Calendar
Sunday, Oct. 24
Congregational Meeting | 8:30 & 11 am Services | Sanctuary
The session has called a congregational meeting to vote on the Officer Nominating Committee. This brief meeting will be held at the end of each service. The nominating committee identifies members to stand for election to the offices of elder and deacon. Members will be asked to vote to approve a slate of individuals (Brandon Fain, Traci Hoover, Jillian Marcantonio, Tanya Moore, Susie Meghdadpour) alongside two elders (co-chairs Evan Cate and Michael Whisenhunt), one deacon (Bo Harrison), and pastors (ex officio).
Sunday Evening Worship | Oct. 24 and 31 | 6-6:45 pm
(Nov. 7 Service at 5 pm)Please join us for outdoor worship at our Iredell St. lot (714 Iredell St.). This is an opportunity for all ages to see familiar (or new!) faces, witness to our neighbors and celebrate the Lord’s table. Each week we will look at one of the Psalms. Please note, the final evening service on Nov. 7 will be held at 5 p.m.
Inquirers’ Class | Oct. 24, Nov. 7, 14, 21, & Dec. 5 | 5-6 pm
Curious about membership at Blacknall? Come to the Inquirers’ Class, a five-session series on what it means to be a follower of Christ in this particular Outpost of the Kingdom.
Childcare is available. Please register here. Contact Goodie Bell with questions.
Thursday, Oct. 28
The Betty (Women’s Storytelling Event) | 7-8:30 pm |
Lauren Holahan’s lawn (4428 Guess Road, Durham)The Betty is an effort to create a space for women to bear witness to the amazing/head-scratching/wonderful/ impossible/painful/glorious/joyful work of God in our lives, and a forum for all of us to hear, resonate with, and reflect on these sacred stories in the company of other listeners. We invite 3-4 women to step up to the mike and share a reading, recite a poem, do a comedy sketch, or tell a short story about a time they encountered Jesus. The Betty is the promotion of a culture of God-story tellers. Please contact Maria Bradshaw if you’re interested in being at the mike or have questions.
Saturday, Nov. 6
Historic Stagville Tour | 9:30-11 am | North Durham
The Durham Ministry Engagement Team (DMET) is hosting a free, guided tour of Historic Stagville, a state historic site in northern Durham dedicated to teaching about the lives and work of enslaved people on a plantation. We have a reservation for 30 people to tour the grounds on Saturday, November 6, 2021, from 9:30-11 a.m. Due to the nature of the content, this event is best suited for people 12 years of age and older. View full details and reserve your spot here. *At this time, only a few tickets remain. If there are no remaining tickets when you try to register, check the link later to see if there have been any cancellations.
Friday-Saturday Nov. 12-13
Women’s Retreat | Durham and Stem, NC
You can now find all the important women’s retreat details on our Women’s Retreat page. Women of Blacknall, please join us for this year’s local, in person retreat. Come to connect with God and one another through worship, small group time, leisure and fun! Friday evening and Saturday sessions will be held at Blacknall and other locations in Durham. Our time together will culminate in a large group (outdoor) dinner and fellowship time out in the country at the Bell Farm in Stem, NC. Read all about it and register here!
Announcements
An update from the Interim Pastor Transition Team
Blacknall’s Interim Pastor Transition Team (Stephanie Wheatley, chair) has been busy this summer and fall searching for an Interim Senior Pastor for Blacknall. Have you wondered what exactly an interim pastor is and what will they do? The following graphic can help answer those questions. You may contact the team at interimpastorsearch@blacknall.org.
Community Announcements
Reality Ministries Fall Fundraiser- Today at 4:30!
Reality presents Swing Music on the Lawn with the Durham Jazz Orchestra. Sunday, October 24, 2021, 4:30-6:30 p.m., 4026 Glenn Road, Durham. An afternoon of music and fun along with a presentation about Reality and an opportunity to support our work. Please bring: Chairs or blankets, friends and family, and your dancing shoes! We will have popcorn and cookies, you're also welcome to bring a picnic!
Most Reluctant Convert film screening
The fellowship for Performing Arts is a Christian theater company whose performances are beautiful and thought provoking. Their stage play about C.S. Lewis is now coming to film on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Carolina Theater. If you're affiliated with Duke, you can request a free ticket here, thanks to the Center for Christianity and Scholarship! Otherwise, find tickets online here.
High Strung Irish Learning Jams at Blacknall
High Strung’s weekly Irish Learning Jam is now held in Blacknall’s Community Room on Tuesday nights, 6:30- 8 p.m. All players who are comfortable enough with their instrument to play in G major, D major, A major and the occasional e minor are welcome. Fiddle, guitar, mandolin, flute, tinwhistle, concertina, tenor banjo and harp are the most common instruments you'll find at this jam. Never a fee, always a frolic!
Love and Serve
Samaritan Health Center
Blacknall local partner Samaritan Health Center is looking for project help the week of November 15 (mailing to supporters) and the weekend of December 3 (assembling and delivering volunteer gift bags). These are family-friendly ways to bless SHC and the community at year end. Service can be onsite at the clinic, or done from home. Contact communications director Meredith Martindale to learn more.
StepUp Durham
Volunteer with StepUp Durham. Particular needs right now are for volunteers to serve as Resume Builders and Mock Interviewers at job readiness workshops, and to walk with participants as Co-Partners in Step2’s 8-week training modules. All opportunities are virtual through the end of 2021. To learn more, email StepUp’s Volunteer Coordinator, or contact Nancy Grigg.
Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry
Volunteer at the Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry. Not comfortable gathering? Sign up to bag rice and beans from home.
Walltown Neighborhood Ministries Food Bank
Volunteer at the Walltown Neighborhood Ministries Food Bank.
Deep Common Journeys
What’s a Deep Common Journey? One of Blacknall’s commitments in mission is that we would intentionally enter into “Partnership with an organization in mission toward learning to be disciples of Jesus Christ.” We call these partnership relationships “Deep Common Journeys.” While Blacknall supports approximately 60 different international, Durham, and campus mission partners, we have focused on four Deep Common Journey partners—Reality Ministries (Durham), Families Moving Forward (Durham), International Students, Inc. (Campus), and Congo Initiative (International).
How can I enter our Deep Common Journey? There are many ways to get involved:
Congo Initative— Join the monthly prayer time for our Congolese brothers and sisters (second Sundays at 6:30 p.m. over Zoom), be a pen pal to a university student at UCBC, serve on the Congo Leadership Team. To learn more about these and other opportunities, fill out the CI Volunteer Interest Form or contact Kim Dunderdale. Sign up to receive news and updates from CI.
Reality Ministries — Reality has a wide variety of volunteer opportunities including gardening, beekeeping, karaoke dance, art, music, cooking, Bible study and much more. Join a daytime or evening group at the Reality Center, have fun and make some new friends! Check out Reality’s Volunteer page or contact volunteer coordinator Tammy Rodman.
Families Moving Forward— Be a Study Buddy, join the Hospitality Team, donate to Barrels of Joy, be a Room Refresher, or dine with Chefs for Change. Visit FMF’s volunteer page or contact Mark and Anne Paulson to learn more.
International Students Inc.— Join the IstudentsDuke prayer ministry and engage in regular conversation with an international student (in person or virtual). To learn more, fill out the volunteer interest form, visit ISI’s Volunteers page, or contact Dan Kronstad (630.903.1300).
Prayer
Ministry Partners
Durham—We pray for the Habitat for Humanity and their Executive Director, Alexis Vaughn. They ask for prayers for their partner families, the construction staff, volunteers, and advocates. Please pray for health, safety, and the comfort of home.
Campus & National— We pray for Steve Edwards working with international students at NC State. Steve particularly focuses on reaching out to students from South Asia.
Praises:
· The city welcome tour they had in early September exceeded expectations in terms of numbers. They were expecting 40-50 and had 150 show up
· They had their first “Global Gathering” of the semester and were able to meet indoors, masked, and had a great turnout. The second gathering had even more students and many were from the world’s least reached nations.
Prayer Requests:
· Pray for the Friday gatherings where they are reading the Bible with students from all over including China, Bangladesh, and India.
· Pray for students who have never opened a Bible before to have hearts open to receive God’s Word.
· Pray for opportunities for Steve to provide training and coaching for others in ministry with international students.
International—We pray for Stephen Crupi, doing theological education in Northern Uganda with South Sudanese refugees. Stephen writes, “An additional opportunity for this month of October came when a Christian vocational training program asked if I would provide some theological education for their staff two days a week. Project Two-Five (named for Jesus’ miracle of multiplying the two fish and five loaves) offers courses in areas such as agriculture, tailoring, hairdressing, and driving… in one of the refugee settlements and in a place called Odia, which is near Arua town [in Uganda]. Because of the lockdown they have not been able to hold their normal trainings, so the management of the institution decided to use the time when they were unable to conduct their normal programs to hold theological trainings in relatively small groups for their staff members. Therefore, this month I’m discussing the themes of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restored Creation with the staff members of Project Two-Five in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement on Tuesdays and in Odia on Thursdays.” Please pray for the following: 1) For peace in South Sudan. 2) For the trainings we are planning to hold in November and December for the spouses of our former students and for pastors. 3) For my teaching at Project Two-Five. 4) For our students at the college to be active serving in their churches during these months while they are waiting to resume their studies.
Griefs
We pray for Susan & Derek Okada on the death of Susan’s mom, Margaret Louise Cameron Tew on August 29
We pray for Nancy Congleton whose mom died on September 17
We pray for Jim & Linda Demarest and family on the death of his mother, Rose, on September 16
Joys
We rejoice for the wedding of Ellie Poole and Jack Richmond yesterday. The flowers in the sanctuary honor their celebration!
We give thanks for the Festival of the Bean last Sunday at Camp Chestnut Ridge and for the Deacons in all of their work pulling this event together. Congratulations to Jason Petree, the new Lord of the Bean!
Concerns
We pray for Jo Oldham and Margaret Scearce, both who are fighting cancer and may be going “Home” soon.
We pray for Catherine Wilkins Hart who fell and broke her foot and finger. Pray for Ray Wilkins as she supports Catherine and Cameron, her son.
We pray for our Congregational Meeting today as we elect congregational members to the Congregational Nominating Committee. Pray for the work of this committee as they begin their work of nominating elders and deacons to be elected by the congregation. Pray for Evan Cate and Michael Whisenhunt as they co-chair this committee.
We pray for our continued searches for an Interim Pastor, Communications Coordinator and a Choir Director.
World
We pray for the release of the 17 missionaries and their driver in Haiti. We pray for a cessation of the violence and chaos in Haiti.
We pray for Chris Rice who is traveling in Cyprus and Beirut, Lebanon in his work with the Mennonite Central Committee.
We continue to pray for the nation and people of Afghanistan, and particularly for Christian brothers and sisters there. We pray for attempts to rescue those whose lives are in danger.
Life Together
We pray for Becky Gould as she cares for our congregation. Pray for her as she provides leadership and service for our Women’s Ministry. Pray for the upcoming Women’s Retreat, that it would be a great time of women connecting and re-connecting with one another and the Lord.