Philip Mullins

I am married to Susan Mullins and we have two sons in their 20s, Quinn and Charlie. I have been a Christian since the 1970s. Susan and I moved to Durham in 1993 and joined Blacknall in 1993. I served as a Deacon at Blacknall beginning in 1994. I am a lawyer and Susan is a physical therapist. We moved away in the late 90s for work, but returned to Durham in the early 2000s. Upon our return, we resumed our membership at Blacknall. We love Blacknall!

I have been a Christian for over 50 years, clinging to Jesus’s promise of salvation and God’s amazing grace to allow me to an unearned eternity in heaven. I strive to be a Christian in all my walks of life as a husband, father, neighbor, and lawyer. I fail daily at this goal in nearly every fact of my life. But, I’m drawn to the New Testament’s call to be transformed by the Word and a daily walk trying to follow Christ. I know I need Jesus in my life and a Christ-centered, Bible believing church. I believe I’ve found this at Blacknall. It’s a journey of trust, failures, effort, and constant renewal for all of us, including our own church, who seek Him.

A sponge rots if the water isn’t wrung out periodically. I want to be of use to the Lord, and I want help Blacknall and our community wherever I can. Making coffee, helping where and when asked, and encouraging people to be wholly engaged here, and now. We live in the present: not in the past nor in the future. So, I hope to help now as a Deacon as I did at Blacknall in the mid-1990s.

Ruth Owens

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, spent seven years in Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Durham in 2023.

In terms of belonging, I’ll rely on the words of Parker Palmer. He said, “The ancient human question "Who am l?" leads inevitably to the equally important question "Whose am l?" — for there is no selfhood outside of relationship.” Indeed, I am not my own but belong wholly to God, whose love I’ve known as far as my memory serves.

I am married to Micah; we met in 2021 and married nine months later. We walked into Blacknall about a month after we moved to Durham and recognized it to be a place of sincere worship of the Lord and love for neighbors. Now, we’re delighted to host a small group at our home every week, and I have loved teaching in young adult Sunday school and hanging out with our youth on Sunday nights, too. 

Currently, I am a student at Duke Divinity and have a background in nursing. I love to road cycle, read, and make tasty food in my spare time. I love the catholic church and desire to serve it, so it is an honor to stand as a Deacon for a year term and to answer God’s kindness to me in this small way.

Maureen Petersen

I moved to Durham in 2005 for my current job in Duke Clinical Laboratories. Several years later, I was invited to Blacknall by neighbors and quickly felt welcomed by the congregation. In March 2020, just before COVID lockdown, I officially joined the church.

I feel drawn to service opportunities, being glad to serve Christ through serving others. In the time I have attended I have served by ushering, assisting in the library, being a member of the PowerPoint team, and being a member of the Women’s Retreat committee.

My desire is to actively serve the congregation through participating in activities that help Blacknall in its mission.

I have always liked Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Attending Blacknall helps me with my developing relationship with God. 

Chris Reeves

My family and I moved to Durham in 2008 and have been attending Blacknall for about three years. My wife is Stephanie, and we have five children: Renee, Celeste, Josiah, Eliana and Camille.

I am a chemical engineer and have worked in process and product development for the past 25 years. I love playing tennis, watching college football, and building things.

Joining Blacknall has been a great blessing to me and my family as we have seen people serving and caring for each other. Over the past several years, I have felt a deep thankfulness to God for helping me and my family through difficult things, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve Him and the church as a Deacon.

Candy Richardson

I came to Blacknall with my husband, Mark, about eight years ago. We came looking for a welcoming church to bring our older grandson, Kade. We found an abundantly gracious body of Christ for all of our family. 

As a member of Blacknall, I have participated in worship services, Sunday school classes, Women's Ministry activities, book studies, and I have served in the nursery. These experiences have nurtured my spiritual growth. Working as a registered dietitian at Duke Hospital, where I provide nutrition care to children with epilepsy, gives me an opportunity to practice loving kindness to some of the “least of these” and their families.

My spiritual journey has lead me through a variety of church experiences, always leading me to a deeper understanding of how I fall short of the example of Jesus and how merciful He is.

I feel blessed that I have been asked to stand as Deacon for a second term. I look forward to opportunities to continue serve as a deacon in extending the love and grace our Lord gives through his body.

Jessica Steinbrenner

I am originally from Madison, WI, but have lived in Durham for almost 18 years and have been attending Blacknall since the fall of 2019. I am married to Trig Steinbrenner, and we have two children, Liesl (10) and Mason (8). During the week, I stay busy working in the UNC Department of Health Sciences, where I teach and mentor students in the speech-language pathology and speech and hearing science programs, and engage in community-based autism research.

I love many things about the Blacknall community, but some aspects that especially stand out are the posture of humility, the commitment to supporting local and global missions, the intentional inclusion of children and youth in worship and community life, and the strong intergenerational relationships across the church, which have helped me to feel challenged, encouraged, rooted and known.

I (very imperfectly) love Jesus and deeply need the words I often pray with my kids: “please help us to love others like you love us.” I see that prayer shaping how I try to show up with patience and presence – an area that I admittedly have a long way to grow. I am drawn closer to God as I serve alongside others and build deeper relationships both inside and outside the church. One way I currently do this is by serving on the teaching team for kindergartners and 1st graders during the Sunday school hour. I also recently served as a co-leader with the Alpha team and loved getting to know a new group of people each week as we explored big life questions together.

I am honored to be nominated to serve as a Deacon. If I am elected, I look forward to supporting ministries that help people feel included, connected, and cared for within the church, as well as ministries that reach out, particularly in the city of Durham.

Chris Zhang

My name is Bohui Zhang and I usually go by Chris. I came to Duke in 2017 for graduate school studying biostatistics and have been working as a biostatistician for clinical trials since 2019. Me and my wife, Yoyo, both come from China and actually met on the plane to the U.S. We got married in 2024 and have two cats.

I didn’t grow up in a Christian family and I learned the gospel from my grandmother. I’ve always believed in God but only attended church occasionally back in China. When I came to Duke, I joined a Chinese church and decided to get baptized there. I was introduced to Blacknall in 2019 by a friend and felt immediately welcomed.

I’ve only come to Blacknall on Sundays for the past few years, but last May I decided to fully devote to the Lord and became a member at Blacknall. Since then, I’ve been praying for more involvement at the church and I am grateful that God answered my prayer through this deacon opportunity so that I can know more about Blacknall and better serve its people.

Rebecca Alberti

My husband, Paul, and I moved to Durham about 3 ½ years ago from the Albany, NY area, which is where I am originally from. I have been working with refugees for the past 5 years, most recently at World Relief Durham. We had been coming to Blacknall for only a few weeks when I sat down with a group of strangers at the Block Party. They were friendly, and invited me to their small group, which really helped us get connected to the Blacknall community. I am currently serving on DMET and love the evening Women’s Bible Study group I am in.

My favorite verse is Psalm 62:8: “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” I am so grateful for Jesus, and my relationship with Him is the firm foundation of my life. I am convinced of the sovereignty of God and believe that He wants to be actively involved in our lives.

I appreciate the godly leadership and volunteer support at Blacknall. I enjoy connecting with others serving in the community, hospitality, game nights, and networking to get people/families the resources and support needed for their flourishing. As deacon, I am open to learning how I can strengthen connections with our neighbors, inside our church, and across the body of Christ.

Chuck Hoover

I am married to Sarah, and we have three children: Hannah (9), Claire (5), and Timothy (1.5). I have a degree in chemical engineering, and I work in pharmaceutical validation. I enjoy reading, playing video games, playing board games, and discussing theology.

Our family started visiting Blacknall in the spring of 2023, because we have several friends who are here. From the first time we visited, we felt welcomed as part of the Blacknall family. That, along with the preaching, the liturgy, and the church’s connection to Durham, made it clear that Blacknall is a place where we could grow in our faith and serve both the church and our local community.

While I grew up in church, it was in college where I began to learn what the hope of Jesus’ death and resurrection meant for my life. My faith is rooted in that hope, as I look toward the redemption of all things. Through the different seasons of my life, my faith has led me to serve wherever there was a need.

Here at Blacknall, I’ve been delighted to serve in the nursery on Sunday mornings, and with a few men’s ministry events. I’m thankful for being asked to stand as Deacon, and I’m looking forward to finding deeper ways to serve our church and to grow in my faith through that service.

Cory Pikaart

I am married to Christian and mother to 5. I spend my days homeschooling the kids and working on our property in Bahama. I take great delight in cooking experiments and time in the garden. Both are daily reminders of God's design and my place in all of it. My days are filled with the joyful triumphs and epic failures that go with rearing children. I have been attending Blacknall for about 15 years and have enjoyed the community and work of the diaconate so much that I would love to serve another term.

Robert Smith

I am a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Operations Research at NC State and call the Triangle home, having been here for about 20 years. I came to Blacknall in the winter of my first year at State, looking for a church after three years in D.C. I was immediately struck the first time I was there by the kindness and outgoingness of the members to welcome in someone new. There was also a clear intentionality and conviction about the intersection of faith and our role in the community that kept me coming back.

My faith is rooted in the conviction of the Holy Spirit, His forgiveness of us, and the unique gifts He gives us — and how these three aspects play a role in how we live out our lives. As someone who spends most of his time analyzing decision-making, I am continually reminded of the magnitude and beauty of the plans He has for each and every one of us, even if we cannot see the clear path ahead. In my free time, I help coach baseball at a local Christian high school, trying my best to impart wisdom and guidance about the intersection of our interests and how our faith informs them.

I am particularly excited about passing on and extending the kindness and openness that the congregation showed me early on to all who come through Blacknall’s doors.

Dan Struble

I am completing my first term as Deacon this year and served as Chairman for the last two years. I have been a member/attender at Blacknall for almost 10 years, and my favorite volunteer activity has been working in the nursery with the youngest participants in our congregation (Lambs). I am Associate Dean for External Relations at Duke Divinity School, where I have served for 12 years. I am married to Karen Struble, and we have two children (Amanda and Benjamin) and two grandsons (Miles and Max).

Hadley Taylor

I moved to Durham at the end of 2020 to work as a nurse. With a hope for community in faith, I found myself in Blacknall’s sanctuary in 2022. Through relationship in small groups and Bible studies with congregants of all ages, my relationship with Jesus and perspective on how I can see Christ in creation and relationship changed. I sought out membership in a church for the very first time with my then-fiancé, Tom, and under Goodie and Dave’s counsel, we were married at Blacknall within the year. The Holy Spirit has worked through the unique, passionate, and persistent individuals of Blacknall to encourage me by simply walking alongside me, as I walk with Christ. I continue to find joy in genuine relationship with God’s people, finding out what makes them tick, cry, and smile. As a deacon, I hope to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a way that makes others feel as sought after and as welcomed as I first did.