Church at Dollywood

We just returned from an impromptu trip to Dollywood! (More to come later.) We had a great time with two of my siblings and their families. A highlight for me was attending worship at the church in Dollywood. We grew up going to Dollywood, and I always thought it was neat that the theme park has a church with regular services for its guests.



Smoky Mountain Resort Ministries provides a chaplain to conduct the services, which are non-denominational, although the ministry has Baptist ties. According to the organization's Web site, it is responsible for "all resort ministry work by Baptists in Sevier County with the four main areas of attractions being the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville."



I read on the Dollywood Web site that the church--named for Robert F. Thomas, a well-known Sevier County physician--was constructed in 1973, when the park was named Goldrush Junction. The site reports that "the Robert F. Thomas Church represented the strength and devotion of this Appalachian community to its Christian values."



I think this little church is so pretty, and I bet is it just beautiful during Christmastime. (Services during the holidays are at 5:30 p.m., according to the park Web site.) Thank you, Dollywood and Smoky Mountain Resort Ministries, for providing this outreach to park visitors. It is nice to know that people can enjoy Dollywood on a Sunday morning and still attend church if they so desire--and many do, as the service today was quite full! Thanks again!

P.S. Check out this related story about the church and Dollywood's full-time chaplain.