ANNOUNCEMENTS
TODAY - Cancer Support Group | 10-10:45 a.m. This group meets the 1st Sunday of every month for prayer, education and sharing our lives.
Worship Survey | Take Here
Would you take a minute to review the opportunities for worship this fall and let us know your plans? Please do so by Thursday, August 6.
Book Study | The Color of Compromise: the Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, by Jemar Tisby. Thursdays, July 16-Aug. 20, 7:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Bethany Bonnemere and David Dunderdale will lead this book study. Learn more here.
Photos of Life Together While Apart | Do you have a photo of worshiping from home, gathering over zoom, or another creative way of sharing life together while apart? If you’d like to share, please send them to Mary Grimm. (Thank you Joyce Kight for sharing the above photo of a socially distant outdoor meal!)
Prayer & Thanksgiving
Claire Logan - A Joyful Update and Prayer Request. Despite not being able to gather in person, many of us have continued to pray for and encourage Jason, Emily, big brother Simon, and Claire. She turned a year old in March and since Jason and Emily can't show her off in person right now, we'd love for you to see some pictures and videos of how she's thriving! Claire is scheduled to have surgery on August 11th to release her tethered spinal cord so she won't have permanent nerve damage to her legs, bowels, and bladder as she grows. Please pray for a successful surgery, smooth recovery for Claire and peace of mind for Jason and Emily.
Pray for Rick Every in the death of his wife, Mimi, on July 27. There will be a private service this week. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Pray for the Pennigar family in the death of Tim’s father Gary died on July 27.
Pray for Blacknall’s missionary Annette George, who is presently in the U.S., caring for her sister. Anne learned in early June that her house in Ching Mai, Thailand, had a bad fire that destroyed her musical office, musical instruments, and other belongings. With the present pandemic, there is no way of making a quick and short return to Thailand to survey the damage. Specific prayer requests: (1) praises for her retirement income in a time of high unemployment and for protection from the virus; (2) thanksgiving for a strong start for the Christian Cell at Payap University this semester; (3) solid student leadership for the Christian Cell, its growth in discipleship and campus outreach; (4) permission to travel to Thailand soon; (5) tranquility to accept what she has lost during the fire, and wisdom to carry on.
August Missionary Prayer Guide - Read more here.
FINANCE | GIVE HERE
Our fiscal year ended on June 30. Our total offerings were around $1,690,000 (100.2% of budget), and our expenses will finish around $1,570,000 (93% of budget). The difference of around $120,000 will be transferred to the Future Vision Fund.
We are thankful to God for providing for our needs. We rejoice in the generosity of our congregation in these uncertain times. Please pray for our leadership to make wise decisions in all aspects of our church life.
There are multiple ways to give to Blacknall:
Checks mailed to the church office.
Automatic bank drafts as a part of bill pay directed to Blacknall using your local bank.
Gifts of stock. Contact Rick Every or Carol Smith.
Online giving (including ACH, debit card, and credit card donations). Members can also schedule recurring online gifts when signed on to CCB. Details here.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
When asked what was the key to being able to sing the blues, Duke Ellington said that you had to be able to remember a time when you were “lower than low” – “toad-low,” he called it. I think our society is in a low place right now; it seems that everywhere you look, there is wave upon wave of fear, anxiety, rage, accusations… In part, whether for the individual or the culture, a piece of the problem is found in the line from an old pop song: Looking for love in all the wrong places. Today, when you sing “We would see Jesus…we long to see Your face…” – think of it as the song of the writer of Psalm 27: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” The writer is seeking the One who loves him, and it is healing to his soul. Lifting your head (or, from Isaiah 40, “lift up your eyes”) is the antidote to toad-lowness, because in looking at the Lord of Love, our souls are lifted. The negativity of the world is somehow modified; our perception of all that is wrong shifts a bit when we affirm the truth of Scripture: This is my Father’s world. “The earth will wear out like a garment…but My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail.” (Isaiah 40) Today, may we hear Him say to us, “Oh, my child, lay your burdens down…”