A Brief Biography of Goshen's First Pastor

The first pastor of Goshen Baptist Church served our congregation twice - 1810-1815 and 1827-1834. Put together, he remains one of the longest serving pastors in Goshen's history. I happened to come across the following brief biography of him online. Here it is:

James H. L. Moorman was the most prominent preacher in Goshen Association, in his generation. He was a native of Virginia, and was raised up to the ministry, in Little Otter church, in Bedford County. He commenced exercising in public during a great revival which prevailed in that church, in 1801-3, and was soon afterwards ordained to its pastoral care. About 1810, he moved to Kentucky, and settled in Hardin county, where he united with Behtel church. But having been called to the care of Goshen church, he moved to its vicinity, in Breckinridge county. The county was thinly settled, at that time, and Goshen was the only church in the county, as Mr. Moorman was probably the only preacher. As he was a man of better education than most of the settlers, he was called to fill the office of justice of the peace, and, afterwards, that of sherrif of his county. However, he was active and zealous in the ministry, and aided in laying the foundation of a number of churches. In 1829, he gathered a small church in the village of Cloverport, and became its pastor. He was a warm advocate of missions, and was one of the first collectiong agents of the Executive Board of Kentucky Baptist Convention. He assumed the duties of this office, the first of March, 1834. His labors were prosecuted with much zeal and efficiency, for more than three months, when he was suddenly called, by the messenger death, to his final reward. June 7, 1834.

Mr. Moorman was a preacher of superior ability, and it is much regretted that more particulars of his useful life have not been preserved. He was of an extensive family, many of whom have been prominent citizens and valuable church members, in Breckinridge and the surrounding counties.

You can read more about him in J. Spencer's classic A History of Kentucky Baptists from 1769 to 1888 for free online.


For more:
All the Pastor's of Goshen: From 1808-Present
House of Worship: A Brief History of Goshen Baptist Church

House of Worship: A Brief History of Goshen Baptist Church

Goshen Baptist Church at Glen Dean, Kentucky is recognized asthe oldest continuous existing Baptist meeting house in BReckinridge County.*

November 23, 1808, a group of baptized believers met in the home of Thomas Owen Sr. Baptist ministers, Water Stallard, Alexander McDougal and Warren Cash served as the Presbytery of Council of recognition and recognized as members of the Salem Association of Kentucky.

The United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ was given the name of "Goshen" by its first pastor, James Haden Moorman. Goshen means "land of plenty and comfort." The congregation met in homes until 1810 when the first log "House of Worship" was built near Long Lick Creek on the Thomas Owen farm. In 1828 another log house was built in the long Lick Creek vicinity to serve as the meeting house and school until a shcoolhouse could be built. In 1839, under the leadership of their pastor, Simeon Buchanan, pastor for twenty-three years, there was a great Revival resulting in many additions of both Blacks and Whites. with rapidly growing membership, a movement was made to erect a new "House of Worship." The frame building was built on land donated by Brother Grant Owen. the new "House of Worship" was in full use by July 1842.

In 1872 the members voted to move near Rock Lick Creek in the area of the old Goshen Bridge. The new frame uilding was built on land donated by W. J. Dean. Jese Moorman, Henry R. Dean and Thomas O. Moorman were named Trustee's.

The congregation moved again in the early 1900's to an early railroad settlement, Glen Dean, Kentucky. Members that lived west of the creek wanted to establish a church. This vote was approved and with the assistance of the members, Black Lick Church was formed and is active today. In 1904, both churches were established in their communities. Black Lick Church and Goshen Baptist Church both became members of the Breckinridge Baptist Association, which was organized in 1903.

Reverend D. B. clapp was the first pastor at the new location of Goshen Baptist Church. In 1956 an educational building was built. The bell was later removed from the cupola. The church purchased a mobile home to be used as a parsonage in 1961. Over th eyears, the original church has been renovated with lowered ceilings, handicap entrance, walkways, kitchen and bathrooms, furnace and new pews. In 1995 a lot on Highway 105 was purchased to build a parsonage. September 28, 1998 the church celebrated their debt free status on the parsonage with a note burning and dedication service.

Goshen's former pastors and families have been Bible believing, God fearing people who have gone on to serve our Lord in numerous ministries, as teachers, missionaries, professors, pastors and other areas of ministry.


* This is a history taken from an old, one page history book my wife and I discovered while cleaning out one of the rooms in the Sunday School building. In order to ensure that this history will not be lost to history, I thought I would reprint it here. The pamphlet was written in 1904 - the 100 anniversary of the current location of our church.


For more:
All the Pastor's of Goshen: From 1808-Present

All the Pastor's of Goshen: From 1808-Present

This past week has been a busy one as Amanda and I have tried to finish up the cookbook (which is finally done!).  I worked on the history part and in the cookbook we have placed all of the pastor's who have served at Goshen Baptist Church over the past 200+ years.  I am the 55th pastor of Goshen and am honored to be among this prestigious list.  Here we have pastors, ministers, preachers, Ph.D's, professors, missionaries, parachurch leaders, and writers.  To read the stories of these fascinating men was a joy and I strongly encourage everyone to read our history book (one of the best local church histories I have ever read!!  Very thorough).

Anyways, here is the list and the years they served.

James H. L. Moorman – 1810-1815
2.    Christopher Wilson 1816-1817
3.    Samuel Anderson 1818-1826
4.    James H. L. Moorman 1827-1834
5.    Samuel Anderson 1835-1836
6.    Simeon Buchanan 1837-1858
7.    Darnell Dowden 1859-1867
8.    John Armstrong 1868-1870
9.    T. A. Robertson 1871
10.    Darnell Dowden 1872-1881
11.    Squire LaRue Helm 1882-1885
12.    Benjamin Fulton Jenkins 1886
13.    Ebenezer Hise H. Maddox 1887-1888
14.    C. M. Reid 1889-1890
15.    Wiley Blount Rutledge, Sr. 1891-1901
16.    J. F. Vines 1902-1903
17.    Daniel B. Clapp 1904-1906
18.    E. L. Rogers 1907
19.    J. I. Lewis 1908-1914
20.    J. E. Meng 1916-1918
21.    Evarts B. English 1919-1922
22.    H. L. Smith 1923-1924
23.    J. A. Hudson 1925-1926
24.    I. D. Eavenson 1927-1928
25.    H. L. Lennon 1929
26.    Gordon C. Whitely 1930-1936
27.    John Isom 1937-1938
28.    Carl E. Talbert 1939
29.    Ivan E. Boles 1940
30.    Fred E. Neiger 1941
31.    E. G. Cole 1942
32.    George Lovell 1943
33.    B. G. Bass 1944-1945
34.    Waldo Harris 1946-1947
35.    Robert Harris 1948
36.    Dr. Marvin Tate, Jr.1949-1955
37.    Charles Belknap 1956-1958
38.    R. L. Armsistead 1959-1960
39.    Tom Lee 1961
40.    Joseph C. Daniel 1962-1963
41.    Ron Brown 1964-1965
42.    Robert Sandford 1966-1968
43.    Joe Evans 1969-1970
44.    Gene Daggerhart 1971
45.    Lowell Fisher 1972-1976
46.    Paul Hindman 1977-1978
47.    Dr. Don McClung 1981-1983
48.    James Garrison 1984-1986
49.    Wesley Barton Gibbs 1987-1988
50.    Richard Meade 1989-1992
51.    Dr. Miguel De La Torre 1993
52.    Noel Jordan 1994-2000
53.    Eric Jackson 2001-2003
54.    Daniel Whitman 2004-2008
55.    Kyle McDanell  2008-present  

A Word From the Pastor - September 2010

Sorry I'm a month late, but here is last month's A Word From the Pastor as found in our newsletter:

Amanda has a bachelor’s degree in Art.  As a result, I have been exposed to various styles of art throughout history.  One of the most fascinating styles of art is pointillism – perhaps the most tedious form of art.  A pointillistic artist would paint their masterpiece not with brush strokes but with small dots.  Each dot, though small, contributes to the whole  painting.  Thus the viewer can see the entire piece from a distance, but when you get up close, every little dot comes into view.  Christianity is very much like pointillism.  We’re caught up into the points of the painting, but miss the portrait of the masterpiece.  What we see is abortion, marriage, good works, and false teachers, but when we do, we oftentimes miss the whole picture.  What we are missing is God.  I believe it is time for us to step back and look at the whole painting and when we do, we’ll be able to more clearly appreciate each individual dot.  The gospel consists of dots that contribute to the painting. The painting is of God.  So for the next several weeks, we will begin our look at the grand masterpiece: God Himself.  When we understand God, we will then understand every dot and how it contributes to the masterpiece.  The doctrine of God is practical.  All of theology is practical.  Who God is shapes what we believe and how we live.  A right view of God leads to a right view of everything else.  Join us for the next several weeks as we discuss God.  Who He is in His nature and why that matters to us.  Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12).

September 2010 Newsletter Available Online

This month's newsletter has been uploaded and available online.  As always, the newsletter will be available in the left-hand column near the top.  I will continue to try to update it monthly.  To read the newsletter for September 2010, click here. 

A Word From the Pastor - July 2010

The following appeared in the July 2010 newsletter.

How will Goshen be remembered?  The question of legacy is a question we all ask.  When we die and are buried, how will people remember us?  But what about Goshen?  God has used Goshen for 202 years to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and we are about to celebrate that anniversary.  Have we been so faithful?  The church is built on the gospel – not programs, pastors, budgets, or congregation size.  When our story is told, will we be remembered in the annuls of heaven as a church, so long as she breathed, proclaimed the gospel?  It is tempting in our day today to get distracted by everything but the gospel.  But let us not so easily be distracted.  In all that we do – our programs, our services, our worship, our study of Scripture, our families, our business meetings, whatever – let us be a church shaped and convicted by the gospel.  The longer I live and the longer I serve as a believer and minister, the more I am convinced that our only hope – from birth to death – is the gospel.  Let us live with the same conviction and let our church never cower from proclaiming the saving message of Christ.

Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests

I came across an interesting article by Dr. Thom Rainer.  Dr. Rainer was the founding Dean of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, Missions, and Church Growth at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is now the President and CEO of Lifeway Resources.  Rainer is well known for his books on statistics on evangelicalism, Christianity, and the church.

Recently at his website, he posted an important article asking, "Why [do] church guests return?"  Here is his answer:


DOCTRINE

Rainer argues that churches who not only have a firm belief in right doctrine but stand firm on it draw people into their congregations.  He writes:

Research among previously unchurched individuals revealed a surprising desire to know and understand doctrine.  Knowledge however, is not enough.  It is vital to them that the church they attend be uncompromising in its stand.  People need to know that the church stands for something.

The number one sin of a dying church is the dilution of doctrine.  In an attempt not to offend, the gospel is watered down and cardinal truths are compromised.  Ironically, this drives away the very people the church is desperate to attract.

Are we a church that affirms sound doctrine and will not back down from it?  Are we willing to proclaim it, affirm it, and share it with everyone?  If not, then we are surely a weak church.  Rainer is right in making this the first and most important thing that draws people in.

PASSION

Rainer sees a passionate church primarily in its senior pastor, but such a reputation of a church is not limited to its pastoral staff.  He writes:

The passion from the pulpit carries over into evangelism as well.  In many thriving churches the driving force behind obedience to the Great Commission is the passion that the senior pastor maintains for the lost.

Do we have a passion for the gospel?  Is it evident in our people and in our guests?  Does our passion for the gospel reveal itself in our worship, in our business meetings, in our activities, in our preaching, in our Bible reading, in our prayers, and in our daily lives?

Do we have a contagious passion?

RELEVANCE

The final thing he discusses is that of relevance.  Relevance can be a dangerous topic because oftentimes when we are consumed with the desire to be relevant, we become irrelevant.  However, if our doctrine is sound our relevance can be more . . . well . . . relevant. 

Rainer concludes with these words:  "Stand firm.  Be passionate.  Be relevant.  And they will come."  And we might add:  "And they will stay."

Are we a church that people want to come and stay? 


Thom Rainer - Why Church Guests Return

April 2010 Newsletter Now Available Online

Due to being out of toner on our copier, I was unable to pass out this month's newsletters this past Sunday.  I will instead pass them out next Sunday.  In the meantime, you can access the newsletter online if you want to.  As always the lastest newsletter is made available on the left column.

April 2010 Newsletter

The Perfect Church Sign

If Goshen had a church sign, this is what I would put on it:


h/t: Kevin Deyoung

March 2010 Newsletter Online

Just wanted to let everyone know that March's monthly newsletter is now available online for download. We will passing them out tomorrow in the morning service.

March 2010 Newsletter

September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!

Happy Homecoming! Let us pray that God blesses Goshen for at least another 201 years if the Lord tarries.

To download the notes, click here. You can download the audio by clicking on the title.

Basic Chrsitianity: Humility Part 1 Sermon Notes

To download my sermon notes, click here.

Basic Chrsitianity: Submission Part 2 Sermon Notes

Here is the second part of our series on Basic Christianity and Submission.

Click here to download my sermon notes. Also, I had previously posted the manuscript for this sermon. To read it, click here.

Basic Chrsitianity: Submission Part 1 Sermon Notes

I think I have finally figured out how to put my notes and stuff online, but it's going to be a slow process. I still don't have Internet at the house. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to catch up. Here is the first sermon we did on our series looking at Basic Christianity looking at Submission to God from Psalm 81.

These are free to download. I am posting these in order that they might be helpful to anyone. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to put some audio on here as well.

For more sermons from the past, click here. If the following .pdf doesn't work or fit on the screen, click here.