Now open year-round to visitors seeking solace, the Rippling Waters Chapel at Romance, in southern Jackson County, West Virginia, continues to attract more visitors every year.
Undoubtedly because of its location near the village of “Romance,” the little church has also become a popular venue for weddings, according to Kim Brittain, manager for the Rippling Waters Campground, a ministry of the Church of God in West Virginia.
“Spring and summer, and notably October, during the autumn leaf change, are definitely the times of year when we’re most busy,” Brittain said.
“But in winter, when it snows and the chapel is lighted, it looks like a snowglobe, and we send pictures out to many people who have become fans.”
Built in the 1990s overlooking a pond at the 300-acre campground and retreat, the chapel appears to be lifted from the pages of a storybook — one of the chief reasons a visit has made its way onto bucket lists for hundreds of monthly visitors, Brittain said.
Originally open only for set services, the Memorial Chapel, also known as the Chapel-by-the-Lake, is now open year-round for anyone in search of a peaceful house of worship in which to pray.
Named for the Memorial Church of God, which donated the furnishings, services are held every Sunday Memorial Day through Labor Day by visiting pastors from around the state.
The chapel is often used for small weddings, vow renewals, prayer meetings, Bible-study groups, and as a very romantic place for a marriage proposal, Brittain said.
The Rippling Waters Campground, long exclusively the private camp for members of the Church of God, has recently opened a non-denominational RV campground.
The chapel is a drive of approximately four miles from the Haines Branch exit (exit 166) off I-77 north of Sissonville, West Virginia.
To reach the chapel from the exit, turn right at the bottom of exit ramp then immediately left at the stop sign onto W.Va. 21 north. One mile further, turn right onto Middle Fork Road and proceed three miles.
For more information, contact the Rippling Waters Campground.