We welcome the Rev. Barry Ball as preacher for the Saturday evening worship. Barry is the husband of Bishop Steiner Ball.

Barry is an ordained elder in the Peninsula Delaware Annual Conference. He served three local churches in that conference before taking an extension ministry appointment with the Maryland Natural Resources Police (game warden) in 1998. His primary ancillary job was as chaplain.  In 2001, he joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a chaplain, serving at Dover Air Force Base and the Port Mortuary for his primary duties. In 2012, after Bishop Steiner Ball’s assignment to the West Virginia Area, Rev. Ball was assigned by the Natural Resources Police to the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force in Hagerstown, Maryland, working western Maryland and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.

Barry has led various workshops and retreats throughout the conference and is known for his wit and sense of humor.  He accompanied the Bishop’s cabinet on the 2015 mission trip to Haiti where he smiled almost the whole time.

Rev. Ball and Bishop Steiner Ball are the proud parents of two grown daughters, Sarah and Becky Ball.

We are pleased to have Barry as the first gentleman of the conference and our preacher for Saturday night.

The Rev Vance P. Ross presently serves as Director of Annual Conference Relationships for Discipleship Ministries, formerly GBOD. He connects the agency with annual conference leaders for the purpose of building and strengthening the core process of disciple making in local church ministries.

From 2011 to 2015 Ross served as Senior Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church, an urban church of 1100 members. The congregation’s worship attendance increased from 200 to 340 in less than four years.  Over 100 persons joined the congregation. Gordon was cited by Discipleship Ministry’s Romans 12 project for its “Big Events” evangelistic outreach to the community.   

Ross served on the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) Leadership Team from 2004-2011 as its first ever Deputy General Secretary after serving as Associate General Secretary for the Discipleship Ministries Unit from 2004-2008. 

From 1998-2004 Pastor Ross served the First United Methodist Church, Hyattsville, MD. He led this 1300 member multicultural church: 6 consecutive years of attendance from 337 to 484 average attendance; from 1 to over 15 weekly bible studies; multicultural staff growth; a 2^nd campus; English as a second language classes; Spanish language worship celebration.

          A native of Bluefield, WV, Ross has the B. A. degree, Government/Youth Services from West Virginia Wesleyan College. He is an honor graduate of Gammon Seminary (ITC) with the M.Div. degree. In 2015, he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary.

Ross has received numerous honors and awards, including the Copher/Branch Old Testament Award and the Isaac R. Clark Preaching Award at the ITC which he received twice. He twice received Vision Awards from the Convocation of Black Churches (United Methodist). Ross received Man of the Year Award at Simpson Church, a servant leader award at Clark Memorial Church, Nashville, and a Citizen’s Award from Hyattsville, MD city council.

He is married to the Rev. Bridgette D. Young Ross, Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Life at Emory University, Atlanta, GA.  He has three adult children: Kristina, Alyssa and Bryant, and two grandchildren, Christopher and Jaylie.