In the heart of northern Alabama, near the peak of Lookout Mountain, lies a small church.  This church is quite modest as you exit the interstate.  Quite frankly, it’s a dumb metal building with a few spaces partitioned off inside.  In such an easily accessed location, a nicer facility could bring new opportunity to such a rural church.  Not too far away, DeSoto Falls pours water into the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River.  At the peak of Lookout Mountain–Mentone, Alabama, a bible camp sits tucked back in the trees and looks out over a small valley with the sound of water trickling down a mountain stream echoing up from below.  The site is so beautiful that the worship of a Creator seems to be required, not merely optional.  Could the memory of these places be pulled down into the valley?  Could that little church overlooking the highway give a glimpse into what lies farther up the mountain?  On the surface, the project is to create a facility to accommodate slightly more people and activities than the existing building.  More than this, the goal is to capture the essence of a waterfall, the beauty of the valley, and the touch of the Creator.  The result will be an icon, a gateway from the speed and monotony of the highway into a slower place–a place to stop, to look, to listen, and to feel–a place to reflect and realize the power of God, your own position, and so much more.  The primary space will be a chapel to seat about 200 people–informal, yet striking awe and wonder into the occupant.  Adjacent to the chapel will be about six classrooms for various ages, a kitchen and fellowship hall, offices, restrooms, and other support facilities.  The overall look will be to capture the layers of sedimentary rock exposed by a waterfall, with a rush of glass pouring out of the top and down over the surface.  The structure of the chapel should create a tower to be seen far down the interstate as an announcement of arrival.  The fellowship hall and classrooms should trickle off of the chapel to create a mountainside and open into the valley below.  The interior should extend these notions–the inclusion of actual moving water is a must.  The shapes of the spaces should reflect the nature around them–a cavern, a gorge, a valley, a field, a mountaintop.  To walk through the building should be like a molecule of water flowing against the rocks and patterns of the landscape–the flow should be natural and smooth, with the occasional point of juncture with rapids and foam.