ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING | SUNDAY, DEC. 6, 12 P.M.
Join Blacknall over zoom for a congregational meeting to receive new members and to celebrate Dave Stuntz. We hope you can join us! Zoom link on CCB homepage.
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL | SIGN UP
Jesus is coming – so let’s sing! Each day of the Advent devotional will include a reflection by Dave Stuntz and a carol recorded by Blacknall members.
ADVENT WREATH KITS | SIGN UP
Blacknall is providing Advent wreath kits this year as our gift to the congregation so we can walk through the season of Advent together, even while we're apart.
ANGEL TREE FOR ST. JOHN'S & FAMILY MOVING FORWARD | SIGN UP
This year will be a bit different, but the spirit will be the same! We have names of children and parents living in shelter at Families Moving Forward and we have the need from St. John's for gift cards to buy gifts for children living in Walltown. Please bring all wrapped gifts and gift cards to the Perry Street entrance of Blacknall on Sunday, Dec 13, between 1-7 p.m.
Christmas Devotional Resources
The Blacknall Library has a treasure trove of books from Advent devotionals to children's storybooks and videos to help you and your family ready your hearts and minds for the celebration of God's gift. You may visit the library whenever the office is open. Follow the easy self-checkout instructions on the front desk. Please call before you come to ensure someone will be there.
Cancer Support Group
Sunday, Dec. 13, 10-10:45 a.m. Gathering for prayer, education and sharing our lives. This is for all cancer survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. (This group usually meets the 1st Sunday of the month, but is meeting the 2nd Sunday in December.) Contact Karen Allen with questions.
PRAYER & THANKSGIVING
Ministry Partners:
Durham—We pray for Mt. Level Missionary Baptist Church and for her pastor, Dr. William Turner. We give thanks for our partnership with Mt. Level that has been lived out in shared worship services together each year for Holy Week. We give thanks for Mt. Level’s initiative in starting the Partnership for Racial Justice and the book study that many from Blacknall participated in with Mt. Level this Fall. We pray for the Zoom Advent worship service being planned for December 19th, at 11:00am that grew out of that book study. We pray that we might find other ways to partner together in mission and fellowship together. Pray for good physical health for Dr. Turner. Pray that we would be able to worship with them in Holy Week 2021.
International—Please pray for our missionaries Hunter and Lauri Lambeth. Hunter recently wrote, “A dear friend shared one of the more thought-provoking perspectives on the COVID crisis with me this week. He made the assertion that waiting is not wasting. Referencing a story about a monk who challenged the observation that waiting is not to be equated with doing nothing, my friend shared the monk’s perspective that in waiting we are given an incredible opportunity to ‘grow up our souls.’ And furthermore, that if we can’t learn to be still and wait, we ‘can’t become what God created us to be.’” Prayer requests: (1) a tapering off of Coronavirus cases in the Holy Land so that person-to-person ministry can resume; (2) strength and steadfastness for YL leaders to reach the youth in creative ways; (3) that recent peace agreements between Israel and several nations would have a positive effect on the Palestinian issue; (4) a growing understanding of the gospel and of the Lord’s love for them among the youth in the Middle East and in Morocco.
Pray for International Missionaries using the December Prayer Guide. Thanks to Vincent Stubbs for creating these monthly guides.
Campus—We pray for Stephanie Holmer, who works with graduate students at Duke with InterVarsity. Pray for Stephanie as she prepares for her wedding to Brian (pictured at right) on January 9th. She asks for prayer for:
Students who are on winter break: to stay safe and get much needed physical, mental, and spiritual rest.
The leadership/administration at Duke University to make wise, just, and compassionate decisions in light of the pandemic and racial justice issues on campus.
Finishing up wedding planning and preparing for life together!
Grief:
We pray for Becky Takiguchi whose Dad, Daniel (96), died recently.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
We pray for those who are struggling with infertility, especially in this season.
Joys
We thank God with Paula and Stacy Rinehart at the birth of Emma Faith Rinehart, the 4th adopted child of Stacy and Paula’s son Brady’s family
We thank God for Ally Darnell’s recovery from COVID-19.
We thank God for 19 new members who are joining Blacknall today.
We rejoice with Jenna and Jac Brown on the birth of their son, Caeden Samuel on Nov. 11.
Concerns
We pray for Taylor Brennan as she has surgery this week for cancer.
We pray for Beth and Tim Filston as Beth continues to recover from surgery on her pancreas.
We pray with Matt and Elisha Taylor as Elisha’s dad, Larry, recovers from complications from recent hip surgery.
We pray for medical and frontline workers who are caring for those with the virus.
World
We pray for deliverance from the virus as it surges in our nation and around the world.
We thank God for the development of vaccines that promise to help fight this virus. We pray for a speedy and just distribution of these vaccines around the world.
We pray for peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Ethiopia and between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We pray for protection for the most vulnerable populations.
Life Together
We pray for the search committee for the Director of Congregational Care (chair, Melissa Hartemink).
We pray for Patrick and Catherine Timmis as they prepare to move to Michigan in December.
We pray for Durham Public Schools and for the Learning Center that we are hosting at Blacknall. We pray for the staff from the YMCA who are with the children and that our building will be a place of safety and learning.
We give thanks for Dave Stuntz and the choir and all those involved in the Lessons in Carols today.
Finance
Blacknall remains financially strong in these uncertain times. Our budget for this fiscal year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) expands our ongoing support for local, campus, and international ministries. As Allan noted in his recent letter, our session recently approved additional gifts to specific local ministries whose needs have increased during the pandemic. We are always grateful for the generosity of our congregation.
Our offerings have fallen behind our expenses, and we would like to bring these back into balance by the end of the calendar year. We have received $367,000 in offerings from July 1 through October 31 (four months), and are projecting expenses of at least $730,000 through December 31 (six months). We will need to receive $363,000 or more in November and December to end the calendar year in balance. We believe that this is feasible since December has traditionally been a strong month for us. Please contact Rich Frothingham with any questions.
There are multiple ways to give to Blacknall:
Cash or check brought to the church office.
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. For more information about how to transfer stock, contact Rick Every (919-489-9733) or Carol Smith (919-286-5586).
Online giving is available from our website (including ACH, debit card, and credit card donations). Members can also schedule recurring online gifts when signed on to CCB.
Details on all giving options are available at www.blacknall.org/give.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Community Rising Together
Saturday, December 19, 11 a.m. | Join the Mt. Level Partnership for Racial Justice for a virtual community Advent celebration. Invite a friend!
Living a Tech-Wise Life: Live with Andy Crouch & Amy Crouch
Thursday, December 10, 7-8 p.m. | We can barely imagine our lives without technology. But it doesn't have to be that way. Join us for an honest conversation about technology, discernment, and living the good life. Register here.
Healthcare Workers & Students Appreciation Lunch
December 12, 11:30-1:30 p.m. | Triangle Christian Medical and Dental Associations is having a FREE lunch and drive thru prayer to encourage local healthcare workers. Pick-up at Christ the King Church. Sign up here.