Our Staff
Transitional Pastor Joel Goddard & Family
It is our feeling that the Lord has had His hand on developing a relationship with the Goddard family for some time now.
If you have ever been to St Croix Christian Church, there’s no doubt you had met and connected with Pastor Dave Claeys, his wife Shelley, and their amazing family who served our church body faithfully since 2008. At the end of 2022 Pastor Dave stepped away from ministry to pursue his passion for fishing with his son Cai. They now run a local fishing charter business here on St Croix and we wish them all of God’s best for their future endeavors.
Back in the Summer of 2022 during staff meeting one afternoon, the Claeys mentioned they would love for someone in ministry to make use of their house while they were to be off island. Staff admin Burgundy, who has known Joel and his family for 15+ years, mentioned this to Joel and he was excited to come and meet our church body and share with us. While here, they connected with our youth and adults as well and feel strongly that the youth are the future of our church body. That Sunday morning Joel and his family led worship with a mix of sharing the Word. Before they left island that week, a night of worship was held and enjoyed by all who attended.
When Pastor Dave shared that he would be stepping away from ministry, Joel’s name was suggested by several as a possibility to see if he would be interested in supporting us through this transition. The Goddard’s could not shake the pull that the Lord has given them for our island and our church body.
Joel is one of the pastors at Bethlehem Church in Bethlehem, GA. Joel has led through the transition of a church pastor stepping away and leading the church to a new season and brings that experience to the table. Although Bethlehem is much larger now, the church at the time was around 250 people. Joel has been in ministry for 30+ years, largely with the title of Lead Worship Pastor but always weaving God’s Word and message of salvation, especially through the telling of stories. To say that Joel is on fire for revival, life change and people coming to know Jesus is an understatement. He has led worship conferences for youth and adults around the nation and all over the world. Joel is very well loved by his community and family and connects with pretty much everyone that meets him. Bethlehem understands the mission of the big “C” Church is to reach the lost and proclaim God’s word and considers SCCC to be a mission and extension of their ministry during this season.
For those who would like to know more detail on his training and development, Joel was born and raised in Dacula, GA and attended Shorter College in Rome, GA where he received his Batchelor of arts in vocal performance with a minor in piano. He has served 15 years in traveling ministry to churches, conferences, youth events, etc. before serving 16 years + at Bethlehem Church. He and his wife Stacey have been married for 22 years and have 3 children, Jadyn 18, Elijah 16, and Lydia 13.
In additional to Joel being our Transitional Pastor, St Croix Christian Church will be partnering with Bethlehem Church for this next season as we search for our new Pastor. Bethlehem Church is led by Pastor Jason Britt. Jason brings an impactful, real-time view of how to navigate the Christian life in today's world through his messages each week. Bethlehem Church considers SCCC to be a mission and we are excited to have them as our partner during this time.