In Memory

Pastor Bill Goff was the Senior Pastor and founder of River of Life Tabernacle in Lucedale, MS. Pastor Bill was born on May 4, 1937 in Lucedale, MS.

This is where he lived until he entered the United States Air Force at the age of 18 years old.  He would serve his country for 21 years.  He was in the Viet Nam War and pulled three other tours of duties overseas: Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand. 

In 1958 Pastor Bill married his wife of 46 years, Joyce Goff. Pastor Bill and Joyce have three children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

It was in 1975, in the Philippines, that he received ישׁוּע Yeshua as his Savior.  A love and hunger for ישׁוּע Yeshua grew and grew until the day that he died.  He had a passion to teach the Word of his Father, to lay down traditions of men, and to walk out, to the best of his ability, all that the Scriptures taught.  Truly a “Man of the Book”!

He retired from the Air Force and pursued his passion for the Word.  After a time in the Philippines as a missionary and a short time in Seattle, WA in Bible School, in 1985 he surrendered to the call to start a fellowship in Lucedale, MS.  Thus Praise Tabernacle was born. 

As he grew in the Word and put off traditions of men, the name of the fellowship was changed to River of Life Tabernacle.  The repeatable phrase of Pastor Bill and now the motto of the congregation is what the Father told Moses concerning the building of the Tabernacle…”do it according to the pattern.”  That thought in mind is what led us to studying our Hebrew Roots of the Faith. 

We at River of Life will continue what Pastor Bill started and that is teaching the whole of Scripture and doing all that יהוה Y-H-V-H has commanded us to do. 

Not for salvation as that cannot be earned, it is a free gift of God, but simply because we love ישׁוּע Yeshua and are His disciples [1 John 2:3-6].

Joyce is still an integral part of the ministry as the founding mother of the congregation.  She loves teaching and discipling according to [Titus 2], [Proverbs 31], and [1 Peter 3]. You may contact the ministry if interested in getting Joyce to come speak to your meeting or congregation.

We lovingly remember our Pastor and the labor that he put forth in order for us to know our Savior in a more intimate way.