"It's that the Lord is with us, he is giving us a way to bring more people into our church, but more importantly to bring them to him," church member Nancy Wrenn said.
Wrenn says the image appears to be of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene standing at the foot of the cross. She says she made the discovery last Saturday while cleaning the altar.
"I've been in that church along time, I've lit the candles, scrapped wax off the altar cleaned it and still I never saw it," Wrenn said.
The image is visible when light from a stained glass window in the back of the sanctuary reflects off the marble altar.
"There is no impression, it's not etched into the marble," Church Pastor Steven Brey said.
He says the image is open to interpretation according one's own heart, but the message is simple.
"I think it's a sign that God is with us here," Rev. Brey said. "There is a blessing and the message is to be lived out in our community."
Whatever the image, it's certainly open the door to a lot of questions and inquiries in the community.
The pastor says a senior official with the Methodist Conference has seen the image, confirmed it appears to be authentic, but stopped short of calling it miraculous.
For months, members of the Spring Lake Methodist church say they have prayed for God to fill the pews and they believe the image is the answer attracting the faithful and the curious.
"To me that's a miracle, if folks to come into our church to see it and they sit down and pray that's a miracle, if they come to the Lord that's a miracle," Wrenn said.
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