Discover who we are. . .

Goshen, AL is a small town in Pike County, Lower Alabama. Goshen is primarily a farming community; however, several families live in the area who work in all sorts of capacities. The two schools in Goshen have nearly 700 students enrolled and the 3-mile radius around the church includes almost 1,000 people including lots of families.

Goshen Baptist Church is a small-town church reflective of its small-town community. We are a church ready and looking for ways to make a difference. We are a caring community known for Southern hospitality and ready to show love to our community. Ultimately what we are all about is building Christ’s kingdom in any way we can. Christ’s kingdom involves things considered significant (e.g., actively providing for those in need) and insignificant (e.g., our own homelife) by the culture at large.

Because we are Baptist, we believe every member has a significant role in the authority of the church. It is the entire body of believers here that ratified the constitution, bylaws, and operation manual by which we conduct business and make a difference. This small body of believers is joined together by common belief and brotherhood, united in the Spirit through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ to the glory of the Father. We have made a covenant with one another to spur one another on towards holiness and abstain from worldliness.

What to Expect

Sunday School

We have Sunday School classes designed for various age groups. Our Pre-K to K, 1st to 3rd grade, and 4th to 6th grade classes go through a curriculum known as the Gospel Project. This is a chronological bible study designed to point to Christ in every story. Our youth aged Sunday School class is currently going through the gospel of John. We also have two adult Sunday School classes. One uses a curriculum going through the entire Bible. The other watches videos and discusses them.

Sunday Morning

During our Sunday Morning worship, one can expect worship through song and proclamation of God’s word. Most songs sung are taken from our Baptist hymnal published in 2008. Although congregants can still use the hymnal, song lyrics are also provided on the screen. Nearly all sermons are verse-by-verse expositional sermons. The preacher’s goal is to make the main point of the text to be the main point of the sermon. We practice the Lord’s Supper quarterly on Sunday mornings on fifth Sundays. We also usually have a music group come in to lead us in worship to God on these Sundays, followed by a fellowship meal afterwards.

Sunday Evening

Sunday evenings include worship in song. Usually, Tim and Kathy Dowdy (the song leaders) take hymn requests from the hymnal. The teaching on Sunday Evenings is usually more lecture-like in order, “To help people experience and maintain a growing knowledge of God and man” (taken from our bylaws, pg. 1). There is normally no Sunday evening service on 5th Sundays.

Wednesday Evening

On Wednesday evenings, we meet in the fellowship hall for a fellowship meal (some of the best in Southern cookin’, of course). At 7, the youth and kids split off to do their own studies. The youth meet in the youth room for Bible study and the kids do their own Bible study in a classroom. The adults stay in the fellowship hall and watch a missionary video, do a study in Revelation, and share prayer requests and pray. Afterwards, the choir meets for practice in the choir room.