Calendar
SUNDAY, JULY 18
Hymn Sing at Duke Park
Summer FUN-Day Evenings | Sundays through July 25, 5- 7 p.m. Duke Park Picnic Shelter (106 West Knox Street, Durham). Pack a picnic dinner and blanket and head to Duke Park for fellowship, fun and blessing. More details here.
The Great Escape!
Our middle schoolers and leaders appreciate prayer as they attend The Great Escape from July 22-26. Please pray for safety, fun, and growth in relationships with God and each other.
Announcements
Blacknall’s Sunday Worship Updates
Some changes will be made regarding how COVID precautions affect Sanctuary Worship Services beginning July 25. Please click the links for Blacknall’s current COVID policy and Sanctuary Worship FAQ pages to view these updates.
New! The Music Corner | News and updates about musical life at Blacknall.
Check out our new Blacknall Spotify playlist!
We now have a Spotify playlist for music we’re singing on Sunday mornings at Blacknall. Check it out if you want to listen to the new songs we’re singing or learn more about that song you loved singing on Sunday!
Devotional Resource - Compline: Evening Liturgies for Anxious Souls
Last year our worship and music director Wen Reagan designed and produced an evening prayer service as a podcast for the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University. Designed to be listened to on headphones for ten minutes as you wind down for bed, Compline: Evening Liturgies for Anxious Souls sets the tradition of evening prayer (Compline) in a calming and contemplative soundscape. Wen produced several seasons of the podcast so that it covers the entire liturgical year. Check it out on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or the podcast website.
Download a directory
A PDF of Blacknall’s directory is now available on the CCB home page. It’s a great time to match up names and faces after being apart! Need to update your profile picture or other details? Here’s some tips.
Welcome Becky Gould!
Becky officially took on her new role as Blacknall’s Director of Congregational Care this week. You can reach Becky at bgould@blacknall.org.
Interim Pastor Search
Blacknall is actively seeking an interim pastor to work with the Session, staff, Transition Team (congregation, and other stakeholders through the transition process and to develop a mission study. View Blacknall’s MIF for more details and share the word with qualified candidates. Interested candidates should forward their PIF or resume to: interimpastorsearch@blacknall.org. Contact Stephanie Wheatley, Pastoral Transition Team chair, with questions.
Summer Nursery Volunteers | Sign up
We are inviting fully vaccinated adults and teens in our congregation to partner with the Nursery Ministry in providing childcare during our Sunday 8:30 am worship service this summer. You can find the June/July sign-up sheet above and you're welcome to sign up as a Volunteer Worker for as many spots as you'd like.
Ushers needed during both services. | Sign up to receive more details on various ways to serve during worship.
Community
Housing for New Hope (HNH) is in need of 6-8 volunteers for 4-6 hours at their Williams Square location. Reaching, bending, pulling and kneeling is involved. Please contact Lauren Holahan if interested. HNH is flexible and will schedule the time based on volunteers’ availability.
Prayer
Ministry Partners:
Campus—We pray for Andy and Cheryl White working with Crossway ministries with international graduate students at NC State. Andy reports:
Earlier this month I was able to give a Bible (in English) to Hordfak and a Bible (English / Turkish) to Nifahi. Please pray with us that they will read them and that they would be interested in doing a Bible study. Please pray also as I continue to go walking with Nogjiet, that he would be open as I continue to share the Gospel with him. He is a Ph.D. student and very careful about spending time outside of his research.
Andy also adds: continued security concerns mandate that we change the names of the students, for whom we ask prayer, and disguise them in some way when we share photos of them.
International—We pray for Blacknall missionaries Jonathan & Rocio Mikes, with United World Mission (UWM), based in Charlotte, NC. Jonathan is the Director of Global Ministries for UWM which has missionaries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and USA. He works with 9 regional leaders and another leader who is responsible for missionaries involved in theological education. They have a thriving ministry among refugees and immigrants in US, including Eritreans, Ethiopians, and Rohingyas.
They plan to return to Mexico City for 3 weeks in August to give closure to their work in La Fuente Church and Bridgeway North American School. La Fuente Church is doing well under their co-pastors—a lawyer and a staff worker with IFES. As the meetings are held on ZOOM, Jonathan is able to preach once a month. Bridgeway School has had financial difficulties, due to a virus-related decrease in enrollment, but right now it is in better financial shape.
Requested prayers: (1) missionaries and regional leaders of UWM who have experienced a tough physical and emotional toll during the pandemic; (2) thanksgiving that Sara (completed 8th grade) and Daniel (completed 6th grade) have made a successful adjustment to their life in the US and to their school in Charlotte; (3) La Fuente Church in Mexico City to be able to start in person meetings soon; (4) the leadership of La Fuente Church to gain renewed vision and energy; (5) new funding for BridgeWay North American School; (6) continued good health for Rocio.
Durham—We pray for Pregnancy Support Services and their director, Cindy Kouhout. Pray for their search for new staff members including: (1) ultrasound technician/sonographer; (2) RelationshipEd Community Education Coordinator; and (3) Development Coordinator. Pray for their partnership with the Samaritan Health Center in Durham and for provision of the needed financial resources.
Grief:
We pray for Ken & Peggy Kernodle on the death of Ken’s brother, Alfred on June 11th.
We pray for Betsy and Allan Poole (and Ellie, Sam & Caitlin, Sarah) on the death of Betsy’s Mom, Jean Smith, on July 3. The funeral was yesterday.
We pray for Matt and Sabrina Clawson (and Riley and Gunner) on the death of Matt’s grandmother, Irene Nugara, on July 6.
We pray for Karen Allen and Cheryl Koenig on the death of their mother, Arlys Allen
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
Joys
We celebrate with Sophia Chen and Jesse Sun on Sophia’s receiving a student visa and being able to attend nursing school while Jesse continue working on his PhD.
We celebrate with our neighbors at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church and their new pastor, Dr. Lauren Winner, who began her ministry with them last Sunday.
We welcome back to Blacknall Caitlin Swartz, returning to Durham after working in Salt Lake City for the last 2-3 years
Concerns
We pray for Brian Farley, and his wife, Joanne, as Brian has back surgery on Monday.
We pray for Margaret Scearce with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer.
We pray for April Perry and Shiela Rittger as they host the wife, Fregga, and children, Gaelle (8) and Hadassa (3), of their partner in mission in Haiti, Romel. For security reasons they have come to stay with April and Shiela.
World
We pray for floods in Europe and forest fires in California.
We pray for people in Africa as the COVID pandemic is spreading there. We pray that vaccines would become available to the people there and that fears and misinformation would be overcome so that people will be willing to take the vaccine.
Life Together
We pray for search committees for a new Director of Communication (chair, Lucy Cate) and a Choir Director (chair, Wen Reagan).
We pray for our Transition Team as they begin to interview candidates for the Interim Pastor position.
We pray for a deepening heart for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors. We pray for creativity, imagination, and love for our neighbors as we seek to make Jesus known.