The boat of fellow waterfolk ministers Jeanette and Avi Heyns sits quietly in the harbor.

Their introduction to the water ministry came through Michael and Kathleen Kole of Florida, who held Sunday services aboard their sailing ship "Angel" in Boot Key Harbor. The Stips were living aboard their own 40-foot sailboat when they met the Koles and began attending church on-board.

Soon they became involved in the ministry, taking people back and forth for the worship services and handing out information packets to new boaters.

Then Sandra Stip was named music minister.

Working with them were Avi and Jeanette Heyns, missionaries from South Africa.

"After two years helping with the ministry in Boot Key Harbor, we felt led to sail up the eastern coast of the United States," said Roy Stip. In Beaufort, they met Pastor Fred Simpson and his wife, Janet, who asked them to help with Intracoastal Waterfolk Ministries.

As time passed, they became more involved.

Members of the Intracoastal Waterfolk Ministry include Rob and Sandra Stip, Janet and Fred Simpson, and Jeanette and Avi Heyns.

Roy Stip even preached a few times. Soon they were receiving missionary training and being commissioned as missionaries. "None of this would have been possible without God's love, patience and mercy," said Roy, who lets Acts 1:8 guide his life - "when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witness."

When the Stips heard about the fishing boat buy-out program, they were immediately interested. But, because it had been purchased by the National Marine Fisheries Services as part of a program to protect fish stocks by reducing the number of fishing boats, Roy and Sandra had to assure the federal government that the boat wouldn't be used for fishing.

"We're fishers of men, not of fish," Sandra told them.

At the Christian Boater's Asociation conference in June in Newport News, Va., the Stips were asked to head the youth ministry this winter in the Bahamas.