September 2026
Updated: Sep 2
Upcoming Events
***Our meeting location is 2916 Parkway Ave; Charlotte, NC 28208
Remaining 2026 dates: Sept 13, Sept 27, Oct 4, Oct 18, Nov 1- All Saints/Children’s Blessing, Nov 15, Nov 29. Dec 6, Dec 13, Dec 20. We will return to Marian House at 2916 Parkway Ave on Sept 13.
For the next few months, we are going to experiment with adding a time for governance check in to our gatherings. At the end of each gathering, we'll check in on who's doing what for BCC, how it is going, what needs more discussion, etc. We'll see how it goes and talk about whether we want to continue it on October 18. We're checking to see if this new way of governance might be the way we'd like to move forward in our refreshed covenant 2027-2029.
Please remember to bring a snack to share at communion each time we gather. Sharing food is a spiritual practice: enjoying the abundance of God and God's community with each other. It is also a very practical element of our time together: children and adults can enjoy a snack, which keeps them nourished and engaged. For Fall Season, Seth has agreed to bring bread and Judy has agreed to bring juice.
And if you have the ability to bring food to add to the Freedom Fridge, a mutual aid pantry at Marian House (2916 Parkway Ave), please do.
To reach Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF)'s goal of engaging over 1,500 Mecklenburg residents in their house meeting campaign, IAF has agreed to hold a house meeting training at Caldwell Presbyterian Church on Thursday, September 17, from 6:30-8pm. IAF encourages every institution that has not yet held house meetings to send 3-5 leaders to this training. Please RSVP to the training here.
As you know, we've been taking the steps to become affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The Committee on Ministry would like to have a conversation with some of our BCC members to talk about what it means to you to be a part of the UCC. Can any of you attend a zoom call on September 16th at 11:30am? Here's the google calendar invite to add to your calendar: https://calendar.app.google/7vkS4YPZcYhgJZTH9
In October, Beloved Community Charlotte will be welcomed into the Western North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. The Annual gathering will take place on October 3rd from 9am-2pm in Newton NC. I will attend and it would be great if we had others from BCC to attend since they'll be welcoming us into their fold. Please register by BY SEPT 18th
The theme for this season is: Turn the World Around: Turning Away and Turning Toward
The toolkit for this season will be emailed and added to the website very soon.
Leadership at Upcoming Gatherings:
Seth has agreed to supply bread for the Fall Season.
Judy has agreed to supply juice for the Fall Season.
Date | Childcare |
Sept 13 | Shelly |
Sept 27 | Mattie |
Oct 4 | Greg |
Oct 18 | Gretchen |
Nov 1 | No Childcare Needed |
Nov 15 | Karim |
Governance
A New Covenant for a New Season
This summer and fall, we will work together to create a renewed community covenant.
We’ll begin with what we already have, while making room for new wisdom, practices, and commitments to emerge. Through worship, conversation, shared experiences, conflict, care, and discernment, we’ll pay attention to what we are learning about who we are and how we want to live together.
Together, we’ll name the promises, practices, boundaries, and rhythms that will help us build a community that is liberating, embodied, and trustworthy. We will create it together, through the actual life of our community. It will be a living practice of listening, learning, adapting, and choosing how we want to belong to one another in this season.
Are you planning on re-covenanting with BCC in January of 2027? Our covenant agreement is for two years. We will craft the covenant together throughout the Fall of 2026. Please speak to Helms or Gretchen about your household’s interest in re-covenanting.
We are trying out a new practice of having mini-governance meetings at the end of each Sunday gathering. We will determine whether this will be our new routine after we try it out for a time.
Remember to RSVP
Please remember to RSVP to the attendance text that went out. This helps us know how to prepare and whether to secure childcare. If you did not get the text, please reach out to Shelly Murphy or email hello@belovedcommunityclt.com
Beloved Community School for the Common Good
forming a culture of justice, connection, and collective care.
September- November 2026
This Season's Theme for our School for the Common Good is:
Turn the World Around
Our theme, “Turn the World Around: turning away and turning toward”, invites us into honest reflection about what no longer gives life—personally and collectively—and into practices that restore relationship with God, self, one another, and the earth.
This season, we engage repentance, confession, and assurance of pardon as embodied acts of reorientation. This is a season of eroding and evolving all at once: we release what no longer gives life and courageously turn toward what does. This is a season of composting, navigation, migration, letting go, departure, and return. Throughout the season, we explore practices of confession and assurance of pardon; practices that makes space for truth, accountability, repair, and the possibility of renewed relationship.
We are still planning our School for the Common Good Activation this season. Details coming soon.
Toolkit - Resources to use at home, with family, and in small groups. Toolkits will be emailed very soon. Click here to get the toolkit
Beloved Community Circles: We meet on November 8th at the Murphy's.
Ritual Gatherings: Bi-weekly practices of ceremony, creative contemplation, story sharing, and connection rooted in the Christian tradition.
Communications
Ways to stay up to date
Slack is a communication tool that BCC folks use to update each other throughout the week. If you want to join the slack, let Helms know.
If you don’t want to find us on Slack, you can still find updates on our Linktree.
You can also add the Beloved Community Charlotte Google calendar to your calendar.
If someone you know wants to join our belovedcommunityclt email list, email iamhelmsie@gmail.com and she’ll add you to the list.
If you want to schedule some time to connect with Helms, feel free to find a time that works for you using this link: https://calendly.com/helmsjarrell
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