Since 1964, University Baptist Church has offered the INternational Neighborhood Coffee Hour (InCH),
a weekly opportunity for women from all over the world to gather to socialize, make friends, and improve their English language skills. The program is free, as it has been since its founding, and no pre-registration is required.
Trained and seasoned volunteers lead small groups of women of different levels of proficiency to improve their conversational English skills. For more advanced speakers, ESL and ESOL groups are available. Other volunteers from the church and community provide refreshments and child care for preschool-age children.
The program follows the Ohio State University calendar; INCH meets every Wednesday that the university is in session, from 9:30 to 11:30am.
History
The late Mary Riley, longtime UBC member, founded INCH in the fall of 1963 with the purpose of providing a regular time of fellowship for international women who felt isolated in their new city because of a lack of language skills or because they had young children at home. The original group gathered for conversation, handiwork (e.g., knitting and quilting), and coffee.
Over the years, more than 1,500 women have attended INCH, representing over eighty different countries. Many of them have been the wives of Ohio State students and visiting scholars; others have been immigrants, refugees, the wives of foreign executives, and new citizens of the United States. Currently, around 85 women regularly participate in INCH, and are accompanied by fifteen to twenty infants and toddlers. About twenty volunteers serve them. Wednesday mornings at UBC are lively, to say the least!
Director
Maryann Cheeseman is currently directing our INCH program. Contact the office 614-294-6333 if you are interested in participating in the INCH program either as a student or volunteer.