Calendar
Sunday, Dec. 26
Worship at 11 a.m. No childcare, children’s church or Sunday School.
Sunday, Jan. 2
Worship at 8:30 and 11 a.m. No childcare, children’s church or Sunday School. Please join us for donuts and coffee in the Rose Garden between services beginning at 9:45 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 9
Sunday School classes resume! Read the descriptions of adult classes and topics here.
Prayer for Mission Partners (4 p.m.) and Congo (6:30 p.m.) | Zoom (link on CCB)
From Cape Town to Amsterdam. From Tonga to Kyrgyzstan. From Blacknall to Beni and lots of places in between! We are invited to gather to pray for our Blacknall-supported missionaries. Come participate in what God is doing in our world! Contact: Dave Dunderdale.
Announcements
Church Office closed through Dec. 30.
The church will be closed and the administrative and program staff will be on leave from through Dec. 30. Our financial administrator, Carol Smith, will be in the office on Friday, Dec. 31 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. to receive gifts.
Finance Update
We are grateful for the generosity of our congregation. Here is a summary of our offerings and expenses for the first five months of the current fiscal year:
(July 1 to November 30, 2021)
Offerings $531,041
Expenses $688,328
Offerings minus Expenses <157,287>
We typically fall behind at this time of year, and catch up by the end of December. This Table shows our deficit or surplus each month over the past 5 years. Our current deficit of $157,287 is similar to last year at this time, and a bit larger than previous years. We have reserves set aside to cover gaps such as this one, and we have finished each of the past 5 years with a surplus. Our overall financial status remains strong.
December giving will be important as always for our continued financial health. This would be a great time to consider your plans for year-end giving. There are multiple ways to give to Blacknall:
· Automatic bank drafts from your bank using bill pay directed to Blacknall. This normally incurs no charge for you or Blacknall.
· Online giving at blacknall.org. (debit and credit card donations). Members can schedule recurring online gifts when signed on to CCB.
· Checks mailed to the church office. Gifts postmarked by December 31 will be included in calendar year 2021.
· Cash or check brought to the church office. Gifts received by noon on Friday, December 31 will be included in calendar year 2021.
· Gifts from your IRA account, or gifts of stock. Contact Carol Smith. Please initiate your gift by December 23 for inclusion in calendar year 2021.
Details for all these options are available at blacknall.org. Contact Rich Frothingham with any questions.
Community Announcements
Abundant Joy Center for Women's Ministries
Abundant Joy CWM serves women who are experiencing a difficult time. Our services are free and confidential and include one-on-one counseling to women 18 and over, support groups, and Bible study groups. We are offering the following groups in the Winter of 2022. Women can register for a group at abundantjoycwm@gmail.com or call 919-943-0789 for more information.
Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin on Tuesday morning 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., January 18 - March 15.
Prayer Group for Mothers of Adult Children on the first and third Wednesday afternoon of the month 1-2:30 p.m., February 2 - April 13.
Basic Peer Counseling Training will be offered for anyone interested in volunteering as a peer counselor or group facilitator. An application will need to be completed as well as an interview with Priscilla, the Center Director, before taking this class. The class will be offered on Thursday morning 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., February 3 - April 21.
Prayer
Durham—We pray for the ministry of Pregnancy Support Services and its Executive Director, Cindy Kouhout. We pray for this organization as they offer support to women and families who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. They ask us to offer praise and prayers for these items:
Praise for clients who choose life
Praise for PSS's faithful supporters
Pray for smooth transitions for new staff
Pray for women seeking help in an unplanned pregnancy to call for an appointment
Pray for continued and new connections in the local community
Pray for them as they complete the finishing touches on our Durham location
Pray for the provision for families struggling through Christmas
Campus & National—We pray for Andrea Bridges, on staff with InterVarsity working with Women in the Academy and Professions and publishes a weekly email called The Well. Andrea and Matt and their children, Alden, Rosie, and James, moved from Durham to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois this past August. Andrea shares, “One joy this Advent has been putting together a weekly series of short meditations on our podcast. You can find them here.
She asks for prayer for: “healthy spiritual rhythms, flourishing communities, and spiritual wisdom and strength for our team and the women we serve.”
International—Pray for Blacknall missionary Stacy Rinehart, who founded MentorLink Leadership Institute in January 2000, based upon the servanthood model set forth by Christ in Mark 10: "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Specific prayer requests: (1) guidance concerning a collaborative project which, if it materialized, would greatly expand MentorLink’s partners; (2) partners who suffer under debilitating circumstances: civil war (Ethiopia and Cameroon), Christian cleansing and persecution (Nigeria), and devastating drought (Kenya); (3) new partners to produce MentorLink’s discipling video series, Days With Jesus, in more languages in Africa and Asia.
Griefs
We pray for the family of Jo Oldham who died Dec. 2. A memorial service will be held in late January.
We pray for Martha Gore on the death of her sister on Dec. 1.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus, over 800,000 in the U.S.
Joys
We rejoice in the joy of birth of our Savior, Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
We rejoice in our inclusion in the Family of God and the gift of brothers and sisters in Christ and particularly our fellowship together in Blacknall.
Concerns
We pray for all of those who do not know Jesus Christ. We pray for those unaware of the love and mercy of God that they might hear and receive the truth of God’s love for them in Jesus Christ.
We pray that we might be faithful messengers of God’s love and hope.
We pray for those trapped in sin that they might be set free by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
We pray for Bethany & Noe Kasali in Beni, DRC, who are expecting their new baby due in mid-January. Pray for a safe delivery for Bethany and the baby.
We pray for Jim Tuttle, Jennifer Sider’s fiancé, diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemo treatment.
World
We continue to pray for Mikail, our Afghan neighbor who was able to get out of Afghanistan last week but was unable to bring his wife and 6 children with him. Pray for good favor with the U.S. government that his wife and children would be able to receive visas so that they can join him here in Durham. Pray for safety for his family while they remain in Afghanistan.
Life Together
We pray for Ben Davison, our Divinity School Intern, working with undergraduate students at Duke. Pray for Ben as he is seeking to discern God’s calling after his graduation in May.
We pray for our continued searches for a Communications & Program Coordinator and a Choir Director.