our name
The name of our retreat comes from 1 Peter 2:4-5 -
"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
what we believe
1) We believe that there is one God eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:1-3; Psalm 139; Matthew 28:19
2) We believe that the Bible is God’s very words, His written revelation to man, and that it is fully inspired, authoritative, and without error in the original manuscripts. It is our standard and rule for all decisions of life.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Isaiah 40:8
3) We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, death on the cross to provide for our redemption, bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven, present ministry of intercession for us, and His return to earth in power and glory.
2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11
4) We believe that there is salvation in no name other than the name of Jesus, and this salvation is solely a work from Jesus bought by His blood. We believe our salvation does not come from our actions or merit, but is a free gift from God.
Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9
5) We believe that all who receive Christ by faith are baptized in a death like His and born again into new life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and become children of God.
1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3; John 1:12
6) We believe that all followers of Christ are called to fulfill the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20
7) We believe that Heaven and Hell are real and eternal realities.
Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:31-41
our story
In 2018, two juniors at Troy University saw the need for new students to have a way to build community, get connected to a local church body, and grow in their pursuit of the Lord. After a random Publix run-in and a message on Instagram, these two strangers met and starting working on what is now called The Living Stones Retreat. After months of planning, praying, and counsel from trusted pastors, the bones of the retreat were formed. 11 churches and ministries partnered with us our first year, and 66 students registered.
Four years later, the Living Stones Retreat has continued to grow by the grace of God. The name and impact of the retreat has spread across campus and reached incoming students in a way that is possible through Christ alone. The gospel is being shared, community is being built among students, and local churches and campus ministries are uniting.
This is our story.
in partnership with
who we are
The Living Stones is a 3-day, 2-night retreat held on Troy University's campus. Students can expect to begin building a foundation for their walk with Christ during their time at Troy University. Throughout these couple days, students will attend large worship sessions with speakers from local churches and ministries as well as smaller topic-based sessions. Students will have the opportunity to spend time with their family groups, who will spur each other on in their walks with the Lord, dive deep into scripture, and build a close-knit community. One of the main goals of the retreat is to plug students into a community in the form of a local church, campus ministries, and friendships before classes even start. There will also be a ministry fair, where our partnered churches and campus ministries will be there for students to ask questions, get to know them, and gain more information. This will be a weekend of growth, fun, and friendship!