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Rector's Assistant Praises City As Place To Raise Children

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By DEREK MAUL derekmaul@gmail.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

PLANT CITY - The Rev. Robert Martin has enjoyed a long and varied career. Today he works part time as assistant to the rector at St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

On Oct. 26, the church celebrates 100 years in the community.

Q. Why St. Peter's?

A. The Episcopal Church is Protestant, but Catholic, too. It appeals to me because of the icons and symbols to help in worship. At the same time, it has this Protestant pulpit - raised up. The altar is the center of worship, but the pulpit is still terribly important.

Q. How about the people?

A. They are warm, loving, caring human beings. That's how we were created.

In the hustle and the bustle of the city, people forget that - but here they remember; They live it out.

Q. Have you always been Episcopalian?

A. No; I was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. I served several churches in Virginia and New Jersey.

Q. Why the change?

A. I love the Presbyterian Church. But when I was a chaplain in Vietnam, I felt drawn to a more sacramental ministry. I wanted to say more than, "Be faithful to your wife"; I needed marriage to be a sacrament. The Episcopal Church recognizes seven sacramental rites; it's more Catholic in that regard.

Q. Where were you raised?

A. I was born in Philadelphia 1936. My father was an engineer; during World War II, we moved to Alabama and then Washington state before returning to Philadelphia.

Q. When did God call you into the ministry?

A. It started in college. I graduated from VMI Virginia Military Institute in 1960 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. I worked for DuPont, then attended Union Seminary in Richmond. I served two small Presbyterian churches near Charlottesville, Va.,} then went into the Army chaplaincy.

Q. How long did you serve?

A. Thirteen years with a break serving churches in the middle. Almost all my assignments were Airborne.

Q. Where were you stationed?

A. First at Fort Bragg with a military police unit, then Vietnam for 12 months with the 101st Airborne. Then Fort Stewart, Fort Hamilton and Fort Drum with the Ranger Battalion.

Q. Rangers have chaplains?

A. That's a funny story. In World War II, "Merrill's Marauders" 5307th Composite Unit - Provisional saw intense action along the Indo-China road in Burma. One day a Roman Catholic priest said Mass, and there was a party afterwards. The next morning the priest woke up in the back of a truck, too far down the Indo-China road to turn back. So that was the first chaplain to be a part of the Rangers. I met him - he was so fond of that unit, he became honorary president of the Merrill's Marauders Association.

Q. What rank did you achieve?

A. I left active duty as a major; I became a lieutenant colonel in the Reserves.

Q. Was Vietnam hard for you?

A. Let me tell a story. When I did my first worship service in the field, I invited those who wanted to receive Communion to stay after church.

I gave the benediction, but nobody left. The same thing happened several times. After a while I got curious. A sergeant told me: "Some of us have been in combat; some of us may get hit five minutes after the service is over. The last service we have on Earth, we want it to be the whole thing."

Q. How did you get to Tampa?

A. I came to Saint Leo University as an academic adviser. I'd already taught for them at satellite locations. I taught theology weekends and nights, wherever they needed me.

Q. When did you become an Episcopal priest?

A. It took longer than I'd anticipated. I joined St. John's Episcopal Church in Tampa. The bishop put me through all the tests and then said I needed to go back to seminary. I went to the University of the South at Suwanee in Tennessee, taking courses as we could afford it.

Q. How many degrees do you have?

A. Bachelor's in engineering from VMI, master's in divinity from Union in Richmond, master's in theology from Princeton, then a doctor of ministries degree from the University of the South.

Q. Did that satisfy the bishop?

A. I was eventually ordained as a deacon and assigned to St John's in the early '90s. Six months later I was ordained as a priest and installed as assistant rector at St. John's. I was also chaplain to the day school.

Q. Where have you served?

A. After St. John's, I served as rector at Longboat Key. Then Plant City as interim; the same thing at St. Mary's in Dade City, and again at Grace Church in North Tampa. I retired six years ago and worked half time here for a year or two; now it's one day a week plus Sundays.

Q. What's great about Plant City?

A. I say if there's one place anywhere where you'd like to raise your children, it's here. The sense of community, of right and wrong; people are courteous, they speak to you. This really is a wonderful place.

Q. Where do you like to eat?

A. I like BuddyFreddys. Then a couple of parishioners keep introducing me to small local restaurants.

Q. Do you have a family?

A. I married Pricilla Payne 46 years ago. We have five children and 11 grandchildren. David lives in Atlanta, Kim in North Carolina, James in Sarasota, Carolyn in Riverview and Marilyn in St. Petersburg.

Q. What Scripture inspires you?

A. The Great Commission in Matthew 28. I'm especially fond of the last part, "Lo I am with you always ...." We get busy with the baptizing and the going and forget God is with us. I have absolutely felt God's presence.

Q. A favorite hymn?

A. "Lift High the Cross of Christ." I love it as a processional, with the acolytes lifting the cross.

Q. What do you do for fun?

A. I'm 72 but I can still fish. Then we spend a lot of time as a family, renting a condo on the beach so the kids can come.

Q. Are you optimistic?

A. I see the glass as half full. I'm very hopeful about America; we're becoming much more global. The Olympics is a real eye-opener, and this election has shown that anything is possible.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

This is an occasional series spotlighting faith leaders. The Rev. Robert Martin works part time as assistant to the rector at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 302 N. Carey St. Service times are 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays and 12:10 p.m. Wednesdays. The church has about 300 members. Its telephone number is (813) 752-5061.

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