Life Bible Church Faces Urgent Land Erosion Threat from Willamette River
In Harrisburg, Oregon, Life Bible Church finds itself in a precarious situation as it battles against the relentless erosion caused by the Willamette River. Over the past two years, the church has witnessed the loss of more than half an acre of its land to the river, prompting urgent calls for community support to safeguard its property.
The church, a non-denominational congregation, is actively seeking $2.3 million through a GoFundMe campaign to implement vital measures that will stabilize the riverbank and secure its infrastructure. According to the church, “Our church property and the ministries that take place here are at significant risk. Over the past two years, rapid riverbank erosion has accelerated beyond what could have been anticipated, threatening buildings, infrastructure, and the safety of our campus.”
In an open letter posted on the church’s website, founding lead pastor Brad Neuschwander and administrator Cari Malpass outlined the severity of the situation, providing both technical details and visual evidence of the ongoing erosion. The church, initially established in 2001, moved to its current location—formerly Riverbend Resort—in June 2015.
The site includes a 23,000-square-foot sanctuary, and formerly housed other facilities such as a motel and a decommissioned swimming pool, which had to be filled with sand and rock to prevent liability issues as the river eroded its surrounding concrete deck.
A 2025 document from the city further describes the erosion, detailing a loss of approximately 0.61 acres of land with riverbank reductions of up to 85 feet at some points. The church has explored various solutions to mitigate the erosion, including a costly proposal from the Army Corps of Engineers, estimated at $10 million. However, an engineer within the congregation proposed a more feasible alternative costing around $2.3 million.
The suggested plan involves installing steel sheet piles along a 500-foot stretch, driven 56 feet deep, to fortify the riverbank. The church is hopeful that this intervention, which began on January 12, will prevent further land loss and damage.
As construction progresses, the church continues to “pray that the ground remains stable throughout the installation and that no further structural damage occurs.”
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
