BAKER-PASMA FAMILIES

The Baker-Pasma families had their start 22 years ago when Dale Pasma, Randy Baker, Dawn Ballast, and Ginger Berghorst all attended the same Christian High School . Although they never were close friends during high school, their friendship grew after graduation as Ginger, Dale, and Dawn began to sing part-time for local churches in the early eighties. They were very involved in youth ministries and strongly believed God would powerfully use gospel singing to positively influence young people. They asked Randy Baker, a southern gospel pianist, to join them in their endeavor. A group called "Promise" was the result. The group sang part time around Michigan and the Midwest until Randy started Medical School in 1991. The group recorded several projects produced by Charles Novell and Roger Bennett.

Dale and Ginger married in 1987 while Randy and Dawn were wed in 1988. After Randy started his medical practice and Dale his plumbing company, the families began to sing again on a part-time basis in Michigan . The Bakers had nine children while the Pasmas had six, both over a 12 year period. The children began singing at very young ages and the two oldest girls from each family regularly sang as a girl's quartet since they were 3, 4, 5, and six years old.

The families love southern gospel music and have been instrumental in introducing the genre to the West Michigan area. A typical Baker-Pasma concert includes solos, quartets and whole group numbers involving almost all members of the families. Also, there are a number of instrumental numbers included as most members are proficient in playing different instruments. The family has regularly participated in their church's Thanksgiving Benefit Concerts. Each year of the concert a CD is professionally recorded at a recording studio and sold the nights of the concert to benefit Christian charities. Many of the songs sung and recorded have been written by Randy Baker. In addition to the contribution by the Baker-Pasma families to the concerts, a multi-church mass choir, directed by Ginger Pasma, would contribute by lifting praise to God.

The Bakers and Pasmas strongly believe that good Biblical God-glorifying singing is essential in bringing the gospel to our world. This must be done by being "in the world but not of the world." Though much of today's "Christian" music is largely of the world, southern gospel music has, for the most part, resisted these influences and remains an unabashed "light on the hill." We are excited to be a part of that light.

Hailey and Taylor Pasma, along with Courtney and Arielle Baker, make up the quartet of girls. The girls started singing when they were the young ages of 3, 4, 5, and 6 in local churches. They started out by singing songs like "The B-I-B-L-E" and "Lord you are," but soon were belting out Southern Gospel favorites like their parents. Now ages 13, 14, 15, and 16 these young gals have come a long way. In the summer of 2004 they participated in a contest called "Exalting Him." Although the girls did very well, they were eventually beat out by "Christian" rockers and rappers. This though, was the very event that led the two families to meeting Les Butler and recording their first big project "Livin' for the Call" with the help of Butler Music Group.