Announcements
DMET Local Service Survey | Take Here
Blacknall’s Durham Ministry Engagement Team (DMET) is seeking to capture a better sense of where Blacknall members currently (or pre-Covid) serve in our community, through work life and volunteer service. With the information, we hope to offer a more accurate picture of where we as a church are serving in the community already and how we can facilitate service opportunities in the future. We also are interested to know if you’d like to formally serve on the DMET Team. Survey open until Oct. 31. We look forward to sharing results and loving our neighbors even better in the future! - The DMET Leadership Team
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. Photo above of the fall Inquirers’ Class.
Prayer & Thanksgiving
Ministry Partners:
Campus—We pray for Dan and Tanya Kronstad and their work with international students at Duke and NC State through International Students, Inc. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct Dan in his new role as the ISI Triangle Area Director. Dan has an amazing and gifted team to work with at Duke University and NC State University. Pray for the Lord to build and expand this team. Pray for additional volunteers and church partners to join in this work of ministering to internationals throughout this rapidly growing area of the country.
Durham—We pray for Durham Rescue Mission as this ministry ministers to the homeless in Durham. Pray for Ernie and Gail Mills as they lead this ministry. Pray for plans for the Thanksgiving Meal program in this time of social distancing. Pray for the Victory Program as it provides holistic restoration for addicted men and women. Pray for the men and women & children who are in the homeless shelters that they would know hope and hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
International—We pray for Blacknall missionaries John and Karen Friesen. Pray for Blacknall supported missionaries John and Karen Friesen, affiliated with the Mennonite Central Committee, involved with Community Development in Egypt. Karen writes, “We are grateful for the work here and it has been going well. We continue to support our various Partners with financial grants for projects such as women’s literacy, education for youth, health and peace building … many of our partners are tackling the problems of Gender Based Violence and FGM [female genital mutilation].” Specific pray requests: (1) vulnerable people to know God’s presence and provision in the midst of the pandemic; (2) partners to be able to provide emergency relief; (3) good spiritual leadership for the churches, so that they can equip congregants for worship, discipleship, and community outreach; (4) MCC’s financial shortages due in part to the closing of the thrift store.
Grief:
Pray for Scott Hamman whose Dad died recently.
We pray for Kris Barman whose Dad died recently.
We pray for Dean Storelli whose Dad died recently.
Continue to pray for family and friends of Joanne Hodgson.
Joys
We celebrate Jerry Walter’s continued recovery from his heart transplant. He is now home from the hospital!
We thank God for the Women’s Retreat this weekend and for the time and connections shared.
Concerns
We pray for Matthew Emerson, Shirley Emerson’s son, as he has been diagnosed with COVID-19
We pray for Pam Pennigar as she accompanies her mom in Iowa through her last days.
We pray for all of those who are caregivers.
We pray for Marta Shultz as she is recovering from the COVID-19 virus.
World
We thank God that our president and his wife have recovered from the COVID virus.
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 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 are with the children and that our building will be a place of safety and learning.
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
The song came out of what was called the “Catholic Renewal,” specifically from a group of musician-priests; the music of the St. Louis Jesuits was significant in Blacknall’s worship life in the period 1976-85. (If you come from a Catholic background, it would not surprise me if your parish still uses much of their music.) “Dwelling Place” comes from today’s sermon passage in Ephesians 3, where Paul is praying for that beloved congregation. The tone and language are reminiscent of Psalm 67. I think it’s accurate to say that a significant majority of intercessory prayer is on the subject of physical health – and right now, that’s on everyone’s mind. But look at Paul’s prayer as an example of “lift up your eyes.” Paul’s prayer (in the song) only intersects with the Ephesian church’s well-being in the broad request that God would grant “strength for our living.” The emphasis is not on our health or circumstances, or any other external; rather, just as God “looks at the heart,” the song allows all of us to pray, “May Christ find a dwelling-place of faith in our hearts.” It’s a good model of how we should pray for one another. As the writer of Psalm 67 says, “May the Lord bless us, so that all the ends of the earth will know and worship Him.”
I fall on my knees to the Father of Jesus,
The Lord who has shown us the glory of God.
May He in His love give us strength for our living,
The strength of His Spirit, the glory of God.
May grace and peace be yours in God our Father,
And in His Son.
May Christ find a dwelling place of faith in our hearts.
May our lives be rooted in love, rooted in love.
Community
Walltown Food Bank Volunteer Opportunities
View a list of needs here and sign up here, or contact Sylvia Belcher. Help is needed delivering and distributing food at St. John's on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 10-2 p.m. 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).