Chat with Cat: Swans and Televisions

Happy almost spring to everyone! During the past couple of days the snow has disappeared and the weather has reached a near-balmy 60+ degrees. Is it almost summer?

As it warms up and we begin to look toward the seasons to come, I'm going to take the opportunity to get back to some of our Q&A's. I know you all have burning questions about Montreat, so if there's anything that's not getting answered, please send it in.

First question of the day, and one that our (amazing) front desk staff hears on a regular basis:

Q: What are the swans names?

A: The swans are Johnny and June, and they came to us from the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Scotland Neck, NC... which is in the northeast part of our state.

Q: Is it true that there are no TVs or telephones in the rooms?

A: Yes, this is true. There is a large (very large) screen TV set up in the lobby of Assembly Inn, and there are courtesy phones for guest use in the lobby as well, but not in the rooms. Montreat Conference Center made a conscious decision to do this because we wanted to maintain an environment that is set apart from the everyday, and this includes the daily distractions of over-connectedness. Guests at the Conference Center come to us to experience a time dedicated to fellowship, discernment, work, play, and family. By placing TVs and telephones exclusively in the lobby, our guests can focus on what's important to their visit. And when they do want to watch the big game, they can do so together.

Did you learn something new? Do you want to learn more? Please leave your questions in the comment box below!

(Thanks to Audrey Moore, who took this fantastic photo of Johnny or June!)



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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.

Half-Century of Philippine History is Back Drop for Family Memoir

“I wrote this book because I wanted to share a way of life and a time-period unknown or forgotten to the present generation,” explained John Russell Frank, Ph.D., author of On the Road Home - An American Story (iUniverse, $23.95). Fondly known as “Rusty” by friends and neighbors, Frank’s painstaking research into the life built by his grandfather, Patrick Henry Frank, in the Philippine Islands between the years 1898 and 1946, draws from historically rich letters, war diaries, photographs, memoirs, and oral and video histories that record the family’s epic experiences in the Philippine Islands. From the Spanish-American War through World War II, Frank’s story documents a half-century of conflict, adventure, colonialism, the heartbreaking deaths of family members, businesses ravaged by World War II, and internment in brutal Japanese prison camps.

In praise of On the Road Home, Dr. Henry Copeland, Professor of History and President Emeritus at the College of Wooster, writes: “Rich in the details of everyday life, the history contains enough thick description to warrant the attention of anthropologists, and at the same time, while lovingly recalling the feats of his grandfather as well as American contributions to Philippine society, there is more than enough violence and heartbreak to make the story ultimately a tragic one.”

“This is a warm, enlightening, and deeply moving account of one family’s remarkable adventures through significant trials and challenges associated with WW II,” added Dr. Richard Ray, managing Director and Senior Editor of John Knox Press. “It is decidedly more than that, however,” he continued. “It is an important contribution to our understanding of what it means to be an American citizen in our complex world today.”

On a trip back to the Philippine island of Mindanao “looking for my grandfather’s tread, my father’s beginning, my mother’s arrival, my own spring,” Frank stood watching the tropical evening fall. “The moon was up full,” he writes, “but my shadow was not the only one beside me; my shallow heart was not the only one beating. On the borderline of the mind’s edge where I was walking, my grandfather spoke to me.”

Frank, who graduated from the University of the South and received his M.A. from Furman University as an Angier Duke Fellow, and his Ph.D. from Georgia State University, has been an independent school headmaster and a college professor. He and his wife, Peggy Ann, now live in Montreat, North Carolina.


A book signing and reception will be held Tuesday, March 16, 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Montreat Books and Gifts in the Moore Center at Montreat Conference Center. The public is welcome. For more information, call 828.669.5298 or visit www.montreatbooksandgifts.org.

Chat with Cat Q&A: Do I have to be with a conference?

One of the questions we get a lot is about visiting Montreat or reserving a room when you're not part of a conference. So let's clear up any confusion right away.

You do NOT have to be attending a Montreat conference to stay with us or to visit our campus. We welcome you to come check out all that Montreat has to offer whenever it is convenient to you. Visit for the day and pick up one of our "Self-Guided Tour" brochures in the downstairs lobby of Assembly Inn. Bring your kids to play at Robert Lake Park. Take a hike--you can request a trail map at the General Store or the front desk of Assembly Inn. Head up to the Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary and take some time to enjoy God's amazing creation. And if you have any questions while you're here, please feel free to ask.

Montreat Conference Center also houses many groups that are not part of our sponsored conferences. The primary way we do this is through retreats and events. Almost every weekend from September through April, we welcome church, family and social groups of all shapes and sizes. Some stay in our guest lodges and cook their own meals. Larger groups take over the Assembly Inn, meeting in many of our conference rooms and filling the Galax Dining Room at mealtimes.

We also take individual reservations, which are included in two of our special programs. The first is Thanksgiving at the Inn, which is so popular that it almost always results in a waitlist. On Thanksgiving weekend, families and individuals can stay in Assembly Inn and partake in a wonderful holiday meal. This year we served dinner for more than 400 people.

Another wonderful way to experience Montreat is through our Personal Sabbath program. During the Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends, and during two weeks in April, guests can stay with us and take time for themselves. No programming or planned activities will be offered during this time, so it's great for anyone who wants time to read, write, pray, sleep, hike, meditate, etc. The possibilities are endless, really, and the rates are great. (Get more info here, if interested.)

Of course these are not ALL of the ways you can enjoy Montreat, but they are some of the best. Please contact us if you come up with a great new way you would like to experience Montreat.

P.S: Don't forget to send in your questions!


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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.

Chat with Cat: Upcoming Q&A

Part of the challenge (and privilege) of doing what I do at Montreat is that I get to share this wonderful place with people who do not know us at all. Sometimes they have not heard of us; sometimes they have heard the wrong thing.

The best scenario is when people ask me questions that I can answer and further shape their image of Montreat Conference Center. But sometimes they do not ask, or do not know what to ask. So for the next few weeks I am going to give you an opportunity to ask whatever you want to know about Montreat. Who is Susan? Why does everyone think that Youth Conferences are always full? Is the Auditorium air-conditioned?

From serious to silly, historic to current, I will do my best to answer your questions. All I need you to do is ask! You can leave your question in a comment on this post. You can send me an email at catw@montreat.org. Or you can even send me a message or @reply on Twitter to @Cat_Montreat.

To start us off I will answer a couple of questions that we get A LOT:

1. So, Montreat Conference Center is part of Montreat College, right? No. Although the then-named Montreat Anderson College was started and run by the board of the Mountain Retreat Association, the two entities have been entirely separate since 1974. All we share is a name and zip code. We work cooperatively on many things. Wanna know what? Ask.

2. Can you tell me how to get to Billy Graham's house? I could, but even if I did you couldn't get there because of a large privacy gate. And really, they deserve the privacy.

3. (Because I know you're dying to know...) Can you turn on the A/C in the Auditorium? No. Here, have a fan.

OK everyone. I'm depending on your from here on out. Send in your Q's!

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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.

Pancake Breakfast Benefit

Four times a year, Montreat Conference Center sponsors a pancake breakfast for the Montreat community. The meal is free, and donations are taken to support the Employee Assistance Fund. This fund helps to ease unforeseen financial burdens to Montreat employees.

The earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12th moved many of us here at Montreat Conference Center to explore what we could do as an organization to help the relief effort. With the blessing of the Senior Leadership Team, the contributions given at the February 11th Pancake Breakfast with go to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance effort in Haiti.

The breakfast is being held in the Galax Dining Room of the Assembly Inn at Montreat Conference Center on Thursday, February 11th at 8:30.

Checks may be made payable to: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Gifts of cash will be forwarded by MRA

Learn more about the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program and it's efforts in Haiti on their website.