Meet Robin Woodberry, deacon-in-charge at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Rev. Dr. Robin Woodberry is the deacon-in-charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Canton.

She was licensed as a minister in the Baptist tradition in March 1995 and ordained in June 2005 at New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown. She was ordained as a transitional deacon in the Episcopal Church on May 28, 2022, and is preparing for ordination to the priesthood this year.

Woodberry and her husband Anthony of 37 years have five children: LaKleesha, Anthony, Shana, Jeremy and Aaron. Son Jacob is deceased. She also has six grandchildren: Shanell, Will, Warren, Desiree, Xavier and Yiovanni, and a granddog named Jada.

Her educational career consists of graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown; the Southern Bible Institute & Seminary, Augusta, Georgia; and Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. She is taking two semesters of Old and New Testament Biblical Interpretation at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago.

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Woodberry hopes that sharing her philosophies and teachings will help others participate in changing the world for the better.

“In the Episcopal Church, we have a saying, 'Love God, Love Neighbor, Change the World,' this may seem simple, but it is powerful if applied to our lives,” she said. “Our love for God calls us into a place of holy function on this earth and leads us into ways of creation care, evangelism, social justice, discipleship, and community presence, all of which lead us in ways to love our neighbor.

“As we walk in the ways of God and seek to be God’s hands, feet, and voice in the world through loving our neighbor, the world will automatically become better. I genuinely believe in trying to live out the golden rule and treat others the way I want to be treated. If we could all put forth that principle in even the slightest way, oh what a change we would experience!”

Why did you decide to become a minister?

Honestly, it wasn’t my choice. I wanted to be a nurse by profession.

However, it was God who had other plans for me. My move into ministry came out of the spiritual pull I felt and could no longer ignore. Peace in my life came when I finally said, yes to the Lord.

What important lessons did you learn from your mother’s ministry that you carry with you today?

One lesson is to never give up. I watched my mother experience such a high level of sexism in the church, but she never let that deter her from doing what she knew God had asked of her through service and ministry.

Another lesson is to remain humble. My mother always served people with a servant’s heart. She was never gaudy, prideful, or treated others as being beneath her. And it was that type of servant-leadership that helped shape me as a minister today.

What message do you hope to convey to your children and grandchildren?

Make God the center of your life. When God is the center, then everything else around can be connected to Him. Family, career, faith, community, etc. As long as God remains the center of our focus, then we can connect all the other facets of our life to Him.

I’ve heard it said, “The safest place in the whole world is in the will of God.” Our will can get us in trouble or take us places we don’t need to be, but knowing you’re in the will of God, allows you to do things and go places you would not ordinarily do and go. Trusting in what God is doing in your life gives you the foothold necessary to keep moving forward.

I was 50 years old, leaving a faith tradition I have been a part of all my life. I left 20-plus years of ministry, Gospel music, which I love, a familiar style of worship, and some theological understandings to go in an entirely new and different direction. I was only able to do that because I knew it was God’s will and that gave me the boldness to take those steps and make those changes.

What are your goals for the St. Paul’s church family?

We have about 65 members. Like all houses of worship, our congregation has taken a hit from COVID. We lost members, and others have opted not to return physically but join us online.

One goal is to help restore the joy of the congregants. Over the last five years, between the pandemic and changes in spiritual leadership, the people of St. Paul’s began to lose their joy as individuals and as a church community.

I want to help bring them back to a place where they can laugh, and feel alive, hopeful, and purposeful again. I want their joy as God’s people to be restored and to no longer feel like those who have been forsaken or forgotten.

Another goal is to help reconnect St. Paul’s to the community. Again, the pandemic took its toll on the church regarding connectivity. We are working to rebuild those connections and make lots of new ones.

I probably should make growing the church in numbers a goal, but honestly, I believe that as we grow in our spiritual lives as God’s children and commit to serving in the community, it will grow the church. Maybe not in large numbers of bodies in the pews, which we of course would love to see, but growing people in their relationship and commitment to God.

If we can do that, I believe fruit will be produced in many different ways.

What do you consider the favorite/least favorite things about your career?

My favorite thing is being able to guide people in their spirituality and help them deepen their relationship with God.

My least favorite is the business aspect of the church such as budget planning, policies, procedures, etc. I know that it all must be done because we have a building and financial responsibilities, but it is not very exciting or fun.

Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five questions with Robin Woodberry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church