SUNDAY, March 13
Congregational Meeting: Members of Blacknall will have an opportunity to vote on officers (Class of 2025) near the end of either service.
The spring Inquirer’s Class begins at 5:00 p.m. and will be held in the Parlor (same floor as the church office). If you have any questions, please contact Pastor David Dunderdale.
Prayer for Mission Partners (4 p.m.) and Congo (6:30 p.m.) | Zoom (link on CCB) From Cape Town to Amsterdam. From Tonga to Kyrgyzstan. From Blacknall to Beni and lots of places in between! We are invited to gather to pray for our Blacknall-supported missionaries. Come participate in what God is doing in our world! Contact: Kim Dunderdale.
Wednesday, March 16
Please join us for this week’s Lenten communion service, starting at 7 p.m. There is no childcare for this service, but children are welcome in the sanctuary.
Beginning this Sunday, March 13, masks are optional in the building and during the 11 a.m. service. However, masks are still required during the 8:30 a.m. service and for all Children’s Ministry programming (0 yrs. – 5th grade). For more details, please see Blacknall’s updated mask policy.
Sunday School
Sunday School classes are now in full swing. Click the links below to see class descriptions and locations. The Sunday School hour begins at 10 a.m.
>>Download spring 2022 class schedule
Save the date! The Women's Ministry is hosting “Dinner and Lunch Lottos” on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26.
Back by popular demand! This event is a reprise of a Fall Retreat highlight. Register for one or both meals, and you'll be assigned to a group and a dining destination. This is a great way to get to know other women at Blacknall and the Durham dining scene. Registration is coming soon
Check out Blacknall’s updated homepage to find a collection of Lenten resources — online guides, books and children’s books — as well as updates about Lenten services, events and more.
The Men's Ministry Leadership Team invites all the men of Blacknall to join in the observance of Lent this year. The Men’s Ministry has prepared a daily lectionary and are offering specific times to connect with other men on a weekly basis during Lent for fasting, prayer and fellowship.
Blacknall Library upgrades to serve you better. The Blacknall Library offers books, CDs and DVDs to build up the body of Christ at Blacknall to advance the kingdom. And now we’re automated for easier access and streamlined check out.
Now you can…
Find if we have an item in the library and if it’s available
Search by topic/author/age group/series
See book lists
Plus, when you log on, you can see all your checked out items, renew an item, reserve an item and much more! For login details, stop by the library or email us at library@blacknall.org.
Visit us today at blacknall.org/library to try it out. Better yet, stop by the library!
Christina Gibson-Davis recently tore her Achilles' tendon. Please consider helping Christina and her family while she recovers. Sign up to bring them a meal.
Take April Perry & Shelia Rittgers a meal as they care for Gaelle & Hadassa. Sign up to bring them a meal.
Please help minister to the Riggs family as Lori continues to experience health challenges. Sign up to bring them a meal.
The Smith family is experiencing circumstances that would make meals extremely helpful right now. Sign up to bring them a meal.
Blacknall directly supports two Afghan refugee families relocated to Durham — a family of 11 (children ages 4-20 yrs.) and another family of seven. Through the generosity of the congregation, Andrea Tshihamba is happy to report that both families secured all the beds they had requested.
Working with an interpreter, Andrea Tshihamba was able to determine other basic needs of a typical Afghan home. Please consider signing up to donate a household item. There are three delivery options:
1) Bring items directly to the family’s home (you may be invited for a cup of tea);
2) Have items directly shipped to the family’s home address; or
3) Drop items off at Andrea Tshihamba’s home (4905 Montvale Dr., Durham, NC 27705).
Should you choose either of the first two options, Andrea will provide you with the family’s address. You may also contact Andrea at andreapersists@gmail.com with any questions.
world relief durham
Wondering where to find the list of donations still needed for Afghan and other refugees? Please find the Amazon Wishlist and other donation info here
Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry
Volunteer at the Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry. Not comfortable gathering? Sign up to bag rice and beans from home.
Walltown Neighborhood Ministries Food Bank
Food needs appear to be increasing in Durham. The Food Bank in Walltown is now serving well over 175 families each month. Volunteers are needed to shop, sort food, distribute food and deliver food. For those who want to volunteer to shop, sort food and distribute food please sign up on the updated Signupgenius. Volunteers who would like to deliver food can call Sylvia Belcher at 919 286 0332 ex 20. Funds are also needed to help needy families. Please make checks payable to and mail to Walltown Neighborhood Ministries.
Durham
Rev. Robert Daniels, Pastor, St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church
We pray for our sister congregation in Walltown, St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. We also pray for their pastor, Rev. Robert Daniels, and for their Outreach Minister, Sylvia Belcher.
We thank God for this congregation and for their ministry in our community through the Walltown Food Bank and for meeting the emergency needs of our neighbors. Additionally, please pray for:
Sylvia Belcher, Outreach Minister, St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church
Deepening bonds of relationship between our congregations;
More opportunities for us to share in ministry together;
Opportunities for us to share in proclaiming the good news of the gospel with our neighbors together; and
Members of our community to get plugged into the life of this congregation so that they might grow in discipleship
Campus & National
Dan Kronstad, Triangle Area Director, International Students Inc. (ISI)
We pray for Dan Kronstad in his work with our Deep Common Journey Partner International Students, Inc.
Dan requests prayer for:
Opportunities for more in-person interactions/connections as campus further opens up. At the same time, the loss and toll of the last year on students is becoming more evident;
The love and compassion of Jesus to season their words and actions with international students;
The Supper Club groups, which have met twice this semester and hope for several more gatherings before the end of April. May God's grace happily surprise hosts and students alike as they come together for a shared meal;
International students who live and study in countries across the globe. We especially think of the 75,000+ international students that have been studying in the Ukraine; and
The ISI team at Duke and NC State will continue to stay in step with the Holy Spirit as they seek to engage with international students. Pray for the fruits of the Spirit to be seen and experienced by all those they interact with on and off campus. To God be all the Glory!
International
David & Erin Pervis working with Mission to the World in Athens, Greece working with Greeks and Muslim refugees from the Middle East and Asia.
We pray for Blacknall global workers David & Erin Pervis who are located in Athens to reach out to the many Muslim refugees who have settled in Greece.
An outreach film, used with a mix of adults and teenagers, has generated many probing questions:
“Why does God allow people who do evil to continue to live and have power?”
“Where does evil come from?”
“Why did God give us responsibility for creation?”
“Since the Bible was written so long ago, how is it relevant to us today?”;
“If we have God’s image in us, why do we sin?
“Why did God let Abraham wait until he was 100 years old for his promised son to come?”
“What would have happened if Abraham had actually sacrificed Isaac?”
“Why did God introduce Himself as ‘I am’ in the present and not the past nor the future?”
“Why did God choose a coward like Moses to be His prophet?”
Praises:
Thanksgiving for the Bible study for refugees in the Voula House.
Requests prayer for:
The 10 refugee families: emotional and physical healing, Greek and English language study, jobs, and legal documentation;
The salvation of the refugee families;
The Glyfada Church and their neighborhood outreach, the children’s library project, and encouragement for the pastor;
Jobs for Sam and his wife in Germany and pastoral care for their Christian compatriots; and
Strength and love for the Pervises’ ministry to Greeks and refugees.
Griefs
We pray for Cullen & Mandy Rodgers-Gates and their children on the death of Cullen’s father on March 8.
We pray for Kathy & Hank Humphrey on the death of Kathy’s brother, Alvin, on March 9.
We pray for Blacknall-supported global workers Hunter & Lauri Lambeth on the death of Hunter’s mom last week.
We grieve for the people of Ukraine and for the loss of life from the Russian invasion.
Joys
We give thanks to God for Brad Turnage’s 5th anniversary (again!) of being our Youth Minister.
We rejoice in the birth of John Charles Steinbeck to Susan Emmett & Bill Steinbeck on February 10.
Concerns
We pray for Liza Moore & Justin Rasmussen as they prepare to be married this coming Saturday, March 19.
We pray for two new Afghan refugee families that Blacknall helps to support. Pray that we might find one or two volunteers who would be willing to help teach them English.
Gifts from Rich and Barb Leary, former missionaries to Ukraine supported by Blacknall.
We pray for the people of Ukraine and the cessation of violence and the thwarting of evil intent. Pictured are hand-painted Ukrainian Easter eggs, called Pysanky, and a decorative plate. Both are gifts from Rich and Barb Leary, former Blacknall-supported missionaries to Kyiv, Ukraine (1985-2013). While it is still early in the season of Lent, the Pysanky serve as a reminder to hold fast to the promise of Easter as we pray for the people — especially the body of Christ — in Ukraine.
We pray for the nation of Tonga and Lynn & ‘Ale Vanderwoude-‘Aho who are working there. COVID is now spreading across this island nation that had been spared up until now.