St Barnabas is open again for public worship on Sunday, July 19 at 10 am. Last week the diocese approved our plan for re-opening. This is exciting news for those who have waited patiently for the day when we would be free to gather again in God’s holy house. Churches are consecrated spaces where we can find peace, receive the sacraments, and encounter the reassuring presence of God. In times of crisis, it is natural for people of faith to seek the comfort of their beloved church. ...  read more

On Wednesday March 11, 2020, St Barnabas’ Episcopal Church was invited to lead worship and provide lunch at St Philip’s Lutheran Church. This was the second in a planned series of lunches to be offered throughout Lent, with different churches providing worship and hospitality each week. The following day – March 12 – Bishop Brown suspended all public worship services, in response to the state of emergency declared by Governor Carney. This was the sermon preached at St Philip’s… ...  read more

The Feast of Sts Peter and Paul (June 29) marks the tenth anniversary of my ordination to the sacred order of the priesthood (eleven years to the diaconate). My ordination by the Bishop of Horsham in the parish church of St James the Less, Lancing, West Sussex, seems an age ago, and since then my life has taken on a direction that has been unpredictable, to say the least. 

As I was looking for a suitable analogy, the image that came to mind was that of white water rafting, which my son Julian and I did a number of years ago. I remember the skipper of the raft shouting “hold on!” whenever we entered a treacherous stretch of water. (At one point Julian and another person were thrown from the raft into the river – kept afloat by their lifejackets, they had to wait for us to throw them a line before we could pull them back on board). For my own experience, it was the words “hold on!” which seemed relevant. In my vocation as priest there were times when I needed to “hold on” to my faith, when the waters of life were swirling around me and carrying me forward to God knows where.  ...  read more

Ten days ago the search committee sent notice to members that they were in the process of evaluating a number of applications for the position of rector of St Barnabas’ Episcopal Church, with a view to recommending to the vestry a new candidate to take on this role in the fall. 

This means the clock on my own time here is ticking away, and I will be moving on. In these unprecedented times there are few opportunities for priests who are looking to move to pastures new, however I have been very fortunate to have been offered the position of interim rector at St Martha’s Episcopal Church in Bethany Beach, Delaware, starting on August 1, 2020.  ...  read more

A member of our Invite Welcome Connect (IWC) team recently shared an interesting article about the power of listening. 

https://thesunmagazine.org/issues/534/the-power-of-story

The article included an interview with Jared Seide, the executive director of Center for Council in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization that delivers programs and trainings that promote communication, enhance well-being, build community, and foster compassion.  ...  read more