Lay Ministry

Sunday mornings are blessed by lay members of the congregation participating before, during and after the worship service.

To find out more and to get involved take a few minutes to visit with Gary Carlisle during coffee hour next Sunday.

Altar Guild

"Make an altar of earth for me... Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you." Exodus 20:24

The Altar Guild tends to be the unseen small group of the church. We prepare the altar before 90% of you arrive on Sundays and we take everything down after you leave.

We are of all ages. We love the Lord and prefer a hidden service to God. We prefer work we have been taught from childhood, such as washing, ironing, care of materials, polishing of silver and brass. This service is our choice.

Our commitment is a two-Sunday duty - one taking down the altar and cleaning the portion we take home, the next Sunday we return and set-up the altar, spotlessly clean. We currently have four teams which means we have duty two Sundays a month.

Choir

The Choir is an integral part of our worship service. A truly blessed group who offer their talent of voice and music to the glory of God. It is not necessary to be a music scholar to be a part of this group. The group meets once during the week to learn and practice the upcoming Sunday's music.

The following is a letter written by Paula Obermueller reflecting on what it means to her to be a member of the St. Barnabas choir.

"Although the choir at St. Barnabas is still small, I derive as much pleasure from singing in it as I did when I sang in a larger choir. It had been my privilege to sing in a large choir at another congregation for seven years. We sang in Latin as often as in English and at least once a year Greek was added to the mix."

"While “performing” Renaissance and Baroque music is absolutely thrilling, there is a sense of calmness and oneness with the congregation when you sing in a small choir. Singing with a small group has given me the opportunity to “give it my all” in the hope that God is really listening."

"God and I both know that I’ll never sing at the Metropolitan Opera, but that’s okay. The Lord has allowed me to express my heartfelt prayers in a way that makes me comfortable and enables me to fill a need in our wonderful new congregation."

"If singing is a passion and you love the Lord, come be a part of the choir at St. Barnabas the Apostle."

Enjoy singing and would like to learn more? Visit with a member of the choir during next Sunday's coffee hour.

Ushers

Being an usher allows you to develop and express a nature of nurturing and gentle guidance for fellow parishioners throughout worship service. It is a ministry of tactfulness and helpfulness.

Paul put the following summarized list together to give you a sense of what the usher team does.

Participation in this ministry is for Men and Women.  The usher program is led by Paul Obermueller, the tall guy with the gentle and quiet appearance. Paul will be very happy to visit with you about becoming a part of this ministry.

Adult Education Recommended Books

As the Adult Education Resource contact for our parish, I am occasionally asked for recommendations of books for personal or Home Group study. I have read each of these titles and they have helped me in my journey and I hope you will find them useful as well.

Titles are grouped by subject with a link to an on-line source.

Understanding church traditions

The following books can be purchased from Morehouse Publishing.
	The User’s Guide to the Holy Eucharist, Rites I & II	By Christopher L. Webber
	The Liturgy Explained	By Thomas Howard
	Faith and Practice	By Frank E. Wilson
	A Chart of Church History - Showing Church History as a River (pamphlet)	By Fr. Victor Hoag
	Sacred Signs (out 0f print, but available on-line)	by Romano Guardini
From Paraclete Press
	Worship Without Words	By Patricia Klein
From Church Publishing
	Book of Common Prayer
From Dove Tracts
	To God be the Glory	By Bishop Keith and Jo Ann Ackerman

Prayer

From Amazon.com
	The Bible Way to Prayer	by Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND
From Holy Cross Publications 845-384-6660 Ext. 3003
	St. Augustine’s Prayer Book	Compiled and edited by Fr. Loren Gavitt

Spirituality

From Amazon.com
	The Screwtape Letters	By C.S. Lewis
	Devotional Classics	By Richard Foster
	Spiritual Classics	By Richard Foster
	The Imitation of Christ	By Thomas a Kempis
From Christian Classics Ethereal Library
	"Interior Castle"	By St. Theresa of Avila
	"Spiritual Exercises"	By St. Ignatius
	"Rule"	By St. Benedict
	"The Imitation of Christ"	By Thomas a Kempis
	"Dark Night of the Soul"	By St. John of the Cross
	"No Man is an Island"	By Thomas Merton
	"Wounded Healer"	By Henri Nouwen

Community

From Amazon.com
	Life Together – The Class Exploration of Faith in Community	By Dietrich Bonhoeffer
	Listening Hearts – Discerning Call in Community	By Farnham, Gill, McLean, and Ward
	Listening Hearts Manual for Discussion Leaders	By Farnham, Gill, McLean, and Ward

- St. Barnabas Library Resources –

Discipleship by J. Heinrich Arnold (Book/4 copies available)
Study Guide to Discipleship (4 copies)
Leader’s Guide to Discipleship (4 copies)

“Perhaps the hardest thing about following Christ is translating our good intentions into deeds. Christ calls us, and we yearn to answer him, but time and again we lose resolve. Is discipleship possible amid the stresses of modern life? Can Christ bring about lasting change in our lives? How can we be centered on him, when everything seems to pull us apart?” This is written in an easy-to-read style with short chapters with titles such as “The Inner Life, Repentance, Community, Leadership, Love and Marriage, and Evil and Darkness.”  Each chapter can be read on it’s own, so you can flip immediately to your subject of interest. Contains numerous Biblical references. The Study guide and Leader’s guide are great tools for Home Group settings.

Discipleship Imperative by Erilynne Barnum (6 part VHS video series)

Deacon Erilynne and her husband, Bp. Thad Barnum, are very big on the subject of discipleship.  They have dedicated their ministries to teaching us how to be disciples of Christ in our everyday lives.

They write:  The Lord Jesus made it an imperative: Go and Make Disciples.

Discipleship is an act of the Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of God's Word and worked out with fellow Christians. It is not a list of "rules" to live by, but a "relationship" that transforms our lives. Jesus wants to change us into His image and produce in us godly life. Today, in America, polls tell us that Christians and non-Christians live the same life-style. Discipleship has become optional. But the Lord Jesus Christ did not consider it an option. Having discipled His apostles, He commanded them to make disciples.

He is still making disciples today. Are you one? Do you know how to become one? Now is the time to say "yes" and to let Him begin His transforming work in you.

This series includes six 45 minute teachings with discussion points for small group discussion. Go to their website to check out the sample lesson on-line. 

Prayer –Driven Church Video by Fr. John Guernsey (VHS)

A workshop sponsored by the AAC and presented by Fr. (now Bishop) John Guernsey of All Saints Church in Woodbridge, Virginia.  This teaches about praying for our clergy and our church as well as “prayer rooms.”  Highly recommended.

I'm Pregnant... Now What? by Ruth Graham (Billy Graham’s daughter) (Book)

Heartfelt advice on getting through two unplanned pregnancies with her teen daughter. This offers the teen’s perspective and then the mother’s perspective as well as Christian options (Abortion is not one of them). Co-authored by a doctor, Sara Dorman, PhD.

Christian Life & The Bible Video by Conrad Gempf (DVD)

The message aims to give groups an increased assurance of the reliability of the Bible, and renew their motivation for getting into it. It will help groups grasp the bigger picture, and to appreciate the variety of ways of reading and using God's Word. Watch a clip or order a personal copy.

Making Room - Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine D. Pohl (Book)
Study Guide for Making Room...

For most of church history, practicing hospitality was central to Christian identity. Yet our generation knows little about this rich, life-giving practice. The author combines biblical and historical research with a look at contemporary communities of hospitality.

Rediscovering the Christian Feasts by Robert E. Webber (Book)

A study in the services of the Christian year. This stimulating and stretching course helps you experience the traditional church calendar with new eyes. It challenges the secular concept of time and shows how the practice of the Christian year offers an alternative to secularism and shapes the Christian's day-to-day experience of time.