Community Partnerships
Partnership Between St Barnabas and the Borrego Springs Community
Although – or perhaps because – St Barnabas is a small congregation – many survey respondents highlighted the partnerships between St Barnabas and other religious and secular organizations in the Borrego Valley Community. We find that by working together we can spread the good work Jesus is calling on us to perform more widely and have a much greater positive impact on the community as a whole.
The most important of these partnerships is with the Borrego Ministers Association – an ecumenical group involving almost every church in the Borrego Valley community.
The Borrego Ministers Association has been described as "Borrego's Human Safety Net". That was never more true than when Borrego was impacted by the Covid 19 Pandemic. BMA addressed food insecurity through assisting with the food banks at St. Barnabas, St Richards (Catholic Church) and the Community Resource Center, distributing over $47,500 in food certificates, provided rental assistance paid directly to landlords, utilities such as SDG&E and the Borrego Water District, banks, and some to local gas stations to set up accounts for people that have extraordinary numbers of medical appointments out of town. In all the BMA has been responsible for distributing over $300,000 in assistance directly to community members in need since the pandemic started.
Many Barnabans, including co-chairs Diane Johnson and Michael Plekon, and Shirley Vialpando are crucial to the BMA efforts to serve the community.
The most important of these partnerships is with the Borrego Ministers Association – an ecumenical group involving almost every church in the Borrego Valley community.
The Borrego Ministers Association has been described as "Borrego's Human Safety Net". That was never more true than when Borrego was impacted by the Covid 19 Pandemic. BMA addressed food insecurity through assisting with the food banks at St. Barnabas, St Richards (Catholic Church) and the Community Resource Center, distributing over $47,500 in food certificates, provided rental assistance paid directly to landlords, utilities such as SDG&E and the Borrego Water District, banks, and some to local gas stations to set up accounts for people that have extraordinary numbers of medical appointments out of town. In all the BMA has been responsible for distributing over $300,000 in assistance directly to community members in need since the pandemic started.
Many Barnabans, including co-chairs Diane Johnson and Michael Plekon, and Shirley Vialpando are crucial to the BMA efforts to serve the community.
