Minister Barbara Backous
Associate Minister
Phone: (201) 568 - 3410
Email: fbc351@gmail.com
Minister Barbara A. Backous is a native of Lake City, South Carolina and the youngest daughter of the late Deacon Jacob H., and Deaconess Leona McClam-Jones. She received her early education at Carver Elementary and Carver High School in Lake City. She is a graduate of Donovan Secretarial Business School, formerly of Hackensack, NJ. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, St. Peters College, Jersey City, NJ.
Her Ministerial studies is that of a 1999 graduate of the Lay Pastor's Institute of American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, Hamilton Square, NJ, (Eastern Theological Seminary). She is presently a student at Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN, where she is continuing her studies in Pastoral Ministry, (Multimedia Generation) and Biblical Counseling.
She is married to Deacon Gene A. Backous, and the mother of one son, Sherman P. (a minister), and his wife Denise, and one granddaughter, McKenzie, who resides in Delaware. She is a retiree of The Prudential Financial Corporation of America, where she was employed for 25 years in the State of New Jersey and New York.
Minister Backous accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the early age of 13, and was baptized at New Bethlehem Baptist Church, Lake City, South Carolina by the late Rev. Harry J. McGill. Upon relocating to Englewood in 1966 she joined First Baptist Church as a young adult under the pastorate of Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. J. Isaiah Goodman.
Minister Backous served under the leadership of Pastor Emeritus Goodman as an usher, choir member, the gospelette and mass choirs, membership and sick committees, women's fellowship (bazaar committee chairperson), missionary society, council of christian ministries, and council of christian education, a member of the executive council board. Pastor Emeritus Goodman appointed her to serve as coordinator to several committees, in 1986 as coordinator to help with initiation of our annual Family and Friends Day celebration, Pastor Goodman's 40th Anniversary celebration, and coordinator of our FBC nursery, (1969-1979).
The former Sunday School teacher (1973-2002) was honored by the Church Sunday School in 1979 as Church Mother of the Year. She holds the honor of being honoree number (6), Church Woman of the Year in 1982. The Women's Fellowship honored her as a Seasoned Saint in 2006.
In 1979 Pastor Emeritus Goodman appointed her as a deaconess and its president where she served in that position as its president for fourteen years. Minister Backous accredits her growth in leadership as being developed while serving with the seasoned saints who were working together as a team ministry when she joined them on the deaconess board, who allowed her to serve with them as a young adult. She continued to serve with our church family as a deaconess from 1979-1999 until she was licensed to the Gospel Ministry by Rev. Dr. John H. Spencer, Jr., and FBC members February 28, 1999.
During the pastorate of Rev. Dr. John H. Spencer, Jr, our present pastor, Minister Backous served as coordinator/facilitator in (1994-2000) and assisted with the revision of our New Members Essential and Discipleship Classes, (Bill Bright's Series). “The Ten Basis Steps towards Christian Maturity.” She served as coordinator of the Commission of Christian Evangelism by Word which included the Tract Ministry and our Angel Tree Prison Ministry, (FBC Bergen County Probation Community Service Program), FBC Health Ministry, also the nominating, personnel, and expenditure committees. She assisted Pastor Spencer and the American Baptist Church of New Jersey with the planting of the First Hispanic Baptist Church that held worship service here weekly from (1998-2010). She presently serves as a member of Pastor Spencer's Ministerial Staff here at FBC, as an associate minister.
Community Service She is a certified instructor and member of Prison Fellowship Ministries of New Jersey. She is a member of Team Management 2000, a non-profit black own and managed social service agency where she serves as chairperson for the Board of Directors. Offices are located within Bergen, Essex and Middlesex counties. 2001-2003 she led a Bible Study class for residents at Bergen Regional Hospital each Tuesday afternoon. As you can see she is a people's person, she loves people, regardless to their race, creed or color. She will tell you that God has blessed her inside the walls as well as outside of the walls of, “His church without walls.” through loving people and sharing Jesus without fear.
Minister Backous favorite Scripture is that of Luke 4:18-20 and Psalm 27, and her favorite song is, “I never would have made it without you Lord!”