Pastor Robin Thomas Adams was born April 15th 1954 in Londonderry,
Northern Ireland, the middle of five children.
He was raised in an Anglican home and learned
a great deal about the faith as a child, but did not know
Jesus Christ as lord and savior until the age of 18. As a
freshman in college Robin remembers going up to
university in Belfast (to study Computer Science) as a
convinced atheist. However, he was encouraged to read the
Bible afresh by college friends and soon became involved
in Intervarsity Christian Union. Through an honest
examination of the scriptures and the prompting of the
Holy Spirit Robin knew Jesus was who he said he was, soon surrendering
his life to the Lord.
He says, "Discovering Jesus has been the most
profound experience of my life. I wish
that everyone could know the joy, peace and fulfillment
that comes from living with Christ." The latter
years at Belfast were spent in active service at the Church
of Ireland chaplaincy where he learned a new respect for
the Churches of his childhood.
After sensing a call to
the ministry Robin spent three years attending
Oak Hill Theological College
in London England. Oak Hill is an
evangelical Anglican College with a strong bias towards
quality Pastoral Care. Ordained a deacon for the Church
of Ireland in 1979 and then Priest in 1980 he served his
first term as an assistant in the rural parish of
Magheralin co. Down. It was here that he met and married
Donna Napier. The second curacy was spent in
St. Patrick's Coleraine, co. Londonderry a large and busy
parish.
Ryan was born on February 13th 1984. In 1986
Robin and Donna moved to St. Aidans Sandy Row in Belfast where
he was the rector of a large inner City parish. Shortly
after the move a second son Scott was born (May 23rd
1986). In 1988 the Adams family did a pulpit exchange
with Hillary Bercovici then in St. Mary's Pokomoke. It
was a wonderful summer and sparked interest in moving to
America. The Lord lead the way to
St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
Tecumseh, Michigan in the summer of 1989. A third son
Joel was born in Tecumseh on January 9th 1990.
Robin received the call to become the Vicar of Episcopal
Church of the Word, Gainesville, Virginia, in October, 1997.
Both Robin and Donna
believed that this was God's invitation for them to
move on to a new ministry, and accepted the position at
Church of the Word, starting in January 1998.
Robin enjoys jogging,
camping, hiking, and reading science fiction. Donna likes all
kinds of crafts. She previously had a gourmet catering
business while living in Michigan. And for a few years after arriving in Virginia, Donna applied her
skills in the culinary arts to a business of providing made-to-order wedding cakes. But that too is
now a part of history. Now, Donna's opportunities to indulge her creative skills in delightfully
pleasing food preparation are mainly displayed during the occasional gracious gatherings in the Adams home
where they enjoy entertaining friends and members of the congregation.
Family life is a priority, and the Adams family knows how to
make the most of their time together, as can be seen in this
photograph taken on Thanksgiving 2007.
Pastor Robin Thomas Adams was born April 15th 1954 in Londonderry,
Northern Ireland, the middle of five children.
He was raised in an Anglican home and learned
a great deal about the faith as a child, but did not know
Jesus Christ as lord and savior until the age of 18. As a
freshman in college Robin remembers going up to
university in Belfast (to study Computer Science) as a
convinced atheist. However, he was encouraged to read the
Bible afresh by college friends and soon became involved
in Intervarsity Christian Union. Through an honest
examination of the scriptures and the prompting of the
Holy Spirit Robin knew Jesus was who he said he was, soon surrendering
his life to the Lord.
Ryan was born on February 13th 1984. In 1986
Robin and Donna moved to St. Aidans Sandy Row in Belfast where
he was the rector of a large inner City parish. Shortly
after the move a second son Scott was born (May 23rd
1986). In 1988 the Adams family did a pulpit exchange
with Hillary Bercovici then in St. Mary's Pokomoke. It
was a wonderful summer and sparked interest in moving to
America. The Lord lead the way to
St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
Tecumseh, Michigan in the summer of 1989. A third son
Joel was born in Tecumseh on January 9th 1990.
