BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
WESTWOOD, N.J.––The story of man’s inhumanity to man goes back a ways, and certainly we’ve never known much respite from it, but the backdrop against which Lebanon Baptist Church celebrates its 60th anniversary finds us in a moment of national anguish like no other.
This month, of course, there is murder and mayhem in Charlottesville, Va., roiling discontent nationwide, and a president vociferously at odds with the moral views of the great majority of Americans.
According to Lebanon Baptist Church Rev. JerQuentin Sutton, speaking to Pascack Press at borough hall last Tuesday just before his congregation was to receive a mayoral proclamation on their happy milestone, this moment cries out for people of conscience to rise and be heard.
“My stance is peace. My stance is embracing no hatred, because you can kill hatred with love and peace, and that brings solidarity,” Sutton said. “Our goal is hope – that one day we will all walk hand in hand and work together as one.”
The next day Sutton would help lead the proceedings at an interfaith peace vigil at Veterans Park that would draw hundreds – votive candles in their hands and music on their lips – to push back against what can feel like a hungry darkness.
In a borough known for its high values and sense of neighborliness, it is fitting that, as their proclamation reads, Lebanon Baptist Church is recognized “for its vital contributions to the spiritual and physical needs of the Borough of Westwood as the church continues to grow and prosper.”
Here is what that proclamation, presented by Mayor John Birkner Jr. on behalf of the governing body and read into the record by Borough Clerk Karen Hughes, reminds us of the shared story of the Pascack Valley:
Lebanon Baptist Church was officially organized on April 14, 1957, by a small group of Baptist believers who purchased two lots on High Street and were guided by the Rev. B. F. Napier, who led a special service dedicating the property to the Lord and ordaining the church’s first deacon, Bertis Blanks.
The building of the new church was completed through the help of many area pastors and ministers on Nov. 3, 1968, the dedication of which began the Rev. B.F. Napier and his wife’s faithful leadership of the congregation as pastor for the next 19 years.
During the leadership of the second pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church, the Rev. Clyde T. Crooms, the Christian Education Department was solidified and the groundwork for the Lebanon Baptist Church bylaws was set. The church celebrated the burning of its mortgage in November 1978.
On Oct. 6, 1990, the Rev. Franklin L. Garner was called to serve as the third pastor of the church, during which time the Lebanon Baptist Church Inspirational Choir and the Lebanon Youth Dance Ministry were founded, after which the Rev. Earlie J. Gresham was called to serve as the fourth pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church in 1996.
The Rev. Michael C. Burton was appointed as the fifth pastor of the church in 2000, who added to its proliferation in many ways, including the purchase of a church van, an upgrade to the sound system, the dedication of the Baptismal pool, the formation of the Lebanon Community Development Corporation, the launching of the Tyron D. Franklin Computer Literacy Center and a substantial growth in membership and operating budget.
The Rev. JerQuentin Sutton, joined by his wife Diane and children Isabella and Spencer, began his service as the church’s most recent pastor on Nov. 20, 2011, organizing a Summer Character Building Arts Program launched by Lebanon’s Community Development Corporation, and ordaining the church’s first minister, Reverend Belinda A. Howard, on April 27, 2014, who serves as an associate to the pastor.
“We’re just excited. We’re just thrilled,” Sutton told Pascack Press of the anniversary.
“For 60 years the church has done so many great things in the community. It has been a pivotal place for hope and refuge; it’s a place where people can come and be restored and redeemed,” he said.
Services are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. The church participates in the Walk of Faith on Fridays from noon to 3 p.m
Photos by John Snyder