Leading Kansas East woman dies in car crash
by Yvette Moore*
Distinguished Kansas East Conference United Methodist Women member Barbara Scott and her husband Bill died in a car accident outside Belleville, Kan., Aug. 8. Ms. Scott was known nationally as a leader in Kansas area United Methodist Women's ministry with incarcerated women and their families. In 2001 she spearheaded creation of Women Helping Women Inside, a United Methodist Women unit at the Topeka Correction Facility, fulfilling her 19-year dream.
"Barb was so much more than just a volunteer who came into the prison; she was our mentor," said Lorna Moore, a charter member of the prison unit who was released from jail in 2007 and continues to serve with the Hutchinson District United Methodist Women. "She helped us realize our potential. If you were an inmate, and you had taken from society, the opportunity to give back means so much. It completely changed my life. She was a phenomenal woman and will be missed greatly."
Ms. Scott was a lifelong member of United Methodist Women, accompanying her mother and grandmother to Women's Society of Christian Service meetings as a child and later serving in almost every office of the United Methodist Women unit at Shawnee Heights United Methodist Church in Shawnee, Kan., where she was a member. Ms. Scott was the immediate past president of Kansas East Conference United Methodist Women and assistant dean-elect for the conference's 2009 School of Christian Mission.
"On behalf of the Women's Division and United Methodist Women, I extend my deepest sympathy to the Scott family and to all those who mourn the loss of Barbara and Bill," said Harriet Jane Olson, Women's Division deputy general secretary. "Barbara was a leader in United Methodist Women. She was a compassionate leader whom many counted as a friend. She lived her leadership not as a position, but in sharing her life and supporting and challenging others...'inside' and 'outside.' Thank you, Barbara. You are our heroine."
*Yvette Moore is an executive secretary for communications for the Women's Division.
Date posted: Aug. 20, 2008
