January 7, 2011
By Linda Arguedas

Seventeen years ago in Uptown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, neighbors noticed children on the streets during summer months – kids too young to be on their own, yet too old to be in daycare.

In an attempt to assist the youngsters, then-Diocese of Central Pennsylvania Bishop Charlie McNutt approached then-Bishop Guy Edmiston of the Lower Susquehanna Lutheran Synod about the use of a building. One thing led to another and St. Barnabas Center, an after-school program and summer camp, was founded as a joint ministry between the diocese and the synod.

More than 40 Lutherans and Episcopalians took part in a celebration of the center and their mutual ministry on Jan. 6, the Day of Epiphany, including the Rev. Canon Katherine Harrigan, rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Harrisburg; the Rev. Thomas McKee, assistant to Lutheran Bishop Penrose Hoover; the Rev. Canon Robyn Szoke, Central Pennsylvania canon for children and youth; and the Rev. Anne Flynn, a deacon at St. John's in Carlisle.

The service, which took place on the 10th anniversary of the full-communion relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, began with "chalking the door" with the letters "C," "M," and "B," an Epiphany ritual practiced in many countries as a means of blessing all who enter the building in the coming year.

The letters come from the traditional (9th century) names for the "three kings" * – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Some also suggest the letters stand for "Christus Mansionem Benedicat," which means "may Christ bless this dwelling."

In her sermon, Szoke explained that the number of central Pennsylvania children ages birth to five living in low-income families reached 40 percent in 2010, and that parents are struggling "to keep food on the table and roofs over their heads."

"The hidden reality of our present economic times is the toll it is taking on children and family life, extending from physical well-being and safety to psychological health and academic achievement," she said. "Parents, educators, policy experts, and politicians need to ask the hard questions about whether or not the children in their care are getting the best possible chances in life."

St. Barnabas is an important program that shows how determination and faith to serve young people can transform risk and adversity into healthy development that supports school and life success, Szoke added.

"This venture between local Episcopalians and Lutherans takes the risk, knowing God will bless this house and us as well with our own Epiphanies," she said.

Episcopal News Service
Linda Arguedas is events and communications coordinator for the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania.