Grafton – The Baptist Church of Grafton has announced the retirement of Rev. Philip D. Goff, who has served the church for the last 13 years. A graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, he has been in the ministry for 40 years serving churches in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Goff has been an active member of the Grafton community serving as the chaplain for the town’s volunteer Fire Department. He has served on the board of the Grafton Food Pantry and on the board of the council on aging. He has also been an active member of the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury. He has been the chair of the Grafton Clergy Association and served as the moderator of the Central Massachusetts Baptist Association. Goff has also been active in the Boy Scout community serving as a commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America Mohegan Council and committee chair of Post 2035 sponsored by the Grafton Fire Department. He is married to May Goff and they are the parents of three and grandparents of one.
May has been an active member of the church serving on the mission committee, the Christian education committee and singing in the choir. She leads the congregation each week in hymns and each summer starts services with fun, participatory songs. May has also been an active supporter of the church’s public dinners, serving on the dinner committee since it began.
The members of the Baptist Church will hold a farewell reception for Phil and May on Saturday, July 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Russell Fellowship Hall, 1 South St. Friends of the Goffs are invited to attend and share in the celebration.
Sunday, Aug. 7 will be Goff’s final Sunday in the pulpit in Grafton. The Worship Service begins at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a coffee and fellowship time. All are welcome to join the congregation in saying a final good-bye to the couple.