Durham Congregations In Action meets at St. Luke's

DCIA luncheon in Johnson Hall. Thanks to Barbara Longmire
for a delicious spread and to our kitchen volunteers! There were
about 55 people in attendance.

St. Luke's hosted the monthly assembly meeting of Durham Congregations In Action (DCIA) on Tuesday, August 12. DCIA was founded forty years ago to address the needs of the poor, elderly, and youth in Durham. Over the years, it has become a parent organization for many of the social service projects in our community (Urban Ministries of Durham, Meals on Wheels, Interfaith Hospitality Network, YO Durham, CROP walk, and more). It has also encouraged dialogue and reconciliation among congregations of many faiths: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and more. As part of its work each month, DCIA holds a gathering of representatives from its member congregations with a meal, a topic pertaining to DCIA's mission, staff reports, and community announcements.

St. Luke's has been a member congregation of DCIA for many years, supporting it with our outreach funds and sending representatives. It relies on community support in order to fulfill its mission. Our assistant to the rector served as its secretary for three years. DCIA helps St. Luke's stay active and engaged in the overall effort in Durham to serve the needs of the poor and encourage peace, justice, and reconciliation. For more information about our involvement, contact the Rev. Joe Hensley or Martha Conner, our DCIA reps. For more info about the organization, visit their website at www.dcia.org

A representative from Reality Ministries shares how DCIA seed
money grants are helping his organization help youth in Durham.
DCIA also provided a seed money grant to LEAP (Latino Education
Advancement Partnership). St. Luke's will host the LEAP tutoring
and pre-school readiness programs. For more about LEAP click here.

Each month, assembly representatives say the DCIA affirmation
together to begin the meeting.