Robert Fountain knew there was something special about Miami Beach when he arrived from Georgia in 1985.

But it wasn't the famous nightlife or the glamorous Art Deco that attract millions of visitors every year. Fountain heard a higher calling.

''I realized that God wanted my attention in Miami Beach,'' said Fountain, who described his adopted home as a ``small town with big city needs.''

Fountain, 49, is the founder and pastor of Calvary Chapel Miami Beach, a nondenominational Christian church that celebrates its 15th anniversary next month.

The chapel marked the milestone with a special service at the New World Symphony's Lincoln Theatre that nearly filled the venue's 700 seats Oct. 12.

That is in marked contrast from the first prayer service Fountain led in 1993, which attracted about a dozen people. The church holds its regular services in the second floor of a commercial building at 1663 Washington Ave.

Fountain is the first to admit South Beach is probably not the easiest place to be religious.

But the pastor, whose flock has made it a mission to reach out to the club-hopping crowd, said working on the Beach is a ``tremendous opportunity.''

''We found out that partygoers respect clergy,'' Fountain said. ``It's a means to be a blessing to the city.''

Working with the police department, volunteers from the chapel take part in the God Squads that patrol the streets during the notoriously rowdy spring break and Memorial Day weekend.

The volunteers try to educate the visitors on local laws -- and act as a buffer between police and crowds of revelers.

Fountain, also a chaplain for the Miami Beach police department, said the chapel works closely with the city's Neighborhood Services Department.

One initiative that came out of that relationship: the Miami Beach Christian Community Services, which provides rent assistance and financial literacy workshops to people who are struggling economically.

Calvary Chapel works with Lighthouse Church and Miami Beach Ministries, both local churches. The group pays one month's rent for eligible applicants and enrolls them in a financial literacy program.

Lilly Chou, a member of the church who helps with the program, said that people must be willing to have their finances examined in order to receive help.

''We try to help them understand what their financial situation looks like,'' Chou said.

Even before establishing the chapel, Fountain was trying to make inroads in Miami Beach.

Soon after moving from Georgia, he started holding 15-person Bible study groups out of his two-bedroom apartment, just blocks away from where the church would eventually rent space on Washington Avenue.

The church typically attracts 200 people a week.

Fountain's family has also grown since he moved to Miami Beach. He met wife Elisabet, a native of Denmark, through a group for young Christians. The couple now has two children: son David, 13, and daughter Serenity, 12.

''Somebody needed to be here teaching the Bible on South Beach,'' Fountain said. ``I believe it's what Jesus wants me doing.''

For information on the chapel's schedule or services, call 305-531-2730 or go to www.calvarymiamibeach.org.

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