A Merri Moment: Now, Montreat Connects More Than Ever!

Just a few minutes ago a colleague handed me the latest Montreat promotional piece­ - a rack card hailing the sweeping renovation of The Katherine and Thomas Belk Center at Left Bank.

It’s impressive! As you approach the building, it’s clearly been buffed and polished, yet still wears its warm, 1925 exterior details graciously, retaining its long porches that overlook Lake Susan and the surrounding mountains. But walk inside, and behold the feast that our technical staff has prepared for you!

Imagine the remote learning potential that conferees will have at hand. They’ll find high definition LCD projectors, motorized screens, tabletop mics, wireless internet access, and video conferencing capability. The meeting spaces stand ready to serve all kinds of gatherings, from distance learning to small group discussions to business meetings to conversations with those across the country through the touchpad videoconference system.

The Left Bank has a rich history in Montreat and has served the church well through its years. In those early summers, the Committee on Christian Education and Ministerial Relief and the Committee on Home Missions met on the upper floor while the Committee on Religious Education and Publication and the bookstore were located on the first floor. It was home to the ministry team serving as chaplain to the summer collegiate staff in the 1960’s. And in the 1970’s it became conference small group meeting space. Through the last two decades it served as executive office space. Now, through the generosity of the Belk Foundation, 21st century connectivity in the Left Bank continues
to bring folks together in Montreat, whether face-to-face or across the miles by videoconferencing.

The children of Thomas and Katherine Belk initiated this gift in memory of their father and in honor of their mother, both of whom have had long ties with Montreat. Theirs is a rich legacy of stewardship to treasure and to honor.

I have a hunch that they are envisioning those countless unnamed persons who will benefit from their generosity…those who will be able to participate in conferencing events here through the technology, those who will learn in fresh kinds of ways as they are connected with colleagues across the country or around the globe, those who will hold events here because of the renovation and digital capability, only to discover Montreat to be a place of accumulated grace where they are refreshed and renewed—even changed.

It’s clear that the Belk family heritage of faithful stewardship thrives from generation to generation. And, as it lives on, this generosity touches hearts and families and congregations such that lives are transformed, God’s will is discerned, Christ’s call is answered, and things are made new.

It is exciting to imagine what kinds of collaborative programming can happen here at the Belk Center at Left Bank. I would love to dream with you about the creative possibilities for your next program!

- Merri Alexander
Vice President, the Center for Faith and Life
828.669.2911 ext. 329
merria[at]montreat.org

Chat with Cat: Stop Looking for Good Ideas

Photo by murielle.

The well-known marketing guru Seth Godin began a blog post some months back with these resonating words:

"Do you often find ideas that change everything in a windowless conference room, with bottled water on the side table and a circle of critics and skeptics wearing suits looking at you as the clock ticks down to the 60 minutes allocated for this meeting?

If not, then why do you keep looking for them there?"

I think he has a good point. It makes me think of that infamous Albert Einstein quote about how insanity is repeating the same actions time and time again while expecting new results. If we go into the same meeting every day/week/month/year and fail to get the desired outcome everytime, then why are we still doing it?

Now I'm sure Seth's point wasn't "you should take your meeting to a conference center," but I do think his point was to stop looking for good ideas. Like shooting stars, they appear when we're not focused on finding them. What else could you do as a group that might take your mind of the endless onslaught of your busy-ness?

You could do a team building session (a fun one!); a service project, such as a work day or a fundraiser; a recreational activity like hiking or rafting. You could just have a big, relaxed dinner with everyone in the office, to show them you value their contributions and their company.

But the budget's tight, you say? Think about how much you "spend" on your pointless meeting each week, and compare that to the "cost" of a special event, where some great idea might just appear. Might it be worth it?

Seth's post ends with these words, which I too will leave with you: "Have fun. Why not? It works."

This Week in Montreat - Issue #8!

Download Issue #8 (July 16-22, 2010)

"When I was a student I had to find a place to read away from the noise. The college or seminary library was my place. Through my career as a pastor and now here in my role in Montreat I have continued to need such a quiet place for reading. Coffee houses, to which my children race in order to read and study, don’t cut it for me..."

Continue reading "This Week in Montreat"

Chat with Cat: Good Times at Left Bank

Over the years, the Left Bank building has been many things. It has housed a sewing room, some of the Conference Center offices, and the summer staff lounge and ministry team housing, among other things. For decades, visitors and staff of Montreat have created memories in this historic building and on its picturesque porch.

In celebration of the soon-to-be-opened Belk Center at Left Bank, we welcome Margaret Peery as today's guest blogger. Margaret and her husband, Pete (our president, the tall bearded fellow in the right photo) moved into Left Bank just days after their wedding.

Left Bank was our first home. Pete and I had just gotten married on May 29, 1971. The first place we moved our new belongings and ourselves as a married couple was Left Bank. We were employed by the Board of National Ministries of the Presbyterian Church U.S. to work as a ministry team with the collegiate summer staff at Montreat.

What a beautiful first home! We lived upstairs. Living room with dining at one end, small kitchen, one bathroom, one bedroom with fireplace, overlooking Lake Susan, and a huge front porch. It was a fun place to begin “nesting” and a wondrous place to begin a ministry together as a new “seminary couple” who had just finished our first year in seminary at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia.

So many new things! Downstairs of Left Bank was where the collegiate staff “hung out.” It was our responsibility to get to know them, hang out with them, and engage in a ministry with them. Often our upstairs living room was used for Bible study and theological reflection.The downstairs of Left Bank which was the place for hanging out, social gatherings, music listening (and sometimes music blasting), also became a place for “food and fellowship” and introducing the collegiates to some of the new Simulation Games of the 60s and 70s we had used in seminary. One of the Simulation Games we played (pictured above right) was “Quarter Country.” The summer college staff engaged in some pretty “cutting edge” kind of thoughtful reflections and challenges. We all worked at putting our faith into practice.

Pete and I were especially challenged at putting our faith into practice when we had to listen to the music of Black Sabbath being blasted from the downstairs late nighters or when we were awakened at 6:00 AM on many Saturday mornings by children fishing in Lake Susan. What we came to appreciate was that the Left Bank ministry and living were all a part of the wondrous Montreat experience. What a fabulous “first home” for this seminary couple!

Some of the summer college staff that summer of 1971 included folks who we still see around Montreat to this day: William Brown (pictured above right, to the left of the fireplace, with plaid shirt and beard), Bill Christian, Melinda Loftis, Betsy Hester, Ray Swetenburg, and Bill Waterstradt.

For more exciting memories of Left Bank, check out what people said on our Facebook page. Have any other good memories? We would love to hear them!

Chat with Cat: (Really) Get Meetings Moving

Isn't Facebook swell? It's an excellent way to show off your interests, support your favorite organizations, and put off doing whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. It's also a great way of keeping in touch with people you haven't seen in years.

And in this case, it's also good for learning about an innovative meeting style. Alan Webb, who was a fellow member of my church's youth group and youth choir, now runs a consulting business in Washington, DC. (One summer, he and another choice member performed at the Worship & Music talent show, debuting an amazing piano duet called "Rain Over Montreat." It sticks with me to this day.)

Anyway, I was perusing Facebook a couple of weeks ago (probably avoiding washing the dishes) and found this pretty cool post on his company's blog.

It seems that Alan and his business partner go running while they meet. Now I'm not a very strong runner, but I can't help but think that the lessons he has learned could be applied to any meeting, particularly the lessons about only meeting when they really need to, keeping the agenda to the number of items that will fit on the palm of one's hand, and about using meetings to discuss only "high level topics" such as brainstorming and strategy. How much of your current meeting agenda could be better achieved through email?

And while I don't think I have the stamina to discuss much of anything while I'm running, I do see some value in adding light physical activity to a meeting or brainstorming session. (I immediately think of the character in A Few Good Men who always swings the baseball bat when he's thinking.) So what about a walk? Or a nice hike?

And if that doesn't help, then there's always the treadmill desk. (Thanks for the ideas, Alan!)