There might be a few dozen residents in this scattered rural community in Polk County, AR. The Rocky Methodist Church Restoration Project Facebook page (see Website) hasn't been updated in some time, but there's some good information there. The last post was from March 12, 2017: They had done some work on the church foundation, and were looking forward to roof repairs. Going back a year, a post from April 10, 2016 notes that the sanctuary had just gotten a good scraping and a fresh coat of paint, courtesy of Jordan Strickland and his fellow Scouts as he tackled his
Eagle Scout project.
A September 23, 2015 post mentions an article in the Polk County Pulse. While that article doesn't appear to be available on their website, issu has a copy for online perusal (see page 3), and it provides some background:
The Rocky Methodist Church was constructed in 1912 and has stood as a pillar to the Rocky Community ever since. The first building burned down but it was rebuilt and was renovated last by a church youth group out of Hot Springs, Arkansas in the 1970s.
The Church Building sits beside the Rocky Cemetery which is a final resting place for many precious lives in that community, including Confederate soldiers, Emma Duesenberry, who is honored in the Library of Congress for her 160 folk songs, and Mrs. Holly Harshman, the namesake for Mena Public school's upper elementary school.
Though the Rocky Methodist Church no longer houses regular worship services, it remains a community building where people gather for decoration, weddings, funerals and community meetings. "As a kid I remember going for afternoon singings, and some of my uncles would lead the preaching or neighboring preachers would come", explained Paula Cox, member of The Rocky Methodist Church Association.
This picturesque building has stood for over one hundred years and though in need of structural and roof repair, is in impressively good shape. "We brought in a contractor to look at the church and give us a quote and he was very impressed that there was no termite damage or rot in a building that old. The estimate he gave us to repair the structural damage to the church is $6,000, and a new roof will cost approximately the same amount, and the little old church needs repairs as soon as possible," said Cox.
The Rocky Mountain Methodist Church Association has teamed up with Bill Wells, a very talented local artist and they are selling prints of a picture Wells painted of the church building. The original copy of this beautiful piece is currently on display at the Union Bank of Mena and limited edition, 8 x 10 signed prints can be purchased for $35 from The Union Bank of Mena, The Shop, and George Davis State Farm Insurance on Main Street in Mena. In addition to the prints, greeting cards, post cards and 4 x 6 prints can be purchased at The Shop and George Davis State Farm Insurance. All of the proceeds of these sales will go directly to the repair and restoration of the church. Donations can also be made by depositing or mailing them to: Rocky Methodist Church Building Fund, c/o Union Bank of Mena, P.O. Box 898, Mena, Arkansas 71953.
Since August of 2015, The Rocky Methodist Church Association has worked hard to raise half of the funds needed to restore the church and will continue to work hard to raise the remainder. "The Rocky Methodist Church has been a part of the lives and memories of everyone that grew up in and around the Rocky Community. This beautiful old building still stands vigil over our soldiers, fathers, mothers and loved ones buried in the cemetery next to it. This old church has withstood storms and droughts. It has seen weddings, funerals, meetings, fellowships and decorations and it will stand for another hundred years if we get the repairs done quickly," said Cox.