{"id":6094,"date":"2022-09-07T19:15:20","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2022-09-07T19:15:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:15:20","slug":"bishop-robert-a-culp-passes-the-baton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/07\/bishop-robert-a-culp-passes-the-baton\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Robert A. Culp Passes the Baton"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rev. Dr. Robert Culp and Pastor Eric Von Butler Sr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Special to The Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1961, a young man and his wife got lost on their way to an interview in Toledo, Ohio. As they drove around downtown, what they saw while trying to find First Church of God that day convinced them they wanted the job\u2014and they wanted to stay long-term.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a nice tour because the driver first took us to the wrong address. We drove past the museum, the University of Toledo and such. We decided in the car \u2018if they ask us to come here to pastor, we are going to stay here for a long time,\u2019\u201d Rev. Dr. Robert Culp recalls.<\/p>\n

And they did stay. Rev. Culp started as lead pastor that fall, a few years after finishing ministerial studies at Anderson University (then Anderson College), where the tall Pennsylvania youth also played varsity basketball. He did graduate work at Anderson, too, while at his first pastorate in Danville, Illinois. Now, 60 years later, Bishop Culp is set to retire from his pastoral role at First Church of God.<\/p>\n

During his entire six decades in Toledo, Bishop Culp has been involved in bettering the conditions for Toledo\u2019s low-income neighbors, and that won\u2019t be changing now.<\/p>\n

Reverend Culp\u2019s activism for the Black community took the form of efforts like:<\/p>\n