Monday, Jan. 31
Fifth Monday Prayer | 7:30 p.m. | Sanctuary
All are welcome to join our ordained officers and pastors in praying for our congregation and community.
Updated: In-Person Worship
For the month of January, there will be one in-person Worship Service at 11am only (with livestream). Blacknall will resume two services beginning in the month of February.
Children’s Worship or Nursery
Updated: Children’s Worship for rising kindergartners through current second-graders will resume on Sunday, February 6. Spots are available, but limited, for the 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services. Please register. There will be no nursery for children under 4 and they are welcome to participate in sanctuary worship. There is a cry room available in room 402 with audio of the service.
Nursery & Sunday School will resume on Sunday, March 6. This includes Adult Sunday School, Youth Sunday School, and Children’s Sunday School.
Women’s Bible Study (WBS) will begin its spring semester on Thursday, Feb. 3 and will run through Thursday, April 28. WBS will gather at the church on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. for fellowship, worship, teaching, and small group time.
When: February 3 - April 28
Time: Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Where: Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church
Cost: Free | Purchase book at your favorite bookstore
For those who can't come on Thursday mornings, small groups will meet at other times throughout the week, too, either in person or over Zoom.
This spring, we will be studying Hebrews with the study guide "Better: A Study of Hebrews" by Jen Wilkin. There is no fee aside from the cost of the book; please purchase a copy online or at your favorite book store.
If you have any questions, please contact Becky Gould.
Become an Email Penpal!
Blacknall is once again participating in an email penpal program with students in the English club at Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC). This is a great chance for UCBC students to practice their English while we get to know a new friend and build deeper relationships with our Congolese brothers and sisters in Christ. Correspondence will be informal and focus on topics designed to help build their vocabulary. Questions? Contact Kim Dunderdale dunderdalek@gmail.com.
Mission Offering Total: In November 2021, we collected our Annual Mission Offering. This offering was collected to provide support for the people of Afghanistan and was divided equally between three ministries. Two of those ministries are local to Durham and are deeply involved in caring and providing for Afghan refugees in Durham. They are World Relief Durham and the Samaritan Health Center. The third ministry is on the ground in Afghanistan, being run by Afghans. It is the International Assistance Mission (IAM), which has been involved in Afghanistan for over 50 years.
The total raised through your generosity was $29,077.27. That means each of these ministries will receive almost $9,700!
May the Lord use these gifts to bring glory and honor to His name and hope to these people loved by Him! Thank you for generously responding to this invitation.
A more detailed presentation from the Finance Committee will be given in February during a Sunday morning Focus On Missions.
Blacknall received offerings of $739,086 in December. Total offerings for the first six months of our fiscal year (July 1 to December 31) were $1,270,127. Both of these numbers are the highest in our history. We are thankful for God’s provision and the generosity of our congregation.
Expenses for the first six months were $833,628, so offerings exceeded expenses by $436,499.
While it is typical to have a surplus at the end of December, the current surplus is larger than previous years. If a surplus remains at the end of the fiscal year (June 30), it will be transferred to the Future Vision Fund, and the Session will direct its use.
GIVING STATEMENTS
Your giving statement for calendar year 2021 is available here. Select Giving Statement. Complete three drop down menus with Family, Last Year, and Deductible Only. Select Run Report, then print out your statement.
STOCK GIFTS
Donation letters for stock gifts will be mailed. We received anonymous stock gifts on 4/28/2021, 7/1/2021, 8/18/2021, and 12/21/2021. If you donated stock around any of these dates and would like a donation letter, please contact Carol Smith or call the church office.
Reality Ministries is hosting Community Worship on Thursday February, 17 from 7-8 p.m. at the Reality Center (916 Lamond Ave., Durham). This is a family- friendly hour of worship led by friends of all abilities. All are welcome!
Abundant Joy Center for Women's Ministries
Abundant Joy CWM serves women who are experiencing a difficult time. Our services are free and confidential and include one-on-one counseling to women 18 and over, support groups, and Bible study groups. We are offering the following groups in the Winter of 2022. Women can register for a group at abundantjoycwm@gmail.com or call 919-943-0789 for more information.
January 18 - March 15: Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin on Tuesday morning 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
February 2 - April 13: Prayer Group for Mothers of Adult Children on the first and third Wednesday afternoon of the month 1-2:30 p.m.
February 3 - April 21: Basic Peer Counseling Training will be offered for anyone interested in volunteering as a peer counselor or group facilitator. An application will need to be completed as well as an interview with Priscilla, the Center Director, before taking this class. The class will be offered on Thursday morning 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., .
We rejoice with Hanke & Wilco De Vries on the birth of their son, Sem Willem Asher De Vries on December 29th! Sign up to bring them a meal.
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
Pastor Julio-Ramirez-Eve, Iglesia Emanuel
We pray for Iglesia Emanuel and their Pastor, Julio Ramirez-Eve. We pray for:
The Food Bank which fed over 600 families last week, the highest ever.
Pray for the provision of food for these families. Many in the Hispanic community have jobs that are weather dependent and so have limited income this winter.
Pray for the necessary volunteers for the Food Bank.
Pray for the church elders and deacons and for the development and provision of strong leaders.
Pray for good health for Pastor Julio and Guillermo.
Campus & National
The Perry Family
We pray for the North Carolina Study Center at UNC-Chapel Hill and for our own Madison Perry who is the Executive Director. Please pray for:
wisdom and God's presence for our staff as we help students to lead in ministries, on campus, and beyond;
encouragement and hope for students who feel down; and
giving to help the Study Center be able to cover increased building costs as we work to finish renovations to the Battle House and to finish furnishing it.
International
John & Karen Friesen, Mennonite Central Committee
We pray for Blacknall global workers, John & Karen Friesen, affiliated with the Mennonite Central Committee, involved with Community Development in Egypt.
Karen writes, “We are grateful for the work here and it has been going well. We continue to support our various Partners with financial grants for projects such as women’s literacy, education for youth, health and peace building … many of our partners are tackling the problems of Gender Based Violence and FGM [female genital mutilation].”
They have intentions of coming to Durham “in the spring of 2022.” Specific prayer requests:
thanksgiving for their fellowship with Egyptian partners and with the Middle East MCC Team during their years of ministry in Egypt;
those who minister to the most vulnerable people in difficult circumstances; and
a permanent building for a school for Sudanese refugee youth.
Griefs
We pray for Ann Talton Lee & Bob Lee on the death of Ann’s mom, Rudein, on January 17. Rudein was almost 103 years old. The memorial service was yesterday.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
Joys
Japhet Shukuru Kasali born to Bethany & Noé Kasali
We rejoice in the birth of Japhet Shukuru Kasali to Bethany & Noé Kasali in Goma, DRC on January 11. Mother and baby are doing well. Japhet is being loved on by his 4 sisters! Japhet means “expand/increase” and Shukuru is Swahili for “gratitude.”
We celebrate our congregation’s generosity. This week, Blacknall received the Gold Sneaker Award from the Durham CROP Walk for being the largest giver in the Medium-Sized Congregation category. We remember that our CROP Walk last year was done in memory of our own CROP Walk Champion, Deanna Koenig, who passed away on March 1 last year.
We celebrate with Del & Leslie Cenezy on Del’s being sworn in as a U.S. citizen last week.
Concerns
We continue to pray for Lynn & ‘Ale Vanderwoude-‘Aho, Blacknall-supported global workers in Tonga, as they recover from the volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga. Pray for materials needed for the cleanup and for rain to wash away the ash. Blacknall is giving $5,000 to help Lynn & ‘Ale as they meet the needs of their neighbors.
World
We pray for our schools—students, teachers, and administrators as they try to navigate this season. Pray for students who are struggling with isolation and anxiety because of the stress of COVID.
We pray against the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine and that leaders would choose peace.
We pray for an end to the COVID virus and any variant of it.
Life Together
We pray for wisdom as we seek to make decisions about how we can be together in this season of COVID.
We pray for Women’s Bible Study which is starting back up this Thursday. Pray for the leaders and for this study to help connect women to the Lord and to each other.
We thank God and pray for Carol Smith and Leslie Cenezy as they serve us handling our finances and all of our building needs, respectively.
We pray for the members of our Confirmation Class as they meet with Brad & Jamie Turnage in preparation for making the decision to claim this faith as their own: Asa Gerend, Andrew Hartemink, Carson Hervey, Ava Kinghorn, Calvin Stultz, Hannah Taylor, Joel Van Farowe.
We pray for our continued search for a Choir Director.