St Barnabas Church Klang

I am very impressed with the high level of community engagement and outreach that St Barnabas Anglican Church in Klang is involved in.  

The vision statement of St Barnabas was launched by the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt Revd Datuk Ng Moon Hing on the 1st January 2013.  It was the accumulation of over three years of brainstorming, information gathering and planning, as well as much prayer and hard work.

Their mission statement is:

To be a dynamic, cosmopolitan, Christ centred church caring for the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of our community and beyond.

As part of this vision statement, the church has a number of aims/objectives, which are clearly displayed on large signs within the church, so the congregation are constantly reminded of the churches vision and mission.

There are six statements in total:

St Barnabas SEEKS TO:

• Communicate God's word through evangelism
• Therefore we reach out beyond our congregation, inviting into communion people of different races and generations and to share the Good News of the gospel with all our neighbours. 
• Accomplish God's vision through families
• Therefore we equip and strengthen families to create a biblical family culture that promotes strong marriages, healthy parenting and impresses hearts of children with a love for God.
• Demonstrate God's love through service
• Therefore we go forth to offer Christ's compassionate love as individuals and as a congregation to serve the orphaned, the homeless, the migrant, the sick, the abused, the poor and the broken in spirit through the responsible use of our time, talents and resources.
• Obey God's commission through mission
• Therefore we promote and support world-wide Christian missions and endeavour to mobilise members of our own congregation for part or full-time cross-cultural mission.
• Magnify God's name through worship
• Therefore we come together to sing praises, hear and proclaim God's word, offer our prayers, receive Christ's forgiveness and celebrate the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion.
• To edify God's people through discipleship
• Therefore we nurture the body of believers to intentionally grow in their love of God and love for others through the development of personal faith, spiritual formation and Biblical understanding.

Vision/mission statements are great, but they don't mean much if it doesn't lead to action.  From the short time I've been at St Barnabas I can tell that it is a church seeking to fulfil its mandate to build God's kingdom through their various ministries.  

CHURCH PLANTING

St Barnabas have planted four churches:

• Kuala Selangor Anglican Centre
• St Jude's Church, Sungei Way
• Good Samaritan Church, Shah Alam
• St Peter's Church, Kapar

These churches have their own ministers, who come under the authority of the Revd Vijendra Daniel at St Barnabas.  

WELFARE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS (WSC)

The objective of this ministry is to reach out to the poor and needy, the marginalised, and hurting people irrespective of race and religion, assisting them not only materially but also helping them acquire benefits from the Government, NGOs and other charitable bodies.  This is clearly very important for the church, which as one of its strap lines states that St Barnabas is "A Sanctuary for the Heavy Laden."

Under the WSC St Barnabas runs a range of projects.

Sharing the Manna

Every Thursday a free breakfast is served for people in the community, but especially the underprivileged and those who find it difficult to make ends meet.

This ministry started in October 2005 and they now get between 80 to 90 people per week attending.  

This free breakfast is open to anyone within the community, and this morning I saw one Hindu lady who attends asking for prayer from the church members.  Through this ministry of loving service, it is clear that people are being led to faith

Street Feeding

Pre packed lunch is distributed to about 200 people every 4th Saturday of the month at the Organ Asli settlement at Laguna Park.  They also organise games for the children, and provide used clothes and toys.  

Food Bank

Once a month food is provides to about 40 to 50 families in Klang, Port Klang and also from St Jude's Church Sungai Way.  Many of the recipients are single mothers.

Education

Members of the church help provide tuition to children who would are struggling, particularly in the St Barnabas Centre in Port Klang.  

Prison Ministry

This is a ministry where families of prisoners are visited, counselled and assisted financially or in kind.  

ST BARNABAS HOME (SBH)

This is one of the churches main ministries, it provides a home for orphaned or vulnerable children.  

The aims of SBH is to 

• Provide shelter for children in need
• To cater for basic needs of the children
• To nurture the child to his/her full potential

In 2012 SBH had 25 boys and girls in their care.  The youngest child at this time was 5 years old, the oldest 19.  SBH has 4 full time staff.  

CELL MINISTRY AND YOUTH MINISTRY

St Barnabas also has a number of cell groups (to which about half the congregation belong).  The purpose of cell groups is to enable people to meet together regularly to:

1. Worship
2. Study God's Word
3. Share testimonies
4. Pray for one another
5. Fellowship
6. Evangelise to friends and neighbours

They also have a Sunday school that meet, and a Young Adult Fellowship.  

MEN AND WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP

St Barnabas has a men and women's fellowship, which meet monthly.  The aim of these two groups is to support, encourage and foster deeper, meaningful relationships, to study and share God's word, and participate in the mission and evangelism of the church.  

REFUGEE SCHOOL

St Barnabas also provides facilities for a school for up to 300 pupils, all of whom are refugees, and are therefore not allowed to attend public schools in Malaysia.  This school is run by Migrant Ministries Klang (MMK) which you can read about HERE.  The teachers get their salaries from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).  Not only are the children given an education, they are also given breakfast and lunch.

One of three classes that meet in the church hall

Preparing lunch for 300 children