Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley
The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley is an administrative district of the Presbyterian Church (USA) which comprises 94 churches in central Alabama. The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley is one of three presbyteries in Alabama, and one of twelve comprising the "Synod of Living Waters" in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley was established on January 11, 1988 at the First Presbyterian Church of Selma. Its headquarters are located at 3603 Lorna Ridge Drive in Hoover.
The Executive Presbyter is Tom Evans. Associate executive presbyters oversee Divisions focussing on "Nurture" and "Missions". A video resource library is kept at the Presbytery offices. The Presbytery operates two retreat locations, the Gulftreat camp in Panama City Beach and Living River, a retreat on the Cahaba River.
Name and partnership
The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley is named for William Henry Sheppard and his wife, Lucy Gantt Sheppard and for Samuel Lapsley, Alabamians who worked for the American Presbyterian Congo Mission in 1890.
In 2003 the Presbytery invited the Reverend Dr Mulumba Mukundi, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in the Congo and President of the Presbyterian University of Sheppard and Lapsley there to visit Birmingham. From that visit, a partnership was forged. In 2004 a delegation of eight travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to work out a partnership agreement between the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, the Nganga Presbytery, and the Tshibashi Presbytery. The agreement committed all three groups to participate in a mutual relationship, work together in prayer, evangelism, education and development, and to keep contact through frequent visits.
This unique partnership was highlighted at the 217th Presbyterian General Assembly which the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley hosted at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Communion-ware created for the event was modeled after a Congolese wooden chalice given to the Presbytery; all attendees were given a tote-bag made in the Congo of traditional cloth, and a joint choir from the three Presbytery's performed during worship services in Birmingham.
Churches
- Arlington Presbyterian Church
- Auburn Korean Presbyterian Church
- Bethel Presbyterian Church, Northport
- Bold Springs Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
- Butler Presbyterian Church
- Cahaba Springs Presbyterian Church, Trussville
- Calvary Presbyterian Church, Montgomery
- Carmel Presbyterian Church, Piedmont
- Center Point Presbyterian Church
- Chapel in the Pines, Hoover
- Church of the Covenant, Anniston
- Covenant Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
- Cuba Presbyterian Church
- Dodson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Oxford
- Edgewood Presbyterian Church, Homewood
- Fairfield Highlands Presbyterian Church
- First Presbyterian Church, Alexander City
- First Presbyterian Church, Anniston
- First Presbyterian Church, Auburn
- First Presbyterian Church, Bessemer
- First Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- First Presbyterian Church, Carbon HIll
- First Presbyterian Church, Dadeville
- First Presbyterian Church, Eufala
- First Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville
- First Presbyterian Church, Livingston
- First Presbyterian Church, Opelika
- First Presbyterian Church, Phenix City
- First Presbyterian Church, Piedmont
- First Presbyterian Church, Reform
- First Presbyterian Church, Selma
- First Presbyterian Church, Sylacauga
- First Presbyterian Church, Talladega
- First Presbyterian Church, Tallassee
- First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
- First Presbyterian Church, Tuskegee
- First Presbyterian Church, Wetumpka
- First United Presbyterian Church, Anniston
- First United Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Gardendale Presbyterian Church
- Good Hope Presbyterian Church, Bessemer
- Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Anniston
- Goodwater Presbyterian Church
- Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Green Pond Presbyterian Church
- Hadden Presbyterian Church, Livingston
- Harper Chapel Presbyterian Church, Selma
- Immanual Presbyterian Church, Montgomery
- Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Korean New Church Development, Anniston
- Korean Presbyterian Church, Montgomery
- Korean Presbyterian Church, Pelham
- Korean Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
- Lebanon Presbyterian Church, Lafayette
- Leeds Presbyterian Church
- Leyden Hill Chapel New Church Development, Blue Mountain
- Marion Junction Presbyterian Church
- Memorial Presbyterian Church, Montgomery
- Montevallo Presbyterian Church
- Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Plantersville
- Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church
- New Trinity Presbyterian Church, Camden
- Northern Heights Presbyterian Church, Selma
- Oakmont Presbyterian Church, Hoover
- Odenville Presbyterian Church
- Pisgah Presbyterian Church, Selma
- Ramsay Memorial Presbyterian Church, Tuskegee
- Riverchase Presbyterian Church, Hoover
- Riverview Presbyterian Church, Selma
- Robinson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Alexander City
- Rock Springs Presbyterian Church, Magnolia (Marengo County)
- Saint James Presbyterian Church, Moundville
- South Highland Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Southminster Presbyterian Church, Vestavia Hills
- Southwood Presbyterian Church, Talladega
- Springville Presbyterian Church
- Union Springs Presbyterian Church, Union Springs
- Unity Presbyterian Church, Weogufka
- University Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa
- Valley Creek Presbyterian Church, Selma
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, Montgomery
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, Tuskegee
- Williams Memorial Presbyterian Church, Troy
- Woods Presbyterian Church, Dadeville
- Wylam Presbyterian Church
Former churches
- Avondale Presbyterian Church, Birmingham (1890-2009)
- Bryan Memorial Presbyterian Church, Valleydale Road, left presbytery and PC(USA) for the Presbytery of the South of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
- East Lake Presbyterian Church, East Lake (merged into Grace Presbyterian Church in 1999)
- Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Trussville (merged into Cahaba Springs Presbyterian Church in 2013)
- Fairfield Presbyterian Church, Fairfield (closed 2005)
- Five Mile Presbyterian Church, Birmingham (1841-2023)
- Grace Presbyterian Church (Trussville), (merged into Cahaba Springs Presbyterian Church in 2013)
- Huffman Presbyterian Church, Huffman (merged into Grace Presbyterian Church in 1999)
- Mount Pinson Presbyterian Church (merged into Grace Presbyterian Church in 1999)
- Second Presbyterian Church, Birmingham (merged into Edgewood Presbyterian Church in 2023)
- Shades Valley Presbyterian Church, Mountain Brook (merged into Southminster Presbyterian Church in 2022)
- Woodlawn Presbyterian Church (renamed Trinity Presbyterian Church (Eastwood), closed 2014)