Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Pastor Gene Godfrey and wife Jackie are Cleveland bound.

•May 22, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

After nearly 18 years of service Pastor Gene Godfrey will retire from the First Baptist Church Sunday, May 26.
The public is cordially invited to attend the May 26 10 a.m. Sunday services which will be conducted by Pastor Gene’s son, Pastor Vincent Godfrey of O’Fallon.
An open house reception will be held from 2-4 p.m. in the church’s Fellowship Hall and is also open to the public.
Pastor Gene grew up in Ohio near Cleveland and attended the same church where his grandfather and parents were faithful parishioners.
When his church needed a new pastor, he was part of the search committee that traveled to Colgate-Rochester Seminary for interviews.
“The buildings and grounds were so beautiful,” he recalled, “I knew that one day I would return there for study.”
He went to college and served in the Army. He met his wife, Jackie, in a bowling alley where she worked. They became a blended family with his two sons and her two daughters. He readily admits, “Jackie convinced me to go to seminary.” First Baptist Church has been his first and only ministry.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.