LivingRiver: A Retreat on the Cahaba

by Elizabeth Cole Goodrich

All of creation testifies to God's glory, but soon one small stretch of the Cahaba River in Central Alabama will be even richer and more alive. On October 25, 2005, the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley officially kicked off an eleven million dollar capital campaign to build LivingRiver: A Retreat on the Cahaba.

Located just thirty five miles southwest of Birmingham, near Montevallo, AL, LivingRiver's 440 acres include natural wetlands, wooded ridges, stands of ancient hardwood timber and tall pines, and the maximum amount of river frontage possible on this size property.

LivingRiver will be the home of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley's already successful and growing camping ministry for youth as well as a place for retreats and conferences for families and people of all ages. Plans include an adult conference, a youth camp with cabins and indoor and outdoor recreation areas and sabbatical cabins for clergy and church professionals. LivingRiver's amenities include canoe landings, hiking trails, a challenge course, a swimming pool, an amphitheater, a chapel and a labyrinth for quiet reflection. Additionally, LivingRiver will feature an environmental camp where visitors and students can study and learn to become stewards of God's amazing creation.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement about building LivingRiver in the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. In a Synod called Living Waters, what could be more fitting than a place dedicated to nourishing spirits and forming disciples called LivingRiver?