Announcements
Cancer Support Group | Zoom Link on CCB
Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m. This group meets the 1st Sunday of every month for prayer, education and sharing our lives. It’s for all cancer survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. Contact: Karen Allen
The Blacknall Library is open!
Self-service whenever the church building is open. Check-out instructions are on the front desk. Returns may go in the slot under the window or in the basket inside the door. Please help us care for our library assets by keeping track of your borrowed materials and returning them to us. If you have materials checked out, you will be receiving a gentle reminder soon to check in with you on outstanding books, CDs and DVDs. Any questions about library access or materials? Email us at library@blacknall.org. We look forward to the day we can be together in the library again!
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.
Prayer & Thanksgiving
Ministry Partners:
Durham—We pray for Reality Ministries in their work to create opportunities for adults with and without developmental disabilities to experience belonging, kinship, and life-changing Reality of Christ’s love. We pray for Susan McSwain, the Executive Director, as she leads in this season of COVID-19. Pray for the Reality community as they struggle with being unable to be together in the pandemic. Pray for the 33 weekly Zoom groups as Friends connect. Pray for the staff to find creative new ways for Friends to be together like virtual trips to Disney World and Australia! Pray as the community gathers throughout the week to pray together via Zoom.
International—Please pray for Blacknall missionaries Jim and Julianna (Hawkins) Gieser, with Antioch Partners in Cape Town, South Africa, in a campus ministry. Presently, the pandemic has greatly affected their ministries and family life: “May 1 - Level 5 of lockdown is over and now we’re at level 4 (we are now allowed out between 6 and 9 am). The boys haven’t stepped out of our gate since March 26. Jul left once and I once a week for groceries. Whew! It’s been a doozy but we’re all in one piece.” Specific prayer requests: (1) thanksgiving for protection during the pandemic and the lessening of virus cases in South Africa; (2) guidance for Jim and the Y staff, as they interact online with students; (3) their plans to launch the Christian Study Center at the beginning of the academic year in January; (4) strength and patience for Julianna in her roles as wife, mother, and neighbor; (5) additional funds for the Y during these difficult times.
Use the November Prayer guide to prayer for Blacknall supported missionaries.
Campus—We pray for Jennifer Hagin and her work with InterVarsity as Regional Director in Southeastern Virginia. We thank God for the teaching on resilience that Jennifer shared with our women at Blacknall at the Women’s Retreat a couple of weekends ago. With Jennifer we thank God for:
Healthy leadership teams at the campuses she is working with
Student to student discipleship increasing
Increased invitation and witness at Virginia Tech
Consistent daily prayer meetings at VMI and an impromptu worship time that had to disperse because it exceeded campus gathering restrictions
Longwood had more students at their outdoor Large Group meeting than any time last year
Please pray for:
Student mental health is always a concern and especially in this season
Rest; staff and students are tired with an accelerated schedule and constant change of plans, etc.
Resilience—Joy in the work especially when unable to be face to face with students and overwhelmed with Zoom
Adequate financial support for her staff
GRIEF:
We pray for Pam Pennigar on the death of her mom.
We pray for Kris Barman whose Dad died recently.
We pray for Dean Storelli whose Dad died recently.
We continue to pray for family and friends of Joanne Hodgson.
JOYS
We give thanks for the YMCA learning center at Blacknall and for its students and staff.
We celebrate the ways that we have continued to worship together during the pandemic, and we give thanks for hosts, volunteers, and staff that help make that possible.
CONCERNS
We pray for Susie Meghdadpour, who injured her arm
We pray for those recovering from COVID-19: Marta Schultz, Matt Emerson, Sarah Owen, and others.
WORLD
We pray for deliverance from the virus as it surges in our nation and around the world.
We pray for the upcoming election and for the health of our shared civic life.
LIFE TOGETHER
We give thanks for the work of the search committee for the Director of Music and Worship (chair, John Nicholson), and we continue to pray for the search committee for the Director of Congregational Care (chair, Melissa Hartemink).
We pray for the Table Talk program meeting on Wednesday evenings and for the four courses that are being offered.
We pray for Brad Turnage and Tanya Kronstad as they lead our youth ministries and as they seek to find ways to help our youth connect with one another in this season of pandemic.
We pray for wisdom about decisions about how we might gather for worship in the sanctuary.
We pray for the Nominating Committee as they begin their work of nominating people to serve as elders and deacons.
About the Music
As a nation, we seem to have determined that “unity” is a great and good thing, as long as it means united around the “right” stance, cause or person; and if you have a different perspective, then you are “disunited.” The ultimate unfriending. Let the Scripture and the music today beckon you to the unity of our shared identity: we are called to worshipers; we are all mercy-receivers; we have all had our worth determined by the Worthy One. Try singing “Eternal Light” with corporate pronouns, “we” instead of “I”. (The recording uses “I” but it shouldn’t be difficult.) Drink in the incredible beauty and affirmation of the choral recording, “Do Not Be Afraid.” And feel the uniting of all of our hearts in agreeing with our loving Lord, “My Worth is Not in What I Own.” Reading the opening verses of Isaiah 43 is like experiencing the words from Psalm 23, “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Feel the oil dripping off your head, as the Lord says, “You are Mine.” We belong to Him, together.
Community
Walltown Food Bank Volunteer Opportunities
View a list of needs here and sign up here. Questions? Contact David Dunderdale.
No-Cost COVID-19 Testing at Walgreens
Walgreens is offering no-cost, contactless COVID-19 testing at select locations in partnership with the PWNHealth provider network. Testing is available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and federal guidelines. At the testing locations, Walgreens pharmacy team oversees patients’ self-administration of the COVID-19 test. Details here.
Items Needed for Families Moving Forward
Blacknall has the opportunity on Nov. 2 to provide hospitality for the families taking shelter at Families Moving Forward. Six generous women quickly signed up to help make this meal, but there are other ways that Blacknall can assist the families. Cleaning supplies are in great demand at the shelter: wipes and sprays are most needed. Also, twin size sheets and comforters are always needed. On the personal side, textured hair products and body butter are also needed; Shea Moisture and Creme of Nature are two brands. If you are able to provide any of these things, please contact Anne Paulson for a drop off plan (919-286-6208 or email). Thank you so much for helping these families as they try to start a new life for their families in the midst of this pandemic.
Virtual Chefs for Change | Nov. 13
Please join Families Moving Forward for 2020's Virtual Chefs for Change Gala! We'll have an online silent auction, a short video presentation, and a virtual interactive element for all attendees, and we're working with our sponsors on some other fab goodies. It has been a tough year for so many of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. FMF has continued to provide families with children a stable, safe and loving home while adapting to new routines and physical distancing. The Chefs for Change Gala is our chance to safely come together in a time when we need connection more than ever. Tickets are $50 at fmfnc.org/gala. For more information, contact Mark Paulson (919-621-2725) or Anne Paulson (919-812-6208).