Who We Are
St. Barnabas Church is an active, growing community that provides nurture, support, and guidance to enable all its members to deepen their faith and carry out Christ's work in the world.
Clergy
The Rev. Dr. Justin E. Crisp
Priest in Charge
(beginning April 2, 2023)
A summa cum laude graduate of English and Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, the Rev. Dr. Justin Crisp received a master of divinity from Yale Divinity School, a master of arts and a master of philosophy from Yale University, and a doctor of philosophy in Religious Studies from Yale University. He holds a certificate from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and is a lecturer in Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School.
Father Justin comes to us from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, where he has served for nearly ten years as an associate rector and Theologian-in-Residence. He begins his service at St. Barnabas on April 2, Palm Sunday. He and his wife, Dr. Jewelle Bickel, will be in residence at the rectory with their dog, Val(kyrie).Besides the Lord Jesus and his family, his passions include clam chowder, autumn in New England, Ina Garten, the New York Mets, and the operas of Richard Wagner.
​
To learn more about Father Justin click here.
![IMG_1363[2].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a0d78c_c357e35fd8b142d094c243fca1b54056~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_1322,y_365,w_2307,h_2316/fill/w_253,h_254,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_1363%5B2%5D.jpg)
The Rev. Meg Finnerud
Supply Clergy
Meg Allred Finnerud began working at St. Barnabas Church as Assistant to the Rector on June 1st, 2013 after finishing her STM at General Theological Seminary in New York and as a Candidate for Ordination from the Diocese of North Carolina. She was ordained a priest at St. Barnabas in August, 2014 by Bishop Douglas on behalf of Michael Curry (then Bishop Diocesan of NC) in front of a congregation of parishioners, family and friends. The former Archbishop of Australia, Peter Carnley, preached the sermon (now published), Ted Pardoe served as one of her formal sponsors and Michael Roush rendered the spectacular music. Ted and the people of St. Barnabas had everything to do with Meg’s ultimately being ordained and inspired her continued love of ordained ministry and especially ministry to children!
Meg returns having served as the only female (and 35th) Rector of a colonial church in the Diocese of East Carolina, as supply priest to multiple CT congregations (including sister churches in Greenwich) and as Priest-in-Charge at St. Saviour’s, Old Greenwich. All of this came after completing an M.Div. at Wake Forest University School of Divinity (where she continues to serve on the Board of Visitors) and a career in international business development in Europe and the Middle East. She and her husband, Ken, have three adult children who were all born outside the US and who now live in Austin, TX, GA and London with their ever-growing families. Outside of work, Meg is learning to sail, loves playing golf, follows ACC basketball obsessively and is pursuing her Doctorate at Fordham. In addition to her theological degrees, Meg holds the A.B. in English from Duke University and in 2011 was honored as a Fulbright finalist for research in The Netherlands.
Staff
Alessandra Arango
Parish Administrator
Michael Roush
Director of Music
Lori Sodergreen
Financial Administrator
Vestry Officers
Clark Van Nostrand
Treasurer
Ryan Thorp
Clerk
Susan Jackson
Warden
David Harris
Warden
Class of 2024
David Evans
Mary Ellen LeBien
John Erdman
Class of 2025
Katie Newman
Susan Fisher
Class of 2026
Kathryn Minckler
Jane Shang
Sarah Bleasdale
History
Founded in the 1950s in the backcountry of Greenwich, Connecticut in a tack room on John Street, St. Barnabas Church has been an independent parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut since 1967. The present church structure was designed by noted Greenwich resident and architect Philip Ives and constructed in 1958. Today, St. Barnabas Church is a thriving congregation that serves the greater Greenwich area. Sunday liturgy is the heart of its spiritual life as families and friends gather as a community for worship, learning, and fellowship. Through a variety of outreach programs, its faith and resources are shared, making a difference in the community, Connecticut, and the world.
To learn more about the St. Barnabas Church’s history, please enjoy the following documents:
