Volunteering with International Students, Inc.

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By Michael & Hanna Rizk

International students are great! At least that has been our experience. Both of us spent lots of time with and developed enduring friendships with international students while we were students at Duke many years ago. So, when we returned to the area, we looked forward to getting involved with international students once again. Supper Club was an easy, fun way for us to do that. 

We were matched up with two very different students -- one who had already spent time in the US and seemed to have a good grasp on how things work here and one who was completely new to the country and in the process of figuring things out. In hosting them at our house for a few meals, we gained a peek into their lives and a reminder that simple acts of welcoming are truly appreciated by all sorts of people. Whether you have spent lots of time with international students before or none at all, Supper Club is an easy way to serve through welcoming and to have the opportunity to at least briefly share life with some great people.

If you’d like to serve as a Supper Club host (registration deadline is Jan. 18) or volunteer in other ways with International Students, Inc, please visit our website  or contact Dan Kronstad or Scott Hawkins.

Photo: A Supper Club Group, Fall 2019

Read more from the January 2020 Newsletter . . .
Pastor’s Letter by David Dunderdale
Get to Know Leslie Cenezy

Paula Rinehart Book Reading

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Sunday, Jan. 26, 6:30-8 p.m. | Fellowship Hall

Come enjoy a book reading and fellowship night with Paula Rinehart (Blacknall elder) and Connally Gilliam (writer, speaker, artist), as they share from their new book And Yet, Undaunted: Embraced by the Goodness of God in the Chaos of Life.

An evening to remember that God is good even in the chaos of life.

Contact: Margaret Frothingham

Spring Women's Bible Study

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Register here

Thursdays, January 9-April 23, 9:30-11:20 a.m.

For the Spring semester, the focus will be the book of 1 Peter. Each Thursday morning will include worship, teaching, fellowship, and small groups. Small group assignments will remain the same. Childcare is provided for birth through age 4. The registration fee is $20 for Spring semester. Scholarships are available. Feel free to invite a friend.  

Uneven Ground Survey

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Available here

As part of our focus on housing and homelessness this year, Blacknall's Durham Ministries and Engagement Team (DMET) sponsored Bull City 150's Uneven Ground exhibit and several events associated with it. These included an evening talk, a 30s, 40s, and Friends Sunday school class, a "listening session" on affordable housing, and a roundtable discussion.

The DMET would appreciate your feedback if you went through the exhibit or attended any of these events. The anonymous 10-minute survey is open until Dec. 29 (you may include your name if you’d like). Thank you!

Christmas Eve Services

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Tuesday, Dec. 24 | Sanctuary

  • 4 p.m. Service - In an effort for all ages to explore the incarnation, we’re going to experiment this year with a new 45-minute service. It’s open to all and we hope it will be particularly inviting to families with younger children. No childcare provided so that we have lots of youthful and joyful singing as we worship together!

  • 5:30 p.m. Service - A service with candles and carols. Childcare through age 3.

  • 7:30 p.m. Service - A service with candles, carols, and communion. Childcare will not be provided.

A Letter of Thanks

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By Donna McBrite

Dear Blacknall Family,

I wanted to write a short thank you as I prepare to move from the Triangle after more than 20 years. It’s still hard to believe I have worked at Blacknall for 5 years, but then again I feel I have known some of you much longer. You all certainly welcomed me as a member of the family, and your hospitality and welcome began before my initial interview, and has extended through my farewell. From the cards, phone calls, drop in visits and gifts your generosity and heartfelt expressions have meant the world to me.

I can’t thank you all enough for the relationships we have formed. I would be remiss if I didn’t specifically thank the “Wednesday morning guys” that truly help keep Blacknall running. I don’t know how I would have managed all the building maintenance issues that go along with a 100+ year old building. Thankfully the Lord brought along Roger, Ken, Rick and the gang to walk alongside me. This group of men came to me with servant’s hearts and an unending giving spirit, along with some serious handyman skills! The many people that work quietly in the background at Blacknall (you all know who you are!) is an amazing testimony to using the gifts God has given to serve the Lord.

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To the staff and church leadership, as well as the Personnel committee, I say thank you again! It’s amazing to see how God raises up the next leaders in this church with each new year. From the deacons and elders to all the many committees, the work of this body could not happen without the commitment to serve. I appreciate the importance of prayer in all you do and I will keep you all in my prayers, and I ask for your prayers as I attempt to discern my next steps.

Thank you again for the many blessings I have received,

Donna

Read more December Newsletter articles…
Pastor’s Letter | Allan Poole
Surviving the Holidays After a Loved One’s Death | Alice Wisler
Advent in the Library | Mindy Lance

Advent in the Library

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By Mindy Lance

Prepare your heart for Christ's coming. Looking to focus on the real meaning of Christmas? The Blacknall Library can be a resource to help you and your family ready your hearts and minds for the celebration of God's gift. You can find children's storybooks and videos and Advent devotionals for all ages. Here are just a few from our collection:

For families:

  • A Jesus Christmas by Barbara Reaoch – Focuses on how God prepared the world for Jesus right from the beginning of creation.

  • The Way to the Manger by Jeff and Abbey Land – Walks through the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace with talking points and activities for families to enjoy together.

  • Good Dirt by Lacy Finn Borgo – Combines kid-friendly activities, daily devotionals and Bible readings, introducing the 12 classical spiritual disciplines as tools to work the soil of the soul.

For adults:

  • Hidden Christmas by Tim Keller – Guides readers through an illuminating journey into the surprising background of the Nativity story.

  • Night Visions by Jan Richardson – Draws readers into the quiet spaces of an often-frenzied season, beckoning us to encounter the God who dwells in darkness as well as in daylight.

  • The Meaning Is in the Waiting by Paula Gooder – Focuses on the spiritual practice of waiting. Advent is about learning to love the waiting, being expectant rather than urgent, keeping us focused on God in the present, rather than on an uncertain future.

Read more December Newsletter articles…
Pastor’s Letter | Allan Poole
Surviving the Holidays After a Loved One’s Death | Alice Wisler
A Letter of Thanks | Donna McBrite