RINCON, Ga. — For 275 years, generations of worshippers have gathered at Goshen United Methodist Church, carrying its story from a small congregation on Abercorn Creek to a growing church serving a changing community.
That history will be celebrated Sept. 27 when Goshen opens its historic sanctuary to the public for a day of worship, fellowship and remembrance.
The Rev. Chance Ward, pastor of Goshen United Methodist Church, said the anniversary is an opportunity to look back at those who came before while considering what the congregation will leave for those who come after.
A historical keepsake booklet being prepared for the anniversary includes a chapter titled “Ministry for a New Century.” Ward said one line in the chapter caught his attention when he first saw it in 2000.
“As the new century unfolded, Goshen United Methodist Church already has 250 years are behind them,” the booklet says.
Ward said the sentence made him stop and think about the history represented by the congregation.
“I thought, ‘Wow, we are part of this,’” he said.
The church’s history is preserved in documents and papers stored in a vault, along with stories and memories passed from one generation to the next.
Church history
That story started in 1751 on Abercorn Creek, when the first congregation was served by pastors of the Salzburgers and later by Moravian missionaries.
Goshen is not the only Effingham County church with roots reaching back more than 250 years. Jerusalem Lutheran Church at Ebenezer traces its congregation to the 1730s, with its historic brick church building completed in 1769.
Goshen remained part of the Ebenezer charge until after the Revolutionary War, when its own history continued to unfold.
Around 1790, following a malaria outbreak, the church was moved to its present location. Historical documents say the church was cut in two and moved using logs, horses and mules.
Ward said evidence of that unusual move can still be substantiated in the church’s attic and walls.
In 1820, the Methodist Church was organized at Goshen, with services held in the church led by the Rev. James O. Andrew. Some early Goshen Methodist members are buried in the original section of the cemetery, surrounded by an old brick fence.
The Rev. Lewis Meyers moved to Goshen Methodist in 1823 and served there for many years. He deeded land for a church plot and parsonage for $150. The deed stipulated a 30-year contract, and historical documents also refer to a schoolhouse on land adjacent to the church.
Sunday school records dating to 1887 offer another glimpse into the congregation’s early years. One record lists 48 “scholars,” along with the weather, lesson titles and dates.
By the early 1900s, the church had purchased its first piano “on time” from a store that sold musical instruments and “talking machines.”
Growing with the times
Goshen became a full-station church in 1999, hiring a full-time minister and purchasing a parsonage.
Under the leadership of the Rev. Andy Brownley and the church’s trustees, the congregation built a new multipurpose educational building as membership grew. Worship eventually moved to the new building to accommodate the larger congregation.
Ward said the changes reflect the church’s ability to adapt while holding onto its central purpose.
The church’s mission and vision remain centered on its faith and its relationship with the broader community.
Its mission is to “Love God, Love Others, and Serve Both.”
Ward said the congregation seeks to share life together through the way of Jesus, while its vision describes Goshen as a “light on a hill, as a lamppost on the corner.”
He said the congregation remains proud of its heritage, longevity, fortitude and commitment to the larger community.
Ward also hopes the people worshipping at Goshen 275 years from now will look back on the 2026 congregation in much the same way.
The church has changed repeatedly throughout its history, he said, and those changes can help it reach more people without changing the core teachings of the gospel, its mission or its commitment to making disciples.
Celebrating the legacy
The Sept. 27 anniversary celebration will begin at 9 a.m. when the historic sanctuary opens to visitors. Documents, photographs and other pieces of the church’s history will be on display.
Worship will begin at 10 a.m. outside under a tent, followed by a catered meal.
The anniversary theme is “Legacy.”
“Building a legacy, not based on what we leave behind, but that which outlives us,” is the theme’s message.
For Ward, that idea reaches beyond the church’s buildings, records and artifacts.
The 275th anniversary is a chance for the current congregation to recognize the people who carried Goshen through nearly three centuries — and to consider what kind of legacy it will pass to the next generation.
