River Valley Baptist Church Of Ansonia

History:      
In July of 1987, God put in the heart of Pastor Norman Aabye, a graduate of Colonial Hills Baptist College, the desire to begin a new work in the Naugatuck Valley area of Connecticut. Having grown up in Milford, Connecticut, just seven miles away, Pastor Aabye was familiar with the small towns that comprise "the Valley". He sought the Lord's guidance desiring to know in which town God would have him establish a new independent Baptist church. Soon, it was apparent that Ansonia was the best place, being central to all the other towns. In September of 1987, a series of "get acquainted" meetings were held on Wednesday evenings in the Red Cross building on Cliff Street. The goal was to familiarize area residents of the need for a solid, Bible-believing church. Through the door-to-door distribution of flyers, and the help of several local pastors, the meetings were successful in establishing a core group of 12 believers as the nucleus of the new church.

On Sunday, October 25, 1987, the first official service of the River Valley Baptist Church was held in the gymnasium of the Lincoln-Hayes School on Cottage Avenue in Ansonia with an attendance of 28 people. Sunday School and morning and evening services were held at the school, while mid-week Bible studies were held in various individuals' homes on Wednesday evenings. The small church began to grow through careful and thorough Bible teaching and preaching and the personal evangelistic efforts of the members.