Ralph Manuel › Tunes

Rev. Ralph Manuel, Minister of Music

Fresh from the tropical climes of Brazil, Ralph Manuel took on the mantle as HBC's Minister of Music in February 2004. Ralph and his family have quickly become an important part of the church family, reaching out to members and visitors with a message in music.

A native of Oklahoma City, Ralph has also lived in Fort Worth, Texas; Walnut Ridge, Arkansas and Recife, Brazil. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University and a Masters of Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
For 24 years, Ralph and his wife Donna served as missionaries to Brazil. Ralph taught at North Brazil Baptist Theological Seminary and worked at the Imperial Baptist Church of Recife. In this capacity, he assisted churches in their music ministry and led musical groups that went into the community to share the message of the gospel.

Ralph is an accomplished pianist and a published composer and arranger of sacred choral, vocal and keyboard music. His compositions are used in churches around the world, including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He was awarded the Arthur Lakschevitz prize from the Association of Baptist Musicians of Brazil for outstanding contribution to church music among Brazilian Baptists. In 2002, he was chosen to write the commissioned anthem for the Baptist Church Music Conference in Memphis.

Ralph and Donna have two teenagers-James and Melissa. Ralph's hobbies include playing the piano and collecting old hymnals. His favorite hymns are "Blessed Assurance" because of its exuberant nature and "Redeemed" because of its solid affirmation of a joyful faith. His favorite Bible passage is Psalm 103, particularly the middle verses which express the Lord's continuing love for us despite our unworthiness.

--www.heritagebaptistonline