About – St Barnabas the Apostle Orthodox Church

“Come & See”

Historic accounts reveal many hundreds of thousands of wonderworking lives in the Orthodox Church throughout the centuries, bearing witness to her life-giving theology; the bond of fellowship with the Saints; the fruit of the sacraments; the healing of her communicants; the preservation of the faith – all in the person of Christ Jesus, made known in the Church.

About us

St. Barnabas Orthodox Church has been called by the grace of God to join the whole Church of Jesus Christ to “go…and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (St. Matthew 28:19,20, Orthodox Study Bible).

Because we have been named after St. Barnabas and are directly associated with Antioch, we believe that we should, in our time and place, follow the examples given for us in the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Tradition* of the Church. Therefore, we commit ourselves individually and corporately to develop the character of St. Barnabas who “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

We also seek to live lives that are worthy of the name “Christian” since it was at Antioch that that name was first given (Acts 11:26). To accomplish this purpose in this Church, we believe that the following will be the means by which we, as God’s co-workers, will achieve our mission: As the Church in Antioch actively sought those both inside and outside of Judaism, we commit ourselves to actively seek those both inside and outside of our identity as Orthodox Christians (Acts 11:19-21).

*“The holy Tradition is wholly of Christ, wholly of the holy apostles, wholly of the holy fathers, wholly of the Church, in the Church, and by the Church. The holy fathers are nothing other than the “guardians of the apostolic tradition.” All of them, like the holy apostles themselves, are but “witnesses” of a single and unique Truth: the transcendent Truth of Christ, the God-man. They preach and confess it without rest, they, the “golden mouths of the Word.” The God-man, the Lord Christ is one, unique, and indivisible. So also is the Church unique and indivisible, for she is the incarnation of the Theanthropos Christ, continuing through the ages and through all eternity. Being such by her nature and in her earthly history, the Church may not be divided.”

–St Justin Popovich

What is Tradition?

The true tradition, according of St. Irenaeus, is grounded in, and secured by, that “secure charisma of truth”, which has been “deposited” in the Church from the very beginning and has been preserved by the uninterrupted succession of ministry.

“Tradition” in the Church is not a continuity of human memory, or a permanence of rites and habits. It is a living tradition. Accordingly, it cannot be counted among dead rules. Ultimately, tradition is a continuity of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, a continuity of Divine guidance and illumination.

The Church is not bound by the “letter.” Rather, she is constantly moved forth by the “Spirit.” The same Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, which “spake through the Prophets,” which guided the Apostles, is still continuously guiding the Church into the fuller comprehension and understanding of the Divine truth, from glory to glory.

Achieving our Mission

We believe the following, are means by which we, as God’s co-workers, can accomplish the mission of the Church, both on earth and in heaven. And as the Church in Antioch actively sought those both inside and outside of Judaism, we commit ourselves to actively seek those both inside and outside of the Orthodox Church (Acts 11:19-21).

We commit ourselves to actively seek to grow numerically as the Church in Antioch grew; (Book of Acts 11:21,24,26)
We commit ourselves to becoming disciples of Jesus Christ and aid in training all who desire to follow Christ to become His disciples; (Book of Acts 11:26)
We commit ourselves to faithfully assemble for and actively participate in the services of the Church; (Book of Acts 11:26)
We commit ourselves to becoming disciples of Jesus Christ and aid in training all who desire to follow Christ to become His disciples; (Book of Acts 11:26)
We commit ourselves to the faithful and sacrificial support of those in need;
(Book of Acts 11:27-30)
We commit ourselves to the evangelization and growth of the Church in and beyond our immediate parish by prayer, fasting, and financial support. (Book of Acts 13:1)