Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty
Theresa Carrie (Stevenson) Rubin, affectionately known as “Rita”, was born and raised in Englishtown, New Jersey. She is the fifth of eight children and received her education in the Englishtown/Freehold Regional School district. She graduated in 1967 from high school and attended the New Brunswick School of Business afterwards. Upon completion from the school of business, she became employed at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1967 she met Fred Rubin and they were married in January of 1969 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The two resided in Hawaii for two years and became the proud parents of the first of their three wonderful sons. She finds it a great accomplishment to have raised three sons, Lee, Kevin, and Brian, who have obtained their college degrees from such fine schools as Penn State University, Lehigh University, and Northwestern University. To date, she has been married for 41 years and is surrounded by her sons and their families, which include, three great daughter-in-laws (Carmen, Brenda, and Natasha) and four beautiful, intelligent grandchildren; Ashleigh , Ashanti, Sean, and Solomon are truly a joy and every grand parents dream come true. Sis. Rubin was born and raised in the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. She was taught how to pray and was made aware that salvation came through the Holy Ghost, which she received on January 3, 1972. Since that day, her destiny began to unfold. Sis. Rubin has served in numerous capacities within the local congregation, diocese, and national organization. For the past thirty-six years, she has blessed Community Refuge as their first lady. She is also the first lady of Region III. With zeal and enthusiasm, she stands with her husband inspiring, encouraging, and enhancing the lives of multitudes. She leads by example. Sis. Rubin has always had the dream of completing her education. Never willing to dismiss the dream of having a college degree, at the age of 50, she became a student at the William L. Bonner College in South Carolina. She fulfilled her dream earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies in June 2005 as the class Valedictorian. She was proud to be a graduate the same year that her oldest granddaughter graduated from high school. She currently attends Columbia International University where she close to completing her Master's in Religious Studies. With having obtained so many accomplishments and worn many hats that include homemaker, mother, pastor’s wife, counselor, helper, sister, and friend, what gives her great joy is displaying her gift of hospitality to the members of the congregation and community. It is not unusual to smell the aroma of her delicious meals as you walk up to her front door. From the time you are in her house, there is a feeling of warmth and love. Her house is by all means a HOME.
She is truly blessed and thankful to God every day for all of the experiences, joys, pains, and most importantly the mercy, grace, and strength that he has given to her as she continues to keep pressing toward the mark.