Greetings members and friends of Saint Barnabas.

I come to you with an update from the message we sent to you last Friday, March 13^th.

I trust most of you saw that message or have heard that we suspended all Saint Barnabas gatherings through the month of March. Since then our Bishop has directed all parishes in the Diocese to suspend all gatherings of 10 or more people until April 20^th.

For Saint Barnabas, we have suspended all gatherings of any size through April 20^th.

So, let us all pause and take a little breath … or perhaps a big breath. Life has changed for us … and we don’t know for how long. … And, let us be assured, we are not a people without hope. Our faith and our hope in our Risen Christ sustain us as a people of love and service … a people of compassionate loving service … sustained and empowered by the Spirit of the Living God with an eternal perspective. Blessed be God!

So with this update, first let me say, “Thank you! Thank you!” Your response to our decision to suspend all gatherings has been enormously positive and supportive. Thank you for the loving support I and the team have received and continue to receive. Over and again you have made it clear that we are in this together. That we are all part of the Saint Barnabas team, not just the community but the team that makes it all happen, and that together we will, we will, make our way through this, care for one another, and work together to sustain the vibrant community that IS Saint Barnabas and that is so important to all of us.

Second, let me say “Thank you! Thank you!” for the equally supportive and encouraging response to our move into more online ministry, especially livestreaming Sunday morning worship. Again, your loving and patient support of our initial efforts has been over the top.

As always, it’s important for me to say thank you to our staff. I trust you are aware your staff team is doing remarkable work. They are saying “yes” at every turn, making whatever sacrifices are necessary, and doing everything they can to sustain our mission. And while I say that, please let me restate for all how we see our mission at this time:

     Our mission continues to be to make disciples of Jesus

During this time of the coronavirus pandemic, we are focused in three ways. To continue to nurture our people:

1. In feeling connected to their church
2. In feeling connected to their God through their church
3. In feeling strengthened and empowered to be Jesus’ people doing Jesus’ work during this time – among ourselves and in the world.

I say this to bring clarity to all of us. Together, we can and we are sustaining a deep sense of our connection to our God and one another doing God’s work. And we will continue!

Here’s how we’re doing this:

1. Through our online ministries – this includes our website, social media, and emails:

•           We will continue to livestream Sunday morning worship at 10:15. It’s really fun! Don’t miss it!
•           We are livestreaming other services such as our Lenten offering. And we hope soon to livestream children’s chapel and other ministries.
•           We are offering additional videos of our various ministries. We’ve sent several about children’s ministries. I am publishing a daily meditation Monday through Friday. We hope to add other faith formation videos and resources for individuals and families.
•           We are gathering some groups via Zoom and other online applications. And we are planning to expand this significantly. If you are a member of a group and would like to help that group meet via Zoom, please contact Kate Fimbres.

2. Through phone trees.

• We are organizing several phone trees with the intention of calling every Saint Barnabas household. Be on the lookout for a phone call from a member of the church! We want you to know we are here for you, if you have any needs your church can help with, and, mostly, just be connected.
• I remind us that our pastoral care teams are not making personal, one-on-one visits except in an emergency, but we are making phone calls.

Many of our members have said, “How can we help.” Please know this is both heartwarming and helpful. We definitely need all the help we can get! AND, we’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing and how we can be helped! So, please, please be patient with us as we figure out which way is up, what the right and left hands are doing, and how not to run into each other. ☺ And, of course, really, all is well even in the midst of this crisis. We are continuing to be the church. With your help and God’s help. Thank you!

By way of reminder, our office remains open during normal business hours, although many of us are working from home. Please understand that our office staff are maintaining the recommended 6’ of distance between one another. And please, do not come to the office unless you have an urgent need to do so. Help us keep our office staff healthy and safe. Of course, please know we welcome your phone call with any need you have. We just ask you not to drop by the office.

Also, we’re doing our best to keep our website up to date. I encourage you to consult the website for the latest updates on our ministries, and, again, please call us if you have a question or a need.

Supporting our Church Financially

A word about supporting our church financially during this time: First, as always, thank you for your generous support! We want to make it easy for you to continue to make your pledge gifts and other donations to your church. To make an online gift using your credit card, visit our website at www.saintbarnabas.org/give. Or, you can give through the Saint Barnabas app on your smartphone: search for “Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church” in your app store. Another way is to use the online bill pay feature on your bank’s website to send donations to Saint Barnabas. Or, mail your check (no cash, please) to Saint Barnabas at 6715 North Mockingbird Lane, Scottsdale, AZ 85253. Please contact the church office for any assistance needed in making your gift, including setting up automated giving through your credit card or electronic funds transfer. Thank you so much for your financial support during this difficult time.

Let me quickly add that I understand that for some of us the financial impact of the coronavirus may affect our ability to give to our church and to complete our financial pledge. Please know that we fully understand this and want you not to have any consternation about this. If you need to make a change in your financial commitment to Saint Barnabas, just let us know by calling or emailing Katie Vinger in the church office (480.355.9750 or katie@saintbarnabas.org).

Welcoming the Neighborhood

Finally, a word about our wonderful and exciting Welcoming the Neighborhood project and capital campaign. Not only has the coronavirus pandemic disrupted our church’s life and ministry, it has significantly destabilized the financial markets and created financial uncertainty.

We are therefore pausing our capital campaign for 60 days.

This will give our vestry and leadership time to take stock of developments and allow us to make informed decisions about how and when to move forward with our plans.

So many of you have been very generous with your financial commitment to our project. Your response has been wonderful and uplifting, and we are deeply grateful. I also want you to know that I and we understand that many of you made your commitments before this crisis emerged and that you might therefore need to adjust your commitment. Please know that I plan to be in touch with you about this. Working together, we will do what our God is giving us to do in this time.

Before I close in prayer, I want to reiterate that though things are vastly different than they were just a few weeks ago, our Saint Barnabas community remains as strong as ever. We continue to be a people of powerful faith, hope, and love. With God’s help, we continue.

I close us with a prayer from our 1928 Book of Common Prayer that was brought to my attention by our Bishop. Let us pray,

O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succour. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.