Priest-in-Charge, Congregational Letter – April 20, 2024

Dear People of St. Barnabas:

As your priest-in-charge, I’m pleased to provide this report on the status of our church for our annual meeting this Sunday, April 21.

We had a good year in 2023! Unlike some other parishes in our diocese that continue to deal with fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, we returned to in-person worship without difficulty, and our attendance is strong. Last year, we recorded nearly a 10% increase in the number of people in church on Sunday, and we are particularly grateful for the young families who have joined us.

In addition, we had nearly as many people viewing our weekday and Sunday services online as attending services in person! We have attracted new viewers for our livestream via YouTube, which is good news, and our hospitality committee supplies those attending in-person with tasty treats at coffee hour twice a month.

St. Barnabas is on a sound financial footing thanks to the continued generous support of our members and the donations we receive from individuals who remember the church in their wills. Our acting treasurer, Christine Schmitz, will provide an overview of our financial position at Sunday’s meeting.

Towards the end of last year, we received a gift of nearly $88,000 from the estate of Fred Mengers, a beloved member who contributed greatly to the wellbeing of St. Barnabas during his lifetime. The Vestry decided to use half of Fred’s gift to make much-needed repairs to our property and we are investing the other half. Fred’s love of his church and his generosity are a timely reminder to all of us to include the church in our estate plans.

Some of the projects for which we are using Fred’s money include replacing the railroad ties in the church parking lot with concrete barriers, upgrading the electrical capacity of our parish hall, and waterproofing the hall kitchen and basement, which routinely flood after heavy rains. We would also like to create a safe turnaround area in the parking lot in front of the thrift shop, because backing out into Forsythe Road is a risky venture at the moment. As you know, church property is always in need of maintenance, and we want to be good stewards of the funds we have received. That is why we have invested half the money from Fred’s estate for future repairs.

Our senior warden, Chris Gunther, mentioned during announcements at services last year that we would eventually call on the congregation to contribute toward the cost of repointing the church’s exterior stone walls. That time has come! The diocese generously granted us additional monies for this work — on top of our current Middendorf Fund loan — but we need to raise $20,000 to complete the project, which will ensure that St. Barnabas remains “the little stone church on the hill” for years to come. Please pray about what you can give towards this vital restoration effort. We will begin this fundraising campaign immediately, and we thank Steve Wolf and his crew for the great work they have done on the walls thus far.

Undoubtedly, a highlight of 2023 was the October launch of our thrift shop following a successful rummage sale in June to test the waters. The shop is open once a month and the proceeds are helping us move towards the goal of balancing our annual budget. Currently, our annual deficit of about $20,000 needs to be covered by funds from our checking account. Just as important as the income from thrift shop sales is the way in which it has drawn us closer to the community around our church. We now have several volunteers from the community helping in the thrift shop, and a few of them are also coming to services on Sunday. We appreciate their support.

St. Barnabas Hall is used by two AA groups during the week and a classic car group also gathers in the hall for its monthly meetings. As word spreads about the availability of the hall for parties and receptions, we hope to attract more rentals, which will bring in more money for the church.

Other ways in which we are engaging the community beyond our walls include our ministry with Copper Ridge, our prayer bead and blanket ministries, our support of the Historic Colored Schoolhouse, the E.S.C.A.P.E. program, and the families that are part of our Pantry Project. Work on our new website is nearly finished, and that will enable us to better communicate with the world around us.

We enjoy wonderful music from our sanctuary choir and youth choir, as well as from the Stone Church Pickers. I am especially blessed to work with our talented music director, Julia Colonna. In addition, our Vestry officers and members are determined to see that St. Barnabas prospers in the years ahead. We are lucky to have such faithful and committed people serving our church. Special thanks to Huston Jacobs, who has agreed to serve as acting Junior Warden for the next twelve months, and to Richard Reier, who has faithfully served in this role over the past year.

Finally, I’m happy to write that with the Vestry’s approval, I will continue to serve as your priest through June 2026 and look forward to working with you and the Holy Spirit to help further the kingdom of God in our region and beyond.

May God bless us richly!

The Rev. Timothy H. Grayson
Priest-in-Charge