Did you ever think about how a church gets started? Well, Lake Oconee Community Church (LOCC), coming up on their quarter century anniversary, is a good case study.

Although it was not called that at the time, LOCC started as an informal Bible Study group. Dave Ringer, Davis Mortensenand David Key took leadership in holding Bible Study meetings at Ringer’s office in 1999.This continued on for several months when a separate effort launched the Lake Oconee Lutheran Church. Key was encouraged to form a multidenominational church at the lake. At the beginning of 2000, Key was approached by Mercer Reynolds, who believed Reynolds Plantation (now Reynolds Lake Oconee) should have a Worship on the Water Service on Sundays. He made the Pavilion at Lake Club Point available to do so. With that as its anchor, LOCC became much more.

Key and the members of LOCC decided early on that the mission of the church would be

Community Service and adopted the “Service over Sanctuary” motto. To this day, LOCC has never owned a church building. In addition to services “on the water,”which became increasingly popular and well-attended, LOCC had services in generously donated spaces. Sites included the Magnolia House (now Lake Oconee Bistro), the Lake Oconee Welcome Center (now Boats with Gusto), Pickle Barrel sports bar on Highway 44 (now Barbecue and Brews), the Parkside Main 8 Theater, and the retail store Sprouts. LOCC holds services at that location (1001 Village Park Drive) from October to April, complementing Worship on the Water from April to Octobereach year since 2014.

In its “service focus,”LOCC has added greatly to the Lake Oconee Community.

• The Lake Oconee Youth Alliance (LOYA) was born and nurtured under LOCC, with church members in leadership roles. It has evolved as a separate entity providing college scholarships to underserved youths in Greene and Putnam counties.

• LOCC provided early financial support and Pastoral oversight to Tender Care of Greensboro (now Oconee Valley Healthcare) at which numerous church members donated time and other contributions.

• LOCC joined others to form and has sponsored Greene and Putnam County Food distribution events supported by member volunteers.

• LOCC members were instrumental in the funding of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital and many still volunteer there. Avis Williams, a former Pastor at LOCC is a Board Member there.

• LOCC Pastors have supported numerous lectures as part of Reynolds Lake Oconee Linger Longer Series.

• LOCC has hosted numerous special events services open to the public including Easter Sunrise Services on the water, July Fourth celebrations, Lenten suppers, Ash Wednesday Prayer Services at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Memorial Gardenand Blessing of the Animals in October of each year.

• LOCC also maintains a community prayer list.

PastorKey, known over the years as “The Chaplain of Lake Oconee,” has been a constant innovator in delivering “church” to the Lake Oconee Community. In addition to regular church services, he started delivering Sunday services online during the pandemic and continues to do so. More recently he helps host “God Talk” radio show on DOCK 103.9 and Lake Country Legends 94.7. Under his leadership, LOCC has a symbiotic relationship with Congregation Chai and encourages members of both faiths to interact. LOCC has also provided space for Grief Support and Dementia Counseling Groups. He has continually moved LOCC into a position to provide additional services the Lake Oconee Community needs.

Lake Oconee Community Church is an ecumenical shared ministry of the former Georgia Christian Council made up of 20 denominations from Mainline, Roman Catholic and Evangelical backgrounds. LOCC seeks to offer a worship service that incorporates the best elements of a variety of traditions. The church follows the liturgical calendar and the lectionary preaching schedule that most mainline churches and Roman Catholic parishes follow during the year. The music has always had a Wesleyan/Methodist influence with our music ministers coming from that tradition. The preaching is influenced by the Baptist and Presbyterian experience that Rev. Key had in Kentucky during his Ph.D studies. The church closes each service with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which encourages people to be instruments of God’s peace.

LOCC is an “open” congregation and invites all residents of the Lake area and visitors to attend services and activities. Visit www.locc.co, or lookup the church on Facebook. To join the mailing list, send a request to locc@locc.com. Sunday service is at 9 a.m. at 1001 Village Park Drive, across from Lakeside Church and adjacent to Pro-Motion Rehab.