About Worthington United Methodist Church

And I Remember.Personal Church Histories

Barbara Ball

The Balls chose to live in Worthington because of the reputation of the local schools, and they were glad to find here a large Methodist church that offered a variety of activities for their three children. Barbara and Roger soon became involved, too, in committees and projects within the church.

Early in their tenure Roger undertook, along with Darrell Baker, to oversee the Sunday School program, and in the early 1970's he agreed to chair the Education Work Area. When several members of the work area expressed a desire to develop a worship setting that would welcome children, Roger listened carefully. He organized the members' free-form concerns into a specific proposal which he then presented to the Administrative Board. The result was an intergenerational worship service, held early on Sunday mornings, that lasted in one guise or another for three years and that paved the way for our now-beloved Children's Moments.

Meanwhile Barbara was finding her own niche in what was then known as the Women's Society of Christian Service, now United Methodist Women. At some point long ago she lost track of how many years she has served as circle leader: it must be very many, as she is certain that she was a co-leader with Jane Longfellow for at least 8 years! Barbara speaks warmly of her membership in UMW, grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and form lasting friendships. "I've always thought that the circles offer such a wonderful support group," she says.

Barbara remembers setting a personal goal to be involved eventually in all of the church's work areas, and she indeed has served on most of them, several for more than one term. "I've enjoyed every committee," she says. "You learn so much!" Her all-time favorite is Evangelism, because "you get to DO something." Barbara especially recalls the satisfaction in making new members feel welcome, and she still loves Rally Day. She also enjoyed volunteering for Tele-Care, an outreach program that undertook three times a year to contact by telephone any members who were unable to attend worship. Another favorite has been the Hospitality Committee, on which she has served for the past year.

Our present sanctuary was consecrated in 1968, and Barbara remembers that soon thereafter some members took a close look at the "old" facility -- the 1926 building and the 1958 (Buckey Education Wing) addition. Their assessment was bleak: the rooms and hallways needed much work, while all available dollars were committed to paying off the mortgage on the new construction. Yet the older areas were exactly those used for educating our children on Sunday mornings and, on weekdays, for providing child care at our new Creative Play Center. Short of funds but strong in will, several church members formed an Artisans' Guild to perform cosmetic and minor structural repairs. Roger Ball led this group, which met once a month for several years. Armed with hammers and paint brushes, the artisans worked systematically to prevent further decay and to render spaces more pleasant and useful. One of those volunteers (now your church historian) recalls in vivid detail Roger's insistence upon a clean paint roller at the end of each work session.

When Roger died in 1984, Barbara and their family requested memorial contributions to Worthington United Methodist. Because Roger had cared especially about our youth and had been a member of the confirmation teaching team for many years, those gifts were designated as a scholarship fund for college-bound youth from WUMC. Later the Roger Ball Scholarship was combined with scholarships in memory of Ken McBrayer, Bill McComis and J. Robert Tarbutton under the aegis of our Endowment Fund, which awards three $500 scholarships each year to graduating high-school seniors. Barbara is especially glad that the Endowment Fund engages professional financial management to provide both safety and a good return on investments.

Barbara is a "firm believer" in "doing something." For 28 years she has worked in the Riverside Methodist Hospital Sewing Guild, including 18 years as chair of Worthington's Guild and a four-year stint as president of the board which oversees the entire Sewing Guild. There are Sewing Guilds in more than 20 United Methodist Churches in the central Ohio area, and each local-church group meets once a month at the hospital, where they sew and iron for several hours to produce burp cloths, lap robes, and walker bags. In addition, some members knit or crochet afghans, infant caps and stuffed animals at home. From their dues and from their money-making pursuits, the members fund three $1000 scholarships per year for young persons to pursue health professions at the college level. Barbara has been involved in that scholarship-selection process for many years, and she is glad to have the opportunity to reward meritorious students.

Missing Roger, Barbara has forged ahead nonetheless. She finds joy in time spent with family and friends, and she relishes opportunities to better the lot of others.