Helen Mcalerney Barth

Helen McAlerney Barth, of Bristol, IN, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Monday, February 27, 2017, at 6:08 am ET. She passed from death to eternal life, at the age of 98, at Goshen Hospital while surrounded by her family’s presence, love, and the songs which were so dear to her heart.

She was born Helen Lillian McAlerney, on November 3, 1918, in Moline, Illinois to Claude A. and Iva (Day) McAlerney. On May 20, 1944 she married Rev. Reinhold Alexander Barth, at Moody Church, in Chicago, IL, with over 1,750 guests in attendance.

She is survived by a sister, Frances Jean McAlerney, and 3 children, including 2 sons, Dr. Timothy (Bona) Barth, of Ann Arbor, MI, and Stephen Marc, of Atlanta, Georgia; one daughter Sharon Schaubert, of Bristol, IN; three grandchildren, Bethany Schaubert (Jonathan) Wesco of Goshen, Christine Schaubert of Bristol, and Benjamin (Carrie) Barth of Okemos, MI; and four great-grandchildren, Jonathan Daniel Wesco II, Michael Alexander Wesco, and Matthew David Wesco, of Granger, IN, and Macrina Barth of Okemos, MI.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Reinhold Barth, her parents, and her only brother, Paul McAlerney.

From Helen’s earliest memories, she loved to sing and, as a preschooler, she would often sing along with the old family Victrola. Helen Barth started her musical career as a Blues singer in a dance orchestra, providing entertainment in minstrel shows through the YWCA, as well as performing for sororities, dances, and benefit banquets, along with her own weekly fifteen-minute broadcast in the Quad-Cities.

During her years as a Blues singer, her chief passion was working with children who aimlessly wandered the city streets.  In her free time, she would teach them Bible stories, sing songs with them, and provide them with craft activities.

Desiring to go full time with the YWCA, she pursued further education at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, where she became a Christian Education student in the fall of 1939. During freshmen orientation, she heard young ladies share their testimonies of how they had come to know Christ as their personal Savior. God spoke to her heart through their vibrant testimonies and, for the first time, she realized the weight of her own sin and her need to know Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing.  A few nights later, she knelt by her bed, confessed her sin and, by grace through faith, received Christ as her personal Savior.

"The Lord gave me a new song; a song of peace and praise, of grace and gladness," is how she expressed her new-found faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  From that time on, she devoted her mellow contralto voice to communicate the Gospel of Christ through sacred song, a ministry which on six occasions took her to many European countries, as well as coast to coast in the United States and Canada.

While at Moody Bible Institute, she was invited to sing in the ensemble over WMBI, their Flagship station, and was later asked to join WMBI as a staff soloist.  Following her graduation from Moody in 1942, Helen continued as staff soloist at WMBI.  In those days, all the programs were broadcast live and Helen had several 15-minute solo-time programs.  She and George Beverly Shea also sang songs by request on the Shut-In Hour and the Birthday Hour.

On Aunt Theresa’s KYB (Know Your Bible) Club program, which was aired every Sunday on WMBI, Helen became known to children all over the greater Chicago area as “The Singing Lady”.  Throughout her years as a gospel singer, Helen was best known for her signature song, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” Other songs for which she is fondly remembered are, “Constantly Abiding” and “He Giveth More Grace.”

Though Helen loved to sing, she was first and foremost a loving wife to her husband and a wonderful mother to her three children. She served joyfully, for almost forty-five years, alongside of her husband, first as a pastor’s wife in Dowagiac and Kalamazoo, Michigan, and also in Chicago, IL.

In 1946, at the invitation of Alfred B. Smith, she began making gospel recordings.  Her 22 LP albums, which included four children’s records, have had a worldwide ministry.  On two occasions, the National Evangelical Film Foundation bestowed Christian Oscars on Helen for having been chosen the “Best Woman Gospel Singer” and for producing the “Best Children’s Album”.

From 1950 to 1955, Helen served with her husband overseas under the auspices of Youth for Christ International as a missionary to Germany. Throughout the 1960’s and into the 1980’s, Helen and her husband served the Lord together in an itinerant evangelistic ministry.  Her lovely voice and sincere interpretation of hymns and Gospel songs caused her to be much in demand as a soloist at sacred concerts, city-wide crusades, Bible Conferences, and local churches across the United States.

In 1997, Helen and her husband moved to Bristol, IN, to be closer to their daughter and granddaughters. Three years later, at the age of 81, Helen was crowned the 2000 Senior Fair Queen at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair!  There she had the opportunity to sing, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”, on Senior Citizen’s Day.

This wonderful experience as the Elkhart County Senior Fair Queen opened the door for her to travel and sing once again throughout the Midwest, East, and as far as the southern tip of Florida, with her daughter and granddaughters.  Together they were known as “The King’s Daughters”, three generations united in heart and harmony ministering in church services, Mother-Daughter banquets, sacred and holiday concerts, as well as in retirement homes and nursing homes.  Her final concert with her family was a Christmas Concert given at the Hillcrest Baptist Church in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Helen’s beautiful voice can still be heard daily over the local BBN (Bible Broadcasting Network) station, at 89.9 on the radio dial as well as on YouTube.  Helen dearly loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Her highest goal in life was to bring Him glory and point others to His saving grace through her life and music.

Visitation will be Thursday, March 2, 2017 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm ET at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home, 1911 S. Main St., Goshen, IN., and one hour prior to the 1 p.m. funeral, Friday, March 3, 2017 at Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Bible Broadcasting Network and World Missionary Press.