The mission of St Barnabas Church in York is to make Jesus visible in the community through the church’s members. The church aims to be a friendly, informal and inter-generational community with strong lay ministry values.
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4.19)
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4.19)
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At the heart of the Good News is that God loves us. Indeed, it is the greatest of love stories, where He would give His only Son to come to earth to rescue us. We receive this grace from God when we trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Though the gift is free, our response is seen in how we express love. As a church together and as individuals we hope to do this in three ways.
Loving God
God gave us Jesus, but we also believe He gives us our very life and the wonders around us. We can express this love in different ways: through getting to know Him (reading the Bible and praying); worshipping Him (in our singing and expressing how good He is); in our giving to Him (through giving our time and money to His church and for His purposes).
Loving Each Other
The church is a beautiful hotchpotch of people of different ages and backgrounds. If we met randomly on the street we may not even acknowledge each other, yet we are called into community together: to love God together, but also to encourage and support one another in our walks with Jesus. We are more than the sum of our parts. We need each other. We each have different gifts and experiences which can benefit one another. This means we should value one another as loved children of God.
Loving Leeman Road
All Christians and churches have a call on their life to share the Good News. We each have a call to witness to those around us. However, as a church in the Leeman Road area (encompassing all areas off Leeman Road) we also have a particular call to those in our geographical setting. This means providing opportunities for those in the area to experience the love of God for themselves. We do this through different services and events where we seek to bless the community.