Chat with Cat: 8 Ways to Add Some Heart to Your Retreat

This past week I had the opportunity to go out to the Presbyterian Home for Children, hoping to gain some insight on how groups could make service a part of their retreats. I met with the PHFC's director for development and PR, and she gave me a great overview of their programs and a tour of their facilities.

They are doing amazing things--I could go on for days about their programs and about what they do for these kids, but you can check it at their website. The PHFC hosts more than 1,500 volunteers each year, but they can always use more help, as can many of your local nonprofits and charities. Volunteering is good for the community, but it can also be a new opportunity for members of your group to bond and to relate on a different level.

• Organizations like the PHFC, including camps, homeless shelters and social services organizations, often have facilities and property that require constant maintenance. Your group could plant flowers, mow the grass, or paint a hallway.
• Meals are opportunities to connect with neighbors over something that's a common experience to us all. Volunteer for a shift at the local soup kitchen, or sort food at a food bank. It's important to get some context for these experiences, so see if you can arrive early or stay late to have someone give you a tour or explanation of the organization. Some communities have programs similar to this area's Welcome Table, which serves lunch to about 200 local residents each week.
• Check out local volunteer organizations, like Hands on Asheville. This group compiles a database of projects in the area and allows individuals to apply to them online.
• Be creative! In an intergenerational group, set aside program time for youth and children to make baked goods, and then have a bake sale for the adults. Allow the youth to research and choose a cause to receive the funds raised. (I've done this with the Heifer Project. They have excellent low-cost resources to prepare kids for the project, and we bought a water buffalo!)
• If your retreat or event does now allow time for you to go volunteer somewhere, consider gathering donations as part of your retreat preparation. The PHFC posts a list of their needs, and they also suggest donating "Welcome Baskets" for a child's first night: a laundry basket filled with twin sheets, towel & washcloth, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste & toothbrush, hairbrush, Bible, and an age-appropriate item like a toy or journal.
• Help a neighbor with tasks around the house or handywork. Or allow neighbors to hire your services and donate the money to your chosen cause.
• Got golfers? Host a golf (or putt-putt!) tournament to raise money for your favorite cause.
• If you are a crafty group, think about what you may be able to create to donate. Popular choices are: making prayer shawls for friends (or strangers) who are going through difficult times; knitting hats for newborns or for winter homeless clothing shelters; making blankets for premature infants; knitting sweaters for children who need them.

Whatever you do, know that you are helping neighbors in your community and strengthening the bonds of your own group. Happy helping!

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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.

Montreat Conference Center welcomes the Rev. Dr. Kenneth E. Bailey

Montreat Conference Center welcomes the Rev. Dr. Kenneth E. Bailey as guest preacher Sunday, July 5. Many of the families, friends, conference guests, and neighbors from surrounding communities who have come to Montreat for the old-fashioned 4th of July festivities on Saturday will return for worship on Sunday in the conference center’s Anderson Auditorium to hear Dr. Bailey’s sermon, “Jesus and the Town Collaborator,” based on a reading from the gospel of Luke. Dr. Bailey will be joined by the Montreat Chorus made up of singers from throughout the community under the direction of Dr. Ron Davis, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC.

Dr. Bailey, a noted author and lecturer in Middle Eastern New Testament Studies, has written over 150 articles in English and in Arabic, including his most recent publication, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2008). Ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Dr. Bailey spent 40 years living and teaching in seminaries and institutes in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Cyprus. For 20 of those years, he was Professor of New Testament and Head of the Biblical Department of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, where he also founded and directed the Institute for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies. He has taught and lectured throughout the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Dr. Bailey and his wife, Ethel, now reside in New Wilmington, PA, where Dr. Bailey continues his ministry of lecturing, writing, and recording in the field of New Testament and as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, U.S.A.

This Sunday is part of the continuing Sunday Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center. Worship starts at 11:00 AM in Anderson Auditorium, with child care available for children six months through completed kindergarten at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet will be served at the Galax Dining Room in Assembly Inn, 12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #5

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The Fourth of July

Montreat may have one of the most grand Fourth of July parades that occurs anywhere in this beloved country. And what fun we have at the parade! I hope to see you there on Saturday. Yet as we celebrate the Fourth of July and wrap ourselves in all sorts of symbols of patriotism, I believe it is important to remember what it is to be a patriot — at least from a Christian perspective.

A patriot loves one’s country, serves the well-being of one’s country, participates in the civic life of one’s country, and gives thanksgiving to God for one’s country. But a patriot, a Christian patriot, does not worship one’s country. A Christian patriot never allows one’s country to be the sovereign, the ruler, of one’s life. A Christian patriot never gives ultimate trust to one’s country. Only the Triune God is to be worshiped. Only the Triune God is to be ultimately trusted. Only the Triune God is sovereign. As the Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declares, “. . . we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel.”

I think the late William Sloane Coffin, Chaplain at Yale University and later Pastor of the Riverside Church, New York City, had it right when he said, “There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good. The bad ones are the uncritical lovers and the loveless critics. Good patriots carry on a lover’s quarrel with their country, a reflection of God’s lover’s quarrel with all the world.”[1]

Let’s have a great time here in Montreat on the Fourth of July. But let us also be good patriots out of obedience to God and for the sake of the well-being of this country and the whole world. Grace and peace,

Pete

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Courtney Kovaks is the Creative Assistant at Montreat Conference Center. She works on This Week In Montreat and the Sunday Worship Bulletins. This is her second year on Summer Staff.

Courtney can be reached at creativeassistant@montreat.org.

Chat with Cat: Is there enough buzz around your event?

You recruited the perfect planning team. They searched and researched, begged and pleaded--and now you have the perfect slate of leaders too. You booked a space; you set up the registration; and you even wrangled up volunteers to help with staffing.

Your event is ready to go, but will anyone come?

Promoting your event is a HUGE part of making it a success, and the promotion can begin even before the first details are settled. I recently attended a fantastic webinar hosted by HubSpot, a site dedicated to giving its users expert help regarding internet marketing. The webinar was titled: "How to Promote an Event with Inbound Marketing."

If you're curious about the concept of inbound marketing, I suggest you check out the resources available at the link. I've also included a link to the full webinar presentation below, but first I wanted to point out a few of the suggestions I thought would be the most useful:

• Get people talking: Before you even establish workshop offerings or key leaders, begin the conversation in social media channels geared toward your ideal participants. Use features like LinkedIn's Answers section to ask people what sort of topics they would like to see discussed or what speakers would draw them to this event.
• Enlist your conference partners: Great turnout is as beneficial for your sponsors and your speakers as it is for you. Make it easy for them to drum up interest by providing them with copy to publish on their sites, customized landing pages, and HTML badges that link directly to your conference information.
• Give them space: Set up a media room for participants and press to use. Make it a quiet space with plenty of outlets and wifi so those interested can blog about your event, upload pictures or even create and edit interviews with key leaders. Fresh content published during your event will generate publicity for any future events.
• Bring it together: Aggregate all the content from your event in a one-stop web page. Post photos, Tweets (track your event's hashtag), videos, podcasts, presentation and resources. (Check out slide 41 of the full presentation.) People who didn't come will wish they had; those who are there will want to show their friends; and after the conference, people will have a place to go to get excited about next year.

The full presentation by Ellie Mirman covers many of the more obvious ideas (like making sure your event has a website) and also mentions more free resources available. It's about an hour long, but it has some great information. Best of luck to all you planners!

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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.

Pastor of New York’s Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church to Preach

The Summer Sunday Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center continues this Sunday with the Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, senior pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, a New York City landmark. Rev. Johnston’s sermon, “Who Touched Me?” will be based upon readings from the New Testament Gospel of Mark and Psalm 130.

Rev. Dr. Black Johnston came to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in 2008, having previously served as the Senior Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. Prior to that, he was a member of the faculty at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary where he taught preaching and worship. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT) and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, NJ). He has co-authored one book, Theology for Preaching: Authority, Truth and Knowledge of God in a Postmodern Ethos, (Abingdon Press, 1997) and has numerous other published articles, sermons, and chapters in books. He is a frequent preacher on Day1 Radio (formerly The Protestant Hour) and at various church conferences around the country. At Montreat Conference Center, Rev. Johnston most recently preached at the 2008 “Church Unbound” conference.

Rev. Dr. Black Johnston and his wife Amy, a nurse practitioner, have been married for 17 years and are the parents of Izzy (10) and Ollie (5).

A study of the Psalms offered by Montreat Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) at 9:30 AM in the Presbyterian Heritage Center will focus on Psalm 116, led by Bill Straughan. Summer Sunday worship in Montreat Conference Center’s Anderson Auditorium begins at 11:00 AM. Child care is available for children six months through completed kindergarten at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet is served at the Galax Dining Room in Assembly Inn, 12:00 noon to 1:30 PM.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #4

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Without Them, It Doesn’t Happen

So, when a stranger drives up to the Welcome Center at the gate and stops to ask what conferences are being held this week in Montreat; or a person goes to the Information Desk to find out when the Friday Night Barn Dance starts; or a couple out for a morning stroll discovers the coffee, goodies, and fellowship at the Sitting Duck – who takes charge? When a railing on Lookout Trail gets repaired; when Sunday Hymn Sings in Assembly Inn lobby enhance our day of worship; when entries for the 4th of July parade get lined up and ready to march; when ushers greet you on Sunday – who does it?

Simply put, without help, the staff alone could never keep things running so seamlessly all summer long – often, year-round. And so, I give credit where credit is due – Montreat Volunteers make this place sing! They joyfully share their valuable gifts of time and talent with us, and for those generous gifts, I am so very grateful. I invite you to join in worship on Sunday, June 21, as together, we give thanks to God for the ministry of our many volunteers.

Even better, if you want to join their ranks, check out the opportunities to do so in this issue of This Week In Montreat or contact Polly Cameron in the Development Office (669.2911, ext. 340). Meanwhile, whenever you see a volunteer at work, I hope you’ll join me in saying “Thank you!”

Grace and peace,.

Pete

PS - Come see the newly renovated Galax House. All are invited to a reception for food and fellowship on Friday, June 26, from 4-6PM. RSVP to libbyb@montreat.org or 669.2911 ext. 302.

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Courtney Kovaks is the Creative Assistant at Montreat Conference Center. She works on This Week In Montreat and the Sunday Worship Bulletins. This is her second year on Summer Staff.

Courtney can be reached at creativeassistant@montreat.org.

Back Home Leader Chats: Chuck Goodman

Chuck Goodman is one of the associate pastors of Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Find out about some tips and techniques for bring a large group to Montreat Youth Conferences, as well as why Chuck thinks everyone who works with youth should be on Facebook, by playing the interview below.

All-American Fourth of July Celebration at Montreat Conference Center

Saturday, July 4, Montreat Conference Center will once again host its annual Fourth of July celebration. “Traditionally, the Fourth of July at Montreat has been a homecoming holiday that brings extended Montreat families together from all over the country,” said conference center president Pete Peery. “Over the past several years, however, as people have taken a renewed interest in vintage celebrations that truly capture the essence of American life, it has really grown in popularity throughout the area.”

A parade beginning at 10:30 AM will launch this year’s theme, “Our Heritage, Past and Future,” and will be headed by Grand Marshalls Pat and Bob Tuttle. The Tuttles spent their first summer at Montreat in 1972 as a couple engaged to be married. Pat was a member of the ministry team for the summer staff and Bob was a senior high “Clubs” supervisor. Bob is now Vice President, the Center for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, at the conference center, and Pat is on the Education department faculty at Warren Wilson College. “Bob and Pat truly embody the spirit of this year’s theme,” said Peery.

Following the flag-raising ceremony at Anderson Auditorium that concludes the parade, the celebration will continue throughout the day with a silent auction at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery; old-fashioned carnival games; a barbecue picnic; and free swimming, boating, and tennis. The festivities will conclude with a 7:00 PM Square Dance under the stars (in The Barn if it rains).

“It’s a day straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting,” said Peery, “and we invite everyone to come early and stay late for all the fun.”

Chat with Cat: Video -- The Montreat Meeting Experience

The Montreat Meeting Experience from Montreat on Vimeo.

Some groups come to Montreat Conference Center to be inspired by the beautiful natural setting. Others come to escape ringing phones and everyday distractions. Each person who drives through the Montreat gate finds a unique experience waiting for them, but what all of them have in common is that they have come to this place set apart for a time of rest, renewal and engagment with others.

The three groups represented in this video came from different organizations and for different reasons, but all three found the Montreat Meeting Experience to be effective, easy, and worthwhile.

Why do YOU come to Montreat? Leave a comment below and tell us about your experience. If you have never been to Montreat, tell us what you think would be most important to your experience here.

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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.

Pete Peery Installed as President of the Mountain Retreat Association

Worshippers filled Anderson Auditorium this past Sunday, June 14, to celebrate the formal installation of the Rev. Dr. Albert G. “Pete” Peery, Jr. as the sixteenth president of the Mountain Retreat Association [Montreat Conference Center].

“I believe it’s significant,” said Peery prior to the service, “that the words we’ll use are adapted from the liturgy used to install a minister of Word and Sacrament as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).” In the service, Peery was charged not only to be responsible for the management of the Mountain Retreat Association in its service to the people of God; he was also given responsibility “as a minister of Word and Sacrament to assure that the Word may be rightly proclaimed and the sacraments rightly celebrated here.”

“Psalm 121 was required reading in our household,” said the Rev. Pendleton Peery, pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, LA. He and his sister, the Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin, associate pastor of pastoral care at Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS, participated in their father’s installation service, charging him to “…keep things in line here, Dad. But remember that God redefines the lines as God leads us ahead on the journey.” They concluded with words from the Psalm: “The Lord is your keeper. He will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forever more.”

Peery, who has served congregations in Georgia and North Carolina for over thirty years, comes to Montreat Conference Center after fourteen years as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, NC. For over a decade, he has been serving on the Board of Trustees of St. Andrews Presbyterian College and was the first alumnus to be elected board chair. Peery’s service to the denomination includes service on the staff of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a Peace Associate in Europe, where he worked to help churches with reconciliation toward the end of the Cold War. In addition, he served a five year term on the General Assembly’s Nominating Committee.

Peery is married to the Rev. Margaret Barnes Peery, a pastoral counselor in Asheville, who also participated in the service along with guest preacher and long-time family friend of the Peerys, the Rev. Dr. Agnes Norfleet, pastor of Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC.

The Rev. Christine Chakoian to Preach at Montreat Conference Center

Montreat Conference Center is pleased to welcome the Rev. Christine Chakoian as the guest preacher this Sunday, June 21, in the conference center’s Anderson Auditorium. Rev. Chakoian is pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest, IL, and her sermon, “Only Human,” will be take from Psalm 9:9-20 and Mark 4:35-41. Rev. Chakoian received her M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT) and her BA, magna cum laude in Religion and Culture from the University of Illinois. She has served at the Lake Forest Church for four years; she has also served in Clarendon Hills, IL; Portland, OR; Columbus, OH; and the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, IL. She is one of the regular contributors to the “Benedictory” column in The Presbyterian Outlook, and is frequently featured on the Sunday evening program “30 Good Minutes.” Next month she will lead two workshops at the national Presbyterian Women Churchwide Gathering in Louisville, KY. Married to psychologist John Shustitzky, they have one child, Anna, who studies at the University of Chicago.

Over the years at Montreat Conference Center, Rev. Chakoian has led workshops on the Liturgical Year, helped organize the first Young Adult Conference and, most recently served as the featured preacher for last year’s Associate Pastors’ Conference. Rev. Chakoian “savors her visits” and has called Montreat “a place of accumulated grace.”

Prior to Sunday’s worship, a study of Psalm 121 will be offered by Montreat Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) from 9:30-10:30 AM, in the Presbyterian Heritage Center. Bill Scheu will lead the discussion. Worship begins at 11:00 AM in Anderson Auditorium, with child care available for children six months through completed kindergarten at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet will be served at the Galax Dining Room in Assembly Inn, 12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM.

This Sunday’s worship is a part of the on-going Sunday Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center, a national conference center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and visited annually by over 35,000 people for rest, renewal, and inspiration.

For more information, please visit www.montreat.org or call 828.669.2911.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #3

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After preaching recently for Sunday worship in Anderson Auditorium, Margaret and I took an afternoon outing. We decided to explore the new trail from Suwanee Road to Harmony Road. And what wonder we encountered!

The trail, cut this past winter by hearty volunteers Perrin Wright, Joe Standaert, and Charles Jolley, with design help from Eade Anderson, is masterfully planned. It gently, gradually takes the hiker deep into the pristine Montreat wilderness, avoiding the steep climbs and knee jarring descents Margaret and I prefer to leave to more adventurous hikers. Yet, in that wilderness, never have I seen such a glorious profusion of mountain laurel, all in full bloom. Nor have I ever seen such a vast, glistening carpet of galax lining the forest floor (remember, please don’t pick it!).

If you haven’t experienced this new trail, I heartily commend it to you. Taking it, you will be filled with thankfulness for God’s majestic creation and, like Margaret and me, renewed in your calling to be a good steward of this earth.

Grace and peace,

Pete

PS – Earth stewardship is very important. Let me also take this opportunity to recommend to you the upcoming “Faith and Environment” conference, July 7-11. You still have time to register. Get details at montreat.org.

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Courtney Kovaks is the Creative Assistant at Montreat Conference Center. She works on This Week In Montreat and the Sunday Worship Bulletins. This is her second year on Summer Staff.

Courtney can be reached at creativeassistant@montreat.org.

Chat with Cat: 7 Ideas for Planning an Engaging Retreat + Subscribe to E-News

When I'm talking to people about what I do, I often have a difficult time choosing the right words. Do groups want to host conferences at Montreat? What about training sessions? Meetings? Seminars? Classes?

Even though different people use different names for their gatherings, I think the term "retreat" has always been a great way to describe what Montreat has to offer. A simple Googling of the term returns the expected results, about prayer, meditation, study, and shelter. But I particularly like the Wikipedia response:

"Retreat (offsite), a single or multi-day offsite meeting to discuss strategy, build stronger teams, formulate goals."

The great thing is that this definition applies to everyone: churches, businesses, non-profits, even families. Who doesn't need to "build stronger teams" and "formulate goals," whatever form that may take?

The important thing about a retreat--and what makes it categorically different from a vacation--is that retreats ask their participants to be engaged in what is happening. Retreats are about rest and renewal, of course, but whether you're praying or studying or setting up a five-year master plan, the activities of a retreat require involvement from the whole team.

Here are some things to consider while planning your retreat. If all these details are taken care of beforehand, your group will have plenty of time and energy to focus on the subject at hand:

1. What type of event are you planning? For how many people? How many days/nights? Having this information ready during the first call to a venue will make it easier to get the answers you need, and maybe the deal you are looking for, too.
   
2. Will you invite spouses or families who will need activities scheduled during meetings? The local chamber of commerce is a good resource for local businesses and attractions.
   
3. How “green” is your event? Reduce paper use by emailing agendas and memos before the meeting. Encourage participants to carpool, and suggest they bring their own mugs for coffee breaks. (Reusable mugs usually hold more coffee anyway!)
   
4. Are you trying out a new venue for your group? Arrange for a site visit well in advance of your arrival date. Ask to see the meeting spaces, dining area, and accommodations. If you are planning a special menu, make plans to taste the food or visit when the kitchen is serving lunch.
   
5. Want an evening to unwind? Be creative! Cancel your dinner reservation and give attendees a night on the town. Plan an after-dinner reception with live music or a local storyteller. If families are invited, consider hosting a movie night with snacks and a big-screen projector.
   
6. Is there enough “buzz” around your event? Publicize wherever participants will be: near the water cooler, on the bulletin board, even in restroom stalls. Use creative emails to ensure everyone is prepared for what your retreat will involve.
   
7. Have you thought about calling Montreat Conference Center to host your event? If not, we hope you will!
   

If this list seems familiar, it's because it appeared in an e-newsletter I sent out a few months ago. I will be sending out a brand new newsletter next week that will feature an exciting new video. Please subscribe below and check your inboxes!

Secure-Subscribe to the Montreat E-News

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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.

Installation Service for New President at Montreat Conference Center

Sunday, June 14, during worship in Anderson Auditorium, the Rev. Dr. Albert G. “Pete” Peery, Jr. will be installed as the sixteenth president of Montreat Conference Center. Called to the position in September, 2008, Peery took office November 1. The formal installation is scheduled to coincide with the start of the conference center’s high summer season. Peery has served congregations in Georgia and North Carolina for over thirty years and comes to the conference center after fourteen years as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, NC. For over a decade, he has been serving on the Board of Trustees of St. Andrews Presbyterian College and was the first alumnus to be elected board chair. Peery’s service to the denomination ranges from service on the General Assembly staff as a Peace Associate in Europe to a five year term of service on the General Assembly’s Nominating Committee.

“I believe God is not yet finished with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that is emerging – a church that is different than the one we have known in the past,” said Peery when asked about his new position. “Montreat Conference Center remains in a unique position to imprint young and old alike, and I rejoice in the opportunity I have been given.”

The installation service, a part of the Sunday Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center, will also feature the Rev. Dr. Agnes Norfleet, pastor at Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC, as guest preacher. A graduate of Davidson College (Davidson, NC) and Union Theological Seminary (Richmond, VA), she received her Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA) in 2001. She is an acclaimed preacher in the denomination, and in addition to frequent visits to Montreat Conference Center, is often called to serve as guest preacher at churches, seminaries, and national conferences. Her sermon for this Sunday, “Scattered Seeds,” is taken from Mark 4:26-34. When asked about the conference center’s new president, Norfleet replied, “Pete Peery is uniquely poised to serve Montreat as a visionary and energetic leader.” She continued, “His love for Montreat runs deep, and he will connect well with constituencies far beyond the Montreat gate to further the mission of the conference center’s service to the church.”

Following a study of Psalm 107 by Mary Miller Brueggemann at 9:30 AM in the Presbyterian Heritage Center, this Sunday’s worship and installation service begins at 11:00 AM in Montreat Conference Center’s Anderson Auditorium. Child care is available for children six months through completed kindergarten at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet will be served at the Galax Dining Room in Assembly Inn, 12:00 noon to 1:30 PM. The public is also invited to a reception celebrating Peery’s installation Sunday afternoon 4:30-5:30 PM, in the upper lobby of Montreat Conference Center’s Assembly Inn.

Montreat Conference Center is a mission center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in western North Carolina. Throughout its century of service to the church, it has been a place of renewal, inspiration, and rest for thousands of visitors annually. It continues today as a place for and experience of celebrating relationships, nurturing congregations, and deepening discipleship through conferences, retreats, vacations, and sabbatical.

Learn more about the Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #2

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Dear Montreaters,
Youth Conferences start this week. We can “suffer” through congested parking, loud music, and the ever-present gauntlet of young people through which we must walk and drive. OR, we can join together in the simple, but life-changing ministry of hospitality to these children of God.

Parking problems and noise are just part of what it means when Youth Conferences come to Montreat. It also means hundreds of young lives are being profoundly shaped for deeper discipleship. It’s an opportunity for us to welcome and enfold persons who often think the church shoves them aside. I suggest that what we “suffer” when these young people are here is absolutely nothing compared to what we gain by welcoming them.

This week and in the weeks to come, I urge you to speak to the teenagers. Ask them where they live and if it’s their first visit to Montreat. Join with us in a ministry of hospitality that may well enfold the young persons you encounter into the life of the church for the rest of their lives. With us as well this week will be pastors under the age of forty for a conference called “alt 7”. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be with them. I hope you will thank them for their dedication to serving Christ in Christ’s Body, the church. Being a young pastor can be a lonely experience in this culture. You can share in encouraging them to cling to their calling.

One final note - on Sunday, June 14, in the Service of Worship in Anderson Auditorium, I will be installed as President of the Mountain Retreat Association. I invite your presence as we as a worshipping community thank God for this new chapter in our life together.

Grace and peace,
Pete Peery, President

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Courtney is the Creative Assistant at Montreat Conference Center. She works on This Week In Montreat and the Sunday Worship Bulletins. This is her second year on Summer Staff.

Courtney can be reached at creativeassistant@montreat.org.

Chat with Cat: 8 Incredible Uses for the Galax House

Now that Montreat Conference Center’s first upscale rental is open for reservations, it’s time to take a look at how this gorgeous guest house can enrich your Montreat Experience.

If you haven’t already done so, check out our virtual tour of the Galax House here. Once you fall in love with the beautiful décor, the vast front porch, and the mountain charm, consider how perfect a setting the house is for:

• Working on that book you’re writing (or have always wanted to write). A stay in the Galax House will take you away from the distractions of home or office and allow you to unleash your creativity.
  
• Important clients. Whether you are giving a big proposal or showing your site to a potential investor, the Galax House will make an excellent respite between the golf course and the board room. Stock the house with food and beverages to make your guest feel at home.
  
• Relatives. We know you love your family. But all the love in the world doesn’t make your house—or your guest room—any bigger. When you run out of couches, you can be sure your loved ones are comfortable with us.
  
• The wedding party. Choose the Galax House for sweet dreams before your wedding, and think about how beautiful your preparation photos will be on that porch.
  
• VIPs and keynote speakers. You spent months tracking down the perfect high-profile speaker for your event. Make sure your conference ends up on your speaker’s list of favorites by providing that special Galax experience.
  
• Very special occasions. Is there a big anniversary, birthday, or retirement on your calendar? The Galax House will help you celebrate a romantic weekend for two or a festive family get-together.
  
• Spiritual retreats and times of discernment. If the busyness of your everyday is making it hard to find time for you, the quiet mountain setting of the Galax House offers peace of mind and time to slow down.
  
• Small business strategic planning. Every organization needs a vision for the future. Take some time away from ringing phones to work with your team on this important next step. 
  

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.

Chat with Cat: Introduction

Hello all you Montreat enthusiasts! I hope you’ve been enjoying reading all kinds of Montreat news here on our blog. Our fearless Webmaster, Josh, has been doing a great job keeping everyone up-to-date on all the excitement around here.

I would like to begin by introducing myself. My name is Cat, and I am the Sales Associate here. My job is to help Montreat celebrate relationships and responsibly steward our resources by bringing new groups to our beautiful valley.

As you might know, Montreat Conference Center has a variety of excellent (and sunny) meeting spaces, comfortable accommodations, and a dining hall serving a delicious buffet. But what you may not know is that we extend our hospitality to all kinds of groups to share this place set apart. If you have not considered Montreat for hosting your next event, check out our Plan Your Event section here.

In terms of this blog, I would like to help you in your planning by offering tips and ideas as well as a place to discuss them. You will see these "Chat with Cat" posts every Tuesday, and maybe some inbetween. If at any point you have a question or suggestion, comment on one of my posts or send me an email at catw@montreat.org.

To begin let’s look at a list of ways you can enjoy the charm of the brand new Galax House.

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.

President of Union Presbyterian Seminary to Speak at Montreat Conference Center

As part of its on-going summer worship series, Montreat Conference Center welcomes the Rev. Dr. Brian K. Blount, President of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Va. Dr. Blount, a frequent and respected guest of the conference center, will draw from the book of Acts and Psalm 68 for his sermon entitled “Not My Area” on Sunday, June 7.

A New Testament professor from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, Dr. Blount was called in 2007 by Union Presbyterian Seminary to serve as its next president. He assumed the presidency July 1 of that year. A native of Smithfield, Va., Dr. Blount served as pastor of Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Va., from 1982 to 1988. For 15 years prior to his position at Union, he taught New Testament to students preparing for ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds degrees from the College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, Va.), Princeton Theological Seminary, and Emory University (Atlanta, Ga.). A gifted preacher, teacher, and writer, he has also authored numerous book reviews, sermons, articles, and academic presentations. Most recently at Montreat Conference Center, Dr. Blount spoke at the 2008 “Reclaiming the Text” and “Church Unbound” conferences.

Summer Sunday worship in Montreat Conference Center’s Anderson Auditorium begins at 11:00 AM, and also features some of this area’s finest choirs and musicians. Child care is available for children six months through completed kindergarten at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet is served at the Galax Dining Room in Assembly Inn, 12:00 noon to 1:30 PM.