Holy Week Schedule at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
©SLForsburg all rights reserved
Experience Holy Week 2025 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Borrego Springs. Participate in meaningful traditions such as Palm Sunday's blessing of palms, the foot washing on Maundy Thursday, and the Easter morning services—all inspired by ancient Jerusalem practices recorded by the 4th-century nun Egeria.
Here's the complete schedule:
Palm Sunday (April 13)
Eucharist with Blessing of Palms at 9:30 AM
Maundy Thursday (April 17)
Eucharist with Traditional Washing of Feet at 4:00 PM
Good Friday (April 18)
Service of Readings and Communion at 4:00 PM (not dependent on weather)
Holy Saturday (April 19)
Easter Vigil Service (Bible Readings and Eucharist) at 4:00 PM
Easter Sunday (April 20)
BMA Easter Sunrise Service at sunrise (6:09 AM), behind the Methodist Church located at 633 Church Ln, Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Communion available immediately afterward at both St. Barnabas and St. Richard
Festive Easter Eucharist Service at St. Barnabas at 9:30 AM, featuring Easter hymns
Here's the complete schedule:
Palm Sunday (April 13)
Eucharist with Blessing of Palms at 9:30 AM
Maundy Thursday (April 17)
Eucharist with Traditional Washing of Feet at 4:00 PM
Good Friday (April 18)
Service of Readings and Communion at 4:00 PM (not dependent on weather)
Holy Saturday (April 19)
Easter Vigil Service (Bible Readings and Eucharist) at 4:00 PM
Easter Sunday (April 20)
BMA Easter Sunrise Service at sunrise (6:09 AM), behind the Methodist Church located at 633 Church Ln, Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Communion available immediately afterward at both St. Barnabas and St. Richard
Festive Easter Eucharist Service at St. Barnabas at 9:30 AM, featuring Easter hymns
All are invited to join us at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church to experience the joy, reflection, and renewal of Holy Week and Easter—everyone is welcome!
A Charlie Brown Christmas
For the third year in a row - which now qualifies it as a Borrego Springs and St Barnabas Tradition - Steve T. Hunter blessed us with a live performance of the music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." First aired on CBS in 1965 the sounds of A Charlie Brown Christmas instantly sparked warm feelings of nostalgia in all who listened. One of the most popular events each holiday season we are more than grateful that Steve has chosen us to host this performance and hope he will continue to make it an annual tradition.
|
|
|
Christmas Cantata
St Barnabas was filled with the joyful sound of a traditional Christmas Cantata sponsored by thee BMA for three successive performances on December 6, 7 and 8. The music was performed beautifully and brought joy to the many who attended.
|
|
St Barnabas Hosted Archdeacon Campos
St Barnabas hosted EDSD Archdeacon Cindy Campos on the First Sunday of Advent. Hosted Archdeacon Campos enjoyed her visit to St Barnabas and Borrego Springs and was impressed with the level of community involvement by St Barnabas. It was a joy to welcome her to Borrego and St.Barnabas for the first time -- she had never been here in her travels and work for the diocese. Among her responsibilities are pastoral care for the retired clergy and the deacons of the diocese. During the course of the morning and lunch, Cindy heard about the many ways in which the people of St. Barnabas are engaged in the larger Borrego community, to the extent that we could say our parish is not just our members but the entire town,
|
|
St Barnabas Hosted the Borrego Ministers Association for Thanksgiving Eve Blessings Service
St Barnabas served as the host for this year's Borrego Ministers Association Thanksgiving Eve Service on Wednesday November 27. The Ecumenical Service - which is a Borrego Springs and BMA tradition - was well attended and appreciated by all. We were blessed by the presence of EDSD Photographer Susan Forsburg - who has a home in Borrego - who provided us with some lovely photographs of the event.
|
|
St Barnabas Officially Celebrates the Ministry of Fr. David Madsen
On February 25, 2024, Bishop Susan Brown Snook of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego made her annual visitation to St. Barnabas parish. She preached and presided at the Eucharist and in the course of the service celebrated the new ministry of Fr. David Madsen as rector of the parish. Fr. David and Naomi began service at St. Barnabas on May 1, 2023. Fr. David previously was rector of St. Alban Episcopal Church in El Cajon. There he inaugurated Welcome Ministry, an outreach to migrants from the Middle East living in El Cajon. This ministry was ecumenical, involving the Presbyterian, Lutheran and other churches there. It provided food, housing support, employment counseling and regular Arabic-English liturgies. Since arriving in Borrego, Fr David and Naomi have been intensely dedicated to community service. They have trucked firewood to the asylum seekers' encampments in Jacumba. He has continued, with her, to be involved with the El Cajon Welcome Ministry, while at the same time joining the Borrego Ministers Association, Rotary, the St. Barnabas food bank, among other activities supporting those in need in greater Borrego. Both the congregation community of St. Barnabas and the larger Borrego community welcome the wonderful service of Fr. David and Naomi Madsen and wish them many years of joy and good work here.
St Barnabas Welcomes Fr Dave Madsen as New Rector
On May 1, 2023, the parish of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church welcomes Father David and Naomi Madsen to their community. He will be the new rector/pastor.
Dave follows Laura Brecht who was a remarkable pastor at St. Barnabas for almost 13 years. Interim pastoral care of the parish has been provided by retired priest members George Keith and Michael Plekon, who will continue to assist Fr. David. Fr. Dave and Naomi come with a brilliant record of faith leadership and commitment of service to the community in El Cajon, New York City, Philadelphia, among other locations. They will be welcome ministers to the greater community of Borrego. Listen to what Dave wrote in his D.Min. dissertation:
“A congregation is a combined mechanism of individuals that have found meaning and purpose in culturally enforced paradigms of accrued behavior patterns developed over a period. It takes considerable time, much wisdom, prayer, contemplative criticism, and emphatic understanding to begin and to continue to work in a congregation of individuals that are built together on norms and patterns of behavior that are developed over long periods of time. In the midst of all the voices, there is always the presence of the other voice. My prayer and hope is that I will attempt to bring this other voice into the mix of voices. The voices that ask for attention include the voice of congregational sustainability, the voice for financial stability, the voice for creative alternatives to the way we do church, and many other voices that clamor for equal time, yet there is one voice that I shall refer to as ‘the other’ that will always bring me back to the ‘now’ the present moment, that continues the reality of the sacred trust of individuals and the group that is the makeup of these individuals. What is this voice? It is the voice of the other, the voice of reality. It is the voice of the God of unknowing, the voice that reminds me that I do not or will not have all the answers. It is the voice of humility. The voice that says ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ ” Survivor Parish – Reality Programming for a Shrinking Church. New York Theological Seminary. 2012, 101-102.
Dave Madsen was born and raised in Colorado, and his wife Naomi grew up in Michigan. After their marriage, 50 years ago in August of 1972, they lived in Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, New York City and Philadelphia. Before entering seminary, Dave, who is the son of a minister, had a background in sales of industrial packaging. paper, plastics and chemicals. Naomi founded a refugee resettlement agency in Grand Rapids, MI. Since then she has served in varying capacities with refugee, immigration and social justice mission ministries for the United Methodist Church. They have two grown sons, Nathan and Joshua. Most recently, Dave served for over 10 years as rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in El Cajon. He still serves as senior pastor for Welcome Ministry of El Cajon/East County, an ecumenical nonprofit which serves immigrants, refugees and people living on the street in the East County area of San Diego County.
By Michael Plekon
Dave follows Laura Brecht who was a remarkable pastor at St. Barnabas for almost 13 years. Interim pastoral care of the parish has been provided by retired priest members George Keith and Michael Plekon, who will continue to assist Fr. David. Fr. Dave and Naomi come with a brilliant record of faith leadership and commitment of service to the community in El Cajon, New York City, Philadelphia, among other locations. They will be welcome ministers to the greater community of Borrego. Listen to what Dave wrote in his D.Min. dissertation:
“A congregation is a combined mechanism of individuals that have found meaning and purpose in culturally enforced paradigms of accrued behavior patterns developed over a period. It takes considerable time, much wisdom, prayer, contemplative criticism, and emphatic understanding to begin and to continue to work in a congregation of individuals that are built together on norms and patterns of behavior that are developed over long periods of time. In the midst of all the voices, there is always the presence of the other voice. My prayer and hope is that I will attempt to bring this other voice into the mix of voices. The voices that ask for attention include the voice of congregational sustainability, the voice for financial stability, the voice for creative alternatives to the way we do church, and many other voices that clamor for equal time, yet there is one voice that I shall refer to as ‘the other’ that will always bring me back to the ‘now’ the present moment, that continues the reality of the sacred trust of individuals and the group that is the makeup of these individuals. What is this voice? It is the voice of the other, the voice of reality. It is the voice of the God of unknowing, the voice that reminds me that I do not or will not have all the answers. It is the voice of humility. The voice that says ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ ” Survivor Parish – Reality Programming for a Shrinking Church. New York Theological Seminary. 2012, 101-102.
Dave Madsen was born and raised in Colorado, and his wife Naomi grew up in Michigan. After their marriage, 50 years ago in August of 1972, they lived in Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, New York City and Philadelphia. Before entering seminary, Dave, who is the son of a minister, had a background in sales of industrial packaging. paper, plastics and chemicals. Naomi founded a refugee resettlement agency in Grand Rapids, MI. Since then she has served in varying capacities with refugee, immigration and social justice mission ministries for the United Methodist Church. They have two grown sons, Nathan and Joshua. Most recently, Dave served for over 10 years as rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in El Cajon. He still serves as senior pastor for Welcome Ministry of El Cajon/East County, an ecumenical nonprofit which serves immigrants, refugees and people living on the street in the East County area of San Diego County.
By Michael Plekon
BMA Easter Community Sunrise Servicer
Easter sunrise service is a Borrego Springs tradition sponsored by the Borrego Ministers Association. The Service is an ecumenical service held jointly by the member ministers of the BMA. The service takes place each year at (believe it or not) sunrise on Easter morning and is widely attended by community members who bring their chairs, blankets and even their pets to celebrate the Resurrection and worship in the early morning light.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 2680 Country Club Dr
PO Box 691 Borrego Springs CA 92004-0691
760-767-4038
PO Box 691 Borrego Springs CA 92004-0691
760-767-4038