Ruth Groover – She Gave Us a Song

If you have lived in metro-Atlanta in the past fifty or so years and had any relationship with Christian city, Point University, the Western District Missionary Society and a host of other kingdom-related ministries, you no doubt bumped into Ruth Groover. Mrs. Groover died the past Friday morning after a long, fruitful life of service in the kingdom of God.

I first met her (and her late husband Charles) when as a sophomore I started attending Austell Christian Church on Sunday mornings and teaching some in the high school Sunday School class. In every context – whether a local church, an institution like Christian City, and loosely bound fellowship group like the WDMS, Mrs. Groover was engaged in ministry.

Little did I know back in 1971 that her son Eddie would first be one of my professors at ACC as we knew it then, and then a colleague in ministry for decades. I was unable to attend the memorial service Sunday afternoon because of prior commitments, but in conversations (text and email of course!) with Eddie, he shared a copy of words he wrote that Paul Leslie read at the service.

If you’re looking at the site, you know it was created to recognize the lives and contributions of what I call “ordinary saints.” No flags were flown at half-staff this weekend because Ruth Groover died. Our culture is way too self-absorbed to recognize “the ordinary saints” among us. But like others I have written about on this site, from the view point of Kingdom of God economics and values, Ruth Groover was anything but ordinary.

While I could write some important things I noticed about her over the years – Eddie’s words are perfect and he gave me permission to share them.  Here they are:

 A Tribute to Ruth Groover by her son Eddie

She gave us a song.

In fact, she gave us many songs.

My mother was a remarkable woman.

I am biased, of course, but many others tell me the same thing: she was remarkable.

As a little girl, she began singing at evangelistic meetings led by her father.

Before long, she was playing the piano and singing at the same time.

As a teenager, she sang for a time in the antiphonal choir at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta.

Grandpa entertained the thought that his daughter with a heavenly voice would surely qualify for a scholarship at Julliard School of Music.

As it turned out, she never sent an application to Julliard.

She went intead to Atlanta Christian College and, among other things, developed her gifts as a pianist and vocalist.

She was giving serious consideration during her college days to preparing for missionary service in Japan, though the war would have to end first.

But my Dad proposed to her.

She said yes. After a time, I was born, and 2 1/2 years later, Joe was born.

My brother and I spent our earliest years in parsonages, generally right next door to church buildings.

Mom played an upright piano at home ever day, often several times a day.

At the end of the day, she sang a lullaby, “Go to sleepy little baby, go to sleepy little baby . . .”

We grew up hearing Mom play and sing.

Dad would often be singing with her.

After a time, the duet because a quartet.

Mom played and sang at church week after week for decades.

She also taught and led youth groups and routinely worked in church camps.

She was often invoved in community groups – including choral societies.

A bust of Beethoven graced our mantle at home.

A little porcelain bust of Bach – another reminder of Mom’s infectious love of music – was always somewhere in the living room.

Mom was a born leader.

She was a PTA president at least three times, as I recall.

She served as a substitute teacher at Therrell High School.

In the early days of Christian City, she became a trustee.

Later she was the director of the children’s division here.

And, still later, she was doing development work and was administrative assistant of the president and CEO.

All the while, she was volunteering for projects at Atlanta Christian College, playing the piano for Western District Missionary Society meetings, and founding and leading the Georgia Christian Women’s Retreat and the Seniors Retreat.

I wrote most of the obituary that you may have read.

This is one of my best lines in Mom’s obituary: “She found it difficult simply to look on from the sidelines.”

But she was more than a passionate advocate of good causes.

I must come back to it again . . . She gave us a song.

She never stopped.

When she became a resident of Friendship Place in Sparks Inn three years ago at the age of 91 – even until recent months – she played the piano.

Sometimes she sang the words as she played.

Other residents often sang too.

Perhaps it was five or six years ago. 

Mom went to Peachtree Christian Church with Belinda and me on the first Sunday of December to hear the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah.

I heard Mom whisper as the choir was singing The Hallelujah Chorus.

I suspect that only Belinda and I heard Mom sing under her breath these five words: “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!”


Yes, he does!


You gave us a song, Mom, and we’re still singing it.