Pastor Barbara Blom: From the slopes to the pulpit

Although born in Holland, Barbara (Barb) Blom moved to Binghamton, New York with her parents, Robert and Jean, when she was three years old. From then until now, Barb’s life has been an incredible journey that ultimately brought her to the Groton Community Church, United Church of Christ (GCC), 204 E. Cortland St., to fill the pastoral vacancy that was left when Pastor Chris and Valorie Xenakis retired more than a year ago. 

Initially, Barb served as a guest preacher at GCC for about a year but was called to be its pastor the week prior to Easter this past April. Hearing the story of how and why Barb became a minister was both riveting and sobering.

Robert was born in Holland, and Jean was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Both were medical doctors, and they met one another in Canada. Robert purchased a medical practice in Binghamton and moved his wife and daughter there. Before long, Barb’s sister, Tish, and her brother, Robbie, were added to the family.  

Barb graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1978 but spent her sophomore year at Almelo High School in Holland.  

“I was incredibly homesick,” Barb said, “but it was still a great time! I ice skated on the Holland canals, took a ski trip to Switzerland and picked tulip bulbs in the spring for a company that sold them.” 

All through high school, Barb was a ski instructor at Greek Peak, a job she continued when she went on to Wells College. She loved skiing and playing tennis and did a great deal of both throughout high school and college. 

“I liked to read, and I liked history, so I earned my bachelor’s degree in American Studies in 1982,” Barb said, “but my real goal in life was to teach skiing.” 

Barb ended up doing just that in Vermont, Colorado and West Virginia over a number of years until she attended a wedding in Ithaca in the late 1980s. She ended up staying in the area and returned to teaching at Greek Peak. 

During the summers, Barb worked for Walter Dyer on the Commons – a store that sold Birkenstock sandals and other leather goods – which she purchased when the owner retired. She enjoyed it very much for the next four years until her life took a drastic turn.  

“Robbie was killed by a drunk driver in 1990, just six weeks after his wedding,” Barb explained. “His best man and both [men’s] wives were in the car when the other car struck them. Robbie and the best man were both killed.” 

The aftermath from that incident was difficult for the whole family, particularly Robert, who was already struggling with what Barb described as “his demons from the Holocaust,” as well as having concerns about the Gulf War, which had just begun.  

“All of that and then the death of Robbie caused my father to take his own life,” Barb said.  

Through all of her own personal pain, Barb was grateful for the presence in her life of her best friend from childhood, KD, with whom she had remained friends into adulthood.  

“She was my rock,” Barb said, “but then five years to the day after my father [died], KD was walking down the road with her two younger sons when a car struck and killed all three of them.” 

As Barb began to adjust after that, she said she started taking an interest in ministry and began attending the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca. 

“I came late and left early because I didn’t want to talk to anyone,” Barb said. “One Sunday the minister was not preaching, and he came and sat next to me. He never said a word, but that was just what I needed.” 

After that, Barb started getting involved with religious education and leading the youth group, which opened up another avenue for her – substitute teaching – which she did in Trumansburg for two years. She was still skiing as often as she could! 

Barb told absolutely no one, but she started attending Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. She said she figured if she didn’t tell anyone, she could still change her mind.  

“I started seminary on a beautiful September day – September 11, 2001,” Barb said. “I opened my Bible in class for the first time in a long time at 8:30 a.m., and at 8:45 a.m. the Twin Towers fell. That was significant.” 

Barb earned her Master of Divinity in 2004, was still skiing, and pastored churches in Cortland, Preble and then Spencer, until that church closed two years ago. 

“Somewhere in there, I became a foster parent for teenage girls,” Barb said. “Girls are fun, but always drama, so then I switched to boys. I adopted two of them, Brandon and Dylan, in 2003. I was also caring for my mother, who lived with me for five years before she passed away.” 

KD had lived in Aurora and Barb always loved it there, so she moved there. One day she saw a television program about unaccompanied refugee minors, which was part of the foster parenting program through Catholic Charities in Syracuse. As a result, she now has three Afghan refugees living with her.  

After the church in Spencer had closed and Barb was living in Aurora, she began pastoring at the United Ministry of Aurora, which is a blended Episcopal and Presbyterian church.  

“I still pastor there as well as here at GCC,” Barb explained. “I preach in Aurora on the first, third, and fifth Sundays, and at GCC on the second and fourth. It works quite well because we have guest preachers in both places in between.” 

Barb said that people seem to like the different perspectives of the guest preachers, but she also emphasized that the whole approach is “a new way of being the church – not just focused on Sunday morning.” 

“We want to be Christ’s eyes, ears, hands and feet in the community the best we can,” Barb said. “When you reach out to help someone in need, you forget about your own troubles and get something in return.” 

Barb, who is just getting to know the GCC congregation, said, “They are lovely. They care, are compassionate and want to serve.” She looks forward to getting to know others in the community. She is in Groton every Tuesday, but not always in the office if she is out and about.  

If anyone would like to reach Barb, her email is revbarbe@gmail.com. She would also like the community to know that she is always available to preside over weddings or funerals and that people do not need to be part of GCC for her to serve in those ways.    

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.

In brief: 

Budget vote and BOE candidates 

Voting on the Groton Central School District budget and Board of Education candidates will be held from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 16 in the district office, 400 Peru Rd.  

On the ballot you will find:  

Proposition #1: Budget 

The Board of Education of the Groton Central School District is hereby authorized to expend the sum set forth of $25,801,249 for the purpose of operating the school district for the 2023-2024 school year and to levy the necessary tax on the taxable property of said school district therefore. 

Proposition #2: Transportation Reserve 

The Board of Education of the Groton Central School District is hereby authorized to establish a Transportation Reserve Fund pursuant to Section 3651 of the Education law with a ceiling amount of $2,000,000 for the purpose of purchasing EV buses and/or related supporting infrastructure equipment commencing in the 2027-28 school year. 

It is important to note that the district does not intend to purchase EV buses until the 2027-28 school year. This proposition is intended to prepare for that mandated expenditure by establishing a reserve (savings) fund now. 

Also on the ballot will be candidates for the Board of Education. There are four individuals running for three available seats: Sophia Darling (incumbent), Kristin Prugh (incumbent), Casandra Shurtleff and Seth Walpole.  

Visit grotoncs.org for the full scope of the budget and an in-depth listing of the free summer enrichment programs for students provided by the 21st Century Community Learning Grant and ARP-ESSER funds. 

Library news  

Baby Doll Circle Time is story time at the Groton Public Library (GPL) at 12:30 p.m. every Thursday from May 11 through May 25. Parents, caregivers and children up to five years old are invited to come to play and meet new families and friends. Older siblings are welcome, too.    

A free Cricut class will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 13 with Pat Berry and Tammy McDougal. Visitors may try out the GPL Cricut and see how the design software works.

The GPL Board policy meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 17. The meeting will be open to the public and will entail a discussion of the collection development policy.   

The GPL Book Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 18. The current book is “Educated” by Tara Westover.
For more information on any GPL offerings, call 607-898-5055 or email director@grotonpubliclibrary.org.