St. Barnabas the Apostle Orthodox Church

02/28/2026

Don't judge anyone
"Never speak badly or ironic about anyone... Your words can be conveyed not even out of malice or enmity, but simply out of carelessness or a joke - and thus you have made an enemy for yourself. “
"The way to salvation is through repentance for your sins, not through condemning your loved ones. If a man judges his fellow humans, it means that he does not feel his sins and has no remorse. And vice versa - not judging our loved ones is a sign of awareness about our sins and repentance for them. Do your own work, which is entrusted to you; do not interfere in other people's affairs; if possible, always be silent; never burden others; like a stone in the sea, let all the words you hear sink in you; feel sorry for everyone, forgive everyone in your soul, and also in your deed if you have the opportunity. “
"Close your eyes to the sins of others, but if it is impossible not to see, then pray for sinners, as for yourself, that the Lord will forgive them, then you will receive mercy from the Lord. “

SAINT. NECTARIUS OF AEGIN

02/19/2026

01/31/2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
I pray that you are well! I have good news! Due to the untiring efforts of many people, among them being Ryan, Kyle, Jim G., Will, Bruce, Paul I., Billy, and Michael M. (I hope I didn't miss anybody!), the church building is in good enough shape to go ahead and hold Orthros and Divine Liturgy as normal tomorrow, Feb. 1. However, only the narthex and the nave, along with the restrooms will be accessible. We will not be able to have coffee hour, and the bookstore and library are temporarily unavailable. The bathrooms are usable, but they won't look very nice (if you remember how they were when our water heater "blew," it will be similar). God willing, of course, nothing will freeze and break again tonight. Work is being done as I type this to help keep that from happening.

Because of the things in the hall, there will not be overflow seating there tomorrow, so depending on how many people are there, there might be standing room only. The building is still drying out, so you might notice a musty smell, but that is greatly improved from what it was yesterday, and more is being done this afternoon to help with that. However, if you are particularly sensitive to that, please know that you still have a blessing to attend one of the other Orthodox churches in the area - or if you already made plans to attend one of those churches, that is fine, too. We will keep you posted on how things go and any needs regarding remediation and repair as things progress. God bless you, and I hope to see many of you tomorrow.
In Christ,
+Fr. Athanasius

01/27/2026

“I remember once I told Saint Porphyrios : "I'm afraid of what is to come, the ugly times."
He looked at me puzzled and giving me a swift slap on the hand he said: "Who can do you harm, my child, if you have Christ inside your heart. Turn your eyes towards Christ. You don't become saints by chasing away the evil. Forget about the evil. You should actually turn your eyes towards Christ and He will save you. Instead of standing at the door and shooing away the enemy, despise him. When you see evil approaching from one direction, you softly give your attention to something else. So, when the evil is coming to offend you, give your interior strength to good, to Christ. Plead: "Our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me." He knows how to give you His mercy and in whatever way that is best for you. And after you are full of good, then you no longer turn your attention towards the evil. With the grace of God, you become good. And then the evil is unable to find a place to stand and disappears."
His Grace Bishop George of Canberra”

01/24/2026

Due to the winter storm, we are regrettably forced to cancel all services at St. Barnabas on Sunday, January 25. God willing, see you again on Sunday, Feb. 1, for the commemoration of the Pharisee and the Publican.