Mike Ballman

Community Advocate and Pastor of Cornerstone Community/Plymouth Bethesda Church

Reverend Mike Ballman, pastor of Cornerstone Community/Plymouth Bethesda Church since 2003 has worked to create a more just community in the heart of Utica by working to eliminate barriers to employment, affordable housing, emergency shelter and healthy nutrition for Oneida Square residents.  

He is passionate about incorporating the arts to build a community of empathy and service to care for the growing unhoused population in Utica. The outreach and advocacy efforts through the church community for the unhoused include a podcast, Home Street, Home, to tell the stories of those exiled to the streets, a foot-washing ministry to provide foot care and basic medical screening for the unhoused, weekly nutrition, hygiene, laundry and clothing services, and SPARK, a mosaic, sculpture, and painting program.

His love for community service often extends beyond his neighborhood: he has served as a professor of religion and philosophy for refugee students at Houghton College Utica; the Chaplain of the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League; and he is a Chaplain in the United States Army Reserves. 

 He loves riding bikes, swimming and traveling with his wife, Pam, son Noah and labradoodle, Artie.