St Barnabas’ Episcopal Church Many small congregations are blessed with abundance and vitality – St. Barnabas’ in Norwich, VT (pop. 3,600) also happens to be blessed with a terrific website. A wheel theme runs through it – starting with the entry page, where a photo of the church, the church name, an icon of St. Barnabas, and the site’s navigation are set up in four quadrants of a circle (its dividers make a cross). The first navigation item is the “Good Wheels Program,” which accepts donated cars and sells them to low income families for the cost of repairs. The sixth navigation item highlights the church’s labyrinth. St. Barnabas’ Church, with a staff of two (rector and organist) and three services a week (two on Sunday, one on Thursday), tries to draw the circle wide with worship that is “both ceremonial and down-to-earth, orderly and joyous, heartfelt and mindful.” The church is also brimming with opportunities to “enjoy one another’s company” – including coffee hour, two women’s groups, and regularly scheduled potluck dinners and picnics. Full accessibility, a sound system for the hearing impaired, and a program to support a “godson” in a Honduran school for homeless boys – are all featured outreach points in this well-organized website. The name “Barnabas” means “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4.36) and this website stands out as an encouraging model of vitality for small-congregation churches. August 2006 |
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