Last month, the United Methodist churches in Bullville, Walden, and Walker Valley welcomed a new pastor to their communities: Reverend Bright Einstein Nogoh. Rev. Nogoh has an extensive background in ministry; he served many communities in Accra, Ghana and Boston, Massachusetts over the last few decades. He looks forward to serving the three congregations and connecting with the local youth.

Rev. Nogoh lived in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, for most of his life before moving to Boston in September 2023 and the Village of Walden last month. He graduated from the Trinity Theological Seminary, obtaining a Bachelor of Theology in 2018 and Master of Theology in 2020; graduated from the Boston University School of Theology, obtaining a Master of Divinity last May; and took classes through the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium, obtaining a Certificate in International Mission & Ecumenism last May. Rev Nogoh initially pursued accounting and practiced for four years, but he did not find fulfillment from the field. While in accounting school, he received “God’s call on His life” and decided to register for the seminary.

“I’m a trained accountant, but I wasn’t finding fulfillment in the practice, and that’s how God led me to start the seminary in Ghana,” Rev. Nogoh said. “Interestingly, I was going to take a professional accounting class and become a chartered accountant, and that very campus is where I received my call to go to the Trinity Theological Seminary. The accounting professional school wasn’t far from the seminary, so I walked over there to pick up a form and start my journey.”

In Ghana, Rev. Nogoh served numerous Methodist and Pentecostal churches for two decades, providing ministry to youth across the country. He worked with Scripture Union Ghana, an international Christian organization; he served as a full-time account officer for two years, a volunteer staff member for the organization camp ministry for several years, and other positions like the camp officers’ fellowship president and planning committee chairperson for camps in Accra. He was very involved in the country’s schools, working as a Christian transformation field officer of Edify Ghana and mentoring high school students. He also co-founded Living Light Outreach, a food pantry ministry that helps orphanages and people in need throughout the Greater Accra Region.

“My philosophy has been to serve God and the people around us. I am a very mission-centered person, and I feel the calling is not just in the church but also the community, so I see the community as where God has called me to,” Rev. Nogoh said on October 21. “I feel the most important parts of my ministry are on three legs: prayer, bible study, and relationships. Those are the three legs on which my ministry stands. If I’m a minister and I don’t pray, don’t read the Bible, and don’t have good relationships, then I have no ministry. So those things are very key to me.”

Rev Nogoh moved to Boston after feeling “God’s leading to come and study” at the BU School of Theology. He joined the Calvary Church in Arlington and served as an intern under Rev. Dr. Cynthia Good for two years. He served as a dignity project mentor at Hebrew College for one year, mentoring interreligious high school students within the Boston area. While attending the BU School of Theology, Rev. Nogoh served as president of the Association of Black Seminarians for one year and first fellow of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography for two years. Under the DACB, he worked on a project called Faithful Footprints, providing African students with a space for fellowship. He also received the Leadership Excellence Award and was inducted into the BU School of Theology Leadership Society.

“When I got here, I attended the Calvary Church, United Methodist Church, in Arlington. I served as an intern under the pastor Reverend Dr. Cynthia Good, a respected pastor in that area, for two years,” Rev. Nogoh said. “I preached, I led the communion, and I taught kids. I served in their mission trip for about two years; I led the men’s fellowship and organized the men’s retreats. I also led Lent reflections, where I designed Bible studies during the Lenten season.”
While living in Boston, Rev. Nogoh was a member of the New England Annual Conference of the UMC. A few months ago, he applied to fill a vacancy in the Catskill Hudson District of the New York Annual Conference as he felt “a calling from God and sought to serve the people in the district.” Rev. Dr. Karen Monk, dean of the NYAC and superintendent of the Catskill Hudson District, interviewed and recommended him for the vacancy. She felt that he would be a good fit for the churches.

“I was originally from the New England Conference in Boston. And it so happened that there was a vacancy in the Catskill Hudson District, and by the Lord’s doing, the district superintendent recommended me,” Rev. Nogoh said on October 21. “She interviewed me a couple of times and felt I was very competent for this position. I was brought here (Walden) in August for an in-person interview, and the church loved my ministry.”

Rev. Nogoh began serving as pastor of the Bullville UMC, Mountain View UMC, and Walden UMC on October 12. His responsibilities include preaching, leading the communion, and providing pastoral leadership. He also assists the congregations with their community outreach, including their craft and vendor fairs, donation drives, food pantries, presence at local events, and Thanksgiving meal distributions.

Since starting a few weeks ago, Rev. Nogoh has greatly enjoyed serving the three churches and appreciates the local communities for being “open and ready for ministry.”

“I like that these communities are open and ready for ministry. Just within the week, I sent an article, and I had a lot of people responding to the article positively and how it was a huge inspiration to them,” Rev. Nogoh said. “I also like that everyone here is open and embraces the community. I am originally from Ghana, where you can start a good conversation with a stranger. That is the kind of community I’m talking about, and I find it so interesting to see such communities here.”

As a newcomer to the Hudson Valley, Rev. Nogoh considers Walden a great change of pace from Boston. He also loves seeing deer, rabbits, and other wildlife roaming about.

“I see a lot of rabbits and deer walking around in the morning and evening. It gives me a lot of excitement, and so I don’t really miss Boston,” Rev. Nogoh said on October 21. “I’m just a very open person, and I go where God leads me. I see positivity in this area, and I think this is where God wants me to be, so I’m loving the place.”

Rev. Nogoh looks forward to not only serving the three congregations, but also connecting with local first responder agencies and school districts. He wants to provide ministry to the youth and send “the message of Christ to them.”

“I’m looking forward to connecting with the police departments and fire service. I also want to partner with all the schools in the district so we can get more young people into not just our churches, but also receive ministry as well,” Rev. Nogoh said. “I’ll be going to the sport centers and finding ways to partner with all the kids in this area, so that we can send the message of Christ to them.”