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Rural Churches are Economic Powerhouses in Their Communities

New study says the outsized economic influence of rural churches on their communities calls for renewed vision of their importance.

February 22, 2023

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Selah Stress Management Project

Like many people serving in professions in which they feel “called,” clergy are not immune to stress and burnout. The Duke Endowment partnered with the Duke Clergy Health Initiative to study stress management tools with the goal of identifying practices that would allow clergy in the North Carolina United Methodist (UMC) conferences, and beyond, to live more fully into the sacred work of ministry.

January 20, 2023

Story Giving New Life to Churches

Giving New Life to Churches

By the time Calvary United Methodist Church made the difficult decision to close its doors for worship in 2018, the congregation had dwindled to about 20 people. Most members of the Asheboro, North Carolina, church were more than 70 years old, and maintaining the building and its property was a struggle.

August 16, 2021 | Robert R. Webb III

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Renewing Hope, Rebuilding Lives

In Kinston, North Carolina, Hope Restorations is offering transformation — one life, one house, one neighborhood at a time.

April 19, 2021 | Robert R. Webb III

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Helping Churches Provide COVID Relief

Many churches want to make a difference in their communities – but despite good intentions, they sometimes lack the tools or know-how to run effective programs.

August 10, 2020 | Robert R. Webb III

Story Coaching Young Students in Reading

Coaching Young Students in Reading

When schools closed this spring because of COVID-19, Read Charlotte pivoted quickly to help parents strengthen their children’s literacy skills from home. The Reading Checkup, a website designed for families with rising K-4 students, debuted in June.

August 8, 2020 | Meka S. Sales

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Strengthening Congregations and Communities

Is your community thriving? Cultural sociologist Josh Yates says the best way to answer that question is to think of thriving as a wholistic form of growth.

February 21, 2020 | Robert R. Webb III

News

Patrick Woodie: Rural Faith Communities Make a Difference

With support from The Duke Endowment, the NC Rural Center’s Faith in Rural Communities initiative works with rural United Methodist churches across our state.

September 9, 2019 | Winston-Salem Journal

News

BUMC Hosts First Year of Summer Literacy Program

With help from a three-year grant from the Duke Endowment, Boone United Methodist Church hosted a summer literacy program for 19 rising first-grade students.

September 9, 2019 | Watauga Democrat

News

Heal here first: Notes from the 2019 Convocation on the Rural Church

Read the notes from The Duke Endowment's 2019 Convocation on The Rural Church.

August 12, 2019 | EdNC.org

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Helping Rural Churches Bridge Divides

In our deeply polarized age, rural churches can help their communities by helping neighbors find common ground. Rural Church Director Robb Webb explains how.

July 3, 2019 | Robert R. Webb III

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Summer Literacy Effort Braves COVID

If students aren't learning during the summer, they can lose ground academically — and once children fall back, the gap in achievement can grow with each year.

July 2, 2019 | Caroline Parker