Living in Harmony with Nature: Encourages living in a way that is in harmony with the natural world, respecting its limits and cycles, and striving for sustainability in daily life.

As a colleague of Peace Hill at Avila, I am committed to integrating the often overlooked indigenous knowledge and practices of the Americas with the contemplative traditions rooted in Peace Hill’s ancestral heritage. 

By combining these principles, we aim to enhance Peace Hill’s mission of building a compassionate and just society. This involves fostering mindfulness, ecological awareness, and a holistic approach to social action and community organizing.

In these challenging times, with powerful forces threatening the soul of our nation, Peace Hill has emerged as a beacon of hope. I wholeheartedly support this mission and am dedicated to its success.

By Evelyn Craig, Chair

My life’s path has consistently invited me to minister across generations and now extends to ministry across denominations, where I am immersed in “ecumenical goodness.” Throughout my religious life, I have cherished the freedom that continually calls me to become the best version of myself.

I brought my years of college campus ministry with me when I came to NC and Duke Divinity School offered me the opportunity to lead groups of students in Spiritual Formation. As a current self-employed Spiritual Director, I continue to meet with those who graduated and are pastors.

Peace Hill was at first a place where I found familiar meditative silence among a variety of denominations. My work with Peace Hill started with an invitation to attend regular “Morning Silence” gatherings. This led to me saying “yes” to an advisory board, which developed into an opportunity to serve as Chair of Peace Hill at Avila.

We planted all of the goodness of Peace Hill at Avila Center for Community Leadership, where our community has continued to grow. In this chapter of my life, I recognize my need to be part of a larger community where my contribution is multiplied by working with others, and Peace Hill is an important part of that. 

This past week, Avila partners and the wider community were invited post-election to gather around the fire pit for conversation and care. Some 35 people, including old and new acquaintances enjoyed an impromptu pot-luck meal including good comfort foods of pizza and s’mores. Conversations around the bonfire provided those assembled the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings, and the simple gift of being present to one another.

I spent the last week or so before the gathering on pause, seeking to allow the feelings of disappointment post-election some space in my mental landscape. Resisting the urge to become urgent, I listened to what was welling up from my deeper self as a meaningful guide toward what might emerge as next steps in the world. The phrase that kept coming back was “go wider and deeper.” Wider in the sense of taking the time to seek out and listen to those who have life experiences and perspectives that may differ from my own- immigrants, low wage-earners, those with limited health insurance, and yes, those who voted for the other candidate. Deeper in the sense of listening to the yearnings of my soul’s desire to strengthen my contemplative journey and there rediscover again and again my inherent connection with all things living. 

Perhaps what we are called to do next arises from going wider and deeper, listening without and within.

I enter quietly into the spacious community room. Nearly fifty chairs are set up in a large circle. A small table, adorned with a single burning candle and an old farm bell, stands in the middle. I take my seat and watch as the light of early morning before sunrise stealthily enters the room. Taking a few deep breaths, I close my eyes.

I am the first of our group to arrive this morning on the fifth day of our pilgrimage with John Philip Newell and Cami Twilling on the island of Iona on the western coast of Scotland.

Earlier in the week we had hiked to the northern beach of the three and half mile long island, to a place called Martyrs Bay. We were re-introduced to the Celtic cathedral of earth, sea, and sky, blending together into a single tapestry. It is a place where one can readily sense the deep connection to the sacred element of all created matter, including each of us.

It is also here, John Philip reminds us, that 68 Celtic Christian monks were slaughtered in 806 A.D. during a Viking raid on the Iona Abbey. The profane and violent layered on the sacred and enriching.

It is also here where we created on the shore a mandala of stone, seaweed, and grasses. Each person said brief words about the gathered stones as we placed them in quadrants representing earth, air, water, and fire. Our words abounded with yearning expressions of hope, compassion, justice, and love.

The same sandy beach where our mandala took shape had run red with the blood of the monks. We were invited to acknowledge both the tranquility and the violence that so often run together in our broken, beautiful world.

We stood quietly as the late afternoon sun cast shadows transfiguring our body shapes on the sand.

Days later in the quiet of this fifth morning sitting with my eyes closed, I hear a slight swish of the door followed by footfalls upon the floor as the pilgrims enter the room and make their way to a seat. First, it is one person at a time, then multiple sounds of entry layer upon each other. Some foot sounds are light like ballet dancers, and others heavier like beasts of burden. I hear a few canes tapping along the wooden floor. Some chairs creak as their occupants settle in. There are recurrent rustlings of papers and jackets directed to their spots on and underneath chairs. The cacophony increases until a moment when the room returns to stillness, like birds in the trees during a solar eclipse.  I hear Cami rise from her chair, walk to the center of the room, and sound the bell to begin our morning meditation.

I open my eyes. The rays of the risen sun are now shimmering on one wall. The first movement of the day’s symphony has ended, and the second one is dawning. There will be harshness in the world this day. There will also be those who recognize the light of love and the sound of hope. Let me be in that number.

By: Terry Allebaugh

October, 2024

We welcome Elaina Eakle as our part-time communications and event coordinator, the first staff member of Peace Hill at Avila! She will be directing online communications including newsletters, program announcements, and social media, as well as coordinating Peace Hill events at Avila and in the Durham community. Originally from Southeast Ohio, Elaina is a PhD Candidate in Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she studies organizational communication with a focus on activist organizing and coalition-building. In addition to her organizing work and studies, Elaina also teaches undergraduate communication courses. She enjoys hiking, writing, and spending time with her two cats.

“I am incredibly excited to join Peace Hill at Avila. Contemplative and restorative practices are vital resources in our current moment, as organizers and community members face ever-increasing stakes and demands. Peace Hill’s mission is an essential component of broader social justice goals and I’m grateful to be part of this work as the organization grows.”

You can contact Elaina at elaina@peacehillavila.org.

This summer we also welcomed new board members: April Allison, Lois Deloatch, and Racquel Gill.

Did you know the labyrinth at Avila is maintained and sponsored by Peace Hill at Avila?

The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth designs were found on pottery, tablets and tiles dating as far back as 4000 years. Many patterns are based on spirals from nature. In Native American culture it is called the Medicine Wheel. The Celts described it as the Never-Ending Circle. It is also called the Kabala in mystical Judaism.

One feature all labyrinths share is they have one path which winds in a circuitous way to the center.  Differently from a maze, a labyrinth provides a meditative pattern. Walking toward the center of the labyrinth is symbolic of accessing our own center of quiet. Walking the pattern outwardly denotes carrying our renewed selves back out into the world.

Walking a labyrinth is a personal practice and everyone does it for their own reasons.  While there are no set rules on how to do it, here are suggested guidelines to help you make the most of your labyrinth experience.   

Prior to the walk, sit or stand for a bit in the stillness.  If you go with a specific question or issue, put it out there and take a breath before entering the labyrinth.  As you enter, let your mind clear.  Focus on breathing as you move along the path.  Set a comfortable pace.

If other people are walking the labyrinth when you are, keep quiet and pass with care.  Respect the quest of other walkers as you expect them to do for you.

When you reach the center, stay for at least a moment, preferably longer, to allow answers, comfort, inspiration, prayer, or thoughts to enter your mind. 

Begin the reverse path when you are ready.

As you walk your return, take in the goodness of the ground beneath your feet, the air, the surroundings, and your thoughts. After you exit, take some time to reflect on your experience.

If you’d like to get involved, you can volunteer to help maintain the labyrinth. To learn more, please contact us.