Bettie L. Barta loves music and Unity. She entered her first Unity Center at age 4, and when her parents started going to the nearby Church of Christ, Scientist, she insisted they drop her off at Unity Truth Center. Somewhere around age 13 she started singing at Unity as a substitute soloist. She has an exceptional soprano voice, which has opened doors for her throughout her life. She sang with the Big Bands and on radio during WWII, joined Phi Beta and performed throughout the Midwest.
Rev. Charles Roth came to Unity Truth Center, Indianapolis, in 1956, Bettie was the Secretary of the Board and substitute soloist and Sunday School teacher; and they became acquaintances. Then one day, after her three children were in school, she took a part-time job as office assistant at the Center. Soon she and Charles were in regular discussions about Truth, life and human behavior. One day Rev. Charles Roth had a wedding to officiate, when a sudden funeral for a member was scheduled for the same time. Being that someone ordained had to perform the wedding, he asked Bettie to perform the funeral after giving her a crash course. This began her work as a teacher and later ordained minister in Unity. She has lectured/taught at many Unity Centers throughout the Midwest, served on a Conflict Management Team, as an office of professional and social/community organizations.
Having produced the “Unity Viewpoint” for Rev. Roth, it was quite natural for her to pick the show up and continue with her own show, first called “Unity In You” then the “Unity Viewpoint”; it airs on WICR 88.7 Sundays at 8:30 a.m. and streams to the web at wicr.uindy.edu. In 1998 she started Unity North, after retiring from the downtown center, to serve those who were abandoned by the closing of Unity in Carmel (IN). Today she teaches, counsels, officiates, and guides congregants and friends alike. And always with a song.
Contact Rev. Bettie Barta: