Weekly News from St. B's

Help remove invasive trees, shrubs, vines, and plants in designated areas around our campus! St. B's is partnering with The Garden Club of Nashville as part of the broader Weed Wrangle project. On Saturday, March 1, we will remove invasive, non-native plants from certain areas, which will later be replaced with native species that bring maximum benefit to our ecosystem. All the training and instructions needed will be provided that day.

This opportunity is ideal for people who love to be outside and who can bend, dig, and cut. If mobility limits you, you're welcome to come for fellowship and to cheer us on. Long-time parishioners can offer stories about what used to happen here and there on St. B's grounds—sign up for the "oral history" participant slot! Families are welcome, but since sharp tools will be on the premises, parents must be attentive to little ones.

Be a welcoming and helpful presence for those who need showers by volunteering with ShowerUp.

This is a great experience to engage with those experiencing homelessness and provide them with an essential service. Jobs include managing the shower wait-list, handing out toiletries, general and shower clean-up, and providing beverages and food.

February we celebrate Black History Month and Black history is OUR history!

📺 If you are looking for a way to honor the occasion through a faith-based lens, watch the documentary "The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song." This 4 hour PBS documentary (in two parts), directed by Dr Henry Louis Gates, traces the history of the Black church in America and its role in the African American community and the broader American cultural and spiritual landscape. Available with PBS Season Pass or rentable on Prime for $6.

📚 For the bookworms in the parish, Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, by Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, reflects on how racism affects everyone and how white people, especially people of faith, must be active participants in change.

📖 And for those with a penchant for poetry, Otis Sparrow's poetry presentation will be available the Washington National Cathedral’s YouTube channel. His poem, “For the Desires of Gordon, with Respect,” will be featured in the presentation. In it, Sparrow conveys the resilience, courage, and resourcefulness of a slave who, after a near fatal beating, escaped and joined the Union Army. His story was captured in an iconic photo that jarred the nation and exposed the true horror of slavery to the general population.

"Lost a Found: A Story of Hope" is a unique theatrical production that merges traditional theatre and cinematic sequences to share the story of North Nashville's historic Jefferson Street and the challenges that its thriving Black community faced with the construction of Interstate 40 in the late 1960s.

Starring distinguished TSU graduate L Warren Young and introduced each night by notable community leaders, the show will run until February 28 (evenings and Sunday matinees) at Manna From Heaven Dinner House in Bordeaux. It is produced by Youth About Business, an organization dedicated to empowering young people through entrepreneurship and leadership development. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children.

Tickets and more information can be found at Eventbrite.

For 39 years, St. B’s has been committed to providing shelter and hospitality through the Room in the Inn (RITI) ministry during the winter months. During this 2024-2025 season, we continue this tradition, joining nearly 200 congregations and thousands of volunteers across Nashville to offer meals, community, and a safe place to rest for those experiencing homelessness.

Beyond shelter, St. B’s financial support helps sustain RITI’s downtown campus, which provides essential services like showers, laundry, job training, and educational programs. Learn more about Room in the Inn at St.B’s and sign up to volunteer here!

ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH