Our Beginning

Surrounded by the moss-covered cypress trees that line the Calcasieu River, a small group of Christians gathered one Sunday morning to worship God. It was July 3, 1976, and a warm summer day. The day before, America had celebrated its Bicentennial, and on this day, a new church, Gateway Church of God, began in Moss Bluff, Louisiana. They named the church Gateway because they wanted it to serve as a gateway to a new life. Beneath the sunny skies, they sat in lawn chairs, on tree stumps, or simply on the ground. After six weeks of church services by the river, the congregation moved indoors. Services were held in a small white building on the corner of Davis and Landry roads in Westlake.


Gateway soon began to outgrow its building in Westlake and purchased land for its current location on Sam Houston Jones Parkway in Moss Bluff. The sanctuary was dedicated on April 11, 1981, and has since been expanded and converted into the Upstreet Building—a children’s environment for fun, relevant learning. The current sanctuary was dedicated on Easter Sunday in 2000. From the banks of the river to the present sanctuary of worship, Gateway continues to share the love of Christ and create opportunities for lives to change.


Who is the Church of God

Gateway Church of God is registered with the Church of God Reformation movement based in Anderson, IN. If you were to attend one of our services, you would find that it resembles the services of Baptist and Conservative Methodist churches more than those of other Charismatic Church of God denominations. In the late 19th century, many denominations claimed that their 'brand' of Christianity was the only true way to heaven. During this time, the pioneers of the Church of God began to preach against sectarianism and created churches that "reached their hands of fellowship to every blood-washed one." As the Church of God movement spread, congregations were called to holiness and unity. In some ways, this movement was the first non-denominational group of churches. However, as time went on, like-minded Church of God churches connected with one another and began to organize, much like many denominations.


Though the dynamics and structure have continued to develop, the message of responding to the Holy Spirit's call to salvation and living with others according to Scripture has remained the same. At Gateway, you will notice that we practice open communion and encourage all believers to participate. We also do not require believers to be re-baptized in order to serve in our church. We believe the Bible is our foundation of faith and are not attached to any specific creed. In essence, Gateway Church of God exists to love others to life by living according to the Scriptures. We are very excited that you have taken an interest in our church and look forward to answering any other questions you may have.