MEET PASTOR DAVID
Overview of Pastor David’s life and his own personal testimony.

OVERVIEW
*1947… Born in Morehead City, N.C.
 
*1947-1965… I lived in Morehead City and Wilmington, North Carolina; Norfolk, Virgina; Hollywood Hills and Glendale, California; as well as Miami Beach, Florida. I visited England, Wales and Scotland, in the British Isles, Tiajuana and Juarez, Mexico, El Paso, Texas, San Francisco and San Diego, California, as well as Ontario, Canada.
 
I became a believer in Christ at the age of three, having heard Bible stories that made me realize Jesus loved me and would change me. As a youth, I served as president of my church’s youth group and in the leadership of our denominational sub-district youth group.
 
*1965… Graduated from West Carteret High School, Morehead City, N.C.
 
*1965-1969… Attended John Wesley Bible College, Greensboro, N.C, Graduated with a Th.B…held revivals, youth revivals, jail ministries, home Bible studies, street evangelism, Chaplain of the Student Body.
 
*1969… Married Martha and by 1979 I became father of David, Mark, Lydia and Joanna.
 
*1969-1973… Pastored in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (One year with a two point charge, Midway/Bethlehem, near Swansboro, N.C. in the New Bern District and three years with a three point charge, Kinnakeet/Salvo/Rodanthe, on Cape Hatteras, N. C. in the Elizabeth City District).
 
Held revivals, youth retreats, church retreats. Visited Norway, Holland and England in evangelistic outreach, visited Ecuador and Colombia S.A. for missions tour.
 
*1973-1979… Pastored in the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region. (One year at Emmanuel Friends Church in Eden, N. C. and five years at Willoughby Hills Friends Church, near Cleveland, Ohio.)
 
Held revivals, youth retreats, youth camps, missions conference speaker, church growth speaker, Vice President of denominational World Missions Board, Vice President of denominational Youth Board, led missions outreach to 1976 Montreal Olympics, visited Mexico City for missions, participated with Chinese Christian Church Ministry, regularly worked with City Mission Program of Cleveland, Ohio.
 
*1979-1987… Formed and pastored two nondenominational ministries in North Carolina; seven years in Morehead City and one year in Greensboro.
 
Founded and directed Christian Church School from 1st to 11th Grades, conducted radio ministry and local cable television ministry, ministered to homeless, performed jail and prison ministries, founded, directed and taught in a Ministry and Bible Institute.
 
*1987-1992… Pastored in Texas (three years in Alvarado, Texas.). Ministered to other churches, conducted radio program in Dallas, Texas.
 
*1992-2003… Formed and pastored nondenominational church in Tennessee. (The Church On Higher Ground for seven years). Created and hosted an informal retreat ministry and an internet ministry.
 
*2003-2005… Joined and became active part of the Tennessee District of the Wesleyan Church. Served as chaplain with “Transport For Christ” ministry to the trucking industry.
 
*2004… Transferred ordination to Tennessee District (having been previously ordained in the UMC and Recorded in the EFC-ER).
 
*2005-2015… Began an independent and nondenominational ministry in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I led the adult Sunday School and Sunday morning and evening services. I led our midweek service of study and fellowship, as well as spoke to a home Bible study group. My street outreach included Myrtle Beach Bike Week (Harley Davidson) and Atlantic Beach (S.C.) Bike Week (sports bikes, also known as “Black Bike Week”) as well as personal work with tourists and resort workers along Ocean Boulevard. I spoke to a senior citizens group twice a month.
 
*2015-2019... Moved to Beaufort, North Carolina to begin new ministry. Being a house church, our "program" has been limited. I am blessed to have three of my children (and their families) living near one another. This makes it possible, for me as a pastor, to dedicate great attention to my eight grandchildren who live in the area. This includes teaching, recreational time (kayaking, fishing, exercising), youth meetings (sporadic). Each of these children and young people are saved and seeking a deeper walk with Jesus. We have people who work with the youth in music.
 
I have taken young people to visit other churches in the area (evening service, Bible study, revival services), in order for them to meet other Christians and experience different cultures and different ministry situations.
 
We met in my home from March of '16 to September of '19, as well as other venues for special services. Our church enjoyed visiting and worshiping with FGWC in Harkers Island on Sunday evenings. Pastor Clint was kind enough to invite me to preach to his wonderful congregation several times. Toward the end of 2019 we rented a storefront building in Beaufort, which we could use as a Ministry Center for preaching, teaching, fellowship and youth work. At this time we resumed Sunday Evening Services.
 
*2020 (the present time)... Our services were going well in our storefront when COVID-19 gripped our world. As pastor, I have always cared for the health of my people, and have often cancelled services. For the good of my congregation I started having ZOOM internet services, to minister to my own people and to reach out to other people.
Much of my preaching and teaching has focused on basic Biblical concepts and practical Christian living in an unChristian world.

I believe God is about to open new doors of opportunity for us to minister to a larger and more diverse group of people in our area.

During the Covid-19 problem, we continued to have services and ministries, but since our facility was so small, our outreach to visitors dwindled to zero. We eventually returned to in-home services.

In 2020 the Lord suddenly allowed us to buy a home in Williston, in the Downeast area of Carteret County. I continued with ZOOM services and met with In-Person groups in various homes, since my home did not have a large enough facility for all of us to meet together.  God soon made it possible for us to have a place to meet for fellowship, game games, music, covered dish gatherings, Bible studies, worship, preaching and praise. Even though we were able to gather our fellowship together, I continued with the ZOOM meetings for our friends in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
 
TESTIMONY
Early Childhood
The biographical sketch tells you something of my education, ministry and travels, but it does not tell you about my relationship with Jesus. Therefore I would like to share a word of testimony with you.
 
I have no reason to believe that either of my parents were saved when I was born. My mother, being from Scotland, was raised Roman Catholic and my father was raised Methodist in North Carolina. Most if not all of my exposure to the gospel came from my father. It is not that he was so learned about the Bible, but he had been raised to have a respect for God, His Word and the Church. “Good Lord” is the name that Daddy preferred to use instead of “God.” He did not even say God’s name when we sang hymns, as in the first line of How Great Thou Art. He would sing, “O Lord my ____, when I in awesome wonder….” He also would not lay anything on top of the Bible because he saw that as being disrespectful. All of this concern from a man who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus.”
 
Conversion
When I say that I was UGLY, I am not referring to my outer appearance. UGLY was the way a two year old thought of the “sinful things” in his life. I knew that I had done things that disappointed Jesus and I knew that I thought things which did not make “the Good Lord” happy. Though it is hard for some people to believe, I asked Jesus to forgive me for being UGLY and I asked Him to come into my heart. AND HE DID. Daddy would tell me Bible stories as a little child and by God’s grace I came to accept Jesus into my heart and life at the tender age of three years. Though I was not guilty of any heinous crimes, I knew in my heart of hearts that I was “UGLY” because I had done “UGLY things.
 
My parents did not lead me into a personal relationship with Jesus. They not only did not have a living relationship with Christ at that time, they never came to an understanding of salvation until I was a ministry student in Bible college. I did not have enough Christian background to be “misled” into thinking I was a Christian. I WAS A CHRISTIAN AND I KNEW THAT I WAS BECAUSE I HAD A LIVING AND LIFE CHANGING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. I believe that God is not willing that any should perish and that included me at the tender age of two and three. God did not want me going into deep sin which would take a toll on my life and in His grace and mercy He saved me as a very young boy. Jesus Himself told the disciples to allow the children to come to Him and not to forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. I believe Jesus not only speaks English, Spanish, French, Urdu and all other human languages, I believe He can and does communicate clearly with children. I know He did with me. Not only did I know I was saved at that young age, I knew He had called me to be a preacher at the age of three. There were no ministry people in my family, we did not attend church and my parents friends were not Christian, therefore I was not being influenced by others. I was called and I knew that I was called. I always told everyone that Jesus wanted me to be a preacher and this somewhat fascinated my Daddy.
 
Though I had an hunger and desire for the Bible and Christian truths my family had very little to offer along those lines. My parents started taking me to churches and dropping me off for Sunday School, Worship service and other church activities. Eventually they started coming to services because of me and my commitment to Jesus. Since they had no understanding of spiritual realities, they didn’t really care to which church they carried me. I was taken to Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian.
 
Though my parents did not have a personal relationship with Christ, they always did what they could to help me in my growth in the Lord. This too was the hand of God in my early life. If God could save me when I had no more human help than that, what can He do for children in families who follow Him. As far as the converting of the very young, we have not because we ask not.
 
By the time I was 10 years old, we had lived in two different parts of North Carolina as well as Miami Beach, Florida and the greater Los Angeles area. I had also spent several months of my very young life in Scotland with my mother when she went home to visit her family.
 
Later Childhood
We moved from California back to North Carolina when I was ten years old. I then settled into my Dad’s home church, a Methodist Church. During the 60’s the pastors of our church were mostly liberals. They not only did not have a relationship with Jesus, they did not even believe the Bible. Nonetheless, I knew Jesus and would not be led too far afield along those lines.
 
Without the support of a Christian family and a Bible believing pastor and church, I found the lure of adolescence too great for my shallow relationship with Jesus. I would sin and then He would convict me of my sins. I would repent and He would forgive me. But not knowing the purifying power of the Holy Spirit in my life, I was off and on for Jesus from the age of 12 to 18. There were times I would go to the alter during worship services and the “preacher” had no idea as to why I was there or what to do about me. But Jesus knew and that was all that mattered to me.
 
During this period of time I tried to get God to modify His calling on my life. Maybe I could be a Navy Chaplain or something, but please Lord, not a pastor. I really had no pull with God. He stayed true to His plan and would not allow me to change His mind. I am sad to say that my backsliding during those years did not glorify Him and it did not help me. However, God is good and His mercy endures forever. Though He could have cut me off, He never left me nor forsook me.
 
God in His goodness brought a Bible preacher to my home church during my senior year in high school. He took me to his alma mater with hopes that I would attend. Upon graduation from high school, I enrolled in the Bible college. I only intended to stay long enough to get my grades up so I could go to a “real college.” I had not taken schooling seriously and though I graduated from high school, it was more from my participation during class time rather than through my homework or personal studies.
 
Bible College
Bible college was a real eye-opener. I started to learn the Word and understand Christian principles as I never had before. I was a fairly worldly Christian and Bible college life was a total change. The doctrinal background of the Bible college held to the teaching that we can not only be forgiven of our sins, but delivered from the Old Man, the Carnal Mind, the Sinful Nature. The first six weeks of my college experience was one of great struggle and turmoil. I was hearing that God not only wanted me to be holy, He would make me holy if I would trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus for my total cleansing.
 
Total Surrender and Filling of the Holy Spirit
Though I was living for Jesus and trusting Him, I knew that I was not totally sold out. I knew that I had not turned loose of every area of my life. I still had a tendency to think and act in ways which not only were dishonoring to God and disruptive to others, but also destructive to myself. I did not want to turn everything over to God, but I saw that I would not only miss all that He had for me, I would destroy myself and others as well. Only when I surrendered and believed Him for Entire Sanctification did I find the peace and power I had sought in Him all those years.
 
From that point on I was determined to learn and obey everything Jesus had for me. I would not make the Bible fit my understanding, but I would make my understanding align with God’s eternal truths. I would be willing to change my beliefs and behavior in order to please Him. This has been my intent all these years.
 
I sought to use my gifts and calling every opportunity I could. I studied, prayed, witnessed, preached, taught and served God and others every way I knew how. God had blessed me in my evangelism and I thought that maybe I should enter into evangelistic ministry. However, it would be better for me to understand Church ministries before going on the circuit, therefore I planned to spend a few years in pastoral ministry. As a pastor I began to realize that evangelism along with all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit, is best performed in and through the local church. I would find more outlets for evangelism through the local church than I could have ever imagined. Also, the foundation for the new Christian is to be found in the local body, not some para-church ministry.
 
Pastoral Background
Upon graduation from Bible college I got married and entered into the pastoral ministry of the United Methodist Church. Though this denomination has a rich and glorious history and though there are still some great men of God who minister through the UMC, the fact stands that it has left it’s moorings and is adrift in a sea of liberalism and paganism.
 
In the UMC pastors are “appointed” to their churches by the Bishop and District Superintendents, some of which have no idea about Jesus, the Bible or salvation. In this system of church government Pastors are usually not free to be the leaders of the church since they will be re-appointed within just a few years, to another church. After serving God and the congregation faithfully, the “Conference” is likely to replace a Bible pastor with some liberal or pagan hireling. The hard work and effort given for a congregation is torn up in just a short time by this new pastor. I did not see this as being the best stewardship of my time and gifts. I had plenty of opportunity to reach and build up people in the Word, but then they were turned over to the devil to be destroyed. I asked God to lead me to a more stable situation.
 
Before I left the UMC, my wife and I went to Europe on an evangelistic outreach and I also went with some of my parishioners on a short mission tour to South America. Though I had always had a heart for foreign missions, these tours enriched me beyond description. I was shifted into a higher gear for the lost around the world, and given the advantage of first hand experience. I was witness to the needs of missionaries and mission programs. This fueled my zeal to see missions promoted among the churches and gave me more insight than I could have gotten in any missions class.
 
I pastored Evangelical Friends churches in North Carolina and Ohio. The switch from Methodist to Quakers was more a change in church governmental structure than in doctrine or belief system. Obviously, I would not change my beliefs to be part of any group. The beliefs must be Biblical.
 
Ministry Training Program Provided
I enjoyed the blessings of God on our ministry in the Friends church. We saw great growth in our own local ministry and in our outreach to the world. We had several young men and women prepare for missions and pastoral ministries. It was during this time we noticed that most of the education young people receive in preparation does not actually prepare them and that it cost so much that they are hobbled with indebtedness for many years. This caused me to design and provide a Bible and Ministry Training program through our local church. Our courses in Bible, Theology and other ministry studies were more in depth and effectual than that which can be obtained through any liberal arts college, whether Christian or secular. We also provided a more practical ministry training than can be found in most Bible colleges and Seminaries. Not only was it better, it took considerably less time and basically no money. I have always believed that the Church is a MINISTRY, not a COMMERCIAL VENTURE. This led us to operate a Bible and Ministry Institute from our local church ministry.
 
With the decay in our society and especially in the so-called public education arena, I saw the need for Christian education. Again, it should be provided as a ministry and not as a commercial venture. This resulted in a church school and eventually a home schooling program. This was done when it was not as popular as it is today.

All of these events and issues have helped me develop a Biblical view concerning the Church and It’s ministry to a world in trouble. All of the problems and opportunities which I have faced have only driven me to His Word and drawn me closer to His Spirit.

I enjoyed my time in the Tennessee District of the Wesleyan Church. I was honored when they made me director of Church Growth and Evangelism. God allowed me to contract West Nile Virus, which broke my health to the point of almost dying. Not only could I not perform my pastoral duties, I was dying slowly and surely. God delivered me by leading me to the coast of South Carolina. I enjoyed a better health situation on the coast than I experienced in the mountains of Tennessee. After a decade of ministry in Myrtle Beach, which I really enjoyed, the Lord led me back to my childhood home. We have been in Carteret County, N. C. since 2015. I have held Bible class and Sunday services (morning and evening), mid week services.

When I lived on the mountain in Tennessee, my theme phrase was, “Upward and Onward in Jesus.”
Since the time we moved to the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina, my theme phrase is, “Launch Out and Hold Fast.”

Pastor David L. Gould