Built around a fire, shaped by a story.

A hidden fold of the Green River valley.

Cresting the hilltop of Sycamore Lane, descending into a hidden fold of the Green River valley, one can sense a blanket of God's presence. The welcoming warmth of the land exists outside of time.

The River Ministries has been providing visitors' hearts with a haven of solitude in a beautiful place of abundant peace, since the 1990s.

It started with a covenant of silence.

People come to hear from God here. A word from God was how it all started. In 1991, our founder, Bill Calton, was on a spiritual retreat when directed by his pastor, Rev. Carroll Page, to carve out a three-hour "covenant of silence."

"Three hours?" thought Bill. "Maybe I can pray for 15 minutes. But, three HOURS?" Still, Bill did as his pastor directed — and he heard God speak. God gave him a word to build a place where seekers could draw near to God in the beauty of nature. From that moment, Bill set his face like flint to build what became The River Ministries Lodge.

The Lodge was nestled in the lush foothills of Western North Carolina at the corner of the Polk and Rutherford counties, on the banks of the Green River. It had bed space for 22, and offered a big porch, an ample kitchen, and a spacious great room.

There's no way to count or describe all the lives that have been changed, memories made, or individuals who've surrendered their lives to Christ.

Thousands have heard God speak.

Thousands of seekers have heard God speak on the land. One Charlotte, inner-city church has taken four generations of their youth through a summer camp at TRM.

Every year, lives have been re-directed, memories made, and the story of eternity becomes enriched by the work that happens on the property.

But the story is far from over.

Multiple floods surrounded the Lodge over the years. There was a serious kitchen fire in 2018. Sadly, our beautiful Lodge was struck by lightning and taken by fire on September 13, 2019 (praise the Lord, there were zero injuries). Since then, due to flood plain building restrictions, we've been prevented from rebuilding the Lodge back where it once stood.

But the story is far from over.

The remaining structure has been covered into an outdoor pavilion, renamed "The River Barn." The Forge has continued forward with vision and loving use of the land and the structure.

Wake the heart. Walk together.

The Forge is a catalyst for the hearts of men, endeavoring to awaken hearts to the larger story — encouraging men to become the men they're meant to be.

We long to inspire men to get their hearts back, to lead and serve well those whom God has given them. We gather regularly, we learn to father well, and move forward into deep, Godly masculinity.