A Lakeside Congregation on Neely Henry Lake
Riddles Bend Baptist Church sits along Riddles Bend Road on the shores of Neely Henry Lake in Rainbow City, Alabama, where it has anchored the surrounding community for more than a century. The congregation is casual in dress, blended in its music, and gospel-focused in its preaching. Members include descendants of charter families, longtime residents of the Riddles Bend community, and newer neighbors who drive in from other communities because they have found a home at Riddles Bend.
From Union Chapel to Riddles Bend Baptist
Riddles Bend Baptist became a church in 1919. "Union Chapel" Baptist, as it was called then, was home to many of the families in the Riddles Bend Community along the Coosa River.
Through the decades, the community changed. With the creation of the Neely Henry Lake on the Coosa River, families began to build on lake lots and the surrounding area grew around the water. Today, Riddles Bend Baptist Church is a multigenerational church made up of descendants of charter members, many families from the community who have moved in over the years, and people who drive from other communities because they have found a home here.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Visitors are greeted from the moment they walk through the door. The church emphasizes that worshipers will be welcomed, encouraged, challenged, and convicted by what they find.
Dress is casual. The worship style is described as "blended," meaning a band and praise team lead alongside a choir that also sings each Sunday. The pastor's preaching is Bible-centered, moving verse by verse through a passage to explain what the text means and how it applies to daily life. Messages point people to Christ and apply to life today.
A Three-Part Weekly Rhythm
Three regular gatherings form the backbone of life at Riddles Bend:
- Sunday School at 9:45 AM for every age group.
- Sunday Worship at 11:00 AM, running about an hour.
- Wednesday evening service at 6:00 PM for all age groups.
Wednesday evenings show up in the sermon archive as "Wednesday Night Bible Study" recordings, confirming that the mid-week gathering centers on Bible teaching for the whole church family alongside dedicated programming for children and students.
Sunday School for Every Age
Sunday School at Riddles Bend is described as "more than just a lesson." Every week, every teacher takes every opportunity to make the Bible come alive. Each class is also designed so that members get to know each other and fellowship outside the church setting.
Classes span the full range of ages and stages of life:
- Nursery - Lanna Fulenwider and Velma Gibbs
- Preschool - Anita Bedwell
- 1st-3rd Grade - Karen Prickett
- Preteens - Karen Thompson
- Students - Dustin King and Marylynne King
- College and Career - Mason Prickett
- Pastor's Class (adults) - Rodney Prickett
- Bliss Class (adults) - Jack Morgan
- Fish Class (adults) - Becky Webster
- Joy Class (adults) - John Clark
"It is easy to get lost in 'big church,'" the church notes, but small classes give members a chance to know and be known, "warts and all." Each class is built for relationships, not just curriculum.
Ways to Connect Beyond Sunday
The church organizes around several ongoing groups for different stages of life and interests:
- Children's ministry - a dedicated children's section is currently being developed.
- Students - middle and high school students meet alongside the Sunday School hour.
- Music ministry - a band, praise team, and choir lead blended worship each week, with a music section currently being developed.
- Women of Joy - a ministry for the women of the church.
- Gridiron Men - a ministry for the men of the church.
- Experiencing God - a 12-week journey through the updated classic study, planned to be offered in the near future.
- Connect groups - the church's umbrella for small-group fellowship, encouragement, accountability, and challenge.
An Interim Season at Riddles Bend
The church is currently served by Steve Lucy, who joined as Interim Pastor along with his wife Dawn and their children, Samuel and Sarah Grace.
Steve has been involved in ministry since 1994, serving in various capacities including youth and music ministry throughout the Southeast. He has also had the privilege of traveling worldwide on mission trips alongside the churches he has served. For the past 22 years, Steve has served as a bi-vocational pastor, faithfully ministering in congregations throughout DeKalb, Etowah, and St. Clair counties.
"Steve and Dawn have a heart for people, families, and the local church," the church notes, "and we are excited to have them and their family with us during this season."
The sermon archive lists several preachers who have served the pulpit at Riddles Bend over the years, including Rodney Prickett, Jerry Epps, Philip Mathis, Tim Maeger, David Hayes, Scott Fox, Scott Engle, and Isaiah Douglas.
A Southern Baptist Identity
Riddles Bend Baptist identifies as a Southern Baptist church. It cooperates voluntarily with thousands of other like-minded SBC churches as "Great Commission Baptists" across the nation and around the world. The church points visitors to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its shared doctrinal statement.
Worship is gospel-focused, preaching is Bible-centered, and the church holds that God exists in perfect fellowship with Himself in the Trinity, that human beings are created for community, and that growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus happens best in the context of meaningful relationships with other believers. The church's theology of fellowship is the reason small groups and Sunday School classes matter.
Partners in the Gospel
The church cooperates with several organizations to extend its reach beyond Rainbow City:
- International Mission Board (IMB) for global missions work
- North American Mission Board (NAMB) for church planting and missionary support across North America
- Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) for cultural engagement from a Christian perspective
- Southern Baptist Convention as the national denominational family
- Alabama Baptist Convention as the state convention
- Etowah Baptist Mission Center as the local associational mission partner
- Faith Comes By Hearing for audio Bible distribution around the world
- Etowah Pregnancy Testing Center as a local care ministry
Sermons Online and Giving
Every Sunday worship service is livestreamed, and a deep sermon library stretches back several years. The archive can be browsed by series - including "Baptist Faith and Message," "Prayer Meeting," "Revelation," "Easter Test," "Finding Joy," "2 Samuel," "Life of Christ," and "The Trinity" - by category (Easter Service, Faith, God, Grace, Hope, Joy, Love, Marriage, Missional, Patience, and Peace), and by speaker. Each message offers both video and a downloadable audio version for listeners who prefer to listen on the go.
Giving can be done in person using the envelopes in the pew - dropped in the baskets at the exits - or online through a secure giving portal. The church also maintains a prayer page where ongoing requests are shared with the congregation. Services can be watched live online by anyone unable to attend in person.
Finding Riddles Bend Baptist
The church sits at 5574 Riddles Bend Road in Rainbow City, Alabama, on the Coosa River's Neely Henry Lake. The phone line is (256) 442-8374, and email goes to riddlesbendbaptist@att.net. The church is also active on Facebook at facebook.com/RiddlesBendBaptist.
A community has been meeting at this lakeside location since 1919, and the congregation continues to welcome new families into the same fellowship that has served the Riddles Bend community for over a century.