ST. BARNABAS’Parish Profile

ST. BARNABAS’ EPISCOPAL CHURCH14111 Oak Grove Road

Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774301-249-5001 | www.stbarnabas.net

Table of Contents

Who We Are.......................................................................................1

Our History................... ........................................................................2

Worship............................................................................................2

Education.............................................................................................3

Serving Our Community Across the Globe.....................................3

Parish Life...........................................................................................5

St. Barnabas’ Financial Profile........................................................6

Growth & the Future..........................................................................7

What We Are Looking for in a Rector.............................................8

Our Relationship to the Washington Diocese...............................8

Who We Are

St. Barnabas Church was founded in 1704 in historic Queen Anne Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Nestled in the once bucolic, tobacco farming, now bustling county seat of Upper Marl-

boro, Maryland, we are equidistant from the White House in our nation’s capital and the Maryland state capital of Annapolis, home to the United States Naval Academy. Our historic brick colonial church sits on a campus of several sprawling, picturesque acres of 13 buildings consisting of more than 100,000 ft.² In addition to the buildings, the campus includes over 500,000 ft.² of athletic fields with tennis courts, soccer fields and nature trails. Six of the buildings totaling 52,268 ft.² are leased to a Prince George’s County Charter School. There is also a large cemetery, a vestry house, which serves as our Sunday school location for our under 11 year old members, a rectory, and a parish meeting house. The new neighboring housing developments are full of indi-viduals and families who may be looking for a church home in the future. The majority of our parishioners live in close proximity to the church. Our members are as diverse as the community around us and include edu-cated professionals from all walks of life, highly engaged multi-generational

families, some with ancestors dating back to the county’s colorful colonial past, young families with children attracted by the rustic settings, government and pri-vate sector workers and retirees. With our location in Prince George’s County, we are home to a large enclave of middle and up-per middle class African Americans; how-ever, there are many ethnicities, cultures,

ages, and socioeconomic strata reflected in our parishioners. We celebrate that diversity and hope we continue to be a rich tapestry that enhances our spiritual growth and development. We are surrounded by two mega Baptist churches, two mid-size Bap-tist churches, one mega Evangelical church, two Methodist churches, one Lutheran church, two Catholic churches and five Episcopal churches. Of the five Episcopal churches in our area, three are of comparable size, one is smaller and one is larger. We are a church in transition. Even as we welcome the new faces, we have sadly bid goodbye to some who became unsettled by the many changes we have seen. In 2011 our rector of 35 years retired. That very year after much deliberation, the vestry made the decision to close Queen Anne School (QAS), a college preparatory parish day school for grades 6 through 12 that had been for more than 40 years the centerpiece of the church’s community outreach. The school represented a major long term investment of time, energy, and finances for many congregants. Economic instability, declining enrollment, and growing debt imperiled its sustainability so that it was no longer viable. Some of the buildings formerly used by QAS are currently being leased to the charter school.

“Our members are as diverse as the community

around us.

“

St. Barnabas | 1

Our History

In 1692, ten counties of the Province of Maryland were subdivided into 31 parishes. One of these was St. Paul Parish. During the second year of Queen Anne’s reign, 1704, St. Paul’s Parish was subdivided and the

northern section became Queen Anne Parish. John and Mary Duvall pro-vided the original two acres of land on which the church and old cemetery now stand. Reverend Jonathan Boucher served as rector from 1772-1776 and the present brick church we use today was erected during his tenure. Bouch-er was also a teacher and his pupils included John Parke Custis, stepson of George Washington and son-in-law of Benedict Calvert of Mount Airy. George and Martha Washington and Governor Eden were guests of Rev. Boucher for several days during a visit and later George Washington visited on several other occasions on his way from Mt. Vernon to Annapolis, Maryland. Our church bell was a gift of the Colonial Dames in 1908. In 1964, St. Barnabas Church established Queen Anne School, a parish day school which initially started with upper school grades and later in the early ‘90s, added middle school grades.

St. Barnabas has a long and storied history.

St. Barnabas | 2

Worship

Currently, we celebrate The Holy Eucharist Rite I at 7:30 am and Rite II at 10:00 am on Sundays. Roughly 10 to 15 parishioners attend the 7:30 am service while the later service is attended by families with

children, averaging about 80. We do not offer a mid-week Eucharist. Prior to the departure of our previous rector, we offered a mid-week Eucharist and Saturday service. Music is a vital part of the 10:00 am service where we have a choir and an organist. Parishioners host coffee hours after each service. We have a worship committee that is made up of clergy and several parishioners. The committee’s primary function is the assurance that both worship services are adequately staffed by lay persons, acolytes, altar guild and ushers. St. Barnabas has twelve Lay Eucharist Ministers, fourteen acolytes, twelve altar guild members and eleven ushers. Training is provided for lectors and others who serve. St. Barnabas hosts Candlelight Classical Concerts made possible through our parish budget and sponsored do-nations. Our 2013-2014 concert series includes the Howard University Choir, a pianist on the faculty of the Levine School of Music of The University of Maryland, and a guitarist who has performed in all styles of music around the country including Washington’s Kennedy Center and the World Trade Center in New York.

During this transitional time, some parishioners have left the church, others have returned, and some have taken a wait-and-see approach to see who the new rector will be. Our vestry has successfully made many improve-ments to our financial, physical, and spiritual health. Our priest-in-charge is steeped in knowledge and leads sev-eral Christian education classes, including a popular adult theology class, Lenten and Advent series, and a confir-mation class.

EducationCHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND YOUTH PROGRAM

St. Barnabas welcomes, enjoys, and cherishes our children and youth. We strongly believe that developing new programs to engage and grow the youth population of St. Barnabas should be a leading priority for

the new rector. There is a consensus that reaching the younger members of our congregation in creative and exciting ways will renew and reinvigorate our parish. Childhood education currently consists of a Sunday school and nursery program in the Vestry House during the 10:00 am service. Both ses-sions end in time for the children to join their families for communion. The nursery, for infants and children under five, is staffed by a part-time supervisor. Children in grade six and below attend Sunday school, taught by a small group of highly committed volunteer parishioners, at least two leading each session. Children’s worship is aligned with the Gospel lesson for the day and incorporates a range of activities, including prayer, biblical stories, videos, music, crafts and discussion. While the program for children under ten is solid, pre-teens and teenagers between ages 10 and 18 are currently under-served. We had an active youth program, but most youth have grown up and gone away to college during the past four years. We currently have roughly 12 teenagers in the parish who are all eager to participate in church-spon-sored activities. There is also a weekly confirmation class for teens led by the priest-in-charge. Parishioners have a strong desire for the new rector to revive the youth ministry. In the past, activities for teens included missionary out-reach trips to West Virginia and New Orleans and recreational ski trips. Currently, teenagers serve as acolytes. There are plans for them to lead worship four times a year under the auspices of the clergy and the worship committee.

ADULT EDUCATIONOur parish members deeply value adult education, particularly the intellectual engagement and spiritual growth opportunities that adult education at St. Barnabas now offers. Our adult education program consists of three core ongoing courses: Sunday morning Bible study, Sunday adult forum and a theology class called “How to Think About God.” Both the Sunday morning Bible study and the Sunday adult forum are held between the 7:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. services. Sunday Bible Study offers in-depth education and discussion of specific books of the Bible and contemporary books on religion and their relevance to our lives. The theology class is held after the 10:00 am ser-vice. The average attendance for each adult education classes is five to ten parishioners. The theology class surveys the Bible, addressing fundamental and difficult questions that arise in our daily lives. Parishioners who attend are passionate about this course because it encourages deep reflection, robust discussion and critical thinking.

St. Barnabas | 3

Our outreach ministry is very active at St. Barnabas. It comprises a diverse group of committed and dedicat-ed parishioners who devote their energy, enthusiasm and spirit to serving locally, nationally and interna-tionally. We refer to ourselves as a ministry to remind ourselves, our church and our community that we

are here to serve others as Jesus did.

LOCAL OUTREACH- WARM NIGHTS UPPER MARLBORO, MARYLANDDuring the period from fall to spring, St. Barnabas participates with partnering organizations in a county program for adults and children who need a place to stay and eat for one week at a time at different locations. St. Barnabas used to be a week-long host to participating individuals up until 2011. Parishioners would arrive on our grounds early to provide breakfast and boxed lunches and later dinner. The space we used for this purpose is currently

Serving Our Community Across the Globe

being rented, so rather than host families overnight for one week, we now partner with another local church to provide the evening meal for one night.

LOCAL OUTREACH- COLLINGTON LIFE CARE COMMUNITYSt. Barnabas has been steadfast in its ministry and outreach to the aging. The church was a founding parish of the development of Collington, a Life Care community now affiliated with the Kendall group. The church was also the sponsor of a short-lived assisted living unit called Henderson House, in Bowie. The economics of the ‘90s made this non-sustainable, but the church continues its dedication to providing for the care and succor of the elderly in a variety of settings, and continues to have a parishioner sit on the board of Collington.

LOCAL OUTREACH- BOWIE FOOD PANTRYFor several years, St. Barnabas has supported the Bowie Interfaith Pantry and Emergency Aid Fund which is a community-based social services program in Prince Georges County. Our parishioners bring canned food to our church and we deliver it to the Pantry to distribute to members of our community. Additionally, we sponsor an annual Beef Stew Drive. During this drive, parishioners are challenged to “match” the monetary donations made by the Vestry on behalf of the Church. These challenges have consistently been met and many in our community benefit from these nutritious gifts of beef stew. LOCAL OUTREACH- FOUNDATION SCHOOLSt. Barnabas provides support to the Foundation School in Largo, Maryland. The Foundation School provides a highly specialized educational and therapeutic program for children and adolescents in grades 1-12 with emotional disabilities and prepares them to be productive and successful in their future academic and career paths. We pro-vide school supplies, food items and funds to the children of this school throughout the school year.

NATIONAL OUTREACH- LAKOTA TRIBE, STANDING ROCK RESERVATION, NORTH DAKOTAThis year, St. Barnabas started collecting personal hygiene supplies for members of the Lakota Tribe of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. We are planning a future trip to deliver these items. During this trip we plan to learn what other ways we may be able to support the Lakota Tribe.

GLOBAL OUTREACH- MONTROUIS, HAITI- LIFE CONNECTION MISSIONThe mission connects Montrouis with Jesus Christ through educational, medical and humanitarian services. Currently, St. Barnabas and individual parishioners are sponsoring over 20 Haitian children through the Life Con-nection Mission to attend the mission school, College Educatif d’Excellence in Montrouis, Haiti. These children range in age from three to eighteen. This sponsorship gives each child the opportunity to attend school, receive medical assistance and get daily nutrition. Additionally, we provide each child’s family with gifts of bags of beans and rice and provide individual gifts to the school and community of Montrouis such as equipment for the school, and hygienic supplies and clothing for the community. Some of our parishioners are planning to visit the Mission and the children we sponsor in June 2014.

St. Barnabas | 4

A look at St. Barnabas’ work in Haiti.

St. Barnabas | 5

Parish LifeHAM AND OYSTER DINNERA tradition of St. Barnabas’ is our annual Ham & Oyster Dinner and silent auction. This event serves as a fundraiser for our outreach projects and as an expression of our community ministry through fellowship. Parishioners participate in the planning, shopping, food preparation and serving of the dinners. Families and friends and those from our surrounding communities, come together to enjoy a festive gathering.

VALENTINE’S DAY DANCESt. Barnabas’ Valentine’s Dinner Dance is an annual social event to express love, share good fellowship, socialize and enjoy an evening of dining and dancing. This is an event our parishioners look forward to every year.

HEALTH MINISTRYThe church has a fledgling health ministry through which we conduct health fairs and offer preventive health screenings to our parishioners and the surrounding community. We conduct flu clinics under the auspices of the local health department and blood donation drives in collaboration with the American Red Cross. We hope to ex-pand on this ministry in the future and use our talents and resources to reach out to our neighbors nurturing both the physical as well as the spiritual body.

TOP ROW: Parishioners enjoy food and fellowship at the annual Ham & Oyster Dinner and silent auction. The parish youth (center) serve during the dinner. BOTTOM ROW: The church picnic brings parishioners together for summer fellowship.

12/4/13 ST.  BARNABAS'  CHURCHGeneral  Expense  Comparison

2012  and  2013

Personnel Technology Facilities Admin Special Other Total

2012  EXPENSES  (ACTUAL) $387,266 $20,836 $324,238 $126,427 $22,231 $111,770 $992,7682013  EXPENSES  (ESTIMATED) $370,681 $17,000 $399,100 $126,670 $13,939 $73,280 $1,000,670

$0  

$200,000  

$400,000  

$600,000  

$800,000  

$1,000,000  

$1,200,000  

2012  EXPENSES  (ACTUAL)  

2013  EXPENSES  (ESTIMATED)  

St. Barnabas’ Financial Profile

I n recent years our fiscal health has been a cause for concern as we wres-tled with the question of continuing the school, loss of parishioners and working to increase pledging. The vestry is making great efforts to recruit

and retain new parishioners and increase our pledging and congregational support. In 2013, our stalwart parishioners responded to our need to increase giving to offset our pledge deficit, despite the lean economic times. Our expenses have outstripped our revenue during this time of transition, as long delayed physical plant maintenance demanded attention. The deterioration was further exacerbated by storm dam-age. The income from our lease agreement, along with an endowment income have supplemented our pledge income and sustained us. These other sources of income are blessings for which we are eternally grateful. The endowment income from the Seton Belt Trust set up in a generous gesture by a former parishioner Seton Belt is restricted to address major mainte-nance and capital improvement efforts as well as outreach. The income from the Belt Trust, which is owned by PNC Bank as trustee and to which we along with the Diocese of Washington are co-beneficiaries, has helped to support our overwhelming repair and maintenance costs for our aging infrastructure and physical plant. There is a smaller St. Barnabas trust established by the church comprising several funds to address educational support of parish children and also has funds designated to rebuild our rectory and to enhance our church music through the purchase and maintenance of an organ. Undesignated bequests are placed in a separate All Saints Fund to support unplanned outreach. The vestry ensures that any funds used to supplement pledge income is used within the constraints of restrictions and designations. Over the course of the years, when we pursued our educational outreach in the form of Queen Anne School, the income of the Seton Belt Trust was used in the building and support of the school and we entered into several loans from the trust which we are currently repaying out of our annual income. The attached graphics demonstrate the imbalance between major repairs and maintenance and the income based solely on congre-gational giving. These graphics demonstrate the importance of rental income and other revenue sources to cover our operating expenses. Our most recently completed 2011 audit was critical in that it reflects the mid-year change resulting from the closing of Queen Anne School and the resulting necessary assumption by the church of larger overhead costs which were formerly the responsibility of the school. The auditor’s opinion was clean and unqualified and clearly supports the fact that we are heading in the right direction concerning the overall control of our parish finances. With God’s blessings and working together, we have stayed, and will stay the course, continuing and refining our financial prac-tices in support of the Lord’s work by our parish.

St. Barnabas | 6

EXPENSES, ACTUAL AND ESTIMATED

Growth & the Future

Our congregation is eager for stability and to have in place an energetic, trusted and compassionate spiritual teacher who will also help develop relationships in the surrounding community

and grow our parish while strengthening the current parish fellowship and stewardship. As a parish, we need to grow in order to sustain and continue the ministries of the church in the future. We know that more needs to be done to attract potential members. Our outreach in the community is significant but with more parishioners we could do even more. There are many surrounding developments and families who still need to be made aware of the existence and ministry work of St. Barnabas. We, the entire St. Barnabas community, are committed to work with the new rector to grow the church. This is a top priority of the vestry and congregation.

12/4/13 ST.  BARNABAS'  CHURCHRevenue  Comparison

2012  and  2013

Regular  Giving:  Pledged/  Non-­‐

Pledged Plate

Special  Envelope  Gifts

Designated  Gifts W.S.  Belt Rentals

Charter  School Misc Transfers Total

2012  INCOME  (ACTUAL) $162,837 $7,382 $14,293 $36,144 $117,758 $18,832 $519,607 $58,650 $74,132 $1,009,6352013  INCOME  (ESTIMATED) $156,000 $7,500 $15,000 $11,072 $144,000 $19,000 $553,948 $5,000 $90,000 $1,001,520

$0  

$200,000  

$400,000  

$600,000  

$800,000  

$1,000,000  

$1,200,000  

2012  INCOME  (ACTUAL)  

2013  INCOME  (ESTIMATED)  

REVENUE, ACTUAL AND ESTIMATED

St. Barnabas | 7

St. Barnabas’ Financial Profile (continued)

What We Are Looking for in a Rector

• A thought-provoking teacher who will deepen our knowledge of the Bible through robust discussion and intellectual engagement, make biblical teachings and sermons relevant to our everyday life, and show our youth that Christian education is meaningful to the issues that they care about.

• A bridge-builder who will invest time and energy into developing relationships in the surrounding community with families and young adults to grow and strengthen the congregation and make St. Barnabas a more integral part of the communi-ty spiritually and socially. We would love to attract more young families and grow our number of young adult parishioners.

• A visionary and astute leader who exhibits a strong understanding and awareness of our parish’s purpose, needs and challenges, and who will guide the parish with integrity and honesty into a period of renewal and growth.

• A rector who will help us find ways to increase the level of understanding stewardship practices.

• A trusted and compassionate friend who will walk next to us on our spiritual journey, help us grow our parish and enlighten our thinking while having fun with us as we strive to make the world a better place through out-reach, and fellowship.

• A skilled communicator who can effectively interact with our diverse congregation and youth to deepen our spiritual roots and enhance our parish family.

Our Relationship to Our Diocese

St. Barnabas is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, which includes the District of Columbia and Montgomery, Prince George’s, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties in Maryland. Under the leadership

of the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, the diocese has claimed that its first priority is the renewal and revitalization of our congregations and core ministries, in service to Christ’s mission. The Diocese is blessed with rich racial and cultural diversity, including seven Spanish-speaking congregations, numerous rural congregations, and a variety of urban parishes. The Diocese includes in its mission the support of several international partnerships as well as seventeen Episcopal schools. St. Barnabas is a member of Region VI, one of six geographic regions into which the diocese is divided. Region VI consists of southern Prince George’s County, as well as all of Charles and St. Mary’s Counties. This region’s Episcopal communities are ripe for innovation and collaboration, and its clergy are encouraged to engage with one another not only for fellowship, but also for joint outreach, special services, and congregational development projects.

St. Barnabas | 8