Finance Update
Our fiscal year will end on June 30, 2021. Through May 30, we received offerings of $1,490,000. This exceeds previous years at this time in spite of all the interruptions to our normal life together. Our budget is $1,684,000, so we need to receive $194,000 in June to meet our budget through offerings. Our Session will review and approve a budget for the next fiscal year in July. Success in meeting this year’s budget through offerings will provide confidence in approving a robust budget for the coming year. Projected annual expenses this year are about 96% of budget.
In May, 2020, Blacknall received a loan of $163,900 through the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP). We have applied for loan forgiveness.
We are thankful for generous giving by our congregation in these unusual times. Visit Blacknall Giving for details on multiple ways to give.
Calendar
SUNDAY, JUNE 27
Summer FUN-Day Evenings Sundays, June 20- July 25, 5:30- 7 p.m. Duke Park Picnic Shelter (106 West Knox Street, Durham). Pack a picnic dinner and join your Blacknall family for fellowship, fun, and devotion. Blacknall will provide popsicles and a fun theme each week. The Duke Park shelter is reserved for the whole afternoon, feel free to arrive early and kick off the picnic. Bring a friend, and share this link with others.
Communion in the Rose Garden | 9:45-10 am & 12:30-12:45 pm
For those who worship with us virtually and who would like to receive communion, a pastor will be present in the rose garden.
COMING UP
Durham’s Story, Your Story and God’s Story – The Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope
There are two upcoming opportunities (July 30-August 1 and October 22-24) to participate in a weekend pilgrimage designed to immerse yourself in the story of Durham and the Biblical story. Learn the history of Durham, how God is and has been working, and how you fit in. Additional information and registration can be found at DurhamCares.
Blacknall is planning a customized pilgrimage in partnership with St. John’s and Mount Level Missionary Baptist Churches in early 2022, but with limited availability, you might want to encounter one of these upcoming pilgrimages instead.
Announcements
Interim Pastor Search
Blacknall is actively seeking an interim pastor to work with the Session, staff, Transition Team (congregation, and other stakeholders through the transition process and to develop a mission study. View Blacknall’s MIF for more details and share the word with qualified candidates. Interested candidates should forward their PIF or resume to: interimpastorsearch@blacknall.org. Contact Stephanie Wheatley, Pastoral Transition Team chair, with questions.
Please note, we have discontinued the Worship From Home liturgy (text only, not the Livestream). Song lyrics and Scripture text will be visible in the upper right corner of the livestream service, and each section of the service will continue to be bookmarked. The Order of Worship is available as a downloadable PDF. We apologize if this affects your worship time, but we encourage you to watch the full livestream or attend sanctuary worship, as you feel comfortable. Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate our return to corporate worship!
The Blacknall Library is open! As Sunday morning worship is now underway, the library is ready too! Our books, DVDs and CDs are here for your summer enjoyment.
Hours: Sundays between services, self-service midweek when the church is open. Masks are requested, and we’ll limit the number of people as needed. Come see us for all the books you’ve missed!
If you have library materials at home, it’s time for the great Blacknall Book Bring-Back! Since the beginning of the pandemic, we extended return dates. Please return any overdue library materials to ensure our collection serves everyone.
Summer Nursery Volunteers | Sign up
We are inviting fully vaccinated adults and teens in our congregation to partner with the Nursery Ministry in providing childcare during our Sunday 8:30 am worship service this summer. You can find the June/July sign-up sheet above and you're welcome to sign up as a Volunteer Worker for as many spots as you'd like.Ushers needed during both services. | Sign up to receive more details on various ways to serve during worship.
Community
Housing for New Hope (HNH) is in need of 6-8 volunteers for 4-6 hours at their Williams Square location. Reaching, bending, pulling and kneeling is involved. Please contact Lauren Holahan if interested. HNH is flexible and will schedule the time based on volunteers’ availability.
Prayer
Ministry Partners:
Campus—We pray for Madison Perry, Executive Director of the North Carolina Study Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Study Center is in the midst of a construction project on their building next to UNC’s campus. Madison shares these praise and prayer requests:
Gratitude for a remarkable spring. There was so much to be thankful for this spring. You can see more in our Spring ‘21 Newsletter.
Prayers for the start of construction – that our builders (EDK) and designer/coordinator (Jenifer Hofmann) would work well together and will complete the job in 12 months.
Transitioning to a new hospitality space at 307 E Franklin St for the 2021-22 school year while construction goes on.
New staff hires as we seek a new Director of Operations and complete our back office team.
Successful completion of summer programming (student trip to Israel, Faith and work internships, Mark Noll classes)
Chandan, the founder and director, his wife in the middle, and their daughter on the right
International—Pray for the Blacknall-supported ministry: "Empower Bihar -- a network operating in several North Indian states and in Nepal. Its strategy is to train teachers to equip disciple making Christians. Neighbors are invited to attend a home meeting where they hear the gospel. As the neighbors turn to Christ and grow in their faith, the group divides and formed a second home meeting. In this way, some groups have spawned dozens of house churches over the past decade.” Prayer requests: (1) comfort and support for the family of a leader who died of Covid, leaving a wife and 6 children; (2) physical and emotional healing for those who have recovered from Covid but who have lingering health issues; (3) thanksgiving for some relief funds for the victims of the virus; (4) wisdom and protection, as they help their leaders and their families; (5) guidance in establishing 3 large businesses in North India to generate revenue for their work.
Gateway’s President, Melinda Delahoyde
Durham—We pray for the ministry of Gateway Women’s Care in Durham and Chapel Hill. Please pray for:
The opening of our new pregnancy center in Chapel Hill in mid July. We are so thankful for this location and the great staff God has brought for this mission. There are lots of details to be completed before we open.
Another nurse to join Gateway's medical team. The work of our nurses and their experience with ultrasound technology is so essential to helping women choose life for their babies.
Thankfulness for continued growth in women coming to Gateway Durham! (56% increase over 2020 YTD).
Their online advertising to continue to reach more women seeking an abortion in Durham and surrounding communities.
Grief:
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
Joys
We celebrate with Sean and Susan Condon on the wedding of their daughter Rose Condon to Daniel Luncasu-Rolea, yesterday in Seattle, Washington.
Concerns
We pray for Joe Bohn’s heart bypass surgery on Monday.
We continue to pray for Joy Manila, daughter of Ron & Betsy, as she recovers from orthopedic surgery on both of her legs. Pray for patience and strength as she goes through the recovery and rehab process.
We pray for Rachel Freyer who is recovering from surgery. Support the Fryers with a meal.
We pray for Mark Paulson who is recovering from his surgery last week.
We pray for Joanne Beckman who is recovering from her surgery last week.
World
We pray for Romel, a Haitian doctor that works in a clinic that many in Blacknall have worked with in Haiti, who is sending his wife and two young daughters to stay in the U.S. out of fear of violence and their being kidnapped for ransom. They will arrive in Durham this week and we pray for April and Shelia who will be hosting Romel’s family in their home.
Life Together
We pray for Wen Reagan, our Director of Music and Worship, as he leads us in worship. Pray as he leads a search for a Choir Director. Pray that he would help us to discover and utilize our various gifts to worship God.
We pray for our search for a new Communications Director.
We pray for a deepening heart for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors. We pray for creativity, imagination, and love for our neighbors as we seek to make Jesus known.