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The Saint Barnabas Beacon

News from the Saint Barnabas Beacon, February 2019

WELCOME FATHER MATHEW!

We are happy to welcome Father Mathew and his family to St Barnabas. On November 1, 2019, the Rev. Dr. Varghese Easow Mathew was named Priest-in-Charge, after serving St. Barnabas since February 3rd. Those of us who were at church on January 17 when Mother Cheryl was away got
to meet Father Mathew, his wife, Anu, two children, Francis and Bethsaida and his parents.

The Rev. Dr. Varghese Easow Mathew is a missionary priest with a vocation to serve churches in transition in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He brings a wealth of diversity into his ministry, having varied experience from an ecumenical, multicultural and interfaith perspective.

Of South Indian origin, he grew up as an active member in the Church of South India, part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches. Later on, he worked as a youth pastor in the United Methodist Church before stepping into ordained ministry. As a bilingual ordained priest he has served many churches be- longing to the Church of South Indian Diaspora and the Episcopal Diocese in the United States of America. Father Mathew also serves as the Dean of the Rockland Clericus.

Born in Nigeria where his parents were teachers from India serv- ing the Nigerian education department, Father Mathew spent his early childhood years there before the family moved to Kerala, the southern state in India. He immigrated to the United States in 1996.

Father Mathew received his BA degree in Psychology from SUNY Purchase and his MA with a specialization in Sacred Scripture from Saint Joseph’s Seminary Institute of ReligiousStudies. He went on to earn his doctorate from the UnificationTheological Seminary (UTS-The Interfaith Seminary.)

Father Mathew has served for many years as an adjunct faculty member of Mercy College, New York, teaching Philosophy and Religion courses. He loves devoting time to various outreach activities such as homeless ministry, nursing home visits, andministry among the veterans. He is also a certified self defenseinstructor who raises awareness of safety in the community.

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, DORIS!

We had real cause to celebrate on December 30 when we ob- served the 90th birthday of Doris Brown, without whom this church would be in serious trouble! Doris is the person we all goto when we want to find something, remember someone, learn about the history of our church, fix everyday crises, etc. etc.Doris’ sister, Laura, was able to join us for the occasion, and we had an absolute feast for our “coffee hour.” Doris was baptized at St. Barnabas and has been our rock ever since.

News from the Saint Barnabas Beacon, January 2019

MEET OUR NEW MEZZO-SOPRANO

If you haven’t already done so, please welcome our new choir member, Alla Generalow, a mezzo-soprano and choral conductor who spe- cializes in Russian and Serbian sacred repertory of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She holds a doctoral degree in conducting from The University of Arizona.

Dr. Generalow has taught at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Hampden-Sydney College. She has previously been on the staff of Vassar College’s George Sherman Dickinson Music Library, and is currently a member of the cataloging team at The Juilliard School. Her research interest is choirs of the Russian diaspora community of New York at the turn of the twentieth century.

 

PLEASE WELCOME OUR PRIEST-IN-CHARGE, DR. VARGHESE MATHEWS

The Rev. Dr. Varghese Easow Mathew is a missionary priest with a vocation to serve churches in transition in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. On November 1, 2019, the Rev. Dr. Varghese Easow Mathew was named Priest-in-Charge, after serving St. Barnabas since February following Mother Cheryl’s retirement. Please come meet him and welcome him to St. Barnabas.

 

THE GOOD BOOK CLUB — CHURCH-WIDE READING INITIATIVE

Forward Movement, along with partners from across the Episcopal Church, invites all Episcopalians to participate in the Good Book Club, a church-wide Bible reading initiative. The Good Book Club will focus on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, with participants reading a section of scripture each day during the Epiphany season, starting on January 7, 2019.

“When we commit ourselves to
reading God’s Word, we open
ourselves to the opportunity for transformation,” said Richelle
Thompson, deputy director and
managing editor of Forward
Movement. “Although Paul
wrote this letter to the Romans,
the message of salvation and re-
demption through the risen Christ
is one we all need to hear and embrace today.”

Forward Movement has divided Romans into 50 daily readings, beginning on Monday, January 7, and concluding on Shrove Tuesday, March 5. Each day, participants are invited to read,reflect, and pray upon a few verses of Romans. To download thereading list, go to http://www.goodbookclub.org/readings/

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry supports and encourages individuals and congregations to join the Good Book Club as a way to engage in “Learn,” one of the seven Way of Love practices for a Jesus-centered life.