John’s  induction as Rector of St Barnabas 

Journeying through Lent: and into Easter

The Parish Lenten Study watched and discussed the video “The Asphalt Gospel” and will continue – March 22,29 and April12th @7:30 – to look at the Phoenix Affirmations; a set of 12 principles written by clergy and lay people in an attempt to articulate the broad strokes of the emerging Christian faith.

Palm Sunday – April1st @ 10am – Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist.

Muandy Thursday - April 5th @7:30: 

Celebration of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

Good Friday – April 6th @ 10:00am:

“Meditations on the Stations of the Cross” an audiovisual presentation of the Stations of the Cross with a guided reflection on each station.

Holy Saturday – April 7th # 7:30pm at St Barnabas: 

The Great Vigil of Easter: The Vigil will begin with the Service of Light outdoors where a fire is kindled and brought into the darkened church and the Paschal candle is lit to signify the light of the Risen Christ. The service continues wirh Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist.

Easter Sunday – April 8th @ 10am -Choral Holy Eucharist at St. Barnabas

Save the date: Wednesday, March 7th at 7:30 at St. Barnabas is the Induction of John Firmston as Rector of the parish. Reception to follow in the hall. Come and celebrate with us as we move into God’s future in this place!

As we move into Lent the Revd Bill Inglis is with us as presider and preacher on Sundays @10am.

On Ash Wednesday we are encouraging parishoners to visit our sister parishes of Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Mary’s Sapperton (@7:30) for services.

New Westminster Ministerial Lenten Study Series

 February 29 through March 28

 This set of five talks will be held on the Wednesday evenings in Lent at five different New Westminster churches. All sessions start at 7:30 pm. Join us each week as we focus on the topic of our bodies as a living sacrifice, looking at how our physical bodies relate to Christian worship.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” – Romans 12:1

• Wednesday, Feb. 29 – “The Body as a Living Sacrifice” – led by the Rev. Tim Bruneau at First Presbyterian, 335 Seventh Street
• Wednesday, March 7 – “Prayer and the Body” – led by the Rev. Georgina Harris at Mt. Zion Lutheran, 930 Cumberland Street
• Wednesday, March 14 – “Liturgical Dance” – led by the Rev. Shannon Tennant at Shiloh Sixth Avenue United, 1111 Sixth Street
• Wednesday, March 21 – “No Body by Request” – led by the Ven. John Bailey at Holy Trinity Cathedral, 514 Carnarvon Street
• Wednesday, March 28 – “The Resurrection and the Body” – led by the Rev. Richard Topping at Knox Presbyterian, 403 East Columbia Street

St Barnabas welcomes the Rev’d John Firmston as our rector, effective Mar 1, 2012. John has most recently been priest at Bishop Hills Memorial Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Diocese of New Westminster (DNW). He has been priest-in-charge or rector in a number of parishes in the DNW as well as in the Dioceses of Kootenay and Calgary. John also has a range of experience as an educator (e.g., classroom teacher, guidance counsellor, curriculum leader, Special Education teacher). John describes his theology as shaped by the perspectives of progressive Christianity. He strongly values the ministry of music within a parish’s worship life. We look forward to co-creating with John St Barnabas’ future as a vital and sustainable parish.

On Sunday January 8, 2012 at the 10 am service we are celebrating the Feast of Epiphany with the Rev’d Bill Inglis as celebrant and preacher. Come and join us!
In January the season of Epiphany continues and moving into February we will be observing Lent. We welcome the Rev’d Bill Inglis as celebrant and preacher at our 10AM Sunday service for January and February.
Keep posted for educational opportunities coming up in Lent.

On Sunday December 18th we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent with the Rev. Marnie Paterson as celebrant and preacher. Saturday, December 24th at 7 PM  is the Christmas Eve service where as we hear the Christmas story we will fill the creche; we welcome the Rev. Bill Inglis  as celebrant and preacher. On Christmas Day, St Barnabas will welcome guests from the community to the family style Christmas dinner with turkey and the trimmings along with goodies for dessert. All are welcome!

Greetings everyone!

The autumn chill and rain is upon us, and our thoughts turn inward, to home and hearth.  The long season after Pentecost is winding down, and soon we will be in another season of Advent – for Christians, our liturgical new year.  There are new beginnings ahead for me, also.  On December 2, I end almost two years as rector of St. Barnabas’.  I will take a few months off, and then return to school to begin a new chapter in my life.

St. Barnabas’ is a community with a big heart; one which has made the parish an integral part of the neighbourhood it so consciously serves.  We are, in many ways, a community centre of the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood.  Our outreach programs touch hundreds of lives every month.  Our hall serves as a gathering place for twelve-step groups, cultural organisations, and family celebrations.  Our facilities offer a home for a daycare centre and a residence for the Canadian Mental Health Association.  And our grounds are a meeting place for the neighbourhood, and a location for the New Westminster Community Gardening Association.

But St. Barnabas’ is also a vital place of worship and Christian education and formation.  Our small congregation is known for its friendliness, its inclusivity, and its relaxed approach.  Sunday morning is a time to worship God in a spirit of fun and delight.

Serving this congregation has been a honour and joy; and I wish (and expect) nothing but good things for its future!

The Revd Neil Fernyhough

October is a season of transitions.  As the rain returns and the days shorten, summer slips into autumn and our thoughts turn to interior activities.  Reading.  Study.  Meditation.  It is a perfect season to reflect and recalibrate.

Members of the parish have been meeting Thursdays as a reading group to discuss The Phoenix Affirmations:  A New Vision for the Future of Christianity by Eric Elnes.  We are also preparing three special Sunday services.  The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi will be observed on October 2nd.  Everyone is welcome to bring animal companions to be blessed that day.  We will have a second blessing of the animals service on Thursday, October 6th, at noon, following the community lunch.  On October 9th, we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving.  Please bring non-perishable food items for our emergency food cupboard.  Finally, on October 30th, we commemorate the Feast of All Saints.  On this day, we will pray for those who have died over the past year, and for any others you may want to specially remember that day.  All services on Sunday are at 10 am.

The other major transition is my departure.  I’ll be leaving St. Barnabas’ on December 2nd to return to school.  I’ll have more to say about this closer to the date, but I am so glad to have had this amazing experience, grateful for the support and for the friendships, and excited about a new path!

The Revd Neil Fernyhough, Rector