We are a church with Vision & Purpose and Love for all people. We strive to live up to our name by allowing the Spirit of God to lead the ones with troubled paths into a new beginning.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Overseer Erastus Godfrey
Concerning his call into ministry, Pastor Godfrey’s mother received a prophetic word to name him “Erastus, for he will grow up and preach the gospel”. Pastor Godfrey accepted his calling into the ministry in 1969 at the Mt Zion Missionary Baptist Church. After four years, Pastor Godfrey was called to pastoralship at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Silverun, AL where he served as pastor for six years. Afterward, he served as Pastor of the Union Baptist Church in Stewartville, AL for twenty-three years. On March 4, 2004, Pastor Godfrey founded the New Beginning Ministries upon which he now resides as Overseer. Overseer Godfrey received biblical education at Shocco Springs in Talladega, Al for two and a half years, and he also attended Samford University in Birmingham, AL for one and a half years. Overseer Godfrey has been married to Elect Lady Annie Pearl Godfrey for over fifty years. He is also a second-generation minister and has three sons, one daughter, and one daughter-in-law who have also been called into the ministry.
Elect Lady Annie P. Godfrey
Lady Elect Annie P. Godfrey is a Spirit-Filled, Woman of God who is loved and respected by her family and her community. She is the epitome of strength and is admired by many. Lady Elect Godfrey is a graduate, and only living graduate, of the first graduating class of 1945 of East Highland High School. She was recognized by the National Alumni Association of East Highland in 2015 where she was presented resolutions from the Mayor of Sylacauga and a congressional plaque from United States Congressman, Mike Rogers. Lady Elect Godfrey received a God-given vision for the present location of New Beginning Ministries, where she started an Outreach Ministry. Through this ministry, many families received essentials for their households but also received encouragement through the ministry of the Word of God. Mother Godfrey is full of wisdom and is a vessel for motivating and inspiring the Body of Christ to stand on the Word of God through any trial. At age 97, she continues to be an inspiration and a Mother to her family, church family, and members of her community.
Pastor DeForest Godfrey
DeForest Godfrey is the Pastor of the New Beginning Ministries, Inc under the covering of Overseer & Founder Erastus Godfrey. Pastor Godfrey served and taught the Word of God many years before officially announcing his calling into ministry. He is a seasoned Man of God who is anointed in the prophetic. Many in the Body of Christ have given testimony that the Word of the Lord is “true in his mouth”. He is truly a servant who goes beyond the call of duty. His servant’s heart is shown in the way he gives of his time, finances, and his compassion toward the Body of Christ. Pastor Godfrey has ministered at churches locally and across the United States. The teaching mantle upon which Pastor Godfrey walks is one that imparts divine revelation knowledge of God’s Word, therefore, stirring and arousing the hearts of men and women to seek the heart of God and to pursue their ministry calling. He has studied systematic theology at the II Timothy 2:15 Bible Institute in Mt. Vernon, NY and also with the Christian Jew Foundation with an emphasis on the Jewish aspects of our Christian Faith. Pastor Godfrey holds a degree in Business Management/Administration from the Westchester Business College in White Plains, NY. Pastor DeForest Godfrey is a native of Sylacauga, AL and is married to Minister Denise Cook-Godfrey.
Minister Denise Cook Godfrey
After ministering at the local city jail for about eight years, Minister Denise accepted her public call to ministry in late 2006 and is a licensed Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She has ministered at Women Conferences and other events and can be heard each second Sunday of the month on WFEB Radio 1340 AM at 6:30 a.m. Her ministry also involves teaching the Body of Christ to utilize the arts such as praise and worship dance, interpretive and expressive signing, drama, writing, and poetry through public and private workshops. Minister Godfrey received certification as a Liturgical Dance Educator from Visual Praise Dance Ministries and also a certificate of completion in Liturgical Dance Studies from Christ Center for Dance. Minister Godfrey has written and published seven books. Her published works can be found on Amazon. As a playwright, she has written and directed five gospel stage plays. The vision is to set the gospel in motion by communicating through writing, drama, song, and dance in order to promote healing, encouragement, and comfort to the Body of Christ. Minister Godfrey is currently the director of the dance and drama ministry at the New Beginning Ministries where she serves as one of the Associate Ministers under the covering of Overseer & Founder Erastus Godfrey and Pastor DeForest Godfrey. She is the wife of Pastor DeForest Godfrey, the mother of two children and is a loving grandmother. Minister Godfrey enjoys writing, aerobic exercising, dancing, and just spending time with her family.
