Montreat Expands Conference Guest and Retreat Services

Montreat Conference Center’s ministry of hospitality and welcome to conferees, vacationers, retreat groups and business partners is being expanded to meet growing demands. “As a part of our Ministry Work Plan, we are enhancing our guest services throughout the conference center, especially at Assembly Inn,” said conference center president, Pete Peery. In this effort, Diane Pennington is transitioning from the development office to serve as Guest Services Manager at the Assembly Inn hotel. Judy Smith will move into the office of retreat services which has begun to offer professional retreat planning skills to groups who need specific assistance to find speakers, to develop their retreat program, or to look for area activities appropriate to their events.

Coming into her third summer at Montreat Conference Center, Pennington has worked as Director of Development Operations in the Development office. “She may perhaps be best known locally for her work as the Montreat Volunteer Service Area Coordinator and community communicator par excellence,” said conference center vice president of program development and marketing, Merri Bass.  Originally from Richmond VA, Diane pursued her undergraduate degree in vocal performance at Oklahoma Baptist University and later completed her BA in Psychology for Special Populations at the City University of New York. Her work experience includes investment banking in NYC and communications in bio-tech research. Looking forward to her new role as Manager of Guest Services in hospitality, Diane said she is “excited to support the vision and growth of guest services as we work to enhance the conference center’s ministry to the larger church. Montreat Conference Center is a particularly unique destination in Western North Carolina and I look forward to developing new avenues of service for those who venture to this place set apart for rest and renewal.”

Pennington’s talents in music and drama will also serve the community as she works with the Summer Worship Team each week, preparing the Sunday service of worship for the gathered community.

Judy Smith joined the conference center team in 1999. Her ten year tenure with the conference center has seen her talents exercised in hotel reservations, adult conference registrations, facilitator of group reservations and guest services. Before coming to Montreat, Smith was in the travel service business for 29 years in High Point, NC. “It is the attention to the detail and my love of the people who come here that I enjoy most about my work,” said Smith. “As Manager of Retreat and Guest Group Services, Judy will be able to work with retreats in their program planning,” said vice president of hospitality, Mike Morse. “We have discovered that some churches have put their annual retreat planning into the hands of volunteers who do not have the necessary experience. As professional programmers, we have the skill and contacts to help people develop the content of their retreat in meaningful kinds of ways. Judy will facilitate that process,” said Merri Bass. “I am looking forward to being able to do the work I love and have the opportunity to work with church retreats and guest groups as they plan their Montreat experience,” Smith said.

“This is evidence of the transition work we are doing in Montreat as we work to discern God’s intention for this vital ministry both now in and in the days to come. Expanding our retreat and guest group services, is one of the ways we believe we step forward in becoming the vibrant full-service center needed by those who are searching for a gracious, quiet, renewing place to go for restoration, inspiration, and challenge” said Peery.

Montreat Conference Center is a national mission center serving the Presbyterian Church (USA) in western North Carolina. It serves 35,000 people annually through retreats, business meetings, conference services and partner conferences.