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transform the world by sharing God’s love.

Dear ones,

Tomorrow, I return to one of the holiest places I know, the Big Island of Hawai’i. I will be away for the next two Sundays. Luckily for you, Rev. Judith McDaniel will be with you this Sunday, providing the weather makes it possible to get down her driveway! On Sunday the 16, Rev. Steve Best, the newest priest among us, will preside and Michael Fitzpatrick will preach. I know you’ll enjoy being with all of them.

I spent 2 ½ days at our Diocesan Clergy Conference at the beginning of the week. Our conferences are sometimes focused on programming and sometimes focused on sabbath. Bishop LaBelle is very serious about clergy taking care of themselves, though he admits he has as hard a time with that as many of his clergy do! This year’s conference was focused on sabbath and gave us more time than usual to be with clergy colleagues and to get to know clergy we didn’t yet know. It was a great time of connection with new folks, deep connection with old friends, and getting to know our bishop a bit better.

Bishop LaBelle preached this sermon at our closing Eucharist… and offered to let us preach it this Sunday, so that we wouldn’t need to prepare sermons after being at the conference for half the week! While you’ll hear a marvelous sermon from Rev. Judith on Sunday, I wanted to share Bishop LaBelle's sermon with you. I very much appreciated it, particularly because it speaks to all of us about the ways God calls us to deepen our discipleship (and offers some ways to do that!).

We’ll keep you in our prayers as we travel and hope you’ll keep us in yours. We’ll miss you in church on Sunday but look forward to seeing you on the 23. 

Aloha!🌴🐳🐠

Faithfully,

Karen†

Friday | February 7

9 p.m. | Compline | Zoom

Saturday | February 8

2 p.m. | Kathy Lacey Memorial & Reception| Sanctuary & Parish Hall

6-9 p.m. | Youth Group Movie Night (Grades 6-12) | Parish Hall

Sunday | February 9

8 a.m. | Holy Eucharist, Rite I | Sanctuary

Post–Service Coffee Hour | Parlor

9:45 a.m. | Godly Play, Grades PreK-5 | Youth Room

10 a.m. | Holy Eucharist, Rite II | Sanctuary

Post-Service Coffee Hour | Parish Hall

2-4 p.m. | Youth Group, Grades 6-12 | Youth Room

Monday | February 10

3 p.m. | Outreach Committee Meeting | Library

9 p.m. | Compline | Zoom

Tuesday | February 11

9 a.m. | Centering Prayer | Sanctuary

Noon | Staff Meeting | Zoom

Wednesday | February 12

2 p.m. | Shakespeare Discussion Group| Library

6:30 p.m. | Jesus & The Powers Book Study | Parish Hall

9 p.m. | Compline | Zoom

Thursday | February 13

9 a.m. | Healing Eucharist | Sanctuary

1:45 p.m. | Senior Ministry | The Madison

7 p.m. | Parish Choir Rehearsal | Choir Room

Friday | February 14

9 p.m. | Compline | Zoom

Saturday | February 15

 12:30 p.m. | Instructed Eucharist with Rev. Jan Heller | Parish Hall

Sunday | February 16

8 a.m. | Holy Eucharist, Rite I | Sanctuary

Post–Service Coffee Hour | Parlor

10 a.m. | Holy Eucharist, Rite II | Sanctuary

Post-Service Coffee Hour | Parish Hall

Note: No family ministry activities due to mid-winter break.

Vespers with Schola Nova

This Sunday

St. Barnabas’ Schola Nova treble choir invites you to Vespers this Sunday, February 9 at 6 p.m. This contemplative, half-hour, sung service will explore the theme of transcendence, with music by Mendelssohn and Victoria. 

Adult Faith Formation

Epiphany Book Study

Wednesdays in February (5, 12, 19, 26)

6:30-8:30 p.m.

St. Barnabas Library

We live in challenging times of change and division. As Christians, we may be asking ourselves what God is calling us to do and to be. Beginning on the first Wednesday of February and continuing for the next 3 Wednesdays, we’ll meet to discuss the book Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird. N.T. Wright is a former Anglican Bishop, professor emeritus of New Testament and a prolific author; Michael Bird is an Australian theology professor and author, and together they extend a call for Christians everywhere to discern the nature of Christian witness during times of political upheaval. Combining biblical scholarship with church history and political theology, the authors address topics such as Christian nationalism and the rise of political autocracies. Linda Maxson, Michael Fitzpatrick and Trip Duncan will facilitate the discussions. St. Barnabas has purchased several copies of the book. Please contact Linda Maxson, ljmaxson@gmail.com, if you are interested in participating and would like a copy.

Instructed Eucharist with Rev. Jan Heller

Have you ever wondered why we do what we do and say what we say during a typical Sunday morning service? Join us in the church on Saturday, February 15 at 1 p.m. for an Instructed Eucharist to find out! The Rev. Jan Heller will offer an opportunity to learn and to ask questions about the service while we celebrate the Holy Eucharist together. It will be informal, will invite dialogue, and will end not later than 3 p.m. Bring your questions, your concerns, and your curiosity!

Godly Play

Godly Play | 9:45 a.m. | Grades PreK–5

View Godly Play Schedule

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be focusing on the Parables of Jesus in Godly Play. Exploring these important events in our faith is such a fun journey. We can’t wait to see you there!

Thank you all for your participation in the St. Barnabas Annual Meeting last Sunday. It was a lengthy afternoon, and we appreciate your attention and patience, and the profound love and care that you hold for your faith community. If you were unable to attend, or would like to review the materials that were presented at the meeting again, click the links below.

At the Annual Meeting, to begin building knowledge in support of our coming leadership transition—as we gratefully bid farewell to our beloved rector; examine and prepare ourselves in the interim period; and search, call, and welcome a new rector—we engaged in reflection and conversation around several questions.

It is in these liminal times that we most deeply feel the truth that “we are the church.” The punchline of church involvement, which I’m sure you’ve heard, is that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Thankfully, we have grown out of that lopsided, unfair model. Our involvement is robust and joyful. Whether we are the eye or the ear, the hand or the heart of Christ in the world, a vital role exists for each of us. Please pause to listen and consider what that role might be for you as opportunities unfold.

If you didn’t get a chance to participate at the meeting, this is one of the times we are looking for reflections from you as we plan the journey ahead. You can submit your answers to the questions by downloading and printing the survey here and placing your completed survey in the offertory or in the black lockbox outside of the church office. You can also click the button below to submit your answers online. We are looking forward to learning from the ideas you’ve expressed and to seeing our parish grow in love and mission throughout the coming year. Thank you for sharing your insights.

We are in the process of updating our membership records! You may think to yourself, “I have been a member of St. Barnabas for decades, they have all of my contact information.” That may be true. That said, there has been a lot of shuffling of that information, a lot of copy and paste to get information from one document to another, one device to another, one software to another. We would like to start anew to be assured that the information we have on file is complete and accurate for our members, and to allow members—new and established alike—the opportunity to opt–in to the parish directory.

Please click the button below to complete the 2025 St. Barnabas Contact Information Form. If you would prefer submitting your information on paper, a physical form is available in the Narthex at church. Please place your form in the black lockbox outside of the church office when completed.

Thank you for your help in keeping our records up-to-date!

After 25 wonderful years in the Pacific Northwest, Linda and I are moving back to our home state of Pennsylvania. We have contracted to have a home built in a 55+ community just north of Gettysburg and expect to close on it in late May 2025. It is difficult to leave our friends, church home and the beauty of this area, but as we age we want to be closer to our daughter, Abbey, and to other family who live in the area. We’ll have our furniture moved into storage mid-March and take off to New Zealand for a 34-day driving tour. It has been a privilege for us to worship and serve with our St. Barnabas family and we sincerely hope to stay in touch.

Blessings and best wishes,

Jan and Linda Heller

As you know, the US is once again facing a major disaster—-the wildfires that are devastating the Los Angeles area. Your Outreach Committee would like to encourage you to join us in donating to the disaster relief efforts. Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is currently working with local area parishes by providing cash assistance, emergency shelters, respite care, and charging stations to people impacted by the fires and the resulting problems, such as loss of jobs and homes. This stage is the very beginning of the work to be done since the fires are not out and people are not cleared to return to many of the areas that burned. You may make a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development in the following ways:

1. 1. Online directly to ERD’s Wildfire Response Fund
2. Mail a check to Episcopal Relief and Development: P.O. Box 3006 Harlan, Iowa 51593-0024, notating Wildfire Response Fund
3. By phone at 1-855-312-4325, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.



Seeking Lenten Devotional Writers

As in years past, St. Barnabas will offer a devotional with scriptural reflections for each day of Lent and Holy Week, written by our very own parishioners and clergy. It is time to begin preparing our Lenten Devotional and we hope you will participate! With a bit of scripture as a prompt, writers have several weeks to pray about and work on their reflections. There really is no limitation on style, only that you allow yourself to be open to the Holy Spirit's movement in you throughout the process. Writers have described the experience of spiritual reflection and writing for this devotional as “engaging,” “very meaningful,” and “challenging, in a good way!”... all of which deepen their connection with God. If you would like to write for our devotional, please email the office, revkaren@stbbi.org, or etienna@stbbi.org.

As Christians, our faith is shaped by the biblical story of people whom God led into foreign countries to escape oppression. Exodus tells us the story of the ancient Israelites escaping slavery in the land of Egypt and wandering in the wilderness without a home. In Leviticus 19:33-34, God commands that we remember this sojourn as part of our own story of faith: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

The Episcopal Church has provided many resources for us to support and protect immigrants in our country, who are some of the most vulnerable among us. Click here to access those resources and to read the full statement from The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop and Julia Ayala Harris, President of the House of Deputies on recent Presidential Executive Orders.

We must be prepared to protect our friends and neighbors as we are called to do by Jesus when he says, “‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:40

Please educate yourself about local resources in order to be an advocate to the lease among us:

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, 844/724-3737

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (legal assistance), 800/445-5771.

Know Your Rights

El Centro de la Raza 

Refugee Women’s Alliance 

Chinese Information & Service Center 

East African Community Services 

The International Rescue Committee in Seattle 

Jewish Family Services, 253/850-4065 

Archdiocese of Seattle, 206/274-3194

Please spread these resources on your social media channels and among your friends and communities.

The St. Barnabas Prayer Chain consists of a group of pray-ers who believe in the power of prayer and who devotedly pray for others. If you would like to add someone to the prayer list, or if you would like to join those who receive information about those for whom we pray, email Prayer Chain Coordinator, Drucy Burnet Hodge, drucy15@msn.com. Parishioners remain on the prayer list for one month, non-parishioners for two weeks. The long-term prayer list is periodically reviewed and revised. 

*St. Barnabas Members

Deacon Dan Fowler and other volunteers from St. Barnabas lead devotion services at area senior living centers on Bainbridge Island. All are welcome join us!

The Madison House

Every Thursday at 1:45 p.m.

Fieldstone—February 5, 19

Memory Care 1:30 p.m.

Assisted Living 2 p.m.

The Day of Remembrance commemorates the day FDR issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942.  Organizations around the country observe the Day of Remembrance with solemn reflection. On Bainbridge Island, one way we observe this day is through a Day of Service at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial - with clippers, rakes, garden gloves, and camaraderie included. Last year BIJAEM had the honor of hosting a production crew from the Japan National Broadcasting Company (NHK), who contacted them in advance of the event with great curiosity. The producers from NHK expressed that they were both shocked and impressed by the size and composition of the turnout last year! In fact, they created three different pieces featuring the Bainbridge Island Day of Remembrance that were broadcast in Japan and on NHK Worldwide. If you attended last year's event, you might get a glimpse of yourself in the NHK broadcast!

We hope to see you there on Wednesday, February 19 from 10am-Noon.

The struggle between the Palestinian people and the State of Israel is one of the most challenging issues facing U.S. Christians today. It has brought incalculable suffering and loss for the Palestinians and increasing pain, insecurity and social upheaval for the citizens of Israel. Rev. Munther Isaac of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem has named Gaza “the moral compass of our times.” Israel’s assault on Gaza has been recognized internationally as constituting genocide.

The cry for help from the Palestinian churches brings us in the United States face to face with the requirement as followers of Jesus to stand with the oppressed, as well as with the principles of equality and social justice upon which our nation was founded.

The question of Palestine raises a range of concerns, including:

·      The rise of antisemitism;

·      Speaking up for Palestinian rights while still preserving precious relationships with Jewish colleagues;

·      The meaning of the biblical promises to the Jewish people in today’s world;

·      Understanding Christian Zionism in the broad context of Christian faith today.

How do we respond when those in peril cry out to us? How can we bring this conversation into our congregations in a productive, respectful way?

We invite you to join us for a half-day gathering, where you will:

·      Hear from a range of voices, including Palestinian clergy describing the exodus of the Palestinian Christians and the plight of all Palestinians living under occupation, members of the Seattle Jewish community, and church leaders working for a just peace;

·      Engage with your colleagues in “table” conversations followed by sharing and discussion with the larger group;

·      Learn about resources for church education and opportunities for ongoing learning, connection and support.

Saturday March 22 time 9:30-1:30

St Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Bloedel Hall

1245 10^th Ave East, Seattle WA 98102

Coffee and snacks 9-9:30; bring your own brown bag lunch.

Please RSVP by March 15 to dthorpe@spu.edu, subject line: Talking about Israel and Palestine  

Sponsored by

Kairos Puget Sound Coalition

Episcopal Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land

Kairos USA

Diocesan Youth Confirmation Program

Welcome to our youth confirmation program, which will bring together teens from across the Diocese to explore the Episcopal faith with the option of participating in a confirmation service at Cathedral Day on May 3. All youth, ages 13 to 18 (seniors in high school) are invited and welcome to participate in this program. For more information and to register, click here!

Diocesan Adult Confirmation Series

You are invited to participate in the Diocesan Confirmation Series for Adults, a weekly Episcopal education series for those who are seeking to better understand the tenets of this faith tradition leading up to Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation. For more information and to register, click here!

20’s-30’s Young Adult

Contemplative Retreat

Join us for a very casual weekend retreat designed for re-centering and renewal. Adults in their 20s & 30s from around Western Washington are invited to Rainbow Lodge, just east of Seattle and at the foot of Mount Si, to experience the beauty of this natural setting and a wide array of contemplative practices in community. For more information and to register, click here!

Office Hours: Monday–Thursday | 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

Outside of office hours, contact the office at info@stbbi.org or 206/842-5601.

For pastoral care emergencies, please contact Rev. Karen at revkaren@stbbi.org.