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Chico Goff
Lead Pastor
E Mail
I am about as “North County” as you can be. I was born at Palomar Hospital in Escondido and was raised in San Marcos. My parents still live in the house I grew up in! I went to Alvin Dunn Elementary, San Marcos Junior High and graduated from San Marcos High School in 1984. It was the summer between high school and college that my life would change forever.
In the summer of ’84, I had barely turned 18, but I was about to grow up real fast as my fast paced, promiscuous lifestyle caught up with me. I’ll spare you the details but there was a pregnancy and an abortion. I had taken a life and deeply wounded another's. My thoughtless, selfish actions led to some soul searching that first year at Palomar Community College in San Marcos. Now a freshman, I was plagued by a whole new series of questions: What really is the value of life? How do I find satisfaction? What have I done?
This search for truth and significance eventually led me to Jesus. I had experimented with drugs and drinking. The abortion is evidence I had been irresponsible with my life and body. I had been searching for answers when Dennis, a college pastor at Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, gave me a Bible to read. After a couple months of reading and studying the Bible, I still had some unanswered questions about God and Christianity, but I knew I needed help…I needed a Savior. In May of 1985 in the Palomar College cafeteria, I surrendered my life to Jesus. It was then that my journey took me on a new course, and it was then that my pursuit of life’s most important questions began to be fulfilled.
After three years at Palomar College, I sensed that God wanted more of my life. I learned to pray, so I let God I was grateful for saving me from my sins and I would do whatever He asked. It was the least I could do after knowing the peace Jesus brought me. So, I changed my major to Spanish and transferred to San Diego State. My dream at the time was to use my Spanish heritage, to learn a new language, and eventually be a missionary serving God. My studies eventually led me to spend a year as a foreign exchange student in Mexico City. While studying abroad, I realized I couldn't imagine doing anything better with my life than helping others know the peace of God that I had come to experience.
Upon returning to the United States in 1989 with a B.A. in Spanish, I started my studies at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. I spent the next eight years working part-time at Emmanuel Faith Community Church as an intern (the practical part of my training) while driving to Talbot (the academic part of my training). It took awhile, but I eventually earned two Masters Degrees in Missiology. That’s a fancy word that simply means I was studying to be a missionary.
One of my intern assignments was to serve in the single’s ministry of the church. It was during this ministry assignment that I met my wife, Sheevaun. It took me a while to convince her I was "marrying material," but I am thankful she finally agreed! Sheevaun continues to champion our San Marcos connection by serving in the public schools in San Marcos. Our daughter Kristy is 24 and is married to Greg. Lilly and Grace are 4 and 2 and are the best looking granddaughters a “papa” could ask for! Our son Robert was a gift from the Lord. He is 12 now and loves everything you think a middle school boy would love. Our German Shepherd, Samson, rounds out the family.
In my first 12 years at Emmanuel Faith I held seven different positions, but God wasn't done yet. In June of 1999 I took the position of church planter for the new church start-up Emmanuel Faith wanted to begin in San Marcos. This new church would eventually be called Mission Hills Church. We officially opened with our first service in the gym at Emmanuel Faith in October of 1999. It is sometimes difficult to believe what started as a Bible study of 30 people has grown to a church with multiple worship services and over 400 people. This has truly been the most exciting adventure Sheevaun and I have ever traveled. Now that we have moved into our new 32 acre campus, the church has grown to over 1,350 people on a Sunday. God's household is always an exciting place!
Being the Pastor of Mission Hills Church has been the most significant thing I have done with my life. I love the people of this church and can't think of anything else I would rather do with my life.
That is a little bit of my story. I'd love to hear yours. You can email me at mypastor@missionhillschurch.org . Chances are pretty good if you've read this far you are wondering if Mission Hills is the kind of church and if I am the kind of pastor that you and your family would click with. We are about helping people know Jesus. We are not a perfect church, but we are trying to be a healthy one. I am not a perfect pastor (just ask my wife, my parents, or the people in the church that have been around a while), but I am trying to serve the needs of this community.
We would love the opportunity to get to know you. Let me give you four ways to get to know us better:
- First, spend some time with our website. You can find out more about the staff, the vision and the ministries we have to help meet your needs.
- Second, visit one of our four services. If you are wondering what our services are like, we range from decaf to caffeinated in our music. Our messages are contemplative in their content. And the atmosphere on our campus is on Sunday is 100 % casual.
- Three, call us. We'd love to hear from you!
- Four, email or call me and let me know how I can serve you and your family. North County is my home and the people of this community are the ones God has asked me to serve.
Thanks for letting me share a few chapters of my journey with you. I hope to have to have the opportunity to hear a few chapters of your journey some day.
His Servant,
Pastor Chico
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