Goshen UMC

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Goshen United Methodist Church is a community of faith that seeks to partner with others in living out the Christian life as disciples of Jesus Christ. We understand that the Christian life is best lived in the midst of community. Goshen United Methodist Church has become home to many people over the years. We hope you will join us, because we believe Goshen UMC is ...the place for you!

The Goshen United Methodist Church desires to serve as a beacon of hope for people from all walks of life. It is our desire to live into the call of Jesus in Matthew 5 "to be light... a city on a hill, that cannot be hidden."

Seeing lives changed by the love of God in Jesus Christ keeps us going. Through a commitment to honor God with our lives, Goshen UMC is striving to impact one life at a time for the kingdom.

Goshen UMC has always been a church full of history. As one of the oldest public buildings in Southeast Georgia, the historic sanctuary has gone through several changes over the years. Though it still stands as a beacon of hope and a remembrance of the "good old days,” it is now utilized for Sunday School and is available to rent for weddings and other special occasions. Our Sunday morning worship services are now held in the larger facility next door. This expansion has allowed us to add new programs, expand our small group ministry, and provide a facility that has become an integral part of our community outreach.

Despite the many changes in Goshen’s past, one thing has always remained the same…our commitment to God and our dedication to the community around us. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are more than just a church; we are a home.

We are constantly looking toward the future, finding new and exciting ways to reach those in our community without a church home. We understand that many people have never been involved in church or have become disheartened in prior church settings. We want to show that God’s love isn’t “stuffy, boring, or without promise.” God’s love is…exciting, fulfilling, encouraging, and most importantly…yours! Come see what God has in store for you.

Church History

Goshen Church was built about 1751. It was served by the early pastors of the Salzburgers, and later for a short time by the Moravian missionaries. The church remained a part of the Ebenezer Charge until after the Revolutionary War. In 1820, the Methodist Church was organized at Goshen, under the direction of the Rev. James O. Andrew, and was allowed to use the Goshen church edifice. The actual deed to the property was transferred to the Methodist Conference several years later. Among the first members of the Goshen Methodist Church

were: David Gougle and his daughters; Mrs. Nowlan, wife of Major Nowlan; Major and Mrs. John Charlton. The Rev. Lewis Myers moved to Goshen about 1823, and served the Methodist Church here for many years.

For more than half a century, Goshen Church was served by Lutheran pastors who preached in German. Because of the language problem, in the 1790’s, Pastor Bergman invited his friend, Bishop Asbury, to send Methodist preachers to

preach there. A generation later it became a Methodist Church.

Originally the building was located on the banks of the Savannah River between Ebenezer and Savannah. Sometime in the 1820’s it was sawed in half and moved out of the swamp and

re-assembled at its present location. It is almost certainly one of the oldest public buildings standing in the state of Georgia

in continuous use.