The Rev. Dr. Karen Robu began serving Plymouth Congregational Church in April 2011. She earned an M.Div. (2013) and a D.Min. (2022) from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK. Her doctoral research included interviewing people as to their reasons for leaving the church. She then took the stories she collected and turned them into a one act play titled Suffering Church..

Before coming to Plymouth, Karen served for seven years as Director of Children and Youth Ministries for University Congregational Church in Wichita.

Karen received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Windsor (1991) in Ontario, Canada. She continues to be involved in theatre and performs in and directs shows in the Wichita area. Her favorite roles include Emma Goldman in Ragtime, Rose in Gypsy, and Ursula in Disney’s Little Mermaid, all performed at Music Theatre Wichita. Karen has also served as Assistant Professor of Communication Arts for Bethel College in North Newton (2020-2023) where she taught theatre and religion classes and adjunct professor of theatre for Wichita State University (2014-2020). Karen lives in Newton, Kansas with her husband Tim, their youngest daughter, and a number of horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks. Drawn to the “thin places” between the performing arts and the sacred she plans to continue to make connections between theatre and theology in her ministry.