Sundays at 8, 9:15, and 10:30 a.m. · Details

  8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118  ·   215.247.7466  ·       Give

St. Martin-in-the-Fields
  • About
    • Mission & Values
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Lay Leadership
    • Communications Request
    • Space Rental
    • Calendar
  • Give
  • Worship & Music
    • Services
    • Music
    • Sermons
  • Forming Faith
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Children's Faith Formation
    • Wellspring
  • Care
    • Prayers
    • Sacraments
    • Visits
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Recovery Groups
  • Engage
    • Community Engagement
    • Racial Justice
    • SUPPER
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Make A Pledge
    • Communications Request
    • In the News
  • Give
    • Give to St. Martin's
    • Make a Pledge
    • Planned Giving

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

The Rev. Barbara Ballenger
Associate Rector
(215) 247-7466 ext. 102
| Bio
Anne Alexis Harra
Children & Youth Minister
215.247.7466 x104
| Bio

The Rev. Barbara Ballenger

Associate Rector
(215) 247-7466 ext. 102 |

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.

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.

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

Children & Youth Minister
215.247.7466 x104 |

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!



Looking to Holy Week & Easter

Posted March 4, 2021 We may only be halfway through Lent, but Easter is coming quickly! The clergy and staff at St. Martin's are preparing Holy Week services for the entire family, complete with an Easter Egg Hunt following the 10:00 a.m. ...
Read More

​Resources for families to help talk about the "tough stuff"

Posted March 1, 2021 We have surpassed 500,000 COVID-related deaths. Earlier this week, we remembered and reflected on the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Discussing these topics with your children can be difficult. Feel free to use these resources...
Read More

Helping Families through the Second COVID Lent

Posted on March 1, 2021 Dear Parents, We are officially one-third of the way through our second COVID Lenten journey. Lately, it has felt like we have been going through Lent for a full year, so this particular Lenten season may seem less m...
Read More

Limited In-Person Worship returns

Posted February 26, 2021 Limited In-Person Worship Returns March 7, 2021 Limited in-person worship will return at all three services on Sunday, March 7 . We will have space for 25 attendees (in addition to those serving) in the sanctuary...
Read More

A Letter to St. Martin's Families

Posted February 22, 2021 Dear friends, God is good all the time . All the time, God is good . Hi there! My name is Anne Alexis, and I am bursting with joy at this new journey we are about to take together! I am the new Children & ...
Read More

Introducing Anne Alexis Harra

Posted February 22, 2021 Dear Parents, I’m very pleased to introduce you and your family to Anne Alexis Harra, our new full-time minister for children and youth. Today is her first day at St. Martin’s. You can send her a welcome email...
Read More

New Faces at St. Martin's

Posted February 17, 2021 We're excited to announce our new Children & Youth Minister, Anne Alexis Harra. We have also had a change in the office assistant position and would like to introduce you to our new Office Assistant, Maya Weber. A...
Read More
Godly Play in Lent

Godly Play in Lent

Posted February 16, 2021 Our Godly Play teacher Jean McKenzie will release three Lenten Godly Play videos on our parish YouTube Channel for the Lenten season, starting with “The Mystery of Easter,” which premieres on Ash Wednes...
Read More

Lent Begins!

Posted February 16, 2021 The Season of Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday, with prayer, penance, and self-denial, and of course that smudge of ashes. This is one of two formal Fast Days celebrated during the church year (the other is Goo...
Read More
Fasting as a family

Fasting as a family

Posted February 15, 2021 In the Episcopal tradition, the weekdays of Lent and Holy Week are considered to be days of “special devotion” that are marked by “special acts of discipline and self-denial.” Fasting, which m...
Read More

  • «
  • 1
  • 2
  • »

Share this page: At Home At Church
Children & Families Seasonal Godly Play Worship with Children At Home At Church Youth Ministry Parents and Guardians

Saturday, 3/6 at 8:00 AM
Saturday Prayer Group on Zoom (SM)
Sunday, 3/7 at 8:00 AM
Live-Stream Holy Eucharist with homily
Sunday, 3/7 at 9:15 AM
Live-stream Family Worship
Sunday, 3/7 at 10:30 AM
Live-Stream Holy Eucharist with homily and music
Sunday, 3/7 at 11:30 AM
Online Worship Reflections via ZOOM (Wellspring)
Sunday, 3/7 at 12:00 PM
High School Youth meeting
Sunday, 3/7 at 6:00 PM
Online: Al-Anon Sunday-Nighters
Sunday, 3/7 at 8:00 PM
Online: A.A.

Saturday Prayer Group on Zoom (SM)

Saturday, March 6, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Click here to view on Google Calendar.

Add to My Calendar

Live-Stream Holy Eucharist with homily

Sunday, March 7, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Live-streamed to YouTube.com/StMartinECPhilly and StMartinEC.org/live.

Add to My Calendar

Live-stream Family Worship

Sunday, March 7, 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Live-streamed to YouTube.com/StMartinECPhilly and StMartinEC.org/live.

Add to My Calendar

Live-Stream Holy Eucharist with homily and music

Sunday, March 7, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Live-streamed to YouTube.com/StMartinECPhilly and StMartinEC.org/live.

Add to My Calendar

Online Worship Reflections via ZOOM (Wellspring)

Sunday, March 7, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM

Click here to view on Google Calendar.

Add to My Calendar

High School Youth meeting

Sunday, March 7, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Click here to view on Google Calendar.

Add to My Calendar

Online: Al-Anon Sunday-Nighters

Sunday, March 7, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Click here to view on Google Calendar.

Add to My Calendar

Online: A.A.

Sunday, March 7, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Click here to view on Google Calendar.

Add to My Calendar

Sermons

  • Feb 21 | The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
    Squirrelly
  • Feb 14 | The Rev. Carol Duncan
    Our Call Through Blessed Absalom Jones
  • Feb 7 | The Rev. Barbara Ballenger
    Our Real Presence on Sunday
  • Jan 31 | Barbara Dundon
    Ten Years of Ministry with the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
  • Jan 24 | The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
    Pilot or Passenger?

© 2021 St. Martin-in-the-Fields
8000 St. Martin's Lane · Philadelphia, PA 19118
215.247.7466
Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Join us online for Sunday morning worship!

  • 8:00 a.m. Traditional spoken Holy Eucharist with sermon - live streamed.
  • 9:15 a.m. Family Worship - a lively service for preschool through older elementary children and their families - live streamed.
  • 10:30 a.m. Traditional Holy Eucharist with music and sermon - live streamed.

StMartinEC.org/live

Location

St. Martin-in-the-Fields
8000 St. Martin's Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19118

Contact Us
215.247.7466

Newsletter Signup

Giving is an important component of a balanced spiritual life. Returning to God that which God has given us is a tangible way to express and grow our faith. There are many ways to provide financial support to the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Thank you for your generosity.

Give Now Member Account Login Pledge Today