Rev. Terry Richardson and Mrs. Adunni Slackman- Anderson accept a proclamation celebrating the 120th anniversary of First Baptist Church from the South Orange Board of Trustees and Village President Sheena Collum on Nov. 23, 2015.
The First Baptist Church of South Orange celebrated its 120th anniversary in style this week, with a proclamation from the Township of South Orange Village on Monday night and a black tie celebration and concert at the Renaissance Hotel in Elizabeth on Saturday night featuring CeCe Winans and WBLS radio personality Luz Black.
At the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 23, First Baptist’s pastor Rev. Terry Richardson told the Board, “It’s always nice to be recognized and to be honored and it is our honor to be a part of this prestigious, growing community.”
Richardson introduced Mrs. Adunni Slackman-Anderson, a 5th generation community resident and member of First Baptist, saying that Anderson’s family “have been pillars in our church and community.”
Anderson told the Trustees that it was “an honor and a pleasure to still have that church being such a pillar of strength and service” in South Orange, which she called “our beloved village.”
“I’m honored to stand here with my pastor and other church members. Thank you very, very much for this honor. It’s quite special.”
Village President Sheena Collum told Richardson and Anderson, “As the governing body, we recognize and appreciate not just the church but the people.” Collum lauded First Baptist’s “culture of volunteerism” and noted that Rev. Richardson was the first to step forward to offer to host the South Orange Police Department’s “Coffee with a Cop” initiative.
“Thank you all for your commitment to this community,” said Collum. “We see it every day. We appreciate it. It’s been a great 120 and hopefully the next 120 will be just as good.”
First Baptist Church of South Orange is located at 103 Valley St, South Orange, NJ. Phone:(973) 763-8593.
www.facebook.com/FirstBaptistChurchOfSouthOrangeNj/
