Celebrating 200 Years of God’s Faithfulness
For 200 years, Goshen Baptist Church has been a place where generations have gathered to worship, grow in faith, serve one another, and share the hope of Jesus Christ.
From our beginnings in 1827 to the church family we are today, God has faithfully led Goshen through generations of change, growth, and ministry. As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we look back with gratitude, celebrate where God has brought us, and look forward with anticipation to what He has yet to do.
Join us throughout 2027 as we celebrate 200 years of God’s faithfulness—Generation to Generation.
Generation to Generation. The Celebration Begins!
Why is it important that we pause to remember and celebrate 200 years? It’s almost impossible to comprehend the profound transformation that West Chester, our nation, and our world have undergone over the past two centuries. Yet somehow, in spite of great change, Goshen’s original core commitments to the authority of God’s Word and scripture-based teaching are fundamentally unchanged. This steadfast dedication has provided a bedrock, laying the foundation for an enduring legacy of faith and learning. During an era when many churches have crumbled, God has held us fast and that is worth celebrating!
Our Goshen 200 Committee launched our preparation journey in 2025 by reading from the account of the Exodus. The ancient Israelites’ history was intimately tied to their theology. They knew God by what he had done for them in the past, so remembering how he miraculously and faithfully freed and cared for them was essential to their faith. The Israelites were taught to view all of life in relation to God’s provisions, actions, desires and commands. God even established a calendar for them to pause and focus on Him (Leviticus 23). They celebrated the Passover to remember God’s deliverance, the Festival of Unleavened Bread to remember the haste in which they left Egypt, the Festivals of Firstfruits and Weeks to remember God’s provision at harvest, a Holy Day of Rest and Remembrance, The Day of Atonement for fasting and mourning over sin while the priest atoned for the sins of the people, and the Feast of Tabernacles to remember the Lord’s provision after the Exodus. These intentional and recurring events reminded Israel of God’s great faithfulness and helped to pass on that knowledge to their children.
Our committee went on to focus on the end of the Israelites’ journey. After 40 long years of wandering, God again held back the waters so they could cross the Jordan River into the promised land. The Lord told Joshua to choose one man from each of the twelve tribes to go back and collect a stone from the middle of the dry Jordan riverbed, and to place the stones in their camp. The collection of twelve stones was to serve as a memorial for the people of Israel forever.
“When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:21-24).
Our committee has been preparing a year-long journey of remembrance and praise for God’s provision and care for our church over two centuries, and to trust in his steadfastness for what lies ahead. During each month of Goshen’s 200th year, we will pause and focus on key facets of our church and its ministries where God’s faithfulness has held us fast.
We are eager for you to take this journey of remembrance with us—from Generation to Generation.
Let the celebration begin!
The Goshen 200 Committee
