Welcome to Shades Valley Online, the online gathering place for Shades Valley Community Church of Birmingham, Alabama.

I can still vividly remember the summer vacations our family took each year traveling from Kentucky to Brooklyn, N.Y. to see my grandparents. Going from rural Kentucky to metropolitan Brooklyn was like traveling to another planet. Yet the biggest part of vacation always seemed to be getting there.

These were the days before a/c was standard equipment and it seems I was sandwiched in the sweltering backseat between my two older brothers. Because traveling conditions were less than ideal it wasn't unusual, after just a few hours, to hear one of us ask "How long before we stop?" or "Are we there yet?" Along the way, however the motel lay-over (with the swimming pool) and the Howard Johnson ice cream made the trip worthwhile (not to mention seeing my grandparents).

I often think of our spiritual journey in much the same way as I remember these family vacations. Sometimes we think we should be farther along than it turns out we are, at other times we are surprised to see how quickly we have arrived at a spiritual destination. Either way, we are on the journey together. And while traveling together can be challenging at times the memories just wouldn't be the same without family.

Shades Valley Community Church is a family on a spiritual journey together. We are facing the challenges and enjoying the ride. This website will provide you with some "snapshots" from our family album. So feel free to look around, stay as long as you like, and please come back often.

Mike Garrigan-Pastor

Email Mike Garrigan