St. Barnabas Online

Strawberry Festival 2009

2009-06-22T08:55:00.011-04:00

What beautiful weather! What a wonderful crowd! Strawberry Festival was blessed with sunshine and warm weather - unusual during the long spell of rainy days we are having this month. Here are some photos from the day.
You can click on the jars of jam to open the photo album:

Strawberry Festival 2009

Or click on the image below to play the slideshow!

Photos

2009-06-14T06:30:00.003-04:00

here are some pictures of the event ... Bishop Gayle Harris shines - I am happy too; then I celebrate with Randolph James who did the most amazing job as always with our amazing choir; and Will and I share a quiet moment on our porch of the rectory.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2009-06-13T18:06:00.008-04:00

From Barrett Celebration of Ministry

The Rev Patricia Barrett, Rector of St Barnabas, and the Rt Revd Gayle Harris, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Massachusetts, give us a combined blessing at the end of the service celebrating our new Rector.

A wonderful service...

2009-06-13T17:00:00.002-04:00

I don't have any pictures yet to share with you - but the service of institution and the celebration of new ministry on Thursday evening, June 11, was wonderful! Our Bishop Gayle Harris did such a good job of preaching and celebrating and being at ease with all of us - didn't you love the way she thanked the choir? And she just seemed to be having such a good time here at St. Barnabas - it was a joy to see and experience. The church was beautiful thanks to all the wonderful flowers - peonies behind the altar; thanks to the altar guild and the ECW; and Randolph's outstanding arrangement in the baptismal font - that is so beautiful. I will get a picture soon.

Many thanks to all of you who helped with the service - and special thanks to the assistant rector, Kate, who handled so many of the details and was a delightful master of ceremonies. It was so nice to leave it all to her - and as always she did a remarkable job. And thanks to Paul who worked overtime this week to get our campus ready for people to see - and it all looked so beautiful. Many out of town guests remarked on the beauty and thanks go to Paul and the volunteers who weeded and mulched and planted - amazing work.

Will and I are now breathing easier as we begin to slowly fit into our roles here remembering that we are in this ministry together - to dream and discern and pray what the vision will be and what God is leading us to - I just know after that wonderful start the journey will be filled with blessings and much grace.

In thanks to all of you and in Christ, I am looking forward to our life together,

Patti

Trying to write

2009-05-07T09:22:00.003-04:00

Sometimes during a busy week at church I never quite find the time needed to just sit and pray over the text for the coming Sunday's sermon. And then, when I "steal" the time to do so I feel guilty - thinking I should surely be doing some kind of busy work or other that would mean I am "working"! So you see, clergy have the same issues as everyone else. Taking time to do the prayer and study needed to come up with an interesting or a new thought or two on Sunday can be a challenge.

And I think taking the time to really think about the parish and its needs is just as important. Someone once told me that a person leading a church needs to "go to the balcony" often. I think he meant you need to step back and take time to think about what is going on; what is needed; how to we get to where we want to be - and just where is it that we want to be?

Of course, all this happens in our own lives as well doesn't it? Think about how you got to where you are - or maybe you are in the middle of discernment right now. That takes prayer and thought. Raising your children is the same kind of thing - it involves so much more than anyone can tell you. So much more.

So here I am on a rainy Thursday morning, thinking about Jesus and the vines and the fruit, thinking about our parish and all the people who make up this church, and feeling so blessed. Maybe I won't write another word just now; but I feel blessed and that cannot be a bad thing.

On retreat

2009-04-17T09:04:00.002-04:00

Ah, the question: should one be blogging when one is on retreat? I am not sure of that answer but if you enjoy writing and if writing helps you understand what is happening during your retreat then I would say, yes, it is okay to blog. Of course, if writing is something that causes you dismay, then by no means should you write when on retreat! I am keeping a journal while away and am enjoying drawing pictures of what I see as I journal.

I am on retreat at a Benedictine monastery just outside of Indianapolis with 20 other clergy women from around the country - of all different denominations. Right now we are having a directed retreat "Come to the Waters" where we reflect our thirst - what is it we thirst for? Take that question to prayer - what is it you thirst for? How will you quench that thirst? The thirst for God seems to be endless - I see it even in the sisters who are part of this community; women of prayer who still yearn to be filled with God's spirit.

Today I find myself caught up in a poem by Emily Dickinson:

A not admitting of the wound

Until it grew so wide

That all my Life had entered it.

To know how we are wounded and to be able to be healed is such an important part of our faith. Part of our prayers. May Christ be with you today.

Patti+

2009-04-11T10:57:00.002-04:00

Many thanks to Bill Smith for helping us put a small fence around our back lawn so that our dogs will have a place to play. Bill also made the most beautiful gate - come by the rectory to see it....

2009-04-11T10:50:00.005-04:00

Easter Saturday

It is a rainy morning and yet I just spent time in the church with the altar guild women and still feel warmed by the many beautiful plants that fill the church with their bright colors. It is a sign that Easter will be here this evening as we celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter with the Vigil. There are a few differences this year - we were not able to put up the shelves for the plants in the front corners of the sanctuary and that has caused some consternation. I understand that; something that was lovely won't be there this year and yet, we will experience something new and that can be good, too.

It has been a blessed three days so far - last night's Good Friday service with the chanting of the Passion was amazing. It was the first time in five years where I have felt I too was worshipping on this most holy of days. When Kate and I went in the darkness to the chapel to retrieve the blessed sacrament it felt as if we would have one more chance of comfort before we were alone, without Christ.

What then is there? How often do we who have faith even think of the "not having"? We are so blessed to have the knowledge that Christ is risen and that he is present in our hearts and our lives today - every day.

I send each of you warm Easter greetings and look forward to saying Alleluia! with you tonight.

Rev. Patti+

2009-03-31T09:55:00.002-04:00

Holy Week is almost upon us....
This is the time to take the time to attend church. Easter is made all the more meaningful when you attend services during Holy Week. We are so blessed at St. Barnabas to have such a beautiful church and such a wonderful music program - it only adds to our experience of finding the holy during this time.
Begin by coming to Palm Sunday on April 5 at 8 or 10 a.m. The 8 o'clock service is our Rite I Eucharist and there is no music but we will have palms and we will read the Passion in parts. The full procession begins at 10 and we will begin by meeting in the garden and blessing the palms there - then walking to the church. The service begins with joyful noise and exuberance and ends in silence as we prepare for the walk with Christ to the cross.
On Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week we will have Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Chapel at 7 a.m. On Wednesday, we will have Holy Eucharist at 10 in the Chapel.
On April 9, Maundy Thursday, we shall have Holy Eucharist and Foot washing in the Church beginning at 7 p.m. The service will end with the stripping of the altar. This is a service of contemplation and is an excellent way to prepare for Good Friday. People will stay up through the night during the watch in the chapel - you may sign up for your time period.
The Good Friday service is also at 7 p.m. - with an amazing sung version of the Passion - followed by a period of silent meditation. We will have communion from the reserved sacrament of Thursday's service.
The first Eucharist of Easter takes place on Saturday night, April 11, during the Easter Vigil which begins at 7 p.m. Join us for a real celebration - and bring your bells!
Easter morning we will welcome the Risen Christ at both the 8 and 10 o'clock services. Join us and sing Alleluia with loud voices.
I can't wait to celebrate with you! Rev. Patti+

Have you always wanted to be an angel?

2008-12-16T13:47:00.002-05:00

How about a king?

All ages welcome! Dress as a shepherd, angel, animal or magi, and help us tell the Christmas story at our pageant.

If you want to participate in the pageant at our 4 o'clock service, please arrive in your costume (bathrobe, halo, animal ears, etc) by 3:30pm so we can organize ourselves for the Eucharist which begins at 4:00pm

Our other services feature musical preludes starting at 6:30pm and 10:00pm. These services will include choir and other musical guests.

Come worship with us this Christmastide. (No costumes necessary!)

We Have a New Rector!

2008-12-09T08:43:00.012-05:00

The Rev. Patricia Barrett Called to St Barnabas

The Vestry and Search Committee are pleased to tell you that we are at a crossroads in our Faith Journey. After thirteen months of conscientious, prayerful discernment, last night the Search Committee presented to the Vestry a candidate to serve as our next rector. This was a truly spirit driven search and we are joyful and excited and pray you will share our confidence in the future of St. Barnabas.

With Bishop Bud’s blessing, the candidate to whom we issued the call to serve at St. Barnabas is, we believe, the perfect match to all the criteria we developed – with your help and valuable input. In education, in experience, in maintaining the "theater of the liturgy", in administrative expertise, and in living, projecting and supporting spiritual excitement, this candidate captured our interest early in the search process and we believe we were, indeed, led by God in her selection.

Rev. Patricia Barrett is presently serving as rector in a parish in California, but she is not new to Massachusetts. She is a graduate of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge and served as assistant rector in Nantucket and interim rector in Scituate. Hear how she describes her ministry: "We are in the business of doing church because we believe we have met Christ and Christ is present among us..."

Rev. Barrett will be the first woman to serve as rector of St. Barnabas. Our parish has a tradition of selecting women to serve as assistant and our interim priest has continued that tradition, but Rev. Barrett will be the first woman installed to serve as rector. Please be assured that Rev. Barrett is called to be our rector, not because she is a woman who is a priest, but because she is the priest who most fully fulfilled our prayerfully established criteria and who happens to be a woman. We know her warmth and spirituality will captivate you and that you will welcome her into your hearts and into your homes. Her spiritual excitement is contagious!

Rev. Barrett and her husband will be moving to Falmouth in early February. As you make your winter plans, please reserve space on your calendars for her installation and a reception in her honor. We will publish the exact dates as soon as we know them. We will also publish details of the selection process in the January Banner.

And now we are ready for the next part of our Faith Journey – with new leadership and renewed commitment to our roles in a parish community.

Rooster Returns to Spire!

2008-11-04T11:26:00.003-05:00

Our original weathervane in the shape of a rooster, also known as a 'weathercock', was blown down in a storm in December 2006. Today, thanks to the artistry of Chuck Cunniff of Falmouth Sheet Metal and to the Falmouth Fire Department, a new copper rooster has been returned to our spire!
Watch the slideshow...

Or click on the picture below to view the photos in high resolution.

2008-weathervane

Diocese of Massachusetts Lambeth Updates Available

2008-07-18T21:29:00.001-04:00

Our diocesan website, www.diomass.org, has now created a Lambeth Updates page. You may view it here.

Lambeth Conference Links

2008-07-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

(This post is copied from the Cape and Islands Deanery blog.)

The Lambeth Conference has begun. Here are some links to find out what is going on and how to support the bishops gathered there with prayer. In addition, the Anglican Communion Office has published a companion Bible study for use in parishes and by individuals that dovetails with the Bible studies of the bishops at Lambeth.

The official Lambeth Conference website
The Anglican Communion website
Bible study materials and information
The "Petitions for a Lambeth Prayer Vigil" from Province One (New England Dioceses of the Episcopal Church) (Two specific times suggested: 7 a.m. and noon, daily during Lambeth - see Province One's website for details)
The Blogging Bishops' Lambeth Journal - a group of Episcopal Bishops who are keeping an online journal of their experiences at Lambeth.
The national Episcopal Church website has a page devoted to Lambeth coverage.

Compline Audio Available

2008-06-24T09:40:00.007-04:00

Sunday, June 22, the day after the Strawberry Festival, was a Compline Sunday. It was also a hot and humid evening. We had all the doors open and the ceiling fans going at high speed in the nave to help with air flow in the church. You can hear a constant background hum from the fans in the audio.

What an energizing yet peaceful way to close the weekend and start a new week.

The audio is available
here or off our Compline page.

Strawberry Festival Pictures

2008-06-21T16:13:00.004-04:00

We had a glorious day for our Strawberry Festival. Here are some pictures from the event. Click on the photo below (that smiling lady in the middle is festival co-chair Doris Weeks) and you will go to the full album!

Please note the last 3 pictures...Greg Strohm, festival co-chair, sat in the dunking booth in the last half hour of the festival. You can see what happened!

Strawberry Festival 2008

Strawberry Festival is Next Saturday, June 21!

2008-06-15T12:17:00.005-04:00

Saturday, Rain or Shine, starting at 10:00 a.m.
Our annual Strawberry Festival is St Barnabas' largest fundraiser for Outreach programs. This year's festival will be Saturday, June 21, 10 am - 2 pm, rain or shine.

The festival features yummy strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream, lobster rolls, BBQ chicken and ribs, hot dogs, watermelon and baked goods. There are also tables with 'Elegant Elephants', books, jewelry and plants; face painting, cotton candy & games for kids; performances by musical groups, and new this year, a dunking tank!

The Elegant Elephants will be set up in the lower Parish Hall, along with an exhibit of oil pastels by Diane Hill. Diane is an artist and lover of gardens who has been painting and drawing since the blizzard of 1978. As a Saint Barnabas parishioner, she wanted to contribute something to the Strawberry Festival effort but was unable to help physically as she is currently being treated for cancer. Instead, she sends her work, the displayed oil pastels, to help raise money for our outreach projects. You may view some photos of her artwork here.

What Happened to Last Sunday's Audio?

2008-06-11T21:05:00.004-04:00

Was the sound system misbehaving? Did you forget the recorder?

The answer to both the above is 'No.' All systems were working and the service was merrily recording away via the recorder placed in a window nook.

And then...a transformer blew somewhere and all of Falmouth and beyond (Martha's Vineyard) lost power. It was out for about 10 minutes starting during the Fraction Anthem.

Even thought the power went off, the choir and congregation continued to sing with great voice and joy. The organ faded away like bagpipes losing their air, and we sang on. During communion, the choir and congregation sang the appointed hymns and an extra - all without accompaniment. One parishioner said afterwards, 'I tried to hang out at the altar rail as long as I could - I loved being surrounded by the singing.'

Since the Sunday morning choir is going on summer hiatus as of June 9, it was especially nice for the choristers to hear this parishioner's thank you.

Unfortunately, when the power came back on, the recorder did not. So we have a partial audio file. We have been able to recover it, and it will be posted in the next day or so with a separate link from the usual one.

We have also been evaluating whether to continue posting recordings of the services during the summer. Because the team that does the work will be scattered during the coming months, we are going to suspend regular recording and posting of the audio from our worship. We will occasionally be able to provide a delayed audio of a service this summer, but it will not be a weekly occurrence.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Pentecost 3 Worship Audio Available

2008-06-01T13:23:00.004-04:00

For those of you who wish to worship with us, you will find the audio in the usual spot on our Worship page or by using this link.
Today's celebrant: Rev. Patricia Eustis
Today's guest preacher was Rev. Julie Nelson.
Today's lessons:
Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28
Psalm 46
Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-31
Matthew 7:21-29

Today's hymns:
Opening: 48
Gloria: S278
Gospel Procession: 688
Offertory: 690
Sanctus: S128
Fraction Anthem
Communion Hymns: 628, 636
Closing: 522

May 25th Worship Audio Available

2008-05-25T13:30:00.002-04:00

We have re-entered 'Ordinary' season in the church year. The term 'ordinary' refers back to its origins in 'ordinal' - showing the 'order' or 'rank' of something. So, in Ordinary time after Pentecost, we are counting the Sundays before the end of the liturgical church year in November. (Learn more here and here.)

We include a link to a reflection on Ordinary Time from the archives of Anglicans Online.

To learn how we know which Proper to use on which Sunday after Pentecost, you may read more from the Book of Common Prayer on page 158 or online here.

Some notes on today's audio: We are experimenting with a different recording method. We want to provide reliable posting of the worship audio, so we are exploring duplicate methods of recording and ways that avoid use of the sound system to forego the drops and other issues it quirkily decides to inject in the recordings.

Please let us know if this week's method is acceptable. We will, of course, continue to scout out the causes of problems and possible solutions for our main sound system.

For those of you who wish to worship with us, you will find the audio in the usual spot on our Worship page or by using this link.

This week's celebrant and preacher: Rev. Kate Stebinger
This week's guest organist: Charlene Higbe

Hymns this week:
Opening: 390
Gloria: S278
Psalm: 62:6-14 (sung to tune of Hymn 121)
Gospel Processional: 408
Offertory: 678
Sanctus: S128
Fraction Anthem
Communion: 711, 701
Closing: 388

Trinity Sunday at St Barnabas

2008-05-20T18:46:00.006-04:00

My, my, we were busy on Sunday! Our apologies for the delay in posting audio this week. Our team members were all involved in Evensong for Trinity Sunday, so we lost our audio conversion time for the morning service on Sunday afternoon. We have been trying to find time to convert the audio of Evensong to mp3 for your listening ever since.

You may listen to Evensong here.

Evensong is only one among many possible ways of worship. Our aim is to offer beauty in song to God, the giver of all beauty and goodness. Based on the services held daily in the medieval Church, Evensong, as found in the Book of Common Prayer, has been sung regularly since the sixteenth century.

You will hear the choir's entrance on the Psalm pick up steam- they had expected to hear the start of the Evening Hymn, but quickly recovered and sang Psalm 150 with gusto. As soon as we finished the psalm, we went back and sang the Phos hilaron with the congregation.

The Order of Service:
We sing an opening hymn (#28)
followed by the Invitatory and Psalter
Psalm 150
Phos hilaron (Evening Hymn #37)
then come the Lessons and Magnificant/Nunc dimittis
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
The Magnificat
Romans 16:12-15
The Nunc dimittis
The Apostle's Creed
Then come prayers of various types...
The Prayers
The Suffrages
The Collects
The Offertory Anthem
The Occasional Collects
The General Thanksgiving
The Blessing
Closing Hymn (#24)

The morning service recording has issues, unfortunately. We are trying to salvage the sermon for you. There were two sections with audio drops and distortion. We have asked Rev. Kate to remind us of what those sections contained. Once we hear back from her, we will post the sermon with her notes!

Pentecost Worship Audio Available

2008-05-11T23:55:00.003-04:00

Pentecost - the birthday of the Church. The altar guild had filled our nave with bright red geranium plants (which we took home after service).

For those of you who wish to worship with us, you will find the audio in the usual spot on our Worship page or by using this link.

Today's preacher and celebrant was Rev. Patricia Eustis.

Music:
Opening Hymn: 225
Gloria: S278
Psalm: 104:25-32 (setting: RS James)
Gospel Procession: 516
Offertory Hymn: 508
Sanctus: S128
Fraction Anthem
Communion Hymns: 513, 507
Closing Hymn: 224

Sunday After Ascension

2008-05-05T09:11:00.002-04:00

Despite having two methods of recording set up and ready to go, we are not immune to error. Recording does not work if the equipment is left in standby mode! Our humblest apologies to our online congregants. And thanks be to God for a reminder of our human qualities! You can rest assured we won't make this particular mistake again!

Canon Cecil Scantlebury was our preacher and celebrant. His sermon was handwritten. We have asked if he could share it with us for posting. We will let you know if and when we receive it.

The skies opened and it poured off and on all morning. We are watching that leak in the roof - the wall has a definite bulge of watery origins up high above the choir...

April 27 Compline Audio Available

2008-04-28T11:00:00.006-04:00

Sunday was the Easter VI which this year coincided with Eastern Orthodox Easter. Our recording team was unavailable in the morning (one was playing guitar in the Chapel, one was home ill, and one was attending a family Orthodox Easter gathering), hence no new Sunday morning worship audio. Instead, we offer you the Service of Compline held on Sunday evening.

Baseball Anyone?

2008-04-25T08:16:00.002-04:00

The May Banner is in production as we speak. One item that did not make it into the newsletter comes from Al Irish. We publish it here. This annual announcement is another sign that summer is right around the corner!

The Falmouth Commodores baseball team is seeking host families for players this summer. Team players are housed by volunteer host families during the summer. Through the years, many close relationships have developed between a player and his host family. It is an experience that has shown over and over again to be a very positive one for all involved. If you and your family would like to be a part of the Commodore family, please contact housing director Christine Clark at 508-540-4755.