The Session is pleased to announce that a Congregational Meeting will be held next Sunday, December 4 for the purpose of electing the Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC). See the nominees. Members can vote at the end of the 8:30 or 11 a.m. service.
The presbytery approved the Mission Study Report last week. We thank the Transition Team for their hard work on the report and thank the congregation for everyone’s participation.
Blacknall's 2022 Advent Devotional Guide is now available! Prepare your heart and mind for the coming of the Savior with devotionals written by 26 current and former Blacknall members, partners, and friends. There are three ways you can either get or receive it:
We’re excited to announce the first album from Blacknall Arts, our new songwriting and recording initiative. Blacknall Arts seeks to harness the musical creativity of Blacknall musicians to bless our church community, the larger church, and the world. Co-produced by Wen Reagan and Sam Gould—and featuring the talents of 15 Blacknall members—the five-song EP “Joy” was released on November 23. Released in time for the start of Advent, it will serve as an accompaniment to our journey through the season.
While the record will be a digital release only (no physical CDs), the album will be available across all major streaming platforms upon release. All album proceeds through 2022 will be donated to our Deep Common Journey partner Reality Ministries. Order your copy today to support Reality Ministries during this holiday season. Contact Wen Reagan with questions.
Blacknall’s International Ministries Team would like to invite you to prayerfully consider attending Urbana 2022. InterVarsity’s triennial global mission conference will happen this year in Indianapolis, IN on December 28 - January 1. Blacknall is offering partial scholarships to any Blacknall member or attender who registers for Urbana.
Do you know a Blacknall member who possesses the qualities of an elder or a deacon? The Bible says that these leaders should be “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3); able to exercise oversight willingly, Do you know a Blacknall member who possesses the qualities of an elder or a deacon? The Bible says that these leaders should be “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3); able to exercise oversight willingly, eager, able to lead by example (1 Pet 5:1–4); and above reproach, gentle, known for integrity and character, spiritually mature, and proven in faith (1 Tim 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9)? Who comes to mind? Please consider recommending him or her to the Officer Nominating Committee to serve as a Blacknall officer. You can submit your recommendation online or fill out a paper form (yellow sheets) located in the Narthex and Upper Atrium. The deadline to make your recommendation is November 16.
Ron & Betsy, longtime Blacknall-supported global workers, are joining International Students, Inc. and the iStudentsDuke staff team! They will travel from Central Asia where they have been working for nearly 25 years. We need your help to prepare their home in Durham for their December arrival.
On Saturday, November 12, let’s “pitch in” to do outdoor clean-up: raking & collecting of leaves, sticks and acorns; also, dusting cobwebs and sweeping porches. Easy. Together. “The more the merrier!”
Use this sign-up to let us know you will be there. The address is 401 Clarion Dr., Durham.
Samaritan Health Center, a local Blacknall partner, is looking for a few friendly drivers to surprise our volunteers with a hand delivered thank you gift during the first weekend of December. The majority of the delivery locations are in Durham, with some in Hillsborough, Cary, and Raleigh. SHC will match the quantity & location to your availability. Put on some Christmas music and enjoy a drive across the Triangle while you bless our community—-children are welcome! Email Meredith Martindale with interest.
What is more American than Thanksgiving Day? Family, friends, and guests gathered around the table enjoying turkey and amazing side dishes; conversations reflecting on God's many blessings; a walk in the crisp fall air; or playing a fun board game. Blacknall’s Deep Common Journey partner International Students Inc. (ISI) is ready to connect you with Duke international students who are eager to share Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 24) with a local household. The sign-up deadline is Nov. 18. Contact ISI staff Ginger Ehmann with questions.
By Traci Hoover
As an awkward middle schooler (we called it “junior high” back then), I found myself in a church youth group that planned a fall retreat just a two-hour drive from my hometown in the North Carolina foothills. That place was Valle Crucis. That weekend we did what middle schoolers do on youth retreats: roasted marshmallows, went on hikes, snuck out on the fire escape, square danced, and took turns soaking in ancient claw-footed bathtubs (well, maybe that is not something middle schoolers normally do on retreats!). I can’t remember if I went on more than one retreat there as a teenager, but my memories are so vivid I feel certain I must have, or maybe it was just the kind of place that left that deep of an impression.
You can imagine my surprise and delight when in the fall of 1992 I started attending Blacknall and learned that their Women’s Retreat happened each November at Valle Crucis!…