The Dwelling

Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, The Dwelling is a rapidly growing partnership between the North Carolina Synod and the Southern Province of the Moravian Church that does community church primarily with our neighbors who are currently or have lived the experience of homelessness, addiction/recovery, severe and persistent mental illness, incarceration reentry, and/or other marginalized experiences. Current numbers include an average of over 140 in worship each Sunday, and an additional 75 guests that join us for our community meal. In addition to weekly gathered worship, our current programs include the operation and stewardship of a mobile shower trailer which provides 60+ showers plus new underwear, t-shirts, socks, and  toiletries each week, a weekly community meal, service learning experiences focused on economic equity, and community organizing addressing the shortage of affordable housing in our community, restorative writing workshops, transportation to local pantries, and a pay-as-you-can food truck that addresses the systemic challenges around hunger in our community and provides an avenue for advocacy and education related to the intersection of hunger, poverty, and homelessness. 

After years of relationship building and conversation with unhoused neighbors, we grew out of a desire to build a community of faith where everyone, despite their housing status, mental health, past trauma, substance use, could be a leader. 

Community is an organic part of who we are, and grows out of our five core theological statements: housing doesn't equal worthiness; trauma doesn't equal shame; hunger doesn't equal emptiness; sobriety doesn't equal salvation; and wealth doesn't equal belovedness. Because we affirm and celebrate the inherent dignity of all people, folks find our community a place where they can come, just as they are, without worry or fear of judgment.