Reverend Howard Ruth served as Goshen Baptist pastor from 1963 through 1984.

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Howard H. Ruth grew up in Philadelphia and, like Goshen’s first pastor Simeon Siegfried, spent part of his early life working as a printer. After serving in the Army during World War II, he returned home, enrolled at Eastern Baptist Seminary, and was ordained in 1952. He first pastored in Franklin, Pennsylvania, later moving to Berwick before being called as Goshen Baptist Church’s sixteenth pastor in March 1963.

Soon after his arrival, the congregation completed a Strategy Survey that led to the formation of an Expansion Committee. With the original church property boxed in and unable to support future growth, the church voted to purchase a new site 1.3 miles east of the historic building. After several years of planning and construction, the first services in the new sanctuary were held on January 11, 1970. 

As new housing developments transformed the surrounding area, Goshen’s membership shifted from its agricultural roots to a congregation engaged in diverse professions. Youth, women’s, and music ministries expanded significantly during this period. Rev. Ruth served faithfully for twenty‑one years, retiring in 1984.