Could the album you're thinking of be this one? The Gospel Ship: Baptist Hymns & White Spirituals from the Southern Mountains. It is a compilation that includes "The Old Gospel Ship" performed by Ruby Vass. The CD was issued in 1994, but it looks like a reissue of an older vinyl LP, which another web site says was issued in 1977. The CD cover is white with yellow lettering and a drawing of a church.