A Neighborhood Church With International Reach
Mountain Creek Baptist Church sits at 1001 Mountain Creek Road on the north side of Chattanooga, a stone's throw from the Tennessee River and the brow of the ridge that gives the road its name. The congregation is small enough to feel like a family and outward-facing enough to draw neighbors, retirees, students and international visitors through its doors every week. That mix - local and global, generational and newcomer - is what defines the place.
More than a decade ago, Mountain Creek began offering English as a Second Language classes to international neighbors new to the Chattanooga area. The ESL program is still going strong in its nearly tenth year, with multiple class levels and childcare provided during lessons. The long-running commitment to that ministry has shaped the church's identity: regular attenders are joined by students from around the world who come for language help and stay for friendship, fellowship and the Sunday sermon.
Pastor Pat and the Ministry of Hospitality
The church's senior pastor, Pat, began his ministry in 1985 as an evangelist who sang and preached to youth in a musical group, and later served as a camp counselor and camp pastor. In the early 1990s he moved into youth ministry at Antioch First Baptist Church just outside Nashville, where he spent more than twenty years before stepping into the role of senior pastor at Mountain Creek. He met his wife Janna in the summer of 1993 and they married a year later.
Pastor Pat and Janna share the spiritual gift of hospitality. Their home, along with their Christmas Open House - an annual tradition that opens their doors to the church family, neighbors and friends to celebrate the gift of salvation through Jesus - has become one of the church's signature rhythms. Pat's preaching follows a steady expository pattern: on most Sunday mornings he works through a book of the Bible, and he is currently preaching through the Gospel of Matthew. He also teaches Wednesday Bible study and serves as a teacher in the Wednesday evening ESL class.
Sunday Worship and the Wider Chattanooga Community
The Sunday morning service begins at 11:00 AM Eastern and is livestreamed on Facebook for those joining from a distance. The worship style is intentionally casual and welcoming, described by the church as a place where people can experience warm faith and the strength of community while connecting real life with real truth. Children, longtime members and first-time visitors share the same room.
Once a month, the church opens its sanctuary to the wider community for Community Worship Night. Held one Tuesday evening each month at 6:00 PM, the gathering features worship leaders from across Chattanooga coming together for an extended time of praise, testimony and prayer. Visitors are invited to enter through the sanctuary doors, set aside a busy week and rest in God's presence alongside believers from other congregations.
ESL: A Decade of Welcoming the World
The ESL ministry is approaching its tenth year at Mountain Creek. Classes resume each September, with an evening session open to all proficiency levels, from beginners working on basic conversation to more advanced students sharpening reading and writing. Childcare is available during class so parents can focus on learning. International students who have come through the program have, in turn, enriched the church family with new friendships, cultural perspectives and worship styles.
Pat teaches in the Wednesday ESL class along with other volunteers, and the program's longevity is a point of pride for the church. It is also a bridge into the rest of church life: ESL students often return on Sundays, join community meals and become part of the congregation's everyday rhythms.
Hugs of Love and Wednesday Fellowship
Wednesday at 11:00 AM is Hugs of Love, the church's senior adult Bible study and fellowship time. The gathering offers a relaxed hour of Bible study, friendship and shared lunch. Most weeks, participants simply bring their own lunch and enjoy the time together. The name reflects the church's emphasis on warm, intergenerational connection, and the program is one of the church's longest-running weekday ministries.
Wednesday evenings, the campus comes alive again for ESL classes and additional Bible study opportunities hosted by Pastor Pat and other teachers.
The 24-Hour Prayer Vigil and 40 Days of Crying Out
Twice a year, the church gathers to pray without stopping for a full 24 hours, beginning at 8:00 AM on a Saturday. The 24-Hour Prayer Vigil anchors five specific prayer emphases: personal revival in the lives of believers, revival across the church family and country, softened hearts among those who do not yet know Christ, boldness to advance the kingdom of God, and the people God lays on each participant's heart. The vigil is grounded in Mark 11:24 and Ephesians 6:18, with Romans 8:26 - on the Spirit interceding when words run out - offered as a meditative guide.
Alongside the vigil, the church also participates in 40 Days of Crying Out to God, a sustained season of asking the Lord for revival in the life of the congregation and the community beyond it.
Sunday Scoops, Coffee and a Bite, and Other Acts of Neighborliness
Mountain Creek's outreach calendar is built around small, repeated acts of kindness aimed at the people who live and drive past the church on Mountain Creek Road.
- Sunday Scoops runs every Sunday in August from 12:30 to 1:30 PM in the church parking lot, where volunteers hand out free ice cream to neighbors, passers-by and church members as a thank-you to the community.
- Coffee and a Bite takes place every Wednesday morning in April and October. Drivers pull through for a free cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme donut, with volunteers offering a smile and a brief conversation.
- Backyard Bible Club is the church's annual children's program, held over a week each year with Bible stories, crafts, games and water activities on warm evenings.
- Block Party brings the wider neighborhood together for food, games and fellowship across all ages.
- Trunk or Treat offers a family-friendly fall alternative for Halloween, with decorated cars, treats and games in the parking lot.
- Meals for Teachers sends homemade food to local school staff as a tangible expression of appreciation.
- Softball team gives church members a chance to build friendships on and off the field, with cheering fans in the stands.
- Personal outreach is woven into the church's teaching, encouraging members to build relationships across Chattanooga in their everyday lives.
What the Church Believes and How It Grows
The church summarizes its mission in two parts. To grow: deepening relationship with God through Bible study, gathered worship, prayer and biblical preaching. To share: demonstrating the love of Jesus through creative, practical outreach in the Chattanooga community. The congregation is theologically Baptist in tradition, centered on the authority of Scripture, the centrality of the preached Word and the call to share the gospel locally and globally.
Preaching, prayer and personal relationships are the three threads that run through everything. Pastor Pat's steady walk through one book of the Bible at a time keeps the teaching anchored in Scripture. The prayer vigil and 40 Days season keep the congregation looking upward. The ESL classes, ice cream Sundays, donut Wednesdays, teacher meals and backyard Bible club keep the church looking outward - to neighbors across Mountain Creek Road and to newcomers from anywhere in the world.
Getting Involved and Staying Connected
Visitors and newcomers are welcome to drop in for Sunday worship at 11:00 AM, join the monthly Community Worship Night on a Tuesday at 6:00 PM, sit in on Hugs of Love on Wednesday mornings, or inquire about the fall ESL classes when they resume each September. The church office can be reached at 423-870-9331.
Online giving is available through the church's PayPal donation link, and the Sunday service is livestreamed on Facebook for those who want to participate from home. From the steady drip of free coffee on a Wednesday morning to the once-a-year Christmas Open House at the pastor's home, Mountain Creek Baptist Church stays focused on the same simple conviction: worship God, teach His Word, and tell the people of Chattanooga about Him.