About Us

Goshen Road Baptist Church History

Goshen Road Baptist Church was organized in April 1988 as a Southern Baptist Church under the leadership of Francis W. Hodges (“Brother Frankie”), in cooperation with the Georgia Baptist and Southern Baptist Conventions. The first service was held on April 17, 1988, in the community house of Jimmy Hodges Mobile Home Park in the Hodgeville community of Effingham County, where the church met for approximately five years. During this time, baptisms were held in a nearby lake.

From the beginning, the congregation desired to establish a permanent church home. Through generous love offerings and assistance from the Baptist Convention, nine acres were purchased at 1323 Goshen Road. With help from the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board), a volunteer team from Ferguson Baptist Church constructed the building in just five and a half days. Church members and volunteers from Rincon First Baptist Church completed the interior, and the first service in the new sanctuary was held on February 28, 1993. The church was officially dedicated on April 18, 1993, and constituted as an independent Southern Baptist Church on April 21, 1996.

As the church continued to grow, the need for expanded facilities led to the formation of a New Building Committee in 2007. Groundbreaking took place on August 31, 2008, and after several construction phases, the first service in the new building was held on November 29, 2009. The building was formally presented and dedicated on August 15, 2010.

On April 19, 2011, Pastor Frankie Hodges, who had served the church for 23 years, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. His funeral was held at Goshen Road Baptist Church, attended by hundreds, including members of the Sons of Liberty motorcycle organization, where he served as Honorary Chaplain.

On July 3, 2011, Cory Moore was voted in as Interim Pastor and was called as full-time pastor on March 18, 2012. He continues to serve Goshen Road Baptist Church today.