It’s a little before 7:45 on a warm Sunday morning on Smith Lake in Cullman County. Boats are already arriving for the 8 a.m. worship service at Rock Creek Mission.
Minister Paul Campbell, who will bring the morning message, extends a greeting to those in attendance. The service will last between 30 and 45 minutes.
About the only way to reach the church is by boat. Twenty boats that sometimes bring multiple families anchor next to the dock, which is covered and has a cross to mark it as a house of God.
Attached to the dock is an area that houses pews. Those who opt to worship in their boats rather than in the pews listen to the service over the public address system. The pews seat 160.
Some who no longer have access to boats but choose to return for the services park their vehicles in a designated area and catch a ride on the shuttle boat.
“The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal. Since most people are there visiting the lake, they wear their swimming attire and some even bring their cats or dogs,” said Campbell, one of four preachers who preaches on the floating church.
The ministers rotate and preach one of the four Sundays each month. If there is a fifth Sunday, Rock Creek Mission co-founder Emory Calvert preaches.
The church doesn’t pay the ministers who preach, but collects an offering that is given to missions. “Hospice gets most of the money because some of our members have had family members supported by them,” said Calvert.
Services begin on Easter and conclude on the last Sunday in September.
Rock Creek is not just used for services. The church has hosted a few weddings and baptisms.
“A man by the name of Andrew Blevins who is now deceased built this church float (the one the church is using today) all by himself, although he let me help some. That was his labor of love,” said Calvert.
Bobby Browning, another co-founder of Rock Creek Mission, said the idea for the mission was first suggested by another local minister in June 1986. He mentioned that a similar service was being held on Lake Guntersville and recognized that many people on Smith Lake may be missing church.
By utilizing a space near Browning’s store on the marina he owned, Rock Creek Mission was born. Browning added two benches and a sheet of Styrofoam on a pontoon barge for people to sit.
When Browning sold his marina, Rock Creek relocated to its present spot. The church no longer uses Browning’s barge but uses the one Blevins constructed.
Though the church was started 16 years ago, attendance is still strong today. Rock Creek averages between 100 and 150 at each service.
One Sunday, a choir sang for the group, and nearly 250 attended that service. Many returned and worshiped at Rock Creek.
Those who attend the service come from all denominations, states and ethnic backgrounds, though the majority are Baptist.
Calvert said people from Mississippi attend regularly. Also, some from Germany, Cuba and a few other foreign countries have graced the decks of Rock Creek Mission.
When the church first held worship services, the average attendance was a dozen. The next year that number increased to about 20.
“All of a sudden, our attendance blossomed. We started having 75, then 80 and 150,” said Calvert.
Media and religious organizations even started noticing the unique church.
The Birmingham News and The Cullman Times wrote about Rock Creek, and letters from around the Southeast started pouring in.
The Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) even sought advice from the congregation. And the national media also has expressed interest in covering the church.
“We didn’t advertise,” said Calvert. “All of a sudden, boats just came up here.”
The boats also continued to come even in various weather conditions.
“I’ve learned that the bad weather we have dampens the spirits but someone always shows up for church,” Browning said. “The Lord has taught us to be humble and patient.”
Retired minister Jim Berry said the mission has also helped its people survive a traumatic situation.
“A lady showed up one Sunday and shared how her husband and two sons were killed by a drunken boat driver,” said Berry. “She talked about how the church helped her throughout the ordeal and how the Lord helped her bear the tragedy.”
Calvert said “if this church weren’t here, most people on vacation may not come to church.”
Pianist Anita Boozer said Rock Creek allows children to witness firsthand that a person can go on vacation and still attend church.
“I remember one time when we took some children with us to church and they sat on the first row,” said Boozer, a Mississippi Baptist. “They told their parents everything that had happened.
“To me, the kids were getting more out of it than I was,” Boozer added.
Calvert points out that God is the reason for the church’s survival.
“God in some way felt we needed this, needed the opportunity, and we’ve grown,” Calvert said.
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