CVLC-Durham

10/15/2026

I made a plan to vote early (on Day 1!) and got it done!

Do YOU have a plan?

"Civic engagement in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America arises both from concern about disorder and Injustice, and from a hopeful commitment to the well-being of all people. In its social teaching, the ELCA calls on members of this church 'to pray, participate in, and advocate for civil life in the United States.' This includes 'supporting efforts to increase voter registration and access to polling places and to help dismantle structural barriers to the ballot box and to civic participation more broadly, all as part of this church's faithful civic witness.'"

~ ELCA social statement "Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All"

10/15/2026

“Not coming today. Fire at plant last night.” Was not what I was expecting first thing this morning. Steven, the owner of the company, sent some pictures. They were going to deliver the Altar, Ambo, and Baptismal Font this morning. That’s not going to happen now. Thankfully no one was hurt.

Steven said “We are a God fearing family, and I know this is not nearly as bad as it could have been.” He thinks he has $80,000 to $90,000 of product like ours that’s damaged.

The Ambo is destroyed - it was not burned, but got so water logged that it warped. See pictures.

The Altar is fine, but there were pieces that must not have been attached. Steven said there’s only 2” left of those pieces of wood. (They’re actually a unique design that connect to the altar with magnets, so we can take them off to get into the altar and lock/unlock the casters.)

The baptismal font has no problems.

Steven already talked to the woodworker and it’s at least 3-4 weeks before he can rebuild the Ambo.

Dedication service may or may not happen on Oct 25th now. We’ll know soon.

Even when there’s bad news, we trust God is good! Jesus is best at turning messes into miracles, like raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus waited before going to see Lazarus. It was worth the wait. We’ll have to wait to get these worship furnishings. It’ll be worth the wait.

10/03/2026

🐾🦋 What a wonderful Animal Festival! 🐶🐱🪳

We had such a fantastic time celebrating all creatures great, small, furry, and six-legged at CVLC today! We were joined by 4-H, who shared more about their program, a table dedicated to advocating for and teaching us about bugs, and a table full of free goodies to take home. Our human friends were also well cared for with plenty of cookies and drinks to enjoy! 🍪🥤

We had lots of dogs receive blessings, four very special cats, and—drumroll, please—one very well-behaved cockroach! 🪳 That’s definitely a first for us, and we’re pretty sure he was the best-behaved cockroach at the festival. 😂

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped make today possible, to our wonderful tables and volunteers, and to everyone who brought their animals and joined us! We are so grateful for the joy, laughter, and love you all brought to CVLC today. ❤️🐾

09/28/2026

Yesterday was our first worship service in our newly renovated sanctuary, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this beautiful space where we will continue to worship, learn, serve, and grow together. (And stay tuned—the new furnishings are coming soon!)

We also had the joy of welcoming so many new members into our church family! 🎉 We are so thankful that you have chosen to walk alongside us, and we hope you always know that there is a place for you here. Everyone is welcome!

And finally, we blessed 24 beautiful quilts lovingly made by our wonderful quilters. 🧵❤️ These quilts will soon go out into the world as tangible reminders of God’s love, comfort, and care.

New space, new members, and 24 quilts ready to share God’s love—what a wonderful Sunday! ⛪️💕

09/14/2026

🙌 God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday! 💛

What a morning at CVLC! We began with a special 45-minute service in the parking lot, where Pastor Ben blessed the hands of our volunteers during the offering. Then, we put those hands to work!

🌱 Lowe’s Grove Middle School: Tammy Torrey led a group in tilling the land for new flower beds and fixing up pathways. Even our littlest volunteers pitched in—and they did an amazing job!

🔨 Moretz Manor: Bob Lewis and Adam Meyer led a hardworking group that spent more than four hours fixing locks and leaks, replacing hardware, mulching, tilling, and so much more. We know their neighbors at Moretz Manor were grateful for all the help!

🌳 Parkwood Playgrounds: Scott and Brooklyn Justice led a small but mighty crew! They worked on all the playgrounds, replaced a trash can, weeded, sawed up a fallen tree (thank you, Scott!), and pounded metal pieces back into place around the playgrounds.

🎨 W.G. Pearson: Tammy Justice and Pastor Ben led a group in painting the library and other areas. Dave Thomas helped with the painting while also entertaining some of our youngest volunteers by reading books to them!

🧵 Our Quilters: Those who stayed behind were hard at work quilting and lending some extra hands to the cause.

And even those who couldn’t go out into the community participated! Prayer sheets with Bible verses and prayers for our volunteers were available to take home, reminding us that everyone has a way to serve.

We are so grateful for every person who came out, stayed in, prayed, worked, painted, tilled, weeded, quilted, read, fixed, lifted, and served—even in the heat! ☀️

Countless hours. Countless hands. Countless hearts touched.

God worked through our hands to care for our neighbors, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to be part of it. 💛

09/11/2026

Join us this Sunday at 10 AM for a quick outdoor worship service. Then, filled with Christ’s precious Body & Blood, we will do God’s Work with Our Hands. We will have 5 teams:

1. WG Pearson Elementary School - painting the library and teacher work room.

2. Lowes Grove Middle School - clearing a wooded walk way and other outdoor projects. (Great projects for families with young children!)

3. Parkwood Neighborhood - repairing playground equipment.

4. Moretz Manor (a home for people with Traumatic Brain Injury) - odd jobs including replacing the moldy cabinet under the sink and fixing their pantry door.

5. Quilting - nothing gives comfort like a quilt made by hand and with lots of love!

Show up on Sunday and we’ll connect you to the team where you can help the most!

09/08/2026

Yesterday was a bittersweet and beautiful day as we gathered for our final worship service in our old sanctuary. ❤️

We gave thanks for the furnishings that have served our congregation so faithfully over the years, and two of our charter members shared stories and memories from the history of our church. We also shared an extra-long time of communion, giving everyone the opportunity to kneel at the altar one last time and give thanks to God.

As was beautifully reminded to us in the sermon, we do not worship the furnishings—we worship the God who provides them for us. The pews, altar, and other furnishings have simply been tools through which generations of God’s people have worshiped, gathered, prayed, and served.

And today, a new chapter officially began! 🔨 Our renovation is underway. The pews and altar have been removed, the floor is being leveled, and painting has begun. Soon, new carpet will be installed as we continue transforming our sanctuary into a renewed space for worship and fellowship.

There may be some dust, noise, and empty spaces for a while, but the heart of our church remains exactly where it has always been: with God and with one another.

We’re grateful for the memories behind us and excited for all that God has in store for the future. 🙏❤️

09/04/2026

Way to go Lowe’s Grove and DPS!!!!

Aja Mitchell connected CVLC to the then brand new Lowe’s Grove PTA years ago. It’s been a pleasure working with Tomeka Everett, the PTA president. We are planning to be there again on God’s Work Our Hands Sunday, September 13th.

For the first time in more than a decade, no public schools in Durham received an “F” performance grade in the state’s latest data report.

One school celebrating the success is Lowe’s Grove Middle, which is making strides in performance and proficiency. Students and staff at Lowe’s Grove said that sometimes their school gets a bad rap.

Hear from students, teachers and more about what learning is like at Lowe's Grove Middle in 2026 here: https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/lowes-grove-middle-moves-out-of-low-performing-status-as-no-durham-schools-get-f-grade/

09/03/2026

“Well done Good and Faithful servant.” This Sunday at 10 AM will be last time we gather around these worship furnishings. Soon, we’ll have new seating, a new baptismal font, a new ambo (pulpit & lectern in one), a new altar (which will be taller, just not nearly as long), and a new carpet. We’ll be able to accommodate concerts, cantatas, and other community events much better. Join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we retire this Sanctuary and welcome the new one.

Fun fact: in our history it says that this Altar, sometimes called “Paul Bunyan” because of its size, was designed “to make communion easily accessible and do away with barricades to the Lord’s Supper.” We are working to make the Good News more accessible today too. In recent years we got rid of the hazardous steps and made the entrance much more inviting, including an elevator. Now the Sanctuary will be more inviting to people in wheelchairs. In fact, someone in a wheelchair will be able to lead worship when we are done. To God be the glory!