Announcements
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 to Shelly Epps for the above photo of an outdoor gathering!
NEW Blacknall Classifieds | A forum/exchange to support one another at Blacknall with items for sale, loan, or free; housing or job postings; and community events or opportunities.
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.
Mimi Every | Share a memory & condolence
Mary Ann (Mimi) Every peacefully passed away on July 27, 2020. A celebration of Mimi's life will take place at a later time when all of the community who loves her are able to safely gather. The family requests, that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Blacknall Church, Your Choice Pregnancy Center Clinic, or Durham Rescue Mission. Read Mimi’s obituary here.
Blacknall missionaries Erin and David Pervis are now relocated in Athens to reach out to the many Muslim refugees who have settled into Greece. Erin recently wrote, “Today I leave my mom [in the U.S.] and this peaceful place after 5 months of a visit extended by the corona virus lockdown. Overall, it’s been a sweet and special time that I’m thankful to have had. Lord willing, I’ll rejoin David in Athens Sunday night,” and she has. Specific prayer requests: (1) the 9 refugee families in the Voula House: emotional and physical healing, Greek and English language study, salvation, and spiritual growth; (2) jobs and progress in language study for Sam and his wife in Germany; (3) their care of their compatriots who have come to faith in Christ through their witness; (4) Pangrati Church planting team’s building of relationships with their neighbors; (5) strength and love for the Pervises to minister to Greeks and refugees; (6) Clara’s nursing studies and Josiah’s summer job.
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
Come, find, rest. When we sing “Come, O Redeemer Come” and “Come Thou Fount,” understand that we are responding to perhaps the most significant invitation of all time: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” In responding to His offer, we find that He is true to His word – His burden indeed is light, and we experience the spiritual sweetness of “rest unto your soul.” The psalmist knew this a thousand years before Jesus’ birth: “My soul finds rest in God alone.” We are responders to the wondrous wooing of the Lord: “I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31) In these fractious and fearful days, let’s respond to His invitation. As Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”
My soul finds rest in God alone,
My Rock and my salvation;
A fortress strong against my foes,
And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse,
And lies like arrows pierce me,
I’ll fix my heart on righteousness,
I’ll look to Him who hears me.
O praise Him, hallelujah, my delight and my reward!
Everlasting, never failing, my Redeemer, my God.