Every Friday, Baptist Women in Ministry introduces an amazing minister. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Bianca Robinson Howard.
Biance, tell us about your current ministry position?
I serve at Zion Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, where I am an associate minister and the full-time children and youth pastor/director of a very vibrant ministry of over 400 children and youth. Zion is my home church. I grew up there, and God called me back there after I finished seminary. I have served in my position for the last nine years.
How did you discern your sense of calling to ministry?
I accepted Christ into my life at the age of twelve, and as a young believer, I loved church and loved learning about God. There were times as a young Christian that I felt led to share a testimony at worship service on Sunday mornings, and I just walked up to the front of the church and shared what God had put on my heart. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant. I was just obeying the Holy Spirit when I felt led to go forward and share. I do believe that was the beginning of my call.
During college at Valdosta State University, I was involved with a campus ministry, Campus Outreach, which was very significant in helping me discern my call to ministry. I was a Bible study leader for our campus, and I went on mission trips every summer. My last summer, I was on an overseas mission trip in South Africa, and during that trip, God confirmed my call. I knew from that point on that I was going into full-time ministry. I attended seminary at Howard University School of Divinity. While there I served in positions in which God was growing me up for the ministry. I also attended Princeton Theological Seminary and continued to grow in my calling.
Doors in ministry have always opened for me. When I tried to get a “regular” job outside of ministry, the doors always closed on me. So I began to realize that I must be led by God in every area of my career in ministry and not just do my own thing. God always made it crystal clear where I was supposed to be and where I was not supposed to be. I have also learned not to go ahead of God. God will move me when it’s time and not necessarily when I want to move. I have learned to rest in God and let God lead the way in this journey called ministry.
Who have been sources of inspiration for you along the way?
My senior pastor at Zion Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Harris T. Travis, is one source of inspiration. He has always encouraged me as a young Christian, and when I was a teenager, he recognized my call. He supported everything I was doing in ministry and continued to give me opportunities. He has always believed in me and believes in what God is doing in me. I will always be thankful that God put him in my life for so many years to help guide me. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.
Rev. Beverly Sonnier has been an awesome leader for me to follow. She taught me about being a woman in ministry and taught me how to navigate through those waters. She helped me with finding a seminary that was best for me, and she has been such a great colleague in ministry over the years. I am so grateful for her and will be forever in debt to her for all she has taught me and the opportunities she has presented me.
How do you keep yourself healthy–physically and spiritually?
I love to walk and run, especially outside. I love the outdoors. I play tennis, and I am just active in sports as I always have been since childhood. I come from a very active family, and we love to be outside always doing something. I try to look at exercising as a part of my life and not as a chore. It has become a lifestyle for me, not just to lose weight but to stay healthy throughout my life. I also love eating fruit and trail mix, which are my favorite snacks.
I love reading devotionals, and I love prayer time and praying for others. I also love listening to all types of music, but gospel and contemporary Christian music get me in a worship mode. At times, I have dreaded sermon writing, but once I get into it, it is a spiritual experience for me, and I feel the closes to God during that time of preparation.