Rofida’s Trip to L’Arche GWDC – A Life Changing Impact
When I visited L’Arche GWDC (Greater Washington D.C.), I hadn’t expected to find my life’s calling. In fact, I hadn’t expected to see L’Arche GWDC at all. A string of coincidences led me there, starting with my trip to Washington D.C, organized by Johnson Service Corps (JSC), the organization that has connected me to L’Arche NC this year for a year of service.
As part of JSC, this year I’ve gone on several trips to explore spiritual understandings, and at every one I’ve been asked to introduce myself – names, pronouns, hometown, and job description. And nearly every time, I’ve had to explain what L’Arche NC was. But, my trip to Washington D.C. was different.
As soon as I mentioned L’Arche, our host gasped. “L’Arche?” she asked, giving me no time to reply. “That’s great! I work with L’Arche.” From there, the introductions derailed; she and I swapped excited smiles and stories. I don’t have the words to describe how happy I felt. It wasn’t just a matter of being recognized; it was knowing that there were people who believed in the same mission and not only that – but that L’Arche was so well known in a place so foreign to me, its community so well established.
Two minutes after the introductions were finally done, I asked for her number.
That was only the first coincidence. The next coincidence was the next room over, in the lobby. On every wall were paintings, and I was shocked to see who the artists were. They were all L’Arche GWDC members! Scanning the descriptions, I found the name of someone I knew from “Y’All Belong Here” on Zoom (our monthly interfaith prayer and meditation gathering). I had never met him in person due to the distance, never expected to, and yet – here his work was, displayed in a place of prominence, valued.
With great joy, I immediately texted my L’Arche NC coworkers a photo.
That was only the second coincidence. The third was on our neighborhood tour. You must know that L’Arche houses’ addresses are usually not published online. That’s because they are people’s homes and the residents deserve privacy. It’s only right. However, it does make visiting difficult, especially if you are out of state and haven’t followed any of the proper communication channels. So even though I had hoped to visit one of L’Arche GWDC’s four houses, I also had no real hope of accomplishing read more
Thank YOU for supporting L’Arche NC this Giving Season!
We are so grateful for your outpouring of support this Giving Tuesday: you helped raise over $20,000 for L'Arche North Carolina! Your generous gifts move us closer to establishing the first L'Arche home in North Carolina. Your investment in our community for adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities supports programs and events that help create inclusion and nurture belonging! Thank you! There are many ways you can continue to support L'Arche NC, beyond financial gifts. This holiday season, give the gift of your presence at our events, or reach out to [email protected] if you have a talent or skill that you would like contribute to our emerging community! Want to donate but missed Giving Tuesday? It's not too late! click HERE. Give a gift that keeps on giving! This holiday season give the gift of hope. Donate to L'Arche NC in honor of a friend or family member. They will receive a handwritten card from L'Arche NC letting them know a special gift was given in their name to help create a more inclusive world. Email [email protected] for more information.
Our First Hybrid Event
On Friday, October 29, we gathered for our first hybrid event. After many months of waiting to be together in person, we finally did it! It was wonderful to see people, both new friends and old buddies, in real life. This gathering was really an idea that blossomed from St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh. They were having a staff service day and asked if it was possible to partner with L'Arche NC. With this invitation, we decided to host a gathering not only for some of their staff and L'Arche friends but for the whole community. The morning was really two "events" in one. We started with painting pumpkins. For this activity, we joined a Zoom with L'Arche Jacksonville in Florida. L'Arche Jax gave us a quick tour of their beautiful Rainbow Room Workshop. Seeing this large building with so many different rooms, activities, and crafts was inspiring! What if L'Arche NC one day had such a space to welcome so many friends, volunteers, and community members? We had fun getting to meet some of the Core Members from this community, too. After the pumpkins, we read more
Reflecting on the Impact of L’Arche by Rev. Christi Dye
At my first prayer service at L'Arche, a long-term assistant welcomed me and said, "Be careful. L'Arche gets in your blood, and you're never the same." 26 years later, I still affirm that she was right. L'Arche is so much a part of me that it's like it's "in my blood." I lived in community for 9 years (1996-2005) and am now a pastor in Raleigh; L’Arche is with me, IN me all the time. L'Arche has given me a great capacity to celebrate others. I may have been generally affirming before L'Arche, but now I really delight in each person. Recently, a new colleague commented on how much she delighted in hearing me greet people in the hallway as they come back into the church office. That's the welcome of L'Arche. L'Arche taught me to not shy away from hard things; which is important as a pastor because my people go through really hard things. It's L'Arche that taught me...in-depth...that God is present in our pain and vulnerabilities. L'Arche has been called a “moveable feast,” an embodiment of abundance that can be experienced in many times and read more
Macie’s First Month Reflection
My first month with L’Arche NC has flown by at lightning speed! I am so grateful for my time here thus far, and have been thoroughly enjoying the chance to get to know what work with L’Arche looks like. While getting acclimated I’ve been absorbing tons of new information; an endeavor which has come with its fair share of exciting, disheartening, overwhelming, and hope-filled realizations. I’ll be sharing here some of the most impactful things I’ve learned so far. First, I am learning the reality of accessible spaces in our world. During my first week, I started to look for places to feature in our social media series, “Accessible Triangle,” a series where we post exciting, accessible locations to visit in our area. As soon as I began sifting through my own ideas for features, this reality came creeping in: they are all inaccessible. I then tried a google search: still, most are inaccessible. I began paying attention to the places I was driving past and walking by on my off-hours. Again, so many of the places which sparked an initial “that could be neat!” are inaccessible. I read more
L’Arche NC Anchor Spotlight
We are grateful for Gladys and Ben Whitehouse who support L'Arche each month because "Everyone deserves to live in a loving and supportive community." We continue to move closer toward our goal of opening the first L'Arche community in North Carolina and we cannot do it without you! At the beginning of this year, we shared our goal to have 10 new L'Arche Anchors commit to giving monthly. We have not only met, but have exceeded our goal! THANK YOU! As of today, we've had 14 individuals and/or families sign up to support L'Arche each month. With this in mind, we believe we can more than double our goal for this year... By the end of 2021 we hope to have 21 new L'Arche Anchors this year. Will you help us? Become a L'Arche Anchor today - click here (check the box "Show my support by making this a recurring donation") or email [email protected] to sign up.
Our New Intern
We are excited to welcome Macie Bridge to the L'Arche North Carolina Team. Macie is a recent graduate from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and is coming to L’Arche NC for her service year with the Johnson Service Corps. As an undergraduate, Macie studied English and Religious Studies, and developed a love for ministry, leadership, and all things writing. She is excited to step into the nonprofit world with L'Arche for the year as she continues to discern her next professional steps. In her spare time, she can usually be found writing her novel, baking, or taking a nature walk. This is her first week working with L'Arche NC! Through this partnership, Macie will work with L'Arche NC for 32 hours each week. Her focus will be upcoming events, grant writing, and communications. We are grateful for her YES to L'Arche NC!
Welcome Aboard!
Welcome Aboard! This month, we have more opportunities to gather with friends online. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming virtual events. Join our monthly inclusive prayer and reflection event, "Y'all Belong Here: an inclusive sacred space" on Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00pm EDT. We partner with L'Arche Atlanta for this 30-minute gathering. Click here to join. Learn more about L'Arche at our upcoming book discussion! Next week we will begin looking at Henri Nouwen's book, "Adam: God's Beloved." Join us for one or both of the meetings on Zoom: September 16 at 12:00pm EDT (Chapters 1-4) or September 29 at 7:30pm EDT (Chapters 5-9). Click here to join (Zoom link works for both discussions). Are you ready for some fun? We are hosting a Trivia Night on Thursday, September 30 at 6:00pm EDT. There will be prizes! Zoom Link.
New Office Space
With your financial support and care, we hired our Founding Executive Director and Community Leader, Laura Steed Lorino, this past January. This was an important first step in establishing the first L'Arche community in North Carolina. As the Executive Director, Laura has been instrumental in creating virtual events to build community and friendships, researching and exploring possible L'Arche homes, and cultivating partnerships with local congregations and organizations. She has been doing this all from her dining room table until (DRUMROLL, please)... Today, we are excited to share that Laura now has an office! Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham has graciously leased L'Arche North Carolina an office space equipped with two desks and chairs. It provides much-needed gathering space for professional meetings and enables L'Arche NC to network with other local nonprofit organizations. We plan to have a Johnson Service Corps member begin an internship with us next month who will also be able to utilize this office (we'll share more about this in our September newsletter -- stay tuned!). We are looking for twelve individuals or families to sponsor one month of office read more
