Rev. Susan Robb reminisces with Rev. Paul Rasmussen about her 20+ years at HPUMC

“The term ‘pastor’ is almost always conflated with the term ‘preacher,’" said HPUMC’s Senior Minister, Rev. Paul Rasmussen. “But the word really represents something much more comprehensive. A pastor not only has to communicate publicly, but they have to deal with a range of pastoral care needs, teach, write, counsel, visit hospitals, manage conflict, and administrate. Many can specialize in one area, but few are skilled in all. Susan Robb is as complete and thoughtful a pastor as I have served with in my time at HPUMC. She is simply the best, and her standard of excellence will be difficult to replace.”

Susan Robb joined HPUMC over 30 years ago when she married her husband, Ike, and began really getting involved in the life of the church. Eventually, she sponsored a friend to go on the Walk to Emmaus during which she was asked to serve Communion. In that moment, she felt God was letting her know that this was what she was supposed to do.

Shortly afterwards she enrolled at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. The former stay-at-home mom and high school teacher was immediately passionate about her studies.

“I was so excited about theology,” she said. “I couldn’t get enough. I was insatiable about teaching classes and reading the Bible and wanting to know more and more and more.”

However, she hadn’t always known that preaching was what she was meant to do or even able to do. “I didn’t think women could do anything like that,” Rev. Robb said. “I didn’t think that I would be a preacher.”

After arriving at HPUMC and discovering that Methodists ordained women, she sought out other female Methodist leaders, speaking to them about their experiences. By the end of her over 20 years on staff at HPUMC, one of Rev. Robb’s great joys would be on the other side of that relationship—helping oversee those on staff going through the ordination process and mentoring other women.

Rev. Mark Craig, former Senior Minister of HPUMC, called Rev. Robb while she was in seminary, encouraging her to work at the church. Her first job at HPUMC was an administrative position in the Missions and Outreach ministry.

In time, she became the Director of the College Ministry. Her main goal in that position was to help HPUMC reconnect with its roots on the SMU campus, serving as a university church and supporting college students in their faith journeys.

Several years later, Rev. Craig approached her again, asking her to transition into the Executive Minister role, to be a “pastor to the pastors and kind and loving to the staff.” She was extremely honored to step into that role for the next seven years.

Her final positions at HPUMC were as Senior Associate Minister and lead pastor of Cox Chapel. “My first love was teaching and preaching,” said Rev. Robb. “To be able to end my career on those things that I first fell in love with from the beginning is incredible.”

Rev. Robb grew up in a small Baptist church without a lot of liturgy, so coming into Cox Chapel and being introduced to ancient prayers and liturgy was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Instantly, she felt the power of this style of worship.

“When we come in on Sunday morning and say the Apostles Creed’ together, all around the globe, millions of Christians, at the same time, are saying the same thing,” she said. “These are prayers that people have been praying for 2,000 years. I think it makes us more connected.”

The intimacy of Cox Chapel and the sacred setting, which is meant to lift everyone’s spirit to God, make this community so special. Before the pandemic, Rev. Robb loved how personal worship was. She could place the bread in an individual’s hand and call them by name because it’s such a tight-knit community.

But COVID-19 forced Rev. Robb, like many others, to adjust her working style, causing her to learn how to preach to a camera and pray that there were people on the other side watching. She praised the body of believers at HPUMC for their resilience and encouraging nature during that challenging time.

“This congregation is incredible,” she said. “We all work together to stay connected. No matter where we are, we are the body of Christ together.”

In addition to being a pastor, Rev. Robb is a writer, having penned two books so far.

“I think that I’m an accidental writer,” she joked. “I never thought that I would want to write a book.” For her, writing came as a necessity because she would buy curriculum for her Bible study classes and find herself rewriting or reteaching it. That made her begin writing her own curriculum, eventually sending it to a publisher.

Rev. Robb says she’ll miss teaching and preaching, interacting with HPUMC congregants and staff on a regular basis, and the holy moment of coming to church. “When you walk in the door, there’s so much energy because we all have the same mission, and we’re all excited about what we’re doing.”

In retirement, she’s excited to travel with her husband and see where God will lead her next. Rev. Robb hopes to continue doing something purposeful, including looking for more opportunities to serve in the church and community. She also plans to write an Advent study for 2022.

“I’m so incredibly grateful to God for leading me here and thankful to have been a small part of the long, fabulous history of this church for 20 years,” said Rev. Robb.