Part of the role of the Community Outreach Committee at Blacknall is to encourage involvement in and prayer for our local community. As a body, Blacknall Church financially supports a number of ministries and other agencies in Durham that provide services and support to individuals in our community. These include: Camp Cherith, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Durham Crisis Response, Urban Ministries Center, Housing for New Hope, Genesis Home, Habitat for Humanity, Pregnancy Support Services, Meals on Wheels, Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Walltown Community, Agape Corner, Durham Social Services and House of Hope.

These organizations and the people’s lives they affect need not only our financial resources, but our prayers and our volunteer efforts as well. Listed below are brief descriptions of a few of these ministries. Consider how you can be involved, realizing (making real) the vision of the Church as an outpost of the Kingdom of God.

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” -Hebrews 10:24-25.

SAVE THE DATE for the Great Day of Service (GDOS)
Saturday, May 1, 2010

Blacknall’s GDOS is one day out of the year when we join together in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ around Durham.  Blacknallites spread out over the city to engage in humble acts of service – cleaning, raking, painting, and organizing.  The GDOS reminds us and those we serve that the church is called to be a servant, following after our servant-Lord.

How you can get involved:

Propose a new project.  We are doing a new thing this year: Anyone in the congregation can propose a project for the GDOS!  If you volunteer with an  organization, and you think that a group of Blacknall folks could be of service, you can propose and lead a group!  Submit the name of the organization, a brief description of the type of work to be done, and an acceptable range of volunteers. Send your proposed project  to Amanda Diekman or call (919) 943-6506.  We would love to hear your ideas.

Be a project leader.  You can lead a team to one of the organizations that we financially support.  Being a team leader means you will be the contact person for the organization and your team on the morning of the GDOS.  You will also oversee the project!  We need about 10 people as team leaders.  Email Amanda (above) to sign up as a team leader.

Be a volunteer.  In the past we have had over 100 volunteers. We’d like to have more this year!  So save the date and talk to your family, roommate, small group, and Sunday school class about signing up together.  We’ll have family-friendly projects for families with kids (even elementary age); we’ll have projects for groups to sign up together; and we’ll have plenty of ways to meet new people in the church!

Sign up to SERVE in late March in the lower atrium.

Child Evangelism Fellowship

CEF an interdenominational, international organization that aims to teach children the Gospel. It has year-round Good News Clubs as well as many special activities in the summer. Adult volunteers are needed to teach or host Bible Clubs, serve on local committees, mail correspondence courses (Mailbox Clubs), and host “Reach the Children” parties. Youth age 12 and up are needed to serve as summer missionaries for Christian Youth in Action.

Durham Crisis Response Center

The Durham Crisis Response Center works with the community to end domestic and sexual violence through advocacy, education, support and prevention. DCRC’s continuum of service includes a 24-hour, confidential crisis line for victims of domestic and sexual violence, short-term emergency shelter, hospital and court accompaniment, legal clinics with local attorneys, support groups, short-term individual counseling, and referrals for job training, housing, childcare and other community services—all direct services are offered to the community free of charge. We also offer educational workshops and professional training for service providers, churches, schools, police, hospitals, civic groups and other community members. They have brightened the rooms where are clients find refuge everyday. In addition, DCRC operates the Pennies for Change Thrift Store as an additional source of revenue for the organization, and always has a need for donations as well as volunteers at the store. A full list of volunteer opportunities are available on their website, durhamcrisisresponse.org.

The Durham Rescue Mission and Good Samaritan Inn

The Durham Rescue Mission and Good Samaritan Inn provide a way for homeless people to get back on their feet again by cultivating an environment where Christ can change the inner person. Residents commit to a year-long stay where there is treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, job training, and a sincere focus on allowing God to change and shape their lives. As a volunteer, your gifts can be put to work in any of a variety of capacities. Contact Gail Mills at the Rescue Mission (688-9641). Roland Wilkins and Vic Moore are integrally involved in this ministry.

Habitat for Humanity

Durham County Habitat’s mission is to provide decent, affordable housing to families who can not otherwise purchase a home. Habitat relies heavily on its volunteers because the volunteers and partner families actually build the homes. Land is purchased at a low cost, and many of the construction materials are donated or purchased at low cost. The homeowners are required to provide at least 500 hours of “sweat equity” during the building of their home, and in the end the received a no-interest mortgage. Over 150 Habitat Homes have been completed in Durham. Needs include in-kind donations, financial contributions, land gifts and volunteer time.

Housing for New Hope

The mission of Housing for New Hope is to encourage and assist homeless people and other persons in crisis to move toward lives marked by increased levels of stability, dignity, hope and independence. The program provides transitional housing, job training, and substance abuse recovery programs for the homeless and needy of Durham. The program focuses on getting people back on their own feet. Thirty percent of the wages earned by the residents goes back into the ministry. They have a need for committed volunteers who could help with our screening process at the ministry. If there were a couple of folks from Blacknall who could step into this type of volunteer job, this would go a long way toward deepening and strengthening our relationship.

Urban Ministries Center/Community Kitchen

Urban Ministries Center/Community Kitchen serves hot, nutritious meals to anyone in need. You or your small group or family can help by preparing and serving food on any day of the week. The Kitchen especially needs our volunteer help as they have moved from serving 2 meals a day to 3 meals a day. If your schedule won’t allow volunteering during the hours when meals are served, you can prepare food in your home at your convenience, freeze it, and then bring it to the Kitchen as part of their “Casseroles for the Kitchen” program. There is also an ongoing need for In-Kind donations of items such as towels, washcloths, bed linens for twin beds, soap, new socks for men and women, new underwear for men, women and children. Contact Lloyd Schmeidler at 688-7378.

Pregnancy Support Services

Pregnancy Support Services encourages women, unprepared for pregnancy, to choose life for their babies. They provide counseling, living-skills workshops, parenting workshops, information on adoption, Bible Studies and now have offices on UNC and NC Central Campuses. Volunteers are needed in the following areas: counselors, receptionists, clothing closet helpers, people ot answer the telephone, office support staff, and people available to provide transportation for clients. Contact Mimi Every at 490-0203.

Genesis Home

Genesis Home is a transitional housing program that provides a safe and supportive shelter environment for homeless families who are working to reconstruct their lives and maintain safe, stable households. In addition to providing shelter, the program helps families re-build their lives through job training, life skills training and addressing the unique underlying causes that might have led to their homelessness. When families leave Genesis Home, they are working to reconstruct their lives and maintain a safe, stable household in the community. Volunteers are needed in a variety of hand-on ways, including meal preparation with and for the families, tutoring, cleaning and painting in preparation for new residents or even helping with a holiday craft time with the families. Contact Zaki Huq or Romeo McKeiver at 683-5878.

Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network

Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network (DIHN) provides temporary housing and assistance to homeless families. Up to three families stay in local churches for approximately three months, moving from church to church each week. Blacknall helps by providing evening meals once every three months or so. We need volunteers to prepare these meals and then serve and eat with the families. We also support IHN by providing overnight host volunteers who are willing to spend the night once during the week along with another volunteer from the host or support churches. These are VERY do-able things. There are usually about 8-10 people to serve, plus the volunteers preparing the meal. This is a great opportunity for small groups, families, groups of friends or anyone else to share the love of Christ with those who may no know him by serving them and breaking bread together. It can be scheduled in advance, if you like, or can be a last minute thing you volunteer to do. Brian Averette coordinates our involvement.

To find out more about these organizations (or other agencies that we support) or to get more involved in planning and implementing Blacknall’s involvement as a church body (such as helping with the Annual Great Day of Service), speak with a member of the Community Outreach Committee. We welcome new ideas about how to better encourage involvement in the local community as well as anyone interested in joining with us in our work as a committee.