Announcements
A note of thanks from Nancy Congleton & family
Dear Blacknall Family, We are deeply grateful for your prayers, unwavering support and beautiful expressions of sympathy as we grieve the loss of our dad Sam and stepmom Joan. We never imagined the coronavirus would touch our lives in such a way. And we PRAISE God that our mom Viola is now recovering from covid. Again, we thank you for your faithful prayers!
Vaccine Information | View Here
An ever-evolving list of the current options for receiving the vaccine for eligible groups. As of 1/14/2020, NC Department of Health HS has approved COVID vaccine administration for both Group 1 (health care workers and long term care staff and residents) AND Group 2 (older adults > 65 years old).
Men’s Bible Study | Register Here
Wednesdays starting Feb. 17, 8-9 pm. A 6 week zoom men's Bible study of Jeremiah using Eugene Peterson's book Run with Horses. Lead by Paul Tshihamba, Mark Paulson and Don Hoover. The format will include a brief reflection on the topic/scripture, small group discussions, and a prayer partner. Homework using the book's study guide and some scripture memory.
Weekday Morning Scripture Reading
Mondays-Fridays, 8-8:20 a.m.
A group of Blacknall members gather for a short welcome, reading aloud for 15 minutes, and a short prayer as we head off into our days. We would love to have others join us. For zoom details, contact Justin Rasmussen or visit CCB homepage.
Prayer
Durham—We pray for one of our Deep Common Journey partners, Families Moving Forward. In this season of COVID, let us pray:
· For the health and safety of all of our guests and staff at 300 N. Queen Street.
· That the last 2 quarters of school are smooth for all of our children, more learning center sites are open, and transportation is provided for our school aged children.
· That staff continue to make safe, sound and wise decisions to maintain the safety, integrity and health of this shelter/community.
· That housing options would open up so that families can be placed in housing that is safe and affordable.
International—Please pray for Blacknall partners Ron and Betsy. They have been serving the people of Central Asia since 1999. Their work focuses on bringing health, wellness, and a better quality of life to the local community where they live and minister. Their heart to serve the people has opened many doors for relationships and the sharing of the gospel. They have started a Health Education Project in the community as well as a Children at Risk Project that ministers to children in a local orphanage. Specific prayer requests: (1) the election this month for both the parliament and the president, leading to clean government and the growth of democracy; (2) wisdom to protect themselves from Covid-19, when most people behave as if the epidemic were over; (3) patience for Betsy in helping Joy with her online studies; (4) Daniel’s (at UNC) and Faith’s (in Discipleship training in Brazil) academic and spiritual growth, (5) a spiritual hunger where they live, filling people with a desire to study the Bible.
Campus—We pray for Fred Williams and his ministry with InterVarsity with Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP).
· Praise God, Fred’s wife, Joanne retired in December from her retail job. Pray that God will guide her next steps.
· Pray that Fred’s Thursday night Prayer Group via Zoom with Black scholars and professionals from around the country and beyond would flourish this year.
· Pray for a new Tuesday morning Devotional that has started via Zoom.
· Pray for God’s wisdom and anointing as Fred partners with administration and students to support faculty and grad students at Shaw, Duke, and NC Central.
· Pray for two new initiatives this Spring: the launch of a new Faculty Prayer Group and a proposed partnership to support and encourage Chaplains at HBCUs.
· Pray for InterVarsity’s new National BSAP Director, Dr. Denice Margaret Thompson as she is casting vision for this work. Pray for the Lord to provide the funding for this position.
Grief:
We pray for Anne Harbour Tonn whose Mom, Doris, died on January 13.
We pray for Erin Pervis, a Blacknall supported missionary in Greece, whose Mom died in Georgia on January 4th. We thank God that Erin was able to be with her Mom before she died.
We pray for Diane Bidgood whose Mom, 92, died on January 9th, in Florida
We pray for Virginia Greene, whose grandson Christopher, 36, died on January 4th.
We pray for Diane Felton, whose brother Dennis died on January 3rd.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
Joys
We give thanks that Wen & Casey Reagan, our new Director of Music and Worship, were able to sell their house in Birmingham so quickly!
We rejoice with Jake & Taylor Pennigar (and grandparents Pam and Tim Pennigar) on the birth of Helen Monroe Pennigar on January 8th.
Concerns
We pray for Deanna Koenig who is in the hospital and for her parents, Doug and Cheryl.
We pray for our young people as they continue to deal with the struggle of remote learning and the grief and loss of not being able to be together with friends and classmates.
We pray for Wen and Casey Reagan that they would be able to find a house for their family here in Durham. We pray for all of the details of their move and for their children, Ezra, Pax, and Lovewell.
We pray for Paul Immanuel who is having serious complications with his eye.
World
We pray for deliverance from the virus as it surges in our nation and around the world.
We thank God for the development of vaccines that promise to help fight this virus. We pray for a speedy and just distribution of these vaccines around the world.
We pray for our nation. We give thanks for a peaceful transfer of power this past week and we pray for our president and his administration that they would keep the common good of our nation first and foremost.
Life Together
We pray for the search committee for the Director of Congregational Care (chair, Melissa Hartemink).
We thank God and pray for Mary Grimm and Ali Shoenfelt, as they serve us by keeping us connected and in communication with one another at Blacknall.
FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
We received offerings of $401,000 in the month of December. Total offerings for the first half of our fiscal year (July 1 to December 31) were $873,000. Both of these numbers are the highest in our history. Our expenses for this period were $786,000, so offerings exceeded expenses by $87,000. These figures are preliminary and may change slightly.
We are thankful for God’s provision and the generosity of our congregation.
There are multiple ways to give to Blacknall:
Cash or check brought to the church office.
Checks mailed to the church office.
Automatic bank drafts as a part of bill pay directed to Blacknall using your local bank.
Gifts of stock. Contact Rick Every (919-489-9733) or Carol Smith (919-286-5586).
Online giving is available from our website (including bank transfer, debit card, and credit card donations). Members can also schedule recurring online gifts when signed on to CCB.
Details on all giving options are available at www.blacknall.org/give.
Questions? Contact Rich Frothingham.
COMMUNITY
Congo Initiative SEMINAR SERIES: A REFLECTION ON AFRICAN CHRISTIANITY AND THE GLOBAL CHURCH.
Congo Initiative (CI) invites you to reflect and learn together with a host of CI friends whose wealth of experience in strengthening the church in Africa and beyond will inspire and inform your own work in cultivating impactful local and global relationships. Learn more.
Volunteer at Iglesia Emanuel Food Bank
Every Wednesday our friends at Iglesia Emanuel serve approximately 400 families. They can’t do this alone. Help is needed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. If you can help with the preparation, distribution, or traffic control, please sign up here.