Announcements

TODAY - Virtual Congregational Meeting | 12 p.m., Zoom Link on CCB
Learn more about a plan for reduced capacity worship in the sanctuary and vote on the Officer Nominating Committee. The committee identifies members to stand for election to the offices of elder and deacon. Members will be asked to vote to approve a slate of individuals (Randy Bridges, Traci Hoover, Mary Mathew, Brett McCarty, and Dare Nicholson) to serve at-large on the committee this fall, alongside two elders (Evan Cate, Alex Hartemink), one deacon (Nancy Jones), and pastors (ex officio).
Officer Recommendations | View Form. The Officer Nominating Committee welcomes your recommendations for deacons and elders. Open through October 18. More info here.
Virtual Table Talk | Wednesdays, Oct. 14-Nov. 11, Learn more here!
6:30-7 p.m -All the fellowship & fun of a meal together, minus the food.
7-8 p.m. - A variety of courses - Confident Pluralism; Land, Literature, & the Church; Romans: A Study in Sin; “Thy Kingdom Come”
Fall Inquirers’ Class | Sundays, Oct 18-Nov. 15, 7-8pm | Zoom
Do you want to know more about life and membership at Blacknall? Come get to know more about Blacknall, and let us get to know you! We will kick off with a socially-distanced outdoor meeting on Sunday, October 18. The rest of the class will take place on Zoom. To attend, contact Goodie Bell.
S’mores Bake Off | Saturday, Oct. 24 10-12 p.m. kit pick up. The deacons are offering 50 free S’mores kits in honor of the long time Festival of the Bean. More info here.

Prayer & Thanksgiving

Ministry Partners:

Durham—We pray for StepUp Durham as this organization seeks to equip people to transform their lives through employment and life skills training. We pray for wisdom for Syretta Hill, the Executive Director of StepUp Durham, as she leads this organization. We pray for the Fall Day of Giving for StepUp on October 20th that it would be successful in raising funds. We pray for the Step 1 Jobs Week on October 20-23 that the Lord would bring those individuals who need to be there and that they would be blessed through it. We pray for the Step 2 Tuesday night program that also begins on October 20 as people learn basic financial and life skills. We thank God for Jameelah who graduated from Step 1 in June and is now working at the Scrap Exchange.

Campus—We pray for Lynerd Tillery and his work with Every Nation Ministry at North Carolina Central University. Praise God for a successful Fall Retreat for students from NCCU and Duke which had almost 200 students involved, socially distanced or online. Several students accepted Christ! Pray for creative ways to reach students with limited opportunities to be on campus. Pray for the ministry interns who are working with Lynerd and for energy and perseverance throughout this semester.

International—Pray for Blacknall members Charlie & Frauke. 1 - We are grateful, that through collaborative efforts much needed support for global healthcare providers is increasingly taking shape through retreats in the US and overseas, online coaching, mentoring, and counseling. 2 - Celebrate with us: The Spanish translation of Trauma & Resilience: A Handbook has just been published and is available on Amazon as Trauma Y Resiliencia: Un Manual 3 - Praise for an increasingly cohesive and mutually supportive group of global worker psychiatrists, now called Global Worker Psychiatry Council. 4 - Prayer for guidance and wisdom as both of us are now involved as founding board members of a new global worker support center in Malaga/Spain.

Pray for international missionaries using the October prayer guide.

Grief:

Pray for Kris Barman on the death of her Father.
Pray for Scott Hamman on the death his Father.
Pray for Anne Storelli on the death of her Father.

Joys

We give thanks that Doris Stam was able to resolve moisture issues in her home and move back.
We celebrate Jerry Walter’s release from the hospital and continue to pray for his recovery after a heart transplant this month.

Concerns

We pray for David Crow , George Arky, and Peggy Phelps who had surgery this week.
We continue to pray for Pam Pennigar as she accompanies her mom in Iowa through her last days.
We pray for Nancy Congleton as she cares for her mother in Indiana.

World

We pray for the restraint of the COVID-19 Virus and for relief for all those who suffer because of it.
We pray for peace and justice in our nation.
We pray for the upcoming election and for the health of our shared civic life.

Life Together

We give thanks for the ways we experienced the love of God through the life of Joanne Hodgson; we pray for Grace and for all of Joanne’s family and friends.
We pray for search committees for the positions of Director of Music Ministries (chair, John Nicholson) and Director of Congregational Care (chair, Melissa Hartemink).
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 will be with the children and that our building will be a place of safety and learning.

About the Music

I confess that there have been a zillion times in the last 7+ months that I have said, “this is all so WRONG!” But it occurs to me, re the song “Down in the River to Pray,” that perhaps it is just right. A reminder about the recording process: Each singer records his/her part while listening to the accompaniment. I’m not overstating by much to say that no one likes the process or is pleased with their recording – it reveals with jarring accuracy the “flaws” of the singer. This reminds me somewhat of corporate confession. We are bidden to go “down in the river” as a group (in the song, “sisters” then “brothers”), but we go one at a time. And when we enter that river, we are confronted with our “flaws” – our sins. God’s light shines with greater accuracy than any recording! Listening to the finished recording, for me, is like extending “peace of Christ!” to one another. Though the music is not exulting, by that point we are tasting the Lord’s forgiveness, and it’s impossible to do anything but smile while singing. The flawed offerings of the singers have been blended in an incredibly sweet way – one of the singers commented, “It’s like magic! I send in my old small voice and back comes a robust sounding chorale!” It’s far better than magic – it’s a reminder of a miracle, offered to us through Christ. Come, sinners, let’s go all the way down, so that in Christ we can be forgiven and “changed from glory into glory,” so that we can go all the way up.

Finish then Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee:
Changed from glory into glory,
‘Til in heaven we take our place,
‘Til we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Community

Music, Faith… and the Double Pandemic | October 19, 7 p.m.
The upheaval of the world surrounds us with unmistakable force. Healthy forms of community are being interrupted by COVID-19 just as unhealthy forms of racial disunity are erupting in violence and being exposed through large-scale protests. How do we make sense of this world? Can music teach us or help us in this process? Dr. Emmett Price believes that “with ears to hear” music can help us in our isolation and in our disunity. More info here.

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).