St. Barnabas Day
Celebrating St. Barnabas Day: A Name, A Legacy, and a Community of Faith
Every year, on or near June 11th, we gather to celebrate the anniversary of who we are and how we came to be. St. Barnabas Day is not just a feast day on the church calendar, it’s a celebration of God's faithfulness woven through more than four decades of our life together.
Who Was St. Barnabas?
St. Barnabas was one of the earliest and most beloved figures in the young Christian church. Born Joseph of Cyprus, he was given the name Barnabas — meaning Son of Encouragement — by the apostles, a title that perfectly captures his spirit. He was a generous man who traveled as a missionary, planted churches, and consistently championed those whom others overlooked. His feast day, June 11th, honors a man whose defining characteristic was an open heart — toward strangers, toward the struggling, and toward the work of the Holy Spirit wherever it appeared.
Why St. Barnabas?
The Rev. Canon George A. Hill, III
When the Executive Committee gathered in 1982 to choose a name for a new parish in Montgomery, they were thoughtful and deliberate. They wanted a name rooted in scripture — a biblical name with meaning and character. They also wanted something distinctive: a name not already carried by any other parish in Southern Ohio. St. Barnabas fit perfectly!
But the name carried even deeper significance. June 11th — the Feast Day of St. Barnabas — is the ordination date of our founding priest, Father George Hill. It marks not one but two sacred milestones in his ministry: his ordination as a Methodist Elder and, later, his ordination to the Episcopal priesthood. And it was on June 11, 1980, that Father Hill presided over the very first meeting of those interested in forming a new congregation. The date that launched our parish and the feast day of our patron saint are one and the same.
What We Celebrate
St. Barnabas Day is a moment to look around at the full, rich life of this parish and give thanks for all that God has grown among us. We celebrate the gift of music — the voices, instruments, and artistry that lift our worship and stir our souls Sunday after Sunday. We celebrate our children and youth, whose energy, curiosity, and faith remind us that this community has a future as vibrant as its past.
We celebrate our outreach — the ways this congregation reaches beyond its own walls to serve our neighbors in need. We celebrate the connections that have been forged here: friendships built across pews, across generations, and across the ordinary moments of life shared in community. We celebrate the baptisms that have marked new beginnings and welcoming everyone into the family of God at the font that has been a source of grace for over forty-six years.
We celebrate the privilege of shepherding new deacons and priests — walking alongside those whom God has called to ordained ministry, supporting their formation, and sending them forth with our blessing and our prayers. And above all, we celebrate the simple, irreplaceable joy of living life together — the potlucks and the prayers, the hard seasons and the hilarious ones, the ordinary Sundays that become the threads that hold us all together.
And this year we celebrate a milestone that marks a new chapter in the life of this parish — the culmination of our Capital Campaign. Through the generosity and faithfulness of this community, we have raised over 1.2 million dollars to purchase the adjacent property, and with it, the opportunity to plant our dreams in new soil and share them with the wider community around us.
Come Celebrate With Us — Sunday, June 7
Immediately following the 10 am service on Sunday, June 7, join us on our beloved church grounds for a festive outdoor celebration! Stroll from tent to tent, eat delicious food, and soak in the fellowship. Whether you’ve been here 46 years or 46 days - Everyone is welcome!
