Wherever you see the name St. Barnabas or The Branches in print, it is typically paired with this line: Where ALL Are Welcome. Folks at St. Barnabas are a friendly group, an outgoing group, a group anxious to welcome the stranger into our midst.
Welcoming - hospitality - is strongly rooted in the biblical tradition. Hospitality was important among the nomadic tribes of the Old Testament because it assured protection when travelling through foreign lands. For the Lord your God . . . loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19). But hospitality wasn’t only for protection, it was also offered out of thankfulness for the welcome and hospitality that God first showed to us: Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7). Offering hospitality was also considered important because you never knew when you might be entertaining God or God’s messengers: Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2). And, if we truly understand ourselves to be members of the Body of Christ, then each time we offer hospitality to another person, we are, in fact, offering hospitality to Christ: Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40) .
In our culture which values privatization and self-sufficiency, being an oasis of welcoming is rare indeed. And we are blessed at St. Barnabas to be such a place for all who enter our doors. Recently our wardens and vestry passed two welcoming resolutions. I invite you to read them along with the comments of one of our vestry members.
- Pastor Debra+
A Federal Privacy Act (HIPPA) prohibits hospitals from notifying non-family members (including clergy) about patients. If you know of any St. Barnabas parisioners who are hospitalized or if you know that you will be in the hospital, please call Pastor Debra at 464-2158 so that a visit can be arranged.
