Reflections of a Ranger: New Year, Old Mountains

With the arrival of a new year many of us have made New Year's Resolutions, and at this point in the new year many of us have already broken them. Fitness and weight-loss always seem to be popular resolutions and there are few better ways to achieve these goals than by doing more hiking.

I find that when I begin to hike more often I lose weight gradually without really noticing. Our mountains are ideal for the reluctant fitness enthusiast. While there are certainly places that provide a heart pumping challenge, most of our mountains are content stand by and watch us romp up and down their rolling ridges.

That is because our mountains are old. They are the venerated elders of the mountain family. I have heard several people swear that our area of Appalachia is the oldest place in the world, and I am not sure I can argue with that. Years before anyone you have ever heard of was born, the mountains were here and they were ancient. They have born witness to the comings and goings of countless New Years.

No matter what this new year brings, and even if you have already broken your resolutions, head out and greet the mountains. They will understand if you are a little out of shape as you explore the hollows and work your way up to the viewpoints. Walk with them awhile and you might find that your resolution to be in better shape is quietly keeping itself.

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Jason Nanz comes to Montreat from Roanoke, VA. He is a 2006 graduate of Roanoke College, an Eagle Scout, long-time Montreat Ranger and a highly experienced outdoorsman. Jason runs Montreat's Wilderness School and can be reached at montreatwilderness@gmail.com

Conference Center Announces Retail Re-Visioning Team

On Friday, January 6, hundreds stopped by to shop and say their goodbyes to two retail operations – Montreat Books and Gifts and the General Store – at Montreat Conference Center. The closings mark the next step in an extensive re-visioning process that will consolidate two stores into one. “Three factors – the changing book market, the erosion of denominational loyalty, and reduced foot traffic – have contributed to this decision,” explained conference center president Pete Peery. “The decision to close the much-loved book and gift shop and General Store was very difficult and caused deep pain in the community,” he continued. “Nevertheless, due to the market and financial realities, it was clearly time to re-think the ministry of retail at Montreat Conference Center.”

“The new leaner profile we’re moving to will in no way compromise the warm hospitality guests and customers enjoyed when they stopped in,” added Kim Hayes, Vice President for Marketing and Communication. “Retail at Montreat will continue to live into that tradition as we move forward.”

Jaan Ferree

Taking the lead in creating a new look for the solo shop is designer Jaan Ferree. Her Asheville-based company, Intentional Design, has completed a number of successful local projects, including renovation of the chapels at Mission Hospitals, downsizing and remodeling of offices for Event Pro Strategies, and renovation and design for Laughing Seed Café.

Jane Bannerman

Ferree, who also has extensive retail experience, will stay on when the redesigned shop opens as the new consulting manager, responsible for the on-going look and feel of the shop and the selection of its inventory. Joining her will be long-time manager of Montreat’s General Store, Jane Bannerman. As operations manager of the new shop, Bannerman will oversee day-to-day business.

“These are incredibly talented veteran retailers,” said Hayes, adding that each brings her own unique set of skills and experience to the new management team. “I look forward to working with them as we re-imagine this new retail operation at Montreat that, in addition to being a shopping destination, will also be an integral part of Montreat Conference Center’s mission and ministry.”

The new store will be located on the second floor of the Moore Center in the space previously occupied by Montreat Books and Gifts. After the redesign of this space, it is projected that the new store will be opened by May 1.

Montreat Calls New Director of Arts Ministry

Join Us in Welcoming Ann Laird Jones

Ann Laird Jones

She’s known around Montreat as “the pottery lady” or “that nice craft teacher” – and now it’s official. The Rev. Dr Ann Laird Jones has been called as Director of Arts Ministry and the newest staff addition to The Center for Faith and Life at Montreat Conference Center.

“I feel like the shepherds maybe felt when they saw all those angels bouncing off the mountains with complete joy every time I think about the conversation we are exploring between arts and theology at Montreat,” says Jones in anticipation of her new role.

“This conversation has always been a part of who I am. I have worked in Montreat since 1966, when my father first began directing Board of National Ministries Conferences, and I made the coffee in the Auditorium. For the past eighteen years, I have followed in my mother’s footsteps as Director of the Arts Ministry Program at Montreat at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery. Today, I am thrilled to continue a love affair with Montreat Conference Center as I answer what I believe to be a clear call to deepen the conversation between arts and theology as a part of the Center for Faith and Life. Through exploration of the arts, we envision new means of conferencing and worship in the Montreat community, theological institutions, presbyteries, congregations, and the wider church.”

Jones, an ordained Presbyterian minister serving as supply minister in a number of churches, also teaches high school art in Greenville, Mississippi. She has directed the summer art ministry at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery at Montreat every summer since 1994.

Her background as a campus chaplain and interim youth director in a variety of churches and her success as an accomplished potter, musician, and teacher, seasoned with her incredible energy and charisma, have made her a popular Montreat leader. Both children and adults are drawn to her ability to make creativity contagious and to use art as a spiritual tool in understanding the world and their place in it.

Merri S. Alexander, Vice President for the Center for Faith and Life at Montreat Conference Center looks forward to working with and through Jones:

“We are pleased to have Ann Jones as our Director of Arts Ministry. Through her careful guidance we expect to incorporate more visual arts in our summer Sunday worship as well as the major adult conferences. She brings a wealth of experience in arts and theology to Montreat and models ways the visual arts can be easily incorporated in worship. Ann’s commitment to Montreat’s arts ministry is surely in her DNA. We expect to expand our Artists’ Series conference offerings in the spring and fall each year. We are also developing new programs for 2013 that will focus on Worship and the Arts to help pastors, worship leaders, and musicians prepare for the seasons of Advent and Lent.”

Dr. Jones says she is very excited about all the possibilities: “No place on earth feels closer than Montreat to being a ‘homeplace’ that I know inside and out. And, yet, as well as I know Montreat, this position opens a whole new side of Montreat for me, filled with new ideas, new people, brimming with excitement and creative possibilities as we explore the arts and worship together.”

Montreat Conference Center Announces New Board Chair

Helen Krone

As newly elected chairperson of the Mountain Retreat Association’s Board of Directors/Trustees of Stock, Helen Buntin Krone says she is grateful to be part of a board that offers both heart and wisdom as, together, they seek to follow Christ in Montreat:

“I welcome the opportunity to serve. Montreat is a special place that offers retreat and spiritual renewal for all who come through the gate, whether it be for a conference, or as part of the college community, or as a resident. My hope is that we all work together, realizing that the sum is greater than its parts.”

Krone and her husband Roger live in Berwyn, PA, where she is an active member of the Wayne Presbyterian Church – serving as ruling elder and chairperson of adult education. She also serves on the advisory board of Foundation for Learning in Tredyffrin/Easttown. She and Roger have two college-aged children and an older son who resides in Washington, DC.

The Rev. Pete Peery, President of Montreat Conference Center, congratulates the board on such a wise choice: “Helen Krone has a long history with Montreat. She is an active elder in her local church and an advocate for education and the inner-city. She has a broad understanding of the mission of the church in the larger world, and she is calm under pressure. She is delightful.”

Having grown up in Ft. Worth, TX, Krone spent summers at Mo Ranch, then began coming to Montreat in the 1980’s, first as a Clubs counselor. In following years, she was a youth conference small group leader, and most recently an adult chaperone with Wayne Presbyterian’s youth group. Over all these years, Montreat became a favorite choice for vacations.

“There are not many places like Montreat left,” she says. “It is vital that it live on as a ministry of the PC(USA). My hope is that the Youth Conferences and College Conferences continue their strong presence, and that the Adult Conferences develop and grow.”

She points out that because Montreat no longer receives funding from General Assembly offices in Louisville, KY, it is crucial to stay fiscally sound by securing monetary support to renovate Assembly Inn and other facilities, and to protect the future through increasing the annual fund and endowments:

“The mountains and trails have a special place in my heart, and I would like to see outdoor recreation incorporated into the conferences more.”

Krone brings time-tested energy and vision to the challenges facing Montreat’s working board. She is aware that people have strong feelings and great passion for Montreat, and is convinced that working together to meet its challenges, “God is glorified.”

A Joint Statement from Town of Montreat Mayor and Mountain Retreat Association President

Agreement in Principle Reached on Rights-of-Way through MRA Campus

On November 21,2011, Town of Montreat Mayor Letta Jean Taylor and Town Administrator Ron Nalley met with MRA President Pete Peery and outgoing MRA Board of Directors Chair Frank Spencer. The meeting was an attempt to resolve differences in interpretation of the rights-of-way as defined in the 1983 “Offer of Dedication”. The preservation of Montreat’s unique character and the benefit of the entire community was the joint goal.

The discussion was cordial, frank, and fruitful. The representatives of the Town and MRA were able to reach a resolution in principle related to rights-of-way through the MRA campus. Pending ratification by the Town Council and the MRA Board of Directors, this resolution promises to secure for the Town consistent and uniform rights-of-way throughout Montreat. These rights-of-way are essential for the Town in order that it may provide for public utilities, welfare, and safety. The resolution also secures for MRA substantial control over its existing structures and uses on its campus. This protection and control is essential for MRA’s continuing mission as a conference center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), local constituents, and the larger church throughout this country.

With the achievement of this resolution, anticipating its ratification, the Town and MRA look forward to a growing cooperative relationship as both bodies seek the well-being of this special place set apart.

Pete Peery                                                            Letta Jean Taylor

President                                                              Mayor

Mountain Retreat Association                                Town of Montreat

Montreat Introduces New Development Vice President

Lynn Gilliland

Following an extensive search, the Mountain Retreat Association is pleased to welcome Lynn Tuggle Gilliland as Montreat Conference Center’s new Vice President for Development. Gilliland will begin February 13, 2012. From that date until April 30, 2012, the MRA will have two Vice Presidents for Development in a period of transition as the current Development officer, Bill Straughan, moves toward retirement. Although Straughan officially retires April 30, 2012, he will remain involved as a consultant with the conference center’s on-going capital campaign.

“We couldn’t be more pleased about the decision to hire Lynn,” stated conference center president Pete Peery. “Not only does she have the professional skills and experience we were looking for; Lynn also shares our deep commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is a long-time friend of Montreat. She understands its mission and is sensitive to the complexities involved in carrying that mission forward into the future.”

Gilliland currently serves as the Executive Director of First and Second Year Experience at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. Her long association with the college has also included a role as Executive Director of Alumnae/i Activities during which time she traveled extensively to meet and network with alumnae/i and friends of the college, building support for the institution.

“The knowledge Lynn has gained in development and fundraising through her role with alumnae/i at Mary Baldwin has done much to prepare her for this new venture,” commented Peery.

Gilliland agreed, adding, “I have been blessed with experiences in leadership, management, and communications which I pray will help me as I join the great team Pete Peery and the Board have put into place.”

Gilliland holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina, where she was a John Motley Morehead Fellow and MBA Student Association President. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, from Mary Baldwin College. Gilliland is also an active member and ruling elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Staunton. She was ordained as a ruling elder in Greenwood, South Carolina, and served there on the Personnel Committee and as Chair of the Worship Committee. At Covenant Church in Staunton, she has served as Chair and a member of Stewardship and Finance. Over a period of ten years as a youth advisor in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Greenwood, South Carolina, Gilliland also participated in several Montreat Youth Conferences. She currently serves on the Mountain Retreat Association‘s Investment Committee.

When asked about the new position, Gilliland was emphatic: “I truly believe with all my heart – and it is crystal clear to me – that God is calling me to this job. I have always had a passion for Montreat,” she continued, “and it has played a significant role in my life and that of my family. It is a gift for me to be able to give back by becoming part of the organization and its future.” Gilliland, reflecting on the promises one makes as a ruling elder in the PC(USA), went on to affirm her commitment to serve “…with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.”

Gilliland is married to her husband of 26 years, Bill Gilliland, and has two children, Mac, a senior at Davidson College and Matthew, a junior at The Asheville School.

A New Model for the Shops at Montreat

In its long-range strategic plan, Montreat Books and Gifts and the General Store are referred to as "the front porch" of Montreat Conference Center. Thanks to a gracious, helpful staff and a tireless team of volunteers, our guests enjoy what President Pete Peery has called "stunning hospitality" when they stop in to shop, to get directions, to attend special events, or to simply say hello. Montreat's retail operation does much to help the MRA live into its mission and ministry.

As Montreat navigates a shaky national economy and a book market that is seeing more online purchases of physical and digital media, the time has come to re-imagine what the "front porch" of Montreat will look like in the future. To this end, the decision has been made to consolidate Montreat's retail operations, Montreat Books and Gifts and the General Store, into one shop. Both stores will remain open through January 6, 2012, at which time the Moore Center building will be re-fitted and re-imagined to accommodate this new step in the life of Montreat's retail operation.

The consolidation of both shops necessitates a radical reduction in inventory, which means you should be on the lookout for big sales of books, gifts, clothing, and more in the coming weeks and months. We'll keep you posted here on the Montreat Blog, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Note that these changes do not affect Ten Thousand Villages. For more information about this new model, read the e-newsletter.

Quarterly Report October 2011

Download the October 2011 Quarterly Update

Pete Peery

A New and Promising Partnership
One of the most heartening recent developments here at Montreat Conference Center has been a new partnership that has emerged between Atlanta’s Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, a member institution of the Interdenominational Theological Center, and the Conference Center. This partnership had its origins in the Columbia Seminary Lecture series which Montreat hosts and which, last summer for the first time, included Johnson C. Smith Seminary as a sponsor...


Read more from Pete Peery, President of Montreat Conference Center, by downloading the Quarterly Report.