Friday, Feb. 7, 6:30-9 p.m. | Fellowship Hall
Board games, card games, any sort of tabletop games! Bring your own or just come and join in with the various games people will bring to share.
Contact: Bill Shively.
Celebration Dinner
Sunday, Feb. 9, 5:30 p.m. | Fellowship Hall
Come celebrate and enjoy a feast of good food and reports from our own congregation and our mission partners locally, on campus, and internationally of how “the lost have been found.” Childcare provided. Dinner is free and catered by our friends from St. John's Missionary Baptist Church. Contact: David Dunderdale.
Lenten Journey Into Prayer
April 3-4 | Haw River State Park
Lenten Journey into Prayer Sign Up
This Lenten Journey will kick off with one meeting on Sunday, February 23 (5:30-6:30 p.m., Upper Room) and will culminate in a 24-hour contemplative retreat beginning Friday, April 3 at 4 p.m. through Saturday afternoon. Location: Haw River State Park in Browns Summit, NC.
Participants will receive weekly guides for reflection to encourage their spiritual practice throughout the Lenten season. This spring retreat, led by Martha Carlough, will incorporate expansive quiet time, large group sessions, meals and prayer together.
Cost for a double occupancy motel-like room, meals, etc. is $100. There are some single rooms for $125. Some partial scholarships are available, contact Margaret Frothingham by Feb.13. Registration is open now and closes on February 20. Retreat limit is 35 women.
Staff Retirements
A letter from Allan Poole
Dear Blacknall family,
Almost every Tuesday morning our Blacknall staff gathers for our weekly time to study Scripture, go over calendars, talk through challenges, share joys, and pray for the needs of the congregation. If you have walked down the hallway during that hour from 9.30 to 10.30 you might wonder, “What in the world…”, because of the laughter that is emanating from the parlor. It is one of the deep joys of our work together, to share it with others whom the Lord has brought alongside. One staff member confessed that in leaving our staff Christmas party each year, there are often tears of gratitude. Imagine that. Crying in gratitude after a staff party! But such are the folks with whom I have the privilege of serving.
I dare to believe that such a grace makes a significant mark on the larger congregation. So, when there is a change, we will all feel it. As we should. This year we are being asked to prepare for the retirement of two beloved staff members.
Margaret Frothingham has been around Blacknall for a long time. But when she joined the staff just over fifteen years ago, we became a much stronger, better place. Now she and Rich have determined that it is time to focus on their children’s children, to practice with her own family the hospitality that she has so generously shown so many of us. She will step down from her Blacknall responsibilities mid-year, at the end of June.
David Stuntz first came to Blacknall in the 1970’s, when he provided worship leadership and administrative assistance alongside Ed Henegar. He then returned in 1998, leaving a university teaching position in Erie, PA, to take up his post as Blacknall’s Director of Music and Worship. He has also served as a de facto pastor to the choir and to the LCs. Now, after more than twenty years, he and Ann have decided that the time is right to step into the next phase of their lives. Dave’s last Sunday at Blacknall will be the last Sunday of 2020.
I simply don’t want to think about these impending departures. I am having a difficult time imagining our life together without Margaret and Dave in their respective roles. But the Session (our elders) has wisely seen in these announcements the need and opportunity to step back and take a broad look at the personnel needs for Blacknall, thinking not just about replacing these two but taking advantage of the moment to consider how best to structure job descriptions across the board in order most faithfully to serve this part of Christ’s body over the next five years.
Toward that end, last November the Session formed a temporary working group called the Personnel Planning Team. Chaired by Michael Whisenhunt, the group consists of representatives from our Personnel Committee, including that committee’s chair, Ann Talton Lee, elder Charlie Schaefer, and me. Those four are joined by Alexa Gerend, Melissa Hartemink, Maggie Holland, Tanya Moore, Mark Paulson, and Betsy Poole. The group has two particular charges: 1) to take a look at the current job descriptions, defining current ministries and tasks addressed by staff, paying attention as well to ministry opportunities not currently in focus, and 2) to prioritize those tasks and ministries and match them with possible future staff positions. The team’s work will then be submitted to the Session as guidance for future hires. (It is important to note here that the Personnel Planning Team is not a search committee; the responsibility for forming search committees remains with the Session, supported by the Personnel Committee according to our hiring policies and practices.)
I would like to invite you to channel your sorrow at this news into prayer, giving thanks first of all for Margaret and Dave and their families and for their contributions to Blacknall’s life and ministry. While you are at it, pray for them as they enter this time of planning and transition, and for us as a congregation, that we would have the ability to hear and respond to the Holy Spirit’s voice as we look toward a season of change and the welcome of new staff. Of course, you are welcome to speak to anyone on the Personnel Planning Team or the Session with your thoughts; as we have sometimes done in the past, we have established a dedicated email address for input (PPT@blacknall.org). Your suggestions will be seen by the team listed above.
We hope that as we gain clarity about positions and job descriptions, you all might serve as a “committee of the whole” in identifying folks who might be surprised by the Lord’s invitation to step into service at Blacknall. It is a daunting prospect, but the Lord is faithful. Change brings out all kinds of things in people; let us encourage each other with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and as we seek to honor him, he will lead.
Gratefully,
Allan
Pastor's Letter | David Dunderdale
“Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
The Gospels never mention Jesus ever laughing. In fact, the word “laugh” or “laughter” only appears six times in the entire New Testament and only once in a positive way, and that in the future tense! We are told of people laughing at Jesus (Matt. 9:24; Mark 5:40; Luke 8:53) and we are told to let our “laughter be turned into mourning” (James 4:9). In Luke’s Beatitudes Jesus says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” and “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:21,25)
One could easily get the impression that being a Christian is a very serious and sober matter with no room for frivolity or laughter. I do believe that much of our laughter is a shallow cover for our spiritual and moral poverty. We certainly should be weeping more.
But as I read the Gospels more and more, I am convinced that the life that Jesus shared with the twelve must have included much laughter. As you read the Gospels you can begin to imagine the possibility of turning it into a movie called “The 12 Stooges.” Jesus is this brilliant, wonderful, kind, powerful man—in fact, God’s Son come to earth—and he is surrounded by these twelve guys who are earnest and try really hard but sometimes, in very humorous ways, just don’t get it!
One of my favorite examples is in Matthew 16. The Pharisees and the Sadducees come to Jesus to demand that he give them a “sign from heaven.” Jesus “refuses” (as if somehow any of the 100’s of miracles Jesus had already done didn’t matter!) and says no sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah.
Jesus and the Twelve then get in the boat and cross to the other side of the lake. When they get to the other side the disciples realize that they had forgotten to bring any bread. At that moment Jesus says to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Clearly Jesus is still replaying in his head the confrontation he had just had with the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The disciples do not have a clue. Their response is, “Yeah, man, I told you we should have brought the bread!” We can imagine them blaming each other, “Jesus, I told Andrew to grab it before we left.” “Thomas said he was going to get it!” “I thought the women were going to put it in our bag!”
At this point I don’t think Jesus is laughing. I think he is exasperated. This is serious. The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees will destroy them. The Twelve are stuck on the question of what’s for dinner when the survival of their souls is at stake. And this is after Jesus had fed the 5,000 and after he had fed the 4,000. “Really!?! ‘What’s for dinner?’ is your biggest concern right now?”
But at some point, this story must have become humorous. At some point the disciples began re-telling this story. The way Matthew tells it, it’s clear that he is not casting the disciples in the best light. They must have laughed at themselves, “We were so clueless!” I wonder. Whenever the disciples started getting impressed with themselves or started getting critical of how clueless other people were, did Jesus just look at them and say, in mock horror, “Who brought the bread?!?”
I wonder. The very next story in Matthew 16 is Peter’s Great Confession where he confesses that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And then immediately rebukes Jesus for saying that the Messiah would have to suffer and die. Just when you think, “Oh, they get it!” I wonder. What did Jesus say the next time he was alone with the Father?
“I couldn’t believe what they said when I tried to warn them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
“Yeah, well, you picked them!”
“Ha! So you could reveal to them that I am the Messiah, your Son, but you couldn’t reveal to them that I was speaking metaphorically about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees??”
[This raises an interesting question. What does humor look like within the Trinity? What sorts of humor are appropriate within the Blessed Communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?]
Anyway, all of this to say, I am not laughing at the Twelve. I am laughing with the Twelve. Because even with the benefits of hindsight and reading this story over and over, I am left wondering, what is the “yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees”?
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opponents. They were the two main parties in the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. They were the Republicans and Democrats, the Evangelicals and Progressives. They would have considered themselves very different from the Other.
Jesus comes along and despite whatever differences there might be between Pharisees and Sadducees (Republicans and Democrats? Evangelicals and Progressives??), their teachings contain the same yeast that can infect the whole loaf of the community’s shared life.
In our own time of polarization and partisan divide, might Jesus be saying the same thing to us? Beware of the yeast of both sides. But what is that yeast? I am curious what you would say that yeast is that marks both sides of our divides. I would love to hear from you what you think.
Might it be that both sides, the Pharisees and Sadducees as well as the parties in our divides, give a pretense of godliness but refuse to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ? Might it be our inclination to pick and choose which parts of Jesus and his gospel we like and to ignore the parts we don’t like? Might it be our refusal to fully believe based on the miracles Jesus has already done but demanding more miracles so we can postpone our commitment to him a little longer?
I wonder. I wonder if I should be weeping more than I do.
David
Read more from the January Newsletter . . .
Get to Know Leslie Cenezy
Volunteering with International Students, Inc by Michael & Hanna Rizk
Get to Know Leslie
Get to know Leslie Cenezy, Blacknall’s new Business Manager!
Tell us a little about yourself & your family -
I am a Durham native and grew up at Blacknall. I moved back here about 6 years ago after finishing grad school and rejoined Blacknall in 2016. I met my husband, Del, in his native Haiti and we decided we just had to be together! He moved here and we were married at Blacknall in 2017. Then we had our beautiful girl Anna in 2018 and she is a joy to us! We are so happy to be part of the Blacknall family.
What are three things you're passionate about?
I am a mental health advocate and believe it affects everyone directly or indirectly. I greatly enjoy connecting with people who are different than me, especially across languages and cultures. Lastly, I'm most fulfilled when I'm helping someone else and am passionate that 'helping' is a primary and divine purpose.
What attracted you to this role at Blacknall?
I had been searching for awhile for the next step professionally. When I saw the posting I felt such joy and peace about it immediately. It's a perfect combination of my skills, experience and current goals both personally and professionally. I also couldn't be more proud to be able to serve Blacknall in this way as the staff and people have been such a blessing to me and my family.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I love connecting people and problem solving to help someone find what or who they need in that moment. I'm confident I will have plenty of opportunity to do that in this role!
Read more from the January Newsletter…
Pastor’s Letter by David Dunderdale
Volunteering with International Students, Inc by Michael & Hanna Rizk
Volunteering with International Students, Inc.
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
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
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.
11 a.m. Service Only on 12/29
Sunday, Dec. 29, 11 a.m. Worship Service only
No 8:30 a.m. service or Sunday School. Childcare provided through age two.
Regular programming starts back up on Sunday, January 5!