Old Rocks Church and the Legacy of Suanee Creek – and Me

Nestled in the woods in the far corner of Appomattox County is a hidden venue with a legacy that is older than our nation. One has to travel down a half mile fire road of gravel that is blocked off by a simple metal gate. The location is quiet, peaceful, and historic – filled with simple sounds of birds chirping and the water splashing over the rocks.

And if you listen close enough you might hear the echoes of “Amens” that go back to 1772.

The location is right along what used to be the old stage coach trail. Yet time and the railroad made that stage coach trail relocate. It is the original spot where Rocks Baptist Church used to meet and worship for decades. On looking around, you can see where the church got its name – for the acreage has rocks large and small that have been there for millennia.

The Suanee Creek pretty much flows the way it did for the past several centuries. Some rocks were added to help dam up a small area that could be used for baptisms. And this is what brought me to the scenic hideaway.

A few months ago, before the pandemic changed the world forever, I was approached by a friend that expressed a desire to be baptized in believers’ baptism. This was exciting and He wondered if we could get baptized at this location, the Old Rocks church site. The opportunity arose, and so yesterday we ventured out there for an act that is linked in a legacy.

I cannot fathom how many people have professed their faith in Jesus and stepped into these waters to be baptized. The simple act of immersion signifies their complete surrender in obedience to Christ. Hundreds? Thousands? Who knows. But it is spine tingling to know that I now have a small piece in that long line.

Initially, the waters were chilly. And I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to get my Chuck Taylor clad feet unstuck from the mud at the bottom of the creek. In the end, we survived, and we got all our footwear safely back to shore. But more importantly, PR proclaimed to the world that he is a faithful follower of Christ.

Surrounded by family and friends, he joined an even longer line of legacy of those who have been baptized in the name of Jesus. And that is even more spine tingling than a legacy of a location.

There’s no real lesson in today’s blog, but what there is are the emotional words of a writer who realizes how Jesus changes everything with His death, burial and resurrection. And we who are spiritually dead can be made alive in Christ. And that’s the greatest lesson of all.

See, here of the water. What does prevent you from being baptized? Proclaim it!