What We Believe: The Bluestem Community Story

​Bluestem Community  was founded by local community members who wanted to create a place of worship in nature, led by a cadre of conveners of services, where people could practice their spiritual traditions and faith in the manner in which they felt most directly connected them with the Divine.
 
Conservation of the land, the stewardship of its fields, woodlands, water features, native wildlife and habitat, and honoring the memory of those who have gone before is at the core of this connection. Through solitary and shared experiences of meditation, reflection, mindful recreation, fellowship, learning, and natural burial, Bluestem Community is growing an inclusive community of spiritual seekers who believe: 

• That the Divine, beyond our knowing or naming, exists in mystery beyond any one tradition or denomination, but is glimpsed through rites and rituals that summon holy presence and imagination.
• That all of life is precious, and that we are called to steward the land as  a part of our worship.
• That every life is uniquely and wonderfully made, and a gift to be relished and shared with faithfulness and joy.
• That death itself is also a gift as we are returned to the ground with reverence and respect for the natural world.  

Acknowledging these gifts of life and death, we believe that we are called to offer a collaborative space for spiritual communion and practice around life and death for all. That place is Bluestem.

The genesis for Bluestem Community was conceived in Durham, North Carolina, in September 2018. We are grateful for that first conversation with Allen Brimer · Ben Johnston-Krase · Brandon Wert. The vision for Bluestem has continued to evolve with the support of friends: Robin Barefoot · Carl Baumann · Sara Brink · Allen Brimer · Kerry Brock · Dan Bruer · Billy Campbell · Kimberley Campbell · Sidney Cruze · Meredith Emmett · Heidi Hannapel · Stan Holt · Freddie Johnson · Ben Johnston-Krase · Kim Livingston · Jeff Masten · John Christian Phifer · Courtney Reid-Eaton · Franzi Rokoske · Jonathan Smith · Laura Starkey · Beth Tillman · Lee Webster · Brandon Wert · Anne Weston · Sara Williams