Sacred Stories: Creating Refugia With a Fig Tree in Durham

On June 10–11, 2025, faith leaders, scientists, and Creation Justice Ministries staff gathered at the Avila Center for Community Leadership in Durham, North Carolina, for Refugia, Restoration, and Resilience: A Christian Leaders for Creation Justice Retreat. 
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Throughout the retreat, we engaged in worship with the rest of God’s creation, learning & fruitful discussions, and discernment and reflection in nature. Participants were invited to witness an impactful line up of presentations including: Ecology of Imagination (by Avery Davis Lamb), Learning Wilderness of a Place (by Dr. Ellen Davis), Eco-Autobiography Guide (by Dr. Wylin Wilson), Restoring Resilient Refugia (by Dr. Rebecca Vidra), and Refugia, Resilience, Restoration & Resistance (by Dr. Jerusha Neal). All of these presentations woven together covered theology, ethics, science, and sacred stories to help us reimagine what faithful leadership looks like in this moment.

But the retreat was more than workshops and lectures—it was a sanctuary of stillness and presence. Between sessions, time was carved out for nature walks, silent discernment, and shared meals. Worship sessions were held outdoors, reminding us that we too are one of God’s creations.

This retreat was itself a kind of refugia. In a world where creation groans under the weight of climate disruption, it was a space to breathe, listen, learn, and be renewed. And like any true refugia, it wasn’t meant to be a permanent shelter—but a place to be restored and then sent back out. Participants left grounded in wisdom and energized to return to their communities with new tools, deeper connection, and a resilient faith.

As we continue the work of justice and restoration, may we carry with us the memory of this gathering—and the fig tree that stood as a quiet, rooted witness to our hope.
Micah 4:4
Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

Participants observing the fig tree on the grounds.