Sleuth Report

First United Methodist Church is a trove of talented and experienced people, and Esther Ley is one of those people. “Memory is the mother of all wisdom,” according to the Greek playwright, Aeschylus, and in a recent meeting on church missions, it was Esther’s memory of her many years in mission projects that enabled her to bring much wisdom to the discussion.

Esther and Watson Ley moved to Van Wert and began attending First Church in 1965. Prior to that they had attended the Middle Point United Methodist Church where Esther was active in the women’s organizations. She continued that work at First as a member of the Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS), now-a-days known as United Methodist Women, and soon had gained leadership positions in the Defiance District where she served as vice-president and president. “We worked with 98 churches in Northwest Ohio,” Esther remembers. “We had a great group of district officers; we had fun, and we accomplished a great deal.”

One such area of accomplishment was in the field of missions. Esther became the District Secretary of Missionary Education whose task was to educate women in local churches on the needs in the field. “We conducted classes on the mission fields in the Philippines, in Africa, and in areas within the United States,” she recalls. “At that time the Defiance District had several women serving as missionaries, and we supported their work.” Also, the West Ohio Conference conducted a School of Missions at Lakeside each summer, and for several years Esther served on the planning committee. She would spend four or five days each summer working as registrar for the event and participating in the seminars for both men and women.

Another of Esther’s favorite activities has been the Festival of Sharing. “I remember Watson and I taking blankets, articles of clothing, kits, and even pies to the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield,” she reminisced. “We promoted the event with ‘missions moments’ during the worship services.” Esther laughed as she recalled seeing someone ride a bicycle down the church aisle, or the time she had someone sitting at a sewing machine at the altar. “We sent 30 bikes and 12 sewing machines those years,” she mused. Esther also remembers the year First Church collected enough money to put a roof on a church in Africa. “Another group had built the church structure, but it needed a roof,” she explained. “The members of this church have always been anxious to help,” she emphasized.

Esther fondly recalls her days in Christian education. “I was the leader of the youth group at Middle Point when Shirley Jarvis was in high school,” she grinned. “She was one of my really good ones!” She continued, “It seems like I taught Sunday School all my life.”

Esther’s commitment to service has extended beyond Methodism. She worked with the Van Wert County Church Women United whose major initiative was the construction of the new Van Wert County Home. That came to fruition in 1975. She has been a life member of the Wassenberg Art Center and served on the Board of Directors for the YWCA. Is it any wonder that Esther Ley brings much wisdom to our Committee on Missions at FUMC?