Saint Barnabas on the Desert has stood at 6715 North Mockingbird Lane in Scottsdale, Arizona since the early 1960s, a parish of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Arizona where the greeting "all are welcome" is meant without exception. Parishioners describe their vision as connecting people with God, what they call the boundless Presence, and the parish lives out its mission through worship, music, formation, and a dozen mission partnerships stretching from Phoenix to the highlands of Mexico. Members often say "churches have programs; people have friends," and the life of Saint Barnabas is built on learning, serving, loving, and caring for one another.
From 1953 Mission to a Sanctuary on Mockingbird Lane
The history of Saint Barnabas is one of growth and renewal. The congregation began as a Mission Church in 1953, with parish status granted in 1955. A few years later, in 1960, ground was broken on the present campus after a generous donation of land by Mr. and Mrs. Fowler McCormick, with buildings designed by the architectural firm T.S. Montgomery. The first service in the new Sanctuary was held on September 10, 1961, and the church was consecrated on February 1, 1973 by the Rt. Rev. Joseph Harte, S.T.D., second Bishop of Arizona.
Through the years the campus has expanded to include the Memorial Garden, Hutton Hall, the Learning Center, Sean's Place, the Book and Gift Shop, and the Gwen M. Harris Music Center. A 2010 remodel reshaped the interior, and the current focal point of the worship space is a unique artwork by Sarah Hall titled Wondrous Love, which combines a stained glass mosaic with a new 52-rank organ. From 1964 until that remodel, a tapestry by local artists Lee Porzio and Allen Ditson, Ode to Joy, hung behind the altar, screening the church's first 37-rank pipe organ. The Jim Clark Contemplative Chapel was named in honor of the Rev. Jim Clark, who retired after a twenty-year tenure as Rector.
Sunday Mornings: Rite I, the Family Service, and a Livestream
Two Sunday services are offered in the Sanctuary. At 7:45am the early morning congregation gathers for a Rite I traditional service with traditional music, while at 10:15am the larger service uses contemporary language with traditional Anglican and classical music, welcomes children, and is livestreamed for those joining online. Both services are open to all; reservations are not required.
Children have a place in the life of the parish from the start. Children's Chapel serves ages 3 through 11 with music, movement, prayers, and a gospel story told in age-appropriate language, and meets during the 10:15am service. Toddler Time, for children 18 months to 3 years, runs concurrently with the first half of the later service in the Children's Center and is a time of songs, music, and exploratory play. Parents are welcome but not required.
The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Reddall, Bishop of Arizona, visits Saint Barnabas each spring for Confirmation, a moment the parish anticipates. Easter brings three services at 7, 9, and 11am, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening moves from Creation into the Resurrection, with the children of the parish helping to lead parts of the liturgy. Each November 2, the All Souls' Day Prayer Service fills the Memorial Garden at noon, a quiet half hour for those who have lost a loved one.
Episcopal worship at Saint Barnabas is participatory. As the parish explains, members sit for one part of the service, stand for another, and kneel in between; prayers and songs move between call-and-response, contemplative silence, one voice leading, and the whole congregation joining in. Visitors are guided through the Order of Service, but no one way of worshiping is treated as the right way. Parking is easy: the parish has four main lots on campus, with reserved spaces directly in front of the church for first-time guests.
Clergy Who Walk with the Parish
The clergy team at Saint Barnabas is led by the Rev. Dr. Robyn M. Neville, who began her ministry as Rector of the parish in April 2026. An ordained Episcopal priest since 2003, she brings a background in parish ministry, theological education, and spiritual formation, with advanced degrees in theology and church history and experience teaching at the college and seminary levels. Her work centers on learning, shared conversation, and shared experience as paths into a deeper relationship with God and one another.
The Rev. Robert Berra serves as Senior Associate Rector. He joined the staff in 2018 after time as a campus chaplain and faculty member at Arizona State University. Ordained in the Episcopal Church in his mid-twenties after a period away from organized religion, he and his spouse Laura, both natives of Mobile, Alabama, were married in 2008 and have a son, Colin. The Rev. Jennifer Tucker serves as Associate Priest. Raised in Ohio, she earned her M.Div and MTS at Seabury Western Theological Seminary in Chicago and was ordained in 2006. She and her wife Amy, a first-grade teacher, live with their two dogs.
The diaconate is unusually broad. The Venerable Sarah Getts is Parish Deacon and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Arizona. Born in the United Kingdom, she moved permanently to the United States in 1996, joined Saint Barnabas after settling in Arizona in 2001, and served as archdeacon for the diocese until 2022. The Rev. Pam Bell serves as Parish Deacon. A third-generation University of Arizona graduate, she has been at Saint Barnabas since 2001 and has served as a Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School Director, Stephen Minister, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Altar Guild Director, and Grief Counselor. The Rev. Susie Parker serves as Deacon Emerita and is the clergy shepherd for the missions programs; her husband Hank coordinates the parish blood drive and serves on the A/V team.
The Vestry is led by Senior Warden Don Henninger and Junior Warden Charles Colmark, with Bruce Williams as Treasurer and Don Bivens as Chancellor, joined by members of the Class of 2026, Class of 2027, and Class of 2028.
A Sanctuary Filled with Music
Music is one of the cornerstones of parish life at Saint Barnabas. The 52-rank organ beneath Sarah Hall's Wondrous Love mosaic anchors a full choral and instrumental program. Michael Salazar, Director of Music, began organ studies as a child in Prescott, earned his Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance, magna cum laude, from the University of Evansville, and went on to Yale University where he received his Masters of Music in Organ Performance with further study in harpsichord and choral conducting. Robert Heyde, Choir Director, is also the choral director at Notre Dame Prep; he holds a Master's from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University and has performed with the Phoenix Chorale, North Valley Chorale, and Solis Camerata.
The Parish Choir sings every Sunday at the 10:15am service and regularly joins the organ for major liturgies. The Children's Choir performs each spring at Westminster Village and is led through Wednesday programs as well as Sunday morning rehearsals. The Concerts on the Desert series is a long-running offering that brings music lovers from across the Phoenix Valley to the Sanctuary, with recent seasons featuring Salt River Brass, French Masterworks of Faure and Poulenc, Florentine Baroque, and Organ Classics from the Bench. Art is part of the music tradition: the parish is home to Wondrous Love and to the Memorial Acceptance and Fine Arts Committee, which curates pieces throughout the Sanctuary and other buildings.
The Book and Gift Shop, located across the courtyard from the main Sanctuary doors, opened in 1979 and is staffed by parishioners. It operates Sunday mornings from 8:30am to noon.
Contemplative Life and the Jim Clark Contemplative Chapel
Saint Barnabas has long understood itself as a contemplative community as well as an active one. The Contemplative Life ministry gathers around the conviction that God is always already present and active, and that the contemplative life is "simply the intention to pause, to be still, and, by faith, to rest in Christ's presence within." Lay leader Ann Hott guides a program that includes Quiet Days, Centering Prayer, TAEHS (The ART of Engaging Holy Scripture), Exploring Poetry as a Spiritual Practice, spiritual direction through CFDM, an annual silent retreat at Chapel Rock, and Taize worship on the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the Sanctuary.
The Jim Clark Contemplative Chapel provides a dedicated space for stillness on campus. World Labyrinth Day is observed each spring with a walk on the parish labyrinth, and the all-parish retreat at Chapel Rock Camp and Conference Center in Prescott - set in the nation's largest ponderosa pine forest - has become a rhythm for the wider congregation.
Faith Formation complements the contemplative offerings with Sunday morning groups including Gathering Families, TAEHS, Faith Formation, and Early Bird Scholars, a traditional Bible study. The Episcopal Way is a seven-week introduction to Episcopal tradition. EfM (Education for Ministry), the four-year program of the School of Theology at the University of the South, gathers annually, with orientation and seminars led by a tutor from the parish.
Children, Youth, and the Arts Camp
The children's and youth ministries at Saint Barnabas are anchored by Sarah Imai, Director of Children's Ministries, who has served the parish since 2015. An Arizona native, she first taught in New York City as a Teach For America corps member and later worked in international education institutions in Guyana and Suriname before returning to Arizona with her two children, Ruthanne and William Alden.
Programming is layered across the week. Sunday School and Faith Formation meet during the 9am hour. Wednesdays at Saint Barnabas offers Music and Meditation at 5:30pm, with children's choir and preschool music on one track and Meditation and Movement for grades K through 8 on the other. A 4th through 6th grade Youth Group gathers for fellowship and service. Confirmation is offered for grades 7 through 9, and the High School Youth Group serves grades 9 through 12.
Since June 2016, Saint Barnabas Arts Camp has drawn more than 185 young people each summer to weeks of creative exploration of fine arts, music, and theater, with themes that have included "A Glitch in Time," "Treasure Hunt," and "Our Nature." Teenagers serve as Junior Counselors, and scholarships support graduating high school seniors who have been part of the parish community. Broadway Bash is the annual fundraiser for Youth Missions, an evening of music and storytelling underwriting youth service trips and mission work.
Adult Ministries and the Saint Barnabas Men's Group
Adults at Saint Barnabas are served by an unusually wide range of ongoing groups. The Rev. Robert Berra leads much of this work and frames adult faith as a lifelong journey. Sunday morning offerings include Gathering Families, the TAEHS Bible study, Faith Formation, and Early Bird Scholars, a traditional Bible study. Beyond Sunday, members gather for the parish Book Club, The Episcopal Way, EfM, and the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) workshop.
The Saint Barnabas Men's Group, also called Chi Rho (XP) after the Christogram of Emperor Constantine, is open to all men 21 and older, including parishioners, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives. The group meets three times a month: twice on Thursday evenings for study, fellowship, and small group reflection following Jesus' blueprint for discipleship in Matthew 5 through 7, and once on a Saturday for service projects within the church and the wider community. Friday Morning Men gathers for a morning reflection, and a Speaker Series hosts a monthly Senior Lunch and Program.
Two long-standing traditions round out the year for adults. The Grief Circle meets monthly in the Spiritual Direction room at the end of Sean's Place, from 11:45am to 1pm, and is led by the Rev. Pam Bell. Seniors on the Move meets every Monday at 4pm in Lincoln Hall in the Music Center for a low-impact fitness class led by Cole Benjamin, an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor and nationally certified EMT, with both seated and standing versions of every exercise. The parish is also home to American Mahjong gatherings on the first, second, and fourth Thursdays of the month from 10am to noon in the Other Cup, an open invitation to bring friends and learn a four-player tile game that invites conversation and shared problem-solving.
Mission Partnerships Reaching Out
"To promote dignity and build community through love and service" is the vision behind Saint Barnabas' mission partnerships, which extend throughout the Phoenix Valley, across Arizona, and into Mexico. The parish representative structure brings leaders from each partner together to build collaboration and strengthen shared faith.
Local and regional partnerships include Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, where more than fifty parishioners host and provide hospitality for families experiencing homelessness for a week at a time. The Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona relationship has involved multiple home builds over the years, including the Alta Vista house, the Don Carlos Street house in Tempe, and Jake's House in the South Mountain area, with parishioner Jay Harris serving as mission coordinator. The Bridging Arizona partnership, co-founded by parishioners Jim and Donna Piscopo, provides beds for veterans. Delivering Dreams AZ uses a bus program to deliver gifts to children in need, and Saint Barnabas supports the effort monthly.
A monthly Food Drive gathers non-perishables and supports neighbors in need, and an Angel Tree Christmas delivers gifts for children during the holiday season. The Blood Drive, coordinated by Hank Parker, uses the code "SaintB" to find the parish location. The Mexico Medical Mission, run jointly with Resurrection Lutheran, sends volunteers each year to serve around 1,500 patients in four days. St. Luke's at the Mountain is the parish's sister congregation in South Phoenix, and the United Thank Offering invites members to practice gratitude in a small daily offering. The Barnabas Legacy Society sustains these partnerships through bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, retirement plan gifts, pooled income funds, bank and security designations, and life insurance policies.
Pastoral Care for Joy and Sorrow
Pastoral care at Saint Barnabas is a shared vocation, a ministry of active encouragement and compassion that celebrates, sustains, heals, and reconciles. The Rev. Pam Bell, Parish Deacon and a certified Spiritual Director, oversees the work. Lay Visitors, Healing Prayer ministers, Stephen Ministers, the Order of St. Luke's, the Community of Hope, Sending God's Love, and the Mental Health Task Force all serve in this ministry. Healing Prayer is offered at services, and Grief Support is available individually and in group settings through the monthly Grief Circle. Anyone can request pastoral care, or ask that themselves or a loved one be added to the prayer list shared in church every Sunday. Memorial services and interments are also offered, alongside the All Souls' Day Prayer Service each November 2 in the Memorial Garden.
Weddings on the Desert
The Sanctuary at Saint Barnabas, with Sarah Hall's Wondrous Love mosaic and the 52-rank organ as a backdrop, is open to weddings. Couples are invited to worship with the parish before booking so they can get to know the community and the space. Wedding packages for pledging members and family members run a $2,000 pledge plus a $2,000 fee; for non-members the fee is $5,000. Packages typically include five hours of facility use for ceremony and rehearsal, the priest's honorarium, the organist's fee, altar flowers, a wedding and rehearsal day coordinator, a wedding planning packet, use of the bridal rooms, and sound technician and sexton fees. Optional at additional charge are a soloist ($200), a quartet ($850), the Saint Barnabas Choir ($2,000), and instrumentalists at cost. The parish notes that couples do not need to be Episcopalians to marry at Saint Barnabas.
The Campus, the Grounds, and the Courtyard
Saint Barnabas' campus is large enough to host the rhythms of a full parish year. The Sanctuary stands at the heart, with Hutton Hall across the courtyard for adult faith formation, large gatherings, and fellowship meals. The Learning Center houses children's and youth ministries, while the Gwen M. Harris Music Center is home to the Parish Choir and music staff, including Lincoln Hall where Seniors on the Move meets. Sean's Place, at the east end of the grounds, includes the Spiritual Direction Group room where the monthly Grief Circle gathers. The Memorial Garden surrounds the All Souls' Day Prayer Service each November 2, and a labyrinth on the grounds provides a walking meditation space used for World Labyrinth Day in May. The Book and Gift Shop across the courtyard from the Sanctuary doors operates from 8:30am to noon on Sundays.
A People of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
Saint Barnabas stands within the Episcopal Church, which it describes as the American expression of the Church of England. Three commitments define the congregation's life together.
Scripture is foundational. The parish worships from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible and from the Book of Common Prayer, and every Sunday follows the Lectionary, a three-year cycle that provides a lesson from the Old Testament, a lesson from the New Testament, a Psalm, and a Gospel. Members often note that attending every Sunday for three years would carry them through 99 percent of the Bible.
Tradition anchors the parish to the ancient lineage of Christianity. The current Book of Common Prayer reflects the energy and grace of first-century worship, and the leadership model of the church follows the scriptural example of authority. The Bishops who lead each geographical region, including the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Reddall of Arizona, stand in the apostolic succession, prayer and the Spirit connecting each Bishop to the line of apostles anointed by the laying on of hands.
Reason is the third commitment. The parish believes the Spirit did not stop speaking when the Scriptures ended, and that God has granted the gift of reason to see the influence of the Holy Spirit through individual experience and through the wider communion of Saints. The three-fold foundation was first articulated by theologian Richard Hooker.
If you want to know what Saint Barnabas believes, the parish's own invitation is simple: come pray with us.