Happy 50th Birthday to RVBC

Saturday Luncheon

The Ramapo Baptist Church shared a weekend full of celebration for their 50th anniversary with congregants old and new, and had some help with choirs from six neighboring communities. The formal festivities began with a luncheon at the Brownstone in Paterson where members of the church community gathered for an afternoon luncheon. For a congregation well known for their pot luck suppers and church bbqs, the Saturday afternoon sit down was a special event marked with song, honors and remembrances of founding members.
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Sunday services featured a full house as many members and friends who have moved away returned to honor the church’s history of service. Rev. Dr. Leo S.Thorne, Associate General Secretary for Mission Resource of the American Baptist Church was the honored speaker. In 1998 The Rev. Dr. Thorne was the Pastor at RVBC and remembered fondly celebrating with the congregation the 40th Anniversary. The members and visitors were treated to an inspirational sermon reflecting on the past and looking toward the future.

RVBC Award

It was the Sunday evening concert that offered the most memorable tribute to the decades of work and dedication of the church community. Rev. Dr. Glenn Porter, Associate Regional Pastor and Area Minister of the American Baptist Church of New Jersey presented a certificate of honor to Pastor Herb Dorfman. Entitled a Musical Celebration, the event exemplified the reality that worship and praise through music rises above creed to a purely spiritual experience. Each choir had their own style, own presentation, and a different selection of song, but there was a common thread through all the performances. With a long week of national concerns and uncertainty preceding it, the celebration of RVBC’s 50th anniversary was a healthy reminder of the spiritual strength that reverberates throughout the land.

RVBC Adult Choir

As Pastor Herb Dorfman of the RVBC mentioned, it was a especially refreshing in these times to have so many young people partaking in this spiritual celebration of song. From the beginning with the hometown chorus of RVBC, directed by Christin Lovette, belting out, “There Can be Miracles When You Believe”, to the First Baptist Church of Parsippany enticing the audience to, “Step in the Water and Stand Up for What is Right”, an emotional pattern was evident. The musical selections shared a sense of strength, rejoice, and perseverance.

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RVBC Children's Choir

The United Methodist Church continued the pattern with a Hallelujah rendition exhorting, “Let the people sing…let the people shout”. It was a song of freedom that led perfectly into the performance by the RVBC Children’s choir which sang out, “Shout When The Spirit Says Shout.” The spirit of strength and joy evident in the audience was reflected by the Preakness Baptist Church’s rendition of the song based on Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it.” It was followed by a song of thanksgiving and perseverance by the Grace Community Church’s youth choir singing, “Once Again I Thank You, Once Again I Pour Out My Life.”

David Dallon / Emmanuel Baptist Church

A special musical treat came via David Dallon from Emmanuel Baptist Church. His saxophone solo confirmed the inadequacy of the spoken word, and exhibited the spiritual passion music can hold. His performance was followed by another soloist from Van Riper Ellis/ Broadway Baptist, Steven Zimmerman accompanied by Carol Zimmerman on piano. Steven sang of a perfect strength, and his voice carried that strength in each and every tone.

The Ramapo Valley Baptist Church Choir returned for the final performance. Fittingly, it was the hometown team that left the audience rocking with, “Lift’a Me Up and Help Me Along; Lift’a Me Up and Make Me Strong.” It led to the audience spontaneously clapping along and a standing ovation.