If you sit in the old sanctuary of Richmond United Methodist Church, you can hear the old clock ticking in the back, the wind blowing through the eaves and you can almost imagine hearing the squeak of Martin Luther “Num” Ball’s shoes. Except he passed away in 1935, and it’s now the memory of Num’s contribution to the community and church that lives on. Num was born a slave in 1856, the son of Lucinda, a slave owned by the Ball family of Lexington. He was five years old when the war broke out. The family were Confederate sympathizers and owned a mansion overlooking the Missouri River. Num helped feed, provide quarters and hide Confederate soldiers in the Ball home. The master of the house, James Ball, died in the August 1861 Battle of Wilson’s Creek. His wife, distraught from the loss of her husband, died soon after. What remained of the Ball family, including young Num, came to live in Richmond with James Ball’s brother, Marion Ball. Num learned the trade of blacksmithing in…