Everyone is welcome!
God Loves You,
No Exceptions
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Ave. SW
Canton, OH 44702
Sunday services 10:30 a.m.
A look back at Holy Week at St. Paul's
Our observance of the three-day Christian passover began Thursday night with an Agape meal and Maundy Thursday service. It's a meal of love modeled after Christ's Last Supper and includes the humbling act of washing feet. The service concluded with the stripping of the altar as Music Director Edward Grimes chanted Psalm 22 and we left in darkness and silence.
We continued on Good Friday with Stations of the Cross at noon and then were blessed to share our evening service with our spritual and literal neighbors from Crossroads United Methodist Church. Highlights of the service included the anthem "The Cross Was His to Bear" by Patti Drennan -- blending the voices of both choirs -- a reading of the ancient Solemn Collects, and a narrated Passion reading Saturday is a time of more individual reflection, and here is a prayer offered by the Episcopal Church for Holy Saturday: O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so may we await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. All of this helps us prepare for the return of the hallelujahs as we we gather Easter morning at 10:30 a.m. to celebrate the depth and breadth of God's love. Remembering Hilary's lilt, smile and love of St. Paul'sThe Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. On Wednesday, Dame Sarah Mullally was formally installed as the archbishop, the first woman to earn the role since it was established in 597 A.D.
Roll up your sleeves, dig in and have fun: St. Paul's needs your TLCBy Linda Heitger, Junior Warden
With photos by David Rotthoff St. Paul’s physical structure 103 years old with even our new addition now nearing 70. After our “Three Hour Tour” of the building on Saturday March 7, we’ve observed that there are a number of things that need to have some old-fashioned Spring Cleaning! It is going to take ALL of us to accomplish this!! Here are some first steps: Tuesday April 7: I will take all of the choir robes on the first floor and second floor to the laundromat and wash them. I will bring them back to the church at 12:30 p.m. and we will need help organizing and storing the clean choir robes. If you have a favorite robe, please take it home and wash it so that it will not be misplaced by our organizing!!! Saturday April 11 at 10:30 am At the beginning of our tour, Rick Enslin challenged me to show him a place in the building that he has not seen before. I met his challenge by showing him the sexton’s closet in the basement. As you can see in the picture the closet needs organizing and cleaning. So join us at 10:30 a.m. to clean and organize the room. Thursday April 16: 12:30 I will take all of the vestments from the Acolyte Room to the laundromat and will need help organizing and storing the clean vestments. If you have a favorite vestment please take them home and clean them so they will not be misplaced. Saturday April 18 at 10:30 We will meet to clean and organize:
We have many brown table chairs with rips and holes in them. They are in the Community Room. If anyone would like to purchase one or more of them, please let me know. We have contacted Restore to see if we could donate them. They will not take them due to the rips, so we’ll be taking them to Slesnick’s to recycle them. I am unsure of the date but will let everyone know. Throughout our tour, we discerned that there are many things gathered at St. Paul’s that we do not use. We will gather and put them in the Guild Hall so everyone can see them. You’re welcome to purchase the items. If no one wants them, we will be creating a committee to discern how to sell them. (eBay, Market Place etc.) If anyone has the talent to use eBay and or Market Place, please let me know. Date to be determined. Building and Grounds Committee St. Paul’s needs of people who love this beautiful building and are willing to help keep it that way. I would love to set up a meeting of anyone interested, but I don’t know what day/time would work for people. Please let me know if you are interested and Iwill also be contacting people who have suggested to me. Thank you to everyone who has been very supportive of the ideas that I have had. Father Alan Cowart (our discernment consultant) has asked the Discernment Committee :“If we did not have this building, what would bring us together to share in God’s Love? What would be our purpose?” We have been gifted with this building and it is our responsibility to care for it and to make sure that it is being used to spread God’s love. Junior Warden Linda Heitger [email protected] The Diocese is coming to Canton and everyone is invited
Learn more about the spiritual, missionary and leadership aspects of the Episcopal Church.
Registration is now open for the Diocese of Ohio’s first-ever regional gathering and everyone is invited. The three-day get-together of churches throughout the Diocese will be May 28, 29 and 30, beginning at St. Paul’s Akron, then coming to St. Paul’s Canton and ending at Christ Church Hudson. You can register for part of one day, all of the three days or anything in between. Here’s an outline of the workshops and other sessions. Thursday, May 28 at St. Paul’s, Akron Noonday Prayer Parish Administrators Session, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Diocesan Staff Office Hours, 2:30-5 p.m. Individual bookings with diocesan staff. Dinner, 5-6 p.m. Gather in fellowship to eat and grow in relationship with one another. A Conversation with Bishop Jolly, 6-7:30 p.m. Join Bishop Jolly for an open, thoughtful conversation about the life of our church and the future of the Diocese of Ohio. Camp, Faith & Friendship, 6-7:30 p.m. (ages 0-18). Experience a taste of summer camp fun with the team of Bellwether Farm! Compline, 7:30-8 p.m. Friday, May 29 at St. Paul’s, Canton Noonday Prayer Warden Luncheon, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Foster connection and share encouragement and wisdom. Diocesan Staff Office Hours, 2:30-5 p.m. Individual bookings with diocesan staff. Spiritual Practices to Deepen Beloved Community and Strengthen Our Faith Communities, 6-7:30 p.m. This intergenerational session will help faith communities explore what connecting more deeply with neighbors can look like. Compline, 7:30-8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 30 at Christ Church, Hudson Morning Prayer, 9-9:30 a.m. Creating Missional Communities Workshop, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Consider the people around us who choose not to participate in church; how we understand Missional Communities in the Diocese of Ohio, and how these ministries relate to established faith communities. Worship Leader Training, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. For lay members who regularly lead public worship under the direction of clergy or other leader with oversight of a congregation or faith community. Finance Roundtable, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Providing tools and contacts to support accurate, confident financial reporting. Lunch, 12-12:30 p.m. Beloved Community: All Are Welcome Training, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Explore authentic welcome, based in our identity as children of God and followers of Jesus. Every member of our faith communities is essential to making all welcome. Deacons and Missional Communities Workshop, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Workshop for all deacons, aspirants, and people curious about the diaconate. Stewardship Workshop, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Explore stewardship beyond budgets and campaigns as a spiritual practice and a shared expression of gratitude and care for God’s gifts. Holy Eucharist and Regional Confirmation, 3-4 p.m. Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Come and walk-about St. Paul's
Saturday March 7, 2026, 3 p.m.
Junior Warden Linda Heitger is inviting everyone with knowledge and love of our building over the years to join her for a walk-about next Saturday, March 7, at 3 p.m. This includes junior wardens, members of Building and Grounds committees and many more. The walk-about is crucial as we discern and prepare for our future and sketch a comprehensive picture of what TLC our physical structure needs and all that our building can be. This is especially important as St. Paul’s prepares to host a regional gathering of the Diocese of Ohio on Friday, May 29. 
St. Paul's leadership team:
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Rejoice with us!
WEEKLY
AA and NA meetings are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in the community room and library. Sunday, April 19 Third Sunday of Easter, Holy Eucharist, 10:30 a.m. and Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church anniversary celebration with three choirs, 3 p.m., 1403 13th St. SE, Canton, OH Monday, April 20 Vestry meeting via Zoom, 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 Bible study in the library, 10 a.m. Thursday, April 26 Choir rehearal, 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary Saturday, April 25 SWAN neighborhood beatification and HOT lunch with our neighbors 
The Episcopal Church has a rich legacy of inclusion aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being. Further, we believe that the gifts of God are expressed by all people in our church, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We believe that God loves us all – no exceptions.
Discernment Prayer
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The joy of celebrating Easter and Baptism
Photos by David Rotthoff
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Presiding Bishop Rowe's Easter Message
"The long-awaited Messiah fashioned himself not as a political conqueror but as a peacemaker. Our Savior upended notions of worldly power by taking on the role of a servant and washing the feet of his followers. For Jesus, the vulnerable and the marginalized are in focus, and his ears are attuned to their voices."
Bishop Sean Rowe 
Dear Friends in Christ:
Luke’s Gospel tells us that on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Joanna went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. When they got there, the stone had been rolled away, and they heard the message that transformed their world—and ours: “He is not here. He is risen.” On that Easter morning, the women who had been the last protectors and pastors at the cross on Good Friday became the first to witness and proclaim the resurrection. Scripture tells us, however, that their good news was not met with joy. The news that Jesus had risen from the dead was received as an idle tale, as nonsense—in one dynamic translation, as nothing more than women’s trinkets. In the fraught and divided world in which these first evangelists lived, they were on the margins, and their word counted for nothing. How quickly the apostles forgot what Jesus had modeled days before on Palm Sunday and at the Last Supper. The long-awaited Messiah fashioned himself not as a political conqueror but as a peacemaker. Our Savior upended notions of worldly power by taking on the role of a servant and washing the feet of his followers. For Jesus, the vulnerable and the marginalized are in focus, and his ears are attuned to their voices. As we proclaim the resurrection in our own time and place, let us always remember that the kingdom of God is revealed to us most clearly by those who are dispossessed by the powers and principalities of this world. Let us celebrate the joy of Easter by seeking and serving the resurrected Christ in the lives and the witness of those who have been silenced, persecuted, and marginalized. May God bless you and all those you love this Easter. The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church |
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W. Canton, OH 44702-1625 Our secretary, Peggy, remains in the office Monday thru Thursday 8:00-Noon. There are no office hours on Fridays. The office email is [email protected]; and you may leave a message on the phone voicemail (330)455-0286 Welcome to St. Paul's,
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A rare and joyous day
Clergy, congregants, family and other well-wishers pack St. Paul's to celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Robin Woodberry
Clergy, congregants, family and other well-wishers pack St. Paul's to celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Robin Woodberry
Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr. presents newly ordained priest, the Rev. Robin Woodberry to a crowd of nearly 200 at St. Paul's Saturday morning (June 3). Rev. Woodberry is the fifth generation of pastors in her family and her mother, Gena Thornton, delivered the homily. Rev. Woodberry's husband, Anthony, helped her don her priestly vestments. Photo by David Rotthoff.
Clergy from different denominations and throughout the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio gathered with Bishop Hollingsworth for the laying on of hands during the Rev. Woodberry's ordination. Photo by David Rotthoff
Nearly 200 people gathered at St. Paul's Saturday morning to celebrate the consecration of the Rev. Robin Woodberry to the priesthood.
Robin's service of ordination is the last planned by Bishop Mark Hollingworth Jr., who is retiring. Celebrating with him were clergy from differing denominations and from throughout Ohio, including Robin's mother, the Rev. Gena Thornton, who delivered the homily. Robin is the fifth generation of women clergy in her family.
They were joined by family, friends, congregants and friends of St. Paul's and of Robin's. The choirs of three churches -- St. Paul's, St. Timothy's Massillon and Christ Church Hudson -- joined together for the service with works including "The Work of Love," an original piece composed by Andrew Bolden for the day.
Robin has been deacon-in-charge at St. Paul's since last summer, following her ordination as a transitional deacon, a step toward the priesthood. A native of Youngstown, she was licensed a minister in the Baptist tradition in 1995 and ordained 10 years later at New Bethel Baptist Church. She holds a doctor of ministry degree from the Southern Bible Institute and Seminary in Augusta, Ga. She is the former nominating chairperson for the National Board of Church Women United and executive director of the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
She became a member of the Episcopal Church in 2017, and began her seminary studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. She has completed her studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago, has been elected to the Episcopal Community Services Committee and serves on the church’s Commission for Racial Understanding.
Here is message from the Rev. Robin Woodberry, St. Paul's new priest-in-charge
There will never be enough words to say how completely grateful and thankful I am to each one who has been a part of this journey. Whether you played a role at the beginning, in the middle, or in the last few weeks, I would not be here today if it were not for you. I thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, your spiritual direction, and your love. To my family who has given the most so that I could do what God was asking of me, thank you for your sacrifice of love! I give honor to my ancestors and the four generations of ministers on whose shoulders I stand.
To my husband Anthony, we had no idea what we were in for when we got married 37 years ago, but God did. I could not have served in ministry had you not been there with me. I praise God for you! To the Ordination Committee who pulled together such a memorable occasion in such a short time, thank you!
And, to this great St. Paul’s family, God heard your prayers, brought us together, and set us on a path to do great and mighty things, in Jesus’ Name!
I love you all, Robin.
Robin's service of ordination is the last planned by Bishop Mark Hollingworth Jr., who is retiring. Celebrating with him were clergy from differing denominations and from throughout Ohio, including Robin's mother, the Rev. Gena Thornton, who delivered the homily. Robin is the fifth generation of women clergy in her family.
They were joined by family, friends, congregants and friends of St. Paul's and of Robin's. The choirs of three churches -- St. Paul's, St. Timothy's Massillon and Christ Church Hudson -- joined together for the service with works including "The Work of Love," an original piece composed by Andrew Bolden for the day.
Robin has been deacon-in-charge at St. Paul's since last summer, following her ordination as a transitional deacon, a step toward the priesthood. A native of Youngstown, she was licensed a minister in the Baptist tradition in 1995 and ordained 10 years later at New Bethel Baptist Church. She holds a doctor of ministry degree from the Southern Bible Institute and Seminary in Augusta, Ga. She is the former nominating chairperson for the National Board of Church Women United and executive director of the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
She became a member of the Episcopal Church in 2017, and began her seminary studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. She has completed her studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago, has been elected to the Episcopal Community Services Committee and serves on the church’s Commission for Racial Understanding.
Here is message from the Rev. Robin Woodberry, St. Paul's new priest-in-charge
There will never be enough words to say how completely grateful and thankful I am to each one who has been a part of this journey. Whether you played a role at the beginning, in the middle, or in the last few weeks, I would not be here today if it were not for you. I thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, your spiritual direction, and your love. To my family who has given the most so that I could do what God was asking of me, thank you for your sacrifice of love! I give honor to my ancestors and the four generations of ministers on whose shoulders I stand.
To my husband Anthony, we had no idea what we were in for when we got married 37 years ago, but God did. I could not have served in ministry had you not been there with me. I praise God for you! To the Ordination Committee who pulled together such a memorable occasion in such a short time, thank you!
And, to this great St. Paul’s family, God heard your prayers, brought us together, and set us on a path to do great and mighty things, in Jesus’ Name!
I love you all, Robin.
Above: During the litany, then-Deacon Woodberry lies full length and face down on the floor as a gesture of humility and devotion. Right: Bishop Hollingsworth offers the prayers of consecration, which include: "May she exalt you, O Lord, in the midst of your people; offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to you; boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation; and rightly administer the
sacraments of the New Covenant. Make her a faithful pastor, a patient teacher, and a wise
counselor. Grant that in all things she may serve without reproach, so that your people
may be strengthened and your Name glorified in all the world. All this we ask through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for
ever and ever." Photo by David Rotthoff
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Among those participating in the ordination were the Rev. Gena Thornton, Robin's mother (left rear), and Maureen Woods Major and Jon Coventry (right rear), whose own journey to the priesthood began at St. Paul's. Photo by David Rotthoff
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To view the entire service, click on this Facebook link.
For more images of the day and information on ordination, go to the "more" tab or click here.
For more images of the day and information on ordination, go to the "more" tab or click here.
