General
Jonathan Sobota
Blacknall Survey of Service Engagement

Blacknall's Durham Ministry Engagement Team (DMET) is conducting a community service survey this year, running from January 12-31. Your responses will assist DMET and the Session in organizing our resources to serve our neighbors in Durham. The poll will also inform how DMET supports people at Blacknall who are interested in new service opportunities in Durham.

General
Jonathan Sobota
Sunday School Spring Semester

The Sunday School class schedule and descriptions for the spring semester are now available.

Adult classes will cover a variety of ongoing and new topics. You can jump right into any of these classes, even if you did not attend the prior semester of an ongoing study. There is no reason to hesitate, please come!

General
Jonathan Sobota
Inquirers & New Members Weekend February ...

Want to know more about Blacknall and what it means to be a member? Join us for our next Inquirers and New Members Weekend, Saturday morning, February 15, and Sunday afternoon and evening, February 16. Visit the registration page to sign up and see more details.

General
Jonathan Sobota
Blacknall Survey of Service Engagement Coming ...

Be on the lookout for an opportunity to share how you and your household are engaged in community service. The survey will assist Blacknall’s Durham Ministry Engagement Team and inform how DMET might provide better onramps for people at Blacknall who are interested in service opportunities in Durham.

Celebration of Baptism

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Sunday, April 25, 4 pm at West Point on the Eno

Please wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Join us to witness and celebrate as several Blacknall families present their children for Christian baptism. We will gather for a brief service at West Point on the Eno. Meet at the picnic shelter circled in yellow (see map below). All are welcome. Baptisms: Maria & Zach Bradshaw (Joanna); Chad & Hannah Crafford (Grayson); Hanke & Wilco DeVries (Rivka); Deb & Aaron Ebert (Carys); Lou & Josh Gaghan (Violet); Emily & Jonathan Kinsey (Caroline & Olivia); Mary Lynn & Jimmy Myers (Kitty); Casey & Wen Reagan (Lovewell); Danielle & Stu Stulac (Susannah).

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What to Expect: Parenting Teens During Uncertain Times

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Sunday, April 11, 6:30 pm 
Webinar link on CCB

It's no secret that the mental health of teenagers has declined over the past year. Thankfully there is hope that gathering together will again be the norm; however, there will be mixed feelings as we all adjust to new and unexpected ways of being over the course of the next year. Join us to learn about how loss and change can affect middle and high schoolers, the confusing ways kids show their grief and anxiety, and how parents can be part of the healing process to help kids move forward in the midst of uncertainty.

Led by Emily Cox, Blacknall member and a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Easter

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Worship from Home

View Easter worship here.

Visit a Backyard Worship Group

The below groups would love to welcome visitors on Easter morning.

Sunday, April 4, 10 am, Bahama
Cory & Christian Pikaart’s group has space for 25 people. Contact Cory.

Sunday, April 4, 10:15 am, American Village. Michael & Hanna Rizk’s group has space for 12 people. Contact Michael.


Outdoor worship

SUNDAY, APRIL 4
9 am, 10 am, 11 am services

The outdoor services are currently full but please check here for cancellations.

  • Location | Blacknall Iredell St. parking lot & adjacent field (pictured above)

  • Parking | Parking is available in the Duke lot (this is the lot where people have typically parked for pre-pandemic Sunday services).

  • Directions | Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the service you are attending. If you arrive earlier for the 10 am or 11 am services, please stay in your car until the previous service has been dismissed. Please come to the welcome tent and a deacon will direct you to seating.

  • Please bring | A mask and a chair or blanket. If you'd like, bring flowers or greenery from your yard for the Easter cross. A bucket of flowers will also be provided at the welcome tent.

  • Cancellation | If you need to cancel your reservation, please contact churchoffice@blacknall.org or call (919) 286-5586.

Easter Vigil | Community Rising from the Grave to Resurrection & Liberation

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Saturday, April 3, 6-7:30 pm
6-6:30 pm - Parking
6:30-7:30 pm - Vigil

Location: Mt. Level Missionary Baptist Church Parking Lot (316 Hebron Road, Durham, NC 27704)

Together with Mt Level and the Mt. Level Community Partnership for Racial Justice, participate in an outdoor Easter vigil. Please note that this will be a drive-up service facilitated through FM transmission. Lawn chairs socially distanced are welcome. Masks are required.

A Year in Pictures

March marks a year that Blacknall has been gathering in new ways due to the pandemic. People have sewn masks, delivered meals, learned to use Zoom, opened up their backyards, and cared for one another in many other unseen ways. Below are photos of what life together has looked like this past year. Please share more photos here.

Lenten Book Study

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Sundays, Feb. 28-March 28, 7-8 pm
Register Here

Take a step forward in your life with Jesus by joining our Lenten study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship. Led by Chris Blumhofer and friends. Pick up a copy of the book. (Any edition will do, but this is the one we recommend. For those who have access to it, the Duke Library also has an e-version of this book.)

View a video invitation from Chris here.

DMET Lent Devotional Offerings

As we enter the season of Lent, these on-line resources may be useful in expanding our Christian imagination for coming alongside those who are marginalized and to listen in on what the Lord may be whispering to us. Our hope is that these resources may help us to situate the real issues of our time theologically.

  • Habitat for Humanity – weekly Devotional exploring ways “we can honor Jesus by caring for others.” Each weekly reflection includes prayer, scripture, a contemporary reflection and questions for discussion.

  •  An American Lent – an on-line (or downloadable) daily Lenten Devotional developed by The Repentance Project and is a “journey through America’s history of slavery, segregation and racism.” Each day includes an opening and closing prayer, scripture, reflection and links to resources for deeper resources.  

  • Presbyterian Mission of PCUSA Beloved Community Lenten Devotional – Using a model of Christ’s words in Matthew 25, this Lent Devotional is intended to increase commitment to “creating beloved communities in our own backyards.”  Each day includes scripture, a reflection, and a closing prayer. This guide was designed in 2020 but is very current and easy to use.

Update your Church Directory Listing!

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In this time of being apart, help us keep our church database and printed directory current by updating your CCB profile.

Instructions:  

Visit CCB. Request an account if you are not sure you have one.  

1) Under Contact, verify or enter your phone numbers, home and mailing addresses. 

2)  Under Personal, verify or enter your birthday (birth year is not visible to the congregation but is helpful for our records).  

3) Help us get to know you! Under Social, add any social media profiles you want to share. Under Custom, add details such as College, Job Title, and Occupation. If you have an online bio or blog, you may include the link in the “My Website URL”. The Race field is helpful for our records.

4) Photos: Please add or update both your Profile photo and a Family (or second profile) photo. (We suggest a photo taken within the last three years.) The Family/second profile photo is the one that will be displayed in the printed directory, so be sure we have one on file. (A camera icon next to Family means you will not have a directory photo.) A landscape orientation (16:9 ratio) works best. For families, consider uploading a close-up for each individual, and a group shot for the Family photo.  

For more tips on updating your profile, visit CCB help or contact the church office.