Nebraska Synod ELCA

Barnabas Community got its start in the fall of 2008 with a group of dedicated people from Sheridan Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Nebraska. Barnabas is located at 931 Saunders Ave, Lincoln, NE. Consistently every week, Barnabas Community offers a free store of clothing, toys, household goods; meals twice a week, worship services and spiritual care. Since 2008, Barnabas has provided these services at no charge to those who seek help. Guests can receive 15 items each week from the store. This radical generosity makes such a positive impact in our community of Lincoln.

As the pandemic continued through 2021, Barnabas Community adapted and overcame the odds, staying open and offering services to those in need. We seamlessly, without interruption in services, transitioned from meals served in our community room to meals to-go. In this same time, we started a sack lunch ministry to help our guests get through the weekend when meals are not as readily available. Barnabas also offers worship every Thursday night at 5:40 PM and Bible Studies with spiritual care on Tuesday mornings.

Through faith, grit and serving hearts, Barnabas not only stayed open during the onset of the pandemic, but continued to grow its offerings and services to the Lincoln community. Our reach widened to include guests from more than 40 different zip codes, and the most-served areas of Lincoln shifted to some extent. Countless people from Sheridan and many others ensured that Barnabas would remain strong. It is because of your support this growth happened during pandemic times.

The following are from Barnabas reports September 2020 and 2021. We have many people who support our work. See how your generosity makes a difference in our community!

Comparing the months of September in 2020 & 2021, our services increased by the following percentages:

Growing Pains

With these growth percentages, we are limited for space! Combining the pandemic with our limited space, our guests now have to wait outside regardless of weather until they can shop in the store, or receive their to-go meal. This is not ideal for our guests.

Recognition from the Lincoln Community

As the pandemic raged on, our work at Barnabas was recognized by leaders in Lincoln. We received grants from the Lincoln Community Foundation and the Community Health Endowment to expand our meal ministry and outreach.

Barnabas Leadership and Service

The governing board, staff and volunteers of Barnabas Community continue to work diligently to steward and care for what we have as well as scale for our growth. The governing board is also researching and working towards securing a different location to better serve our guests; as well as securing more funding through community grants.

If you would like to learn more about Barnabas Community, which is a Mission Field Nebraska partner, go to www.barnabascommunity.org. Follow us on social media @barnabascmtylnk