Barbara joined the Vestry in May of 2012 and has been the Junior Warden for the last two years.

Barb has an eclectic religious background.  In her lifetime she has attended Methodist, Lutheran and the Catholic Church services.  One summer, as a child, she also attended a Baptist Bible School.  She appreciates what she learned through this varied experience.

She and her husband, Bill, started attending St. Matthias' in 2005.  Betty McCleary played a significant role in this.  After retiring to the Northwoods, Barb sat next to Betty at an AAUW meeting and took an immediate liking to her.  During conversation, Betty said, "Have you found a church yet?"  When Barb said, "No," Betty replied, "Oh, you must come to St. Matthias'!  (Bill is a cradle Episcopalian and his mother had attended St. Matthias' years earlier.)  Barb and Bill responded to Betty's enthusiastic nudge and after listening to a beautiful sermon and meeting such friendly people at coffee hour, Barb and Bill were impressed.  Chris Clark sealed the deal when she knew them by name the second time they returned for a service.

Barb and Bill have two sons, two daughters, and a 4-� year old grandson, Oliver.  Luckily, three of the four children and Oliver live in Madison, Wisconsin, which makes it easy to visit them often.

Barb was an elementary teacher for fifteen years and became a staff and organizational development specialist for the Madison School District for the last fifteen years of her career.  This role included helping organizations with strategic planning and training.  She was also a co-editor for the "Madison Metropolitan School District Staff Development Quarterly" during those years.  Barb continues to use her skills to assist St. Matthias' as well as the Marywood Franciscan Retreat Center.  She also offers leadership training regarding effective teams, conflict resolution, communication and dealing with change.  She is happy to share this information with anyone that is interested.

Over the years, Barb has been a volunteer for several different public organizations.  Since moving to Lac du Flambeau, she has been a Hospice volunteer, worked at the Lakeland Food Pantry and currently volunteers at the St. Matthias' Thrift Shop.

Barb enjoys gardening, quilting, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, dancing, and travel.  She is passionate about writing as well as teaching and sharing tools that help others improve their quality of life.

What Barb loves most about St. Matthias' is the philosophy of "Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds" and the fact that the congregation is a true family of compassionate people.

Touchstones:  Cliff's Notes

Written by Diane Diederich

I asked a young college student (my grandson) if those innocuous yellow and black paperback shortcuts to Shakespeare and other authors were still around.  I was assured they were and in just as high demand as they were generations ago.

On some level I feel saddened by that affirmation because it means we're still looking for a way out of the richness of the classics.  However, on the other hand, there is a strange comfort in believing that the short form of vital literature is better than no exposure to it at all!

This is the time of year that I glut myself on the variety of creative attempt to explore the story of Christ, as human/God.  I've listened to hours of Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Handels' Messiah.  I've watched Jesus of Nazareth, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Last Temptation of Christ.  Each of these pieces conjures up images of the "truth" about Jesus, the Christ.

So, why Cliff's Notes?  Probably because I always come away from the "Passion" feast I allow myself with the realization that the high points are what I really remember and reflect upon.  It seems to me that out of all we've experienced during Lent and Easter, what stays with us for the journey are the timeless themes, that while the same, forever new.

My short list would include the following:

1. That "truth" is revealed in the lived experience of all creation.
2. That we only understand "backwards".
3. That reconciliation is the "heart of the matter".
4. That "coming to believe" is a journey and a process.

What are the Scriptures, both Hebrew and Christian, if not a collection of the evidence of God throughout time in the lives of those who claim to be followers?  The narrative draws on story after story, populated with names we have known since we were children.  If we were asked, we would probably be able to tell stories from scripture more easily and with more detail than we could from our own history!  Isn't this because those people and their journey to faith speak directly to our own struggle and triumph.  The Bible is so timeless because of this ability of people in every age to identify with the characters we hold dear.  On some level that's why it's the "message" and not the person that's so vital.  It doesn't matter if Sarah or Eve were actually real or if they were "archetypes".  What matters is the foundational questions and experiences of those folks and the collision course that God and humanity are on!  The search for a homeland, the place of family, the struggle with free will and choices, the fulfillment of promises, the conversion from sin, the witness of faith in adversity.  Aren't these as possible today as they were 4000 years ago?  Each and every story is our own.  The beauty of that is that we know the outcome and the blueprint for success.  Evil only succeeds when we fail to have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear".