Risen Stories: Meet the Goebels!
Meet Josh & Katie Goebel, members of our Launch Team who are both from Virginia. Josh grew up in Luray, VA, and Katie lived just outside of Washington, D.C. until moving to Luray. They met for the first time when in middle school. Katie’s dad was a pastor, and he was called to serve at the church where Josh’s family was attending. They started dating in high school, and have been together ever since! They have been married for five years, and welcomed their son, Hudson, into the family seven months ago.
How did you come to faith in Jesus?
Josh: I was raised in a Christian home. When I was in middle school, I knew that I believed in God. I knew that I was a sinner and God sent His son to save me from my sins. However, I couldn’t remember “the moment” I was saved like so many other Christians talk about in their own testimonies. I struggled with this and felt self conscious of my own testimony. I would pray to God time after time, in fear that I may have missed that moment. It wasn’t until college that I realized that my faith was not dependent on remembering a specific moment. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, it is by Grace we have been saved through faith. I know I am saved because I believe in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and that I’m a sinner in need of saving.
Katie: I was also raised in a Christian home. My dad was a pastor, so I grew up in the church. I came to faith at a young age in Vacation Bible School. I remember my teacher going over the ABC’s of accepting Jesus into your heart and praying along with her. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I felt like my faith really became my own and not something that was passed down from my parents.
Why did you feel that joining a church plant was the right thing for you?
For us, being a part of this church plant is about building community. We moved to Concord about a year ago. We were very involved in our previous church in Asheville, and we wanted to find a church home in Concord where we could find that same type of Biblical community. We struggled to find a church that aligned with our beliefs that wasn’t a long drive away, until we found out about Risen Church. We knew that being involved in a church plant would help us grow stronger in our faith, increase our ministry, and allow us to act in the body of Christ the way God intends. Risen Church not only holds firm to the Gospel, but they believe in Biblical connection and doing ministry and life together.
