At Home At Church
Resources for Growing Family Faith from St. Martin's.
Check here for weekly articles on how you can extend lessons from Sunday's worship into the week, observe holidays and Saint Days, and go deeper with your faith at home with your family.
You can also find below the YouTube playlists for seasonal Godly Play stories by Jean MacKenzie and St. Martin's Story Times from Wellspring.
If you have feedback or ideas about any of this content, or would like to contribute, please contact the Rev. Barbara Ballenger or Anne Alexis Harra
Barbara (she/her) joined St.
Martin’s in 2014. In June
Barbara’s family moved from State College to Philadelphia, where her husband
works at Drexel University. They’re excited to be a part of St. Martin’s
vibrant faith community. Barbara’s family includes her husband, Jess, adult
son, Jesse, and high school-aged daughter, Hannah. Non-human family members
include Tara the rat and Oakley the dog. Barb began
seminary in the fall of 2017. Read more here. In June 2019, Barb was ordained a Deacon in the Episcopal Church,
on her path to full priestly ordination later in the year. Read more about becoming a deacon here. On Friday, December 13, 2019, Barbara was ordained to the Priesthood at St. Martin's. Anne Alexis Harra (she/her) was born and raised in Wilmington, DE, where she is currently a member at St. David’s Episcopal Church. She serves on the Diocesan Council in the Episcopal Church in Delaware, as well as the Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission at the pleasure of the Rt. Rev. Kevin Brown. Anne Alexis moved to West Philadelphia in January 2021 after spending time in the city with her partner (Cole Appelman, pictured at left) and while working on her Masters in Secondary Education at Saint Joseph’s University. A big piece of her heart may be in DE, but she could not be more thrilled to join the St. Martin’s community! Beginning with the waters of baptism, Anne Alexis has devoted her life to serving God in the Episcopal Church. Raised on Godly Play in Sunday school and moving into a tight-knit youth group, she is aware of the positive impact that the Church’s presence can have in the life of a young person. She is passionate about encouraging children and youth to explore their faith on a personal level while also committing to a community-centered effort to enact change for the greater good. Anne Alexis’s father owns and is president of a local funeral home in Wilmington. Some of her earliest childhood memories include observing him engage with bereaved families in a way that can only be described as ministerial. Her mother is a hospice nurse who guides her patients and families through a dignified palliative care stage. Anne Alexis’s parents have left a huge impression on her heart. A ministerial goal she has at St. Martin’s is exploring the often taboo topics of dying and death in the hopeful context of the gospels. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, reading, spending time with her family (notably her godson, Will), and watching new shows with her beloved cat by her side. She and Cole enjoy trying eclectic restaurants in their neighborhood -- observing COVID restrictions, of course!The Rev. Barbara Ballenger
Associate Rector
(215) 247-7466 ext. 102 |
Barbara hales originally from northeast Ohio, where she grew up and went to
school. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kent State
University and a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Ursuline College.
Barbara’s ministry background is based largely in the Roman Catholic Church
where she worked for more than 17 years in a variety of faith-based positions,
including parish faith formation director, campus minister, newspaper reporter
and program coordinator for Catholic Relief Services. She also worked for eight
years in a performing arts ministry as a retreat leader, songwriter and
storyteller.
Most recently Barbara worked for Episcopal Relief & Development as a
training coordinator in US Disaster Preparedness and Response. She joined the
Episcopal Church in 2010, with the long-term goal of priestly ordination.
Woven through her work in ministry is a passion for social, economic and
environmental justice. Over the years, Barbara has worked on issues of peace
and non-violence, cultural understanding, global and domestic poverty,
sustainability and environmental stewardship.
For fun Barbara loves to read, make music, and turn broken things into mosaics.
You’ll probably also see her riding her bike around West Mount Airy and
Chestnut Hill. She might even stop and ask you for directions.Anne Alexis Harra
Children & Youth Minister
215.247.7466 x104 |
Looking to Holy Week & Easter
Resources for families to help talk about the "tough stuff"
Helping Families through the Second COVID Lent
Limited In-Person Worship returns
A Letter to St. Martin's Families
Introducing Anne Alexis Harra
New Faces at St. Martin's
Godly Play in Lent
Lent Begins!
Fasting as a family
