Social Justice Ministry
Saint Barnabas's has created a Social Justice Ministry. The need for this ministry was identified in discussions by parish participants of the Sacred Ground Workshops—the film-based Dialogue Series on Race & Faith, held at Saint Barnabas's and The Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole. Many participants felt the need to apply the teachings of Jesus to social problems, including racism, economic inequity, poverty, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.
This ministry has formed to seeks ways to work for justice in our parish community, the local community, and in the nation and world beyond our parish borders. All parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend, as well as members of the community looking to address social injustices from a faith-based approach.
The Social Justice Committee aims to:
· Educating ourselves on Christ’s teachings on social justice
· Educating ourselves on issues of social injustices
· Share our concerns with other members of the parish
· Have Social Justice be a central part of St. Barnabas’s mission
· Build within St. Barnabas a community that is welcoming and inclusive
· Collaborate with and support social justice initiatives organized by others in our community
· Identify projects and/or programs that we are able to build that will promote social justice
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY
Saint Barnabas’s Episcopal Church is committed to environmental stewardship and implementing sustainable practices as an integral part of its mission and ministries. We strive to minimize the environmental impact of our church, workplaces and all the events we support, in coordination with our staff, church officers and congregants.
We commit ourselves to action – to changing our habits, our choices, and the way we see the world – to learning and teaching our families, friends, and others -- to conserve the limited resources of our home, planet Earth, and preserving the climate conditions upon which life depends.
Environmental Stewardship Ministry Focus Areas:
With the publication of our Environmental Stewardship Strategic Plan in early 2019 the committee has begun to expand our environmental efforts across our entire campus and beyond. The major focus areas are:
- Waste reduction/recycling
- Reduction of energy use/emissions
- Congregant and youth stewardship education
- Expanded local and regional committee participation
- Liturgical/Pastoral stewardship awareness
Creation Care Resources
- The Episcopal Church Creation Care Resources - https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/resources/
- Interfaith Power and Light - https://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org
- The Climate Care Movement - http://www.350.org
- Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative: http://capecodclimate.org/faithnetwork
- Boston Diocese Creation Care Initiative: http://www.diomass.org/our-mission/creation-care-initiative
- General convention reinforces its creation care stance: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/13/general-convention-reinforces-its-creation-care-stance/
- "Guide to Going Green at Home" - https://couponfollow.com/research/home-green-guide
- Green Guide to Selling, Donating and Recycling Old Clothing: https://www.lulus.com/blog/resources/selling-donating-and-recycling-old-clothing/
- What and How to Recycle: Plastics, Bottles, Cardboard and More!: https://www.bottlestore.com/whatandhowtorecycle
IMMIGRATION
DRUM MAJORS FUND
The Vestry of Saint Barnabas's Episcopal Church has established The Drum Majors Fund for Justice: A Prophetic Preaching Series in tribute to the Rev. W. (Will) H. Mebane, Jr. who concluded his ministry at StB’s on September 1, 2025.
The Drum Majors Fund is a fund to be used to invite guest preachers to Saint Barnabas's in future years. It is intended, to host “preachers with a prophetic message of justice and peace” focusing on issues “concerning race, gender, sexual orientation, the environment and other causes.”
