Meet the Students of Project BriDDDge
Project BriDDDge is a pre-orientation intensive that intentionally connects first-year Duke Divinity School students with the Durham community to nurture Christian outreach and theological reflection. In a week of connection, first years are afforded the opportunity to learn the history and culture of the Durham community.
Meet Garret
Hometown: Flagstaff Arizona
Areas of Interest:
Reconciliation
Personal and communal transformation
Spiritually informed mental health practice
Why did you come to Duke Divinity School?
I came to Duke Divinity School in large part because of the opportunity they offer to get a dual master's degree in social work with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When I was considering the list of schools that had similar programs, I noticed God opening doors for me to be here. The moment of confirmation came over Zoom, when I left a virtual admitted students event filled with the Holy Spirit and aware that Jesus was on the move at DDS; for me, that was the push I needed to commit.
How was Project BriDDDge impactful?
BriDDDge was impactful because it gave me a map to understand how this area [Durham] developed into what it is now and how it is growing into the future. As someone new to the area, I think it was important for me to see right away that there are lives and communities that we can get proximate to in real ways despite how the academy and even the church may insulate us at times. Making deep connections with both peers and community stakeholders gives us the chance to enter into this place of both pain and hope together.
How do you understand “community thriving”? How did Project BriDDDge enhance or complicate your understanding of community thriving?
Community thriving is difficult to thoroughly encompass because I do not know how well I have seen it sustainably achieved. Learning about Black Wall Street and Hayti were real testimonies to the resilience and capacities of marginalized peoples, but they were still thoroughly disrupted by oppressors and have not recovered to their potential. At the same time, I see in these communities intense resilience and the ability to grow even amidst the most difficult circumstances. Getting near to the stories of people who have lived through generations of trauma but continue to strive for justice is something I believe we all need to experience to have spiritually thriving lives, and to take strides towards communities wherein everyone can actually flourish.
Garret’s reflection:
For those unfamiliar with Durham, the legacy of the Duke family, or the broader history of American Christianity, it may come as a surprise to see how the area surrounding Duke University has developed. At least, it was for me; there is very little when it comes to promotional material from admissions that can prepare you for the real work of getting to know your neighbors. And, for all its good intentions, I would hazard to guess that the life of the Divinity School is one that largely takes place locked away within the ivory tower. Yet, looking back on my time in Project BRI(DDD)GE, I can think of no other way that theological education as a graduate student at Duke could have had a better start than by placing us into the thick of what makes our work MEANINGFUL. We had to rely on our facilitators, our peers, and, most importantly, on the outstretched arms of the Durham community to make sense of new stories and to find our place in the midst of the art that God is already weaving together from all these threads. Without being invited into the stories of pain and hope accessible on the pilgrimage, perhaps we all would have found ourselves, like many others, withdrawing from the world and into comfortable lives of study. But now that we have seen God at work on the margins, where else can we go? Speaking as He may through a diverse array of voices, it is clear that They have the words of life.
Meet Melody
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Areas of Interest:
Orphan care
Community development
Economic disparity
Education reform
Why did you come to Duke Divinity School?
I am at Duke Divinity School because I believe it to be where the Lord is leading me in this season for personal preparation and healing unto the love and service of my neighbor.
How was Project BriDDDge impactful?
Project BriDDDge provided me with the opportunity to be introduced to Durham from multiple perspectives, which shapes the lens through which I see and interact with the city I now call "home". As a white, middle-class individual, it is easy in a place like Durham that has affluent communities to remain insulated from the suffering that is taking place on the other side of the street/fence/tracks. I think I have come to realize more and more how these barriers are intentionally manufactured to prevent me from seeing and responding to the hurt of my neighbors, necessitating that I intentionally peer over the fence and immerse myself in the pain of another. Project BriDDDge helped to reframe for me what it means to live missionally within my own community and reimagine what could be within my own context.
How do you understand “community thriving”? How did Project BriDDDge enhance or complicate your understanding of community thriving?
I understand "community thriving" as being holistic and encompassing the entirety of what makes up a community- all peoples, all places, all earth- living in peace, love, and freedom, or shalom, which can only come through Christ. In one sense, Project BriDDDge reminded me of the reality in which we live- that not all are thriving, and even those who we often believe to be, the rich and powerful, are also deprived. Yet, I was also reminded of the hope we have as believers in the finished work of Christ, in which the kingdom is actively coming to earth, making home amongst us and culminating in the return of Jesus and complete shalom for all people in all places.
Erica’s reflection:
"The unblemished hand has also been handled."
In reflecting upon my experience with Project BriDDDge, this idea of the hand and the handled has resonated within me. As a white, middle-class woman, I began the experience seeking to better understand the injustices perpetrated against my black and brown brothers and sisters and participate in their lament, thinking that to be the proper response of empathy. However, as I journeyed through Durham and heard the various voices of our community, I came to realize that "their '' suffering did not leave me unaffected- there was something to be mourned for myself and for the white community. Empathy was not to feel bad about “their” suffering, but to recognize the ways in which racial and economic constructs, in a very real sense, were an actualization of my own suffering. My perspective shifted as I began to mourn the inescapable human condition of sin within the world and my own participation in it.
I mourned that with these white hands I have handled, and continue to handle, others.
I mourned that though seemingly free, these white hands have also been handled by the sin that permeates into government policies, church congregations, and the depths of my own heart- prevented and insulated from seeing, hearing, and feeling the suffering of my neighbor.
Yet, I also was reminded of the inescapable hope to which I cling- the one who, with scarred hands, allowed himself to be handled so that we, people of all races, all economic statuses, all failures, may be healed. Jesus did not mourn our human condition from afar, but he entered in and made home among it, among us.
May we all compassionately make home among the hands that both handle and are handled.
Meet Chad
Hometown: Mooresville, NC
Areas of Interest: I am interested in learning more about bringing people from different cultures, backgrounds, and traditions to worshipping together.
Why did you come to Duke Divinity School?
I came to Duke Divinity School to be able to further my theological education because I was called by God to serve Him and His people in the local church. I intend to become ordained in the United Methodist Church, so Duke Divinity is a part of that journey that I am on.
How was Project BriDDDge impactful?
I think the most impactful thing for me personally was learning about all of my group members stories and their own personal backgrounds. It helped me better understand the struggles that they face on a daily basis.
How do you understand “community thriving”? How did Project BriDDDge enhance or complicate your understanding of community thriving?
I view community thriving as people living in proximity together and flourishing as a whole. There is not a handful of people who are doing well, while some survive, and other are struggling greatly. When we all work together, care for one another, help one another in their time of need, then the community as a whole is lifted up and thrives. Project BriDDDge help me gain a greater understanding of this in our service projects that we did at the farm and at One Table. Seeing, learning, and experiencing what these organizations are doing to help the community thrive was definitely a big deal for myself.
Chad’s Reflection Poem
I stand here, in this place filled with God's spirit, it renews me.
Yet this same place is a source of pain for my brothers and sisters.
The history of this place can cause them to weep, for they can feel like outsiders.
I am eager to stand with them on the other side of the tracks.
As I stand with them, I encounter their experience.
I am encouraged by their endurance and the possibilities of the future.
I want to be the helping hands that envelop them and embrace our differences.
Even though we may not look the same, we are all children of God.
I pray this experience is a seed that is planted and grows into a mighty plant that can be eager to help those on the outside.
I want to be the bridge that connects us all together.
Meet Suzanne
Hometown: Waxhaw, NC
Areas of Interest:
Chaplaincy
Prison ministry
Ordained ministry
Why did you come to Duke Divinity School?
I came to Duke Divinity because I feel called to ministry, especially ministry focused on community engagement.
How was Project BriDDDge impactful?
Project BriDDDge impacted me through the stories of the individuals. New stories affected my outlook and general awareness, especially on current issues of gentrification in Durham.
How do you understand “community thriving”? How did Project BriDDDge enhance or complicate your understanding of community thriving?
Thriving means that all people’s needs are being met. It also means that power is not used against individuals for the benefit of few and the oppression of many.
Suzanne’s Reflection:
If I “do not have love, I am nothing….” The words from 1 Corinthians 13:3 sit with me as I process Project BriDDDge and DurhamCare’s Pilgrimage of Pain & Hope. A formerly housed man reminded me of this truth when we visited Open Table Ministries in Downtown Durham. He quoted 1st Corinthians 13 to me, saying that actions outside of love are worthless. Actions born out of duty feel different than those born out of love. I’m certain he felt the difference. Later in our conversation, he expressed that most people prefer not to talk to him for more than a couple minutes. This reality stunned me. I hope more people see his humanity.
Classmates, community members, and local clergy generously shared their stories of Durham. Hearing from local practitioners gave me hope. Their stories showed me how God calls and equips each of us to serve his Kingdom in unique ways. In the book Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson states that responding to injustice requires proximity. Project BriDDDge invited us into a community that is committed to seeking justice in Durham. I am excited to partner with the work that is happening in this city.
I’m grateful for the vulnerability and friendship that was offered to me through participating in Project BriDDDge. I believe God met us during the moments of praise and lament, and that he will continue to do that during our time at Duke Divinity School.
Meet Erica
Hometown: Aberdeen,MD/Fayetteville,NC
Areas of Interest:
Community service
Focusing on families with young children
Advocacy/organizing for people on the margins
Why did you come to Duke Divinity School?
After 30+ years as a television producer and being emotionally overwhelmed by the cacophony of chaos gripping the world, my heart and spirit yearned for God to use me to bring His love, light, hope and kindness to people in communities everywhere. I prayed for months that He order my steps and show me the way to follow Him. I discerned His voice after some time that Duke Divinity School was the next step in my journey and He confirmed it multiple times!
How was Project BriDDDge impactful?
Experiencing the well-designed Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope with a group of people who were followers of Christ with likeminded hearts was incredibly powerful. There was an intentional safe space created by the directors from DAY ONE, allowing/encouraging participants to share our passions and vulnerabilities as well as things that brought us joy - and to DDS. This atmosphere allowed us to immediately connect with one another and begin to form bonds. By the end of the program, we had been fully immersed into the community of Durham and genuine friendships had been created.
How do you understand “community thriving”? How did Project BriDDDge enhance or complicate your understanding of community thriving?
Upon completing Project BriDDDge, I understand community thriving to be a concerted effort by followers of Christ, in partnership with community organizations, to work and serve however needed to make sure members of the vulnerable community are thriving as much as those with means. I take thriving to mean basic needs are being met - adequate healthcare, jobs paying more than minimum wage & affordable housing
Erica’s Reflection
As I reflect on my time and encounters with Project BriDDDge, My heart is full with both gratitude and knowledge. This pilgrimage taught me how much I did not know, overwhelmed with pain AND hope, my emotions continue to overflow. Immersed in the encounters with people I'd never met, I struggled with letting my guard down and yet....I did. The Holy Spirit humbled me on this journey and showed me how grateful I should be, to experience the history of this rich city AND the people in close proximity to me. I am honored and eager to love and learn with my new found BriDDDge brothers and sisters. To evolve and grow. To pray and let go...and let God. Praying without ceasing, my discernment increasing, I will forever carry the voices and stories from each encounter. Trevor Hudson and Durham Cares. My Stagville Plantation ancestors - your lives mattered and still matter. Elder Blackfeather, protector of the Occaneechi village, Oscar, keepers of the land at Spring Forest Garden, the Hayti community, Durham pioneers Ms. Williams, Pauli Murray, Black Wall Street, Open Table Ministries (Brother David), just to name a few. With a most sincere and humble heart, I thank EVERY ONE OF YOU. To Reverend Cathy, Minister Liz and the entire Project BriDDDge team, I am grateful for the intentionality of this pilgrimage that allowed us all to glean. You've created a strong foundation to make way for our transformation.
