Gifts don’t grow alone—they grow in community!

By |March 27th, 2025|Uncategorized|

L’Arche was founded with Christian roots, and today, L’Arche NC is a nonfaith organization that welcomes people of all backgrounds. We partner with a wide range of religious and social organizations, which helps us live out our vision of being an inclusive community of communities. At L’Arche NC, we recognize that people of every belief system and tradition seek meaning, purpose, and belonging—and we strive to create a space where everyone feels at home.

Last Sunday, friends of L’Arche North Carolina joined Edenton Street UMC for worship. It was a beautiful Spring morning to share in community together. I had the honor of sharing a sermon; it was my first time doing so since L’Arche NC welcomed our Core Members and Assistants to move into the house. The lectionary text for the Sunday was Luke 13:1-9, the parable of the barren fig tree.

I’ve copied my sermon below; or, you can watch the YouTube clip, which also includes our L’Arche friends reading some of the prayers (beginning at 20:00), scripture, and assisting with communion.

Loving God, thank You for the gift of community – help us to receive Your Word today with open hearts and to grow in love for one another. Amen.

  1. The Fig Tree: Waiting to Be Seen

Beloved friends of L’Arche North Carolina, members of Edenton Street, and guests,

Today, we reflect on Jesus’ parable of the barren fig tree from Luke 13:1–9. 

A landowner comes to a fig tree in his vineyard and finds no fruit for the third year in a row. He’s ready to cut it down—ready to write it off. But the gardener steps in with a plea: “Leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it. I’ll fertilize it. Let me care for it, and then we’ll see.”

This parable is about more than a tree. It’s about how we respond to one another when we don’t immediately see results, productivity, or success. It’s a story of grace—and a call to faithful, patient, relational care.

Because the truth is: Gifts don’t grow alone—they grow in community.

At first glance, the fig tree looks like a disappointment. No fruit, no value—just taking up space. In a world that often measures people by their output, the landowner’s response feels familiar: If it’s not useful, remove it.

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What a Ball!

By |August 15th, 2022|Uncategorized|

Our L'Arche Community is growing! We had some new friends and familiar faces gather at the Durham Bulls game on Friday, August 12. We had a total of 29 people join us as we cheered on the Durham Bulls! Our enthusiastic cheers helped the Bulls win against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Winning was fun, but the best part of the evening was getting to know new friends. The night ended with fireworks -- which was fitting because we all had a BLAST! This community gathering was made possible by grant funds from the NCCDD Summer Program Grant. We are grateful for the ways these funds have helped provide opportunities to be and learn together.

Sharing about L’Arche

By |August 1st, 2022|Uncategorized|

We love visitng local congregations and organizations! Yesterday L'Arche was at Raleigh Mennonite Church. We visited with Liddy Grantland, who graduated from Duke University and now serves the L'Arche GWDC (Greater Washington D.C) community. She delivered a sermon during the service with L'Arche stories, reflections, and wisdom. You can listen to her sermon here.  Through Liddy's stories, you can learn more about L'Arche. As she shares about her community, we invite you to consider supporting L'Arche GWDC, but in prayer and gifts. Likewise, as you listen, dream with us about the L'Arche Community we are building here in the Triangle Area. During the service, we also had the opportunity to share some of the gifts of L'Arche North Carolina. Kyla, a regular volunteer and participant of L'Arche NC, shared a poem and Laura provided image description of the slides. It's always a blessing to be in community with local congregations. We'd love to visit you and your religious, nonfaith, or civic group. Please email Laurasl@larchenc.org to plan a L'Arche NC visit to your club or organization.    

What a SAILABRATION: a recap of our 2022 breakfast fundraiser

By |July 26th, 2022|Uncategorized|

On Saturday, July 23 we held a L'Arche NC SAILABRATION Breakfast at Duke Memorial UMC in Durham. We had pancakes, music, and a mini boat regatta! This gathering celebrated our growing community. It provided an opportunity for friends (new and old) to come together for fun. Thank you to everyone who joined us. It was so much to create and watch the regatta race. Congrats to Kevin for winning the Fastest Boat Award and Dash for winning Best of Show. During our morning together, our Executive Director, Laura Steed Lorino, asked audience members, "What are you celebrating this month? There is always something to celebrate!" Some attendees shared of new jobs, others shared about their anniversary, while others focused on recent accomplishments. At L'Arche, we CELEBRATE! And, we continue to celebrate the community that is growing in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. THANK YOU for being a part of it. Our breakfast also meant that we could share more about the mission and vision of L'Arche NC. We are excited for our future! L'Arche staff, read more

Disability & Pride: Panel Discussion

By |July 5th, 2022|Uncategorized|

On Thursday, June 30th, L'Arche NC hosted a panel conversation with L'Arche Tahoma Hope and L'Arche Portland. We were grateful to hear from keynote speaker, ChrisTiana ObeySumner, and panelists Azrael Burton, Deanna Parvin Yadollahi, Rebel Black, and Nicholas Herd. If you missed it, you can watch the recording below! http://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc%20https://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc

L’Arche NC’s Prayer Night with St. Thomas More Catholic Church

By |June 9th, 2022|Uncategorized|

On Wednesday, June 8th, we hosted a hybrid L'Arche NC Prayer Night with St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill. We were excited to be able to host most of this service with Spanish translation, and reflected on the theme of "joy" together. One of the songs we sang was "Peace Like A River", led by one of our wonderful volunteers with a gift for music. We added hand motions throughout and encouraged everyone to join in the song however they wanted to express themselves: For a small group activity, everyone had the chance to choose an image from a selection which represented "joy" to them. We were then able to share with each other about the things that give us joy, and reflect on what joy looks like to each of us. Our scripture reading for the evening was also read in both English and Spanish. We reflected on the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-26: 22 En cambio, el fruto del Espíritu es amor, alegría, paz, paciencia, amabilidad, bondad, fidelidad, 23 humildad y dominio propio. No hay ley que condene estas cosas. 24 Los read more

Reflections on L’Arche NC’s May Musical Showcase

By |June 1st, 2022|Uncategorized|

At our May 4th Virtual Musical Showcase, we had participants join us from coast to coast. One of those participants was Chris, a Core Member at L’Arche Wavecrest, in Orange County, California. Chris performed a wonderful rendition of the Disney song “When You Wish Upon A Star”. When asked how he felt about sharing his musical talent, Chris replied “I’ve been practicing my music and learning how to share it. I was proud of what I did.”  Chris was one of eight performers who shared their musical gifts and talents that evening. One of our participants, Ricardo, who called in from Atlanta to listen, was blown away by the performances. “I really enjoyed listening to everyone’s musical talents, everyone has their own talents from ukuleles to piano playing… but the thing that I really really enjoyed, besides making new friends, was a version “Maybe” from the musical Annie performed by Mary Evelyn from North Carolina. For the rest of that night and the rest of the weekend I couldn’t get it out of my head! The way she delivered the song was incredible. I don’t know how I’m read more