God Loves You, No Exceptions
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Ave. SW
Canton, OH 44702
Sunday services, 10:30 a.m.
Harken back to Elizabethan worship as St. Paul's celebrates a different kind of service
Today’s service (July 19) is different in several ways from what we’re used to at St. Paul’s.
One is the service itself. The second is the language. And the third is who is officiating and in the pulpit. The service is Morning Prayer, rather than Holy Eucharist. The title of Morning Prayer goes back nearly 500 years to the Book of Common Prayer of 1549, and it once was the primary Sunday service in most Anglican churches throughout the world. It does not include Holy Communion. The language we’re using for today’s service is Rite 1, which reflects the wording (including “thee” and “thou”) and piety of the Elizabethan era and was the language used in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The service’s structure, if not the language, has been updated over the centuries. These days, we’re far more used to the language of Rite 2 from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, though St. Paul’s used Rite 1 for an 8 a.m. service up into the 1990s. Rite 2 puts an emphasis on more inclusive language. Finally, rather than ordained clergy, today’s service is being led by two lay members of St. Paul’s. Douglas Colmery is the officiant and Demetrius Carrothers is the lay preacher. Both are roles that require training and licensing by the Episcopal Church. Demi is on his path to become an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, and Doug has officiated numerous services over the years including during the earliest days of Covid. So, we hope you enjoy the different sound, flow and feel of today’s service as one more way to touch – and be touched by -- God. Registration closes for Courageous Conversation's Canton bus tourBecause of heavy demand, registration is closed for the second annual CCORR Canton bus tour.
Last year, Courageous Conversations on Race Relations launched the counter-clockwise exploration of our city and the philosophies and structures that shaped it will be repeated and upgraded next month. Again, we'll be gathering in the Guild Hall at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, then heading out on a tour bus to see first-hand how barriers such as Route 30 and the largely unfilled promises of jobs slashed through neighborhoods on the south side of the city. We’ll also see how redlining shaped our city in the decades before the highways and factories hollowed out neighborhoods deemed “undesirable.” Our tour guides for the evening will be many of those who lived in once-vibrant neighborhoods and still remember the sounds, sights and bustling activity urban renewal replaced. A bagged dinner from Deli Ohio will be provided and the entire tour is free (though donations are welcome). One way you can helpSt. Paul’s is a downtown church, so we see more clearly than many the impact of poverty on our community. Some of our neighbors approach us directly, asking for cash.
The decision is, of course, your own, but St. Paul’s has another option to help: our discretionary fund. Through this fund, we’ve purchased grocery gift cards and bus passes, shoes and personal care items. We also have an application process for emergency requests for help with items such as utility bills. The fund was created by and is sustained by all of you. Each first Sunday, any loose plate collections go into the fund, and you can contribute specifically to it any time. We also direct bank interest to the account at the end of the year. If you are approached for money, you can refer the person to the senior warden, M.L. Schultze, to assist through the fund. And if you have any questions about it, please ask any Vestry member. Celebrating a new member
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. The Samaritan's love must be lived in this day in every way by us allMt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Eric G. Howard shared an acapella rendition of "Amazing Grace" before preaching on God's grace as lived by the Samaritan.
Monday (Jan. 19), St. Paul's and Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church celebrated their sixth annual service together honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Guest preacher Mt. Olive Pastor Eric G. Howard centered his message on the Biblical story of the Samaritan who helped a man who had been left dead on the side of the road by robbers. Others, including a priest, had crossed the road before him rather than help. The story often is title "The Good Samaritan," Pasator Howard noted, as though the Samaritan was exceptional. Accepting that, he said, allows us to think we're somehow exempt from living a life that reaches out to others, especiallly in this time and this place. "The difference between the Samaritan and the church folks who saw him is that (the Samaritan) had compassion for him. He took pity on him and he treated the victim the way he would want to be treated." And that, Pastor Howard said, is how God's love is manifested. It's the rule, he said, not the exception as we are callled by God. "Our Lord acted. Our Lord moved. And so it makes sense that he would tell us to go and do likewise. ... If we are to be the incarnation of the one who lives within, then let us go and do likewise." The service also included a reflection on Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" by the Rev. Hector McDaniel, president of the Stark County NAACP. "From a jail cell in Birmingham in 1963, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that 'whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly'and that we all must repent not merely for the hateful words and actions of some, but for our own silence. "Lord God, this morning we gather to dedicate ourselves to walking with those who find themselves in the abyss of despair. We will support each other, and our brothers and sisters and neighbors, who have found that the trials of this world and the sorrows created by the choices of others can no longer be endured, alone." The service ended with a commissioning of people heading out to volunteer -- another way to the meaning of Dr. King's life. The service, which was officiated by St. Paul's clergy, the Revs. Joe and Kay Ashby, and included readings by Rabbi David Komerofsky of Temple Israel, Edina Carpenter and LaDonna Massey of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, and the Rev. Lynn Bozich Shetzer, retired Presbyterian Church USA. Thanks to the Ashbys, Molly Weisel, Douglas Colmery, Pastor Howard, Music Director Edward Grimes and Carol Sutek for organzing the service and the luncheon that followed. And thanks to everyone who braved the weather and and brought home the words of hope, strength and commitment. Photos by David Rotthoff
Our MLK celebration began at Temple Israel's 39th annual Shabbat service
Members of St. Paul's were among the roughly 70 people who participated in the 39th annual Shabbat MLK service and reception at Temple Israel on Friday night, and heard Courtney Johnson-Benson, founder of The Cognition Collective, speak to the need to honor humanity.
The Shabbat, she said, is a weekly reminder 'that we are not all the same," but that everyone in every community must refuse "to treat anone's dignity as optional." Photos courtesy of David Rotthoff
Canton's churches
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W. Canton, OH 44702 Office hours the week of July 19 Sunday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Email: [email protected]; Phone (330)455-0286 Coming up at St. Paul's
WEEKLY
AA and NA meetings are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in the community room and library. Sunday, July 19 A historical service of Rite 1 Morning Prayer with Demetrius Carrothers as lay preacher, 10:30 a.m. and Daughters of the King meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 21 CCORR bus tour of Canton, beginning with boxed dinners at St. Paul's at 5 p.m. (Space is limited do registration is required.) Saturday, July 25 HOT Lunch with our neighbors, 11-12:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 Social Justice Book Club movie night, "Marshall," 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 Inurnment Service for Ed Denning, following regular Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 Hall of Fame Parade, coffee, hotdogs and donut stand opens at 6 a.m.; parade kicks off at 8. 
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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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.
