FISH CREEK BIBLE CHURCH
OUR HISTORY
Fish Creek Bible Church began as a school house in 1897. The facility was a school house on weekdays, and a church assembly on Sundays. When the structure was first built, the road for traveling on was located within the creek flowing in front of it. In the 1980’s the building was placed on logs and rolled back to its current location to allow a county road to be placed outside of the creek. The school house as still functioning as an education house until the 1960’s, at which time it was then only used as a church home. A number of the current members of Fish Creek Bible Church attended the school as students in their early years.
In May 1947, George Fox, along with his wife Grace, became to first pastor who was also associated with Kentucky Mountain Mission (KMM). According to the History of KMM, Inc. booklet written by George Fox, George “had no college degree, but he had had fifteen years of experience in accounting and also in business administration, with special education in these fields. He also had about five years’ experience in church administration. He was ordained just before he left for the field. Jack Brown helped them find a house to rent one mile east of Booneville, in Owsley County, on the Jackson Road. It had five rooms and a path! It had a wood/coal furnace in the basement, a pitcher pump in the kitchen for water supply. They borrowed a coal oil stove for Grace to cook on, and they sat on their trunks in the front room. After their home in California was sold, they bought some furniture....
“[On June 27, 1947] the Kentucky River, not a mile away, was flooded.... The next day, the water rose steadily, for the rain had been harder farther up the South Fork. The family worked to move everything out of the basement, and then George and Grace took turns that night sleeping and watching the depth of water in the basement. At 4:00 a.m. it finally stopped rising, and they had 31 inches of dirty, contaminated river water in their basement!
“With the help of Biola students, they conducted VBS at Fish Creek, where they had started Sunday School and church services in the school house. The next Sunday, two ladies who had been in church with their husbands that morning, were struck dead by lightning when they were in the garden gathering vegetables for Sunday dinner. George was asked to have the funeral, which was his first. So, with a week’s revival, a week's camp, a flood, and a double funeral all in their first six weeks in Kentucky, they had a rough breaking in!”
George Fox later went on to establish what is now known as Ida May Bible Church.
Bill Lewis was the second pastor from KMM. Bill was ministering to the youth of Kentucky in the Crusaders ministry as he traveled to numerous schools to share God’s encouraging truth through various forms of entertainment. In 1956, Bill Lewis asked “Preacher Bill” to join the crusaders, who eventually began sharing ventriloquist acts with his dummy’s named Henry & Homer.
Bill Lewis was a graduate of Biola and Westmont college, and attended Fuller Seminary. In 1979, Bill and his wife Berbera moved to La Mesa, Ca.
The third pastor from KMM was Ellis Fields. Ellis, and his wife Joan, were related to George Fox, as Joan was on of George and Grace’s daughters. Ellis and Joan both graduated from Southland Bible Inst., then located in Pikeville, KY, in June 1967. Ellis began pastoring Fish Creek sometime after the fall of 1973. When asked to minister with the church, he pointed out that he had no pastoral experience, but was willing to try. Ellis was living on the camp grounds of Youth Haven Bible Camp in Beattyville, KY, and drove 46 miles three times a week to hold Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday services. Ellis remained pastor of Fish Creek Bible Church until he resigned KMM in July 1984. Ellis and Joan retired so they could minister with Mid-America Mission in Arkansas for a year, then served with Cedine Bible Mission in Spring City, TN.
Following Ellis, the fourth KMM missionary to pastor at Fish Creek was Dan Haney, along with his wife Ruth. Not much information is available regarding Dan’s stay with Fish Creek and KMM.
Mark Schoenberger, along with his wife Cheryl, was the fifth pastor of Fish Creek while serving as missionaries with KMM. Mark and Cheryl both graduated from the school where they initially met, Pacific Coast Bible College in May 1981. They were married two days after graduation.
Mark served as an Assistant Pastor of Jacks Branch Bible Church, then in March 1985 he became the pastor of Fish Creek Bible Church. The Schoenberg family was living in Annville, KY, and drove 30 miles one way to church.
“Mark had a burden to teach the people how to witness and urged them to invite others to the services.” During his leadership the attendance increased.
“The Schoenbergers resigned in September, 1986, to accept the position of the minister of Christian Education and Youth at Westside Baptist Church in Hutchinson, KS.”
After Mark, the sixth pastor from KMM was Marvin, along with his wife Billie Singleton. Marvin graduated from Moody Bible Inst., and was instrumental in establishing Pleasant Hills Bible Church in Milford, OH. Marvin retired before joining KMM.
Marvin was “assigned to pastor the Fish Creek Bible Church and help in the services at Bee Branch. He ... pastored in both places.” Billie held “an active youth club meeting in their home in Booneville.... In addition, Marvin was asked to be a counselor and helper to all the KMM men who are pastoring churches, and the men appreciate this fellowship.”
The seventh Pastor from KMM to minister with Fish Creek was Terry, and his wife Karen Mathis. Terry moved to Owsley County where he could be closer to the churches as he pastored both Fish Creek Bible Church and Bee Branch Chapel.
Under Terry’s leadership, Bee Branch began to grow and multiply. But after the downsizing of the coal industry began, many families moved out of the area to find jobs, causing Bee Branch’s attendance to decline.
Terry was also very active with YHBC working with the horse ministry program. As with all previous pastors, Terry tried to maintain a good balance between ministering at camp, the two churches, and other KMM outreach programs.
Terry resigned from KMM in 2014, but remained the pastor of both Fish Creek and Bee Branch for another year.
In June 2015, Daniel, and his wife Julee McIntosh became the eight KMM missionary to pastor Fish Creek Bible Church. As with the previous pastor’s, Daniel also ministered with Bee Branch Chapel. Daniel graduated from Brookes Bible Inst (now called Brookes Bible College) in St. Louis, MO. Julee Graduated from Southland Bible Inst, Ashland, KY, prior to meeting Daniel.
Prior to ministering with Fish Creek, Daniel served with multiple churches in youth groups, as an intern Youth Pastor, Children's Ministry Pastor, and as an Office Manager. His first senior leadership was with the two Owsley Churches.
When Daniel began ministering with the Owsley churches, there was only one morning at each separate church. Daniel and Julee traveled from their home in Lee County to Bee Branch for the first service, then to Fish Creek for their second service.
Julee began leading a children’s Sunday School class during the worship service for any children that attend, and she also became the music worship leader at Fish Creek.
In 2018, Fish Creek changed their morning worship service from 12:30 to 11:45. Then in September 2018 they began their first Sunday Evening service, under Daniel’s leadership.
COVID-19 hit America rather hard in 2020 - 2022. This outbreak effected the churches bringing hard challenges and difficulties. The day Fish Creek was about to begin their first youth group gathering was the same day that the Corona virus was used to shut down churches. Bee Branch Chapel never re-opened their doors after the virus outbreak.
Trying to recuperate from this outbreak, the Fish Creek Bible Church lost over half of their congregation, which included the youth group members. Than several church members went on to be with the Lord, lowering membership status even more.
The church continues to meet for morning worship, with desires to resume other activities and events, and Lord willing to see more people returning to church.
The history of Fish Creek Bible Church dates back more than 120 years to the 1897. And it’s still an active church today filled with a congregation the loves and cares for each other and their community.