rom its humble beginnings in 1996, IPC Rockland Assembly has progressed steadily to serve as a beacon of hope to the communities north of New York City and beyond. On March 30, 1996, Rev. Joseph Williams and a group of believers from Westchester and Rockland counties in New York founded the church.
IPC General President Rev. T. S. Abraham inaugurated the fellowship on May 19, 1996. Initially, we assembled in rented hotel rooms in Nanuet and thereafter, until early 2002, at the Nyack Community Center. The Lord enabled us to purchase the former First Baptist Church of Nyack on May 29, 2002, and we have been worshiping there since June 2, 2002.
Rev. Joseph Williams is our founder and president. Initially, Rev. Jacob George served as the pastor for the first three years. Since the beginning of 2000, Rev. Williams has served as both the pastor and president. In October 2001, a local IPC fellowship pastored by Rev. Baby Mathew merged with this church. Currently, Rev. Mathew serves as the vice president, and Bros. Samuel Yohannan and Benny George serve as secretary and treasurer, respectively.
Our church building itself has an illustrious history. Three 19th-century presidents, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland and William McKinley, have visited this 150-year-old church. Since our purchase, the building has undergone extensive interior renovation, and today it is one of the most beautiful sanctuaries around. The village of Nyack where the church is located also has a significant place in the history of North American Keralite Pentecostals. In the early 1980s, the Pentecostal Youth Fellowship of America, that unites Malayalee Pentecostal churches in New York, began hosting its annual youth camps at the Nyack Christian College and did so for several years. At that time, there were no Malayalee Pentecostals in the Nyack area. After we relocated to this building, we now have an Indian Pentecostal church in Nyack close to where the PYFA youth camps were held.
At the Rockland assembly, we now have more than fifty families worshiping the Lord in truth and spirit. God has blessed us spiritually and materially. We have an active Sunday school, PYPA and women’s fellowship. We meet four days a week for prayer and fellowship. Including Sunday worship service, we hold five meetings during the week.
The assembly also is mission-oriented. Our desire is that we will continue to be a beacon of hope to the lost and a source of comfort to the needy. Toward that goal, the church is actively engaged in church planting missions and charity. The church financially assists with church planting missions in the Indian states of Bihar, Orrissa and Tamil Nadu through the IPC General Council. If the Second Coming of the Lord tarries, our prayer is that, through our ministry, God will raise up a generation that will serve Him faithfully and carry the mantel of our forefathers.