Chat with Cat: Time to Listen for the Whisper

A favorite but often-forgotten scripture passage of mine tells of Elijah, who is running for his life and needing to speak with the Lord. God tells him to go wait for his presence to pass by. There is a terrible windstorm, then an earthquake and a fire. But God is not in any of them. God is in the whisper.

Now I have never studied theology, so I hope those of you who have will not take my reading too seriously. But I always read this story as a reminder that sometimes we need to listen for the Lord in the silence, among the chaos and noise that surround us. Providing time and space for this silence is something I have always found that Montreat does well. But this, too, appears in different forms.

Group retreats--however wonderful and life-changing they may be--are often not a time of quiet. When my church had a retreat several weeks ago, I loved hearing the laughter of the children and the energy of the youth and the buzz of so many conversations. It was a very nourishing and welcoming retreat, and it was what I needed then. These retreats are an important part of congregational life, but it was not (for me at least) a time of Sabbath or silence.

Sometimes we really need to retreat in the verbal sense, or as the knights put it in Monty Python & the Holy Grail, we need to "Run away!" For some of us it's because there is something to be done: A book chapter to be written; a calling to be discerned; an important project to finish. For others, removal from the daily grind might itself be the accomplished end.

These retreats require both a change of scenery and a change of schedule. Take yourself to a new place, but also to a place where you don't need to worry about fixing dinner, or making sure the car has gas, or feeding the dog.

Now Montreat Conference Center is offering a new opportunity for this sort of retreat. We are offering several "Personal Sabbath Retreat" packages during the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, as well as during three weeks in April and May. There will be no structured programming during these retreats, and guests will be able to study, read, pray, hike, explore, rest as they need. We hope that these retreats will allow time for us to listen for the whisper.

For more information on the Personal Sabbath Retreats, please click 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 or at @Cat_Montreat.

Chat with Cat: Uncovering the Foundations

This week we pulled up the carpet in Upper Anderson--a meeting space for 250+ in the Anderson Auditorium building. Underneath the carpet is the 80-year-old stone floor that is almost iconic in Montreat's historic buildings.

Now those floors are being buffed and shined to look like they may have when the building was new. A couple of years ago we did the same thing in the Assembly Inn lobby.

When there is the possibility of change in an organization as old and as special to many as Montreat, it is often met with nostalgia. When I was first told that there was no more carpet in the Assembly Inn Lobby, I thought about all the time I spent there and tried to imagine what it would look like.

When I heard about plans to uncover the original floors in Upper Anderson, I immediately thought of the hours of choir rehearsal I had there during the Worship & Music Conferences, and the good times playing Montreat Family Feud during Summer Staff orientation.

It can often be very exciting to uncover pieces of the past. The floors that Montreat has uncovered are beautiful. All of the stone was mined locally, so they are a reminder of Montreat's heritage in more than one way.

As Montreat Conference Center undergoes some exciting changes in the next several months, we will be uncovering more stories from our past. Our hope is that like these beautiful floors, these changes will bring out the rich history alive in Montreat. Some of the changes, like redoing the floors, will help us offer this special "place set apart" to new guest groups, who can use the spaces to uncover the foundations of their own group or to plan the next addition to their organization.

It's the perfect time to discover more about who we are, and to help our guests and congregations learn about their histories as well.

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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.

Reflections of a Ranger: Ursine Encounters

Bears are powerful creatures, both in reality and in mythology. As we find ourselves marching toward winter, the bears of Montreat are more active as they prepare for their winter torpor. It is during this time, when we are more likely to run into bears. They are seen at dumpsters and trash cans, often leaving behind remnants of their scavenging. Bears are also more active in the woods, devouring whatever they can find.

I ran into a bear last week (pictured above) along Graybeard trail just below Potts Cove gap. As luck would have it, everything was in my favor for the encounter. Normally bears detect a human presence in the forest long before people get a chance to see them. On this day, the wind and the roar of the creek masked my approach. I heard the sound of timber being rent and looked up and saw this bear ripping open a fallen tree. He was busy looking for termites, maggots, and other delicacies that inhabit rotting wood. I approached to a distance of six paces (measured afterwards) which was as close as I felt I could get undetected. My ursine neighbor continued to work along the length of the log as I slowly got out my camera. He must have heard the camera work despite the nearby rushing water because he looked up at me. I remained still, just another natural part of the forest. He went back to his meal. Then he must have sensed something else because he began to gallop. After two strides he looked back to check again to see if there was an interloper in the woods, again I watched in stillness. Satisfied that there was nobody there, he began to work his way up the hill, eating things as he went.

Anytime we are fortunate enough to see or spend time with bears it conjures up a sense of wonder. Bears are not only the largest creatures in our mountains but also icons. They represent power, healing, nurturing, and many other things. As children most of us were given small representations of bears. They are among the first animals we learn to recognize. Despite all this, few of us actually get to see them. So if you are fortunate enough to run across one, enjoy it.

Fun Bear Facts

-During their pre-hibernation period (known as hyperphagia) bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day.

-No animal of equal size is as strong as a bear

-Less than 1 person per year is killed by a black bear

-Male black bears are about 33% larger than females

-Black bears are adroit at climbing and will often take to the trees when unsure about a situation

-Black bear vocalization has some human qualities to it and there have been cases where mother bears will hear an infant crying and come to make sure the child is alright

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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

Chat with Cat: 'Tis a Gift to be Simple

What can I say? I have to drop the hymn title sometime...

This topic popped into my head recently when I was looking at a wedding blog. They have a tab called "Blogroll," so I clicked on it thinking: Hm, this will be a great way to see one blog's perpective on the best wedding blogs out there....

Then, BAM! I'm suddenly looking at a list of more than 150 blogs. No descriptions no indications of who is blogging or what they are blogging about; no evidence of a careful curator. Just links. A ton of them. Can you possibly imagine trying to get your business or information noticed in an alphabetical list of 150 with zero guidance?

One of my favorite marketing bloggers out there is Scott Ginsberg, also known as the Nametag Guy. (If you want to know that story, check out his website.) About a month ago he wrote a blog post about "5 Ways to Make Your Business a Friend of Simplicity." In that post, he writes:

"Simplicity isn’t crushing the complicated – it’s eliminating the extraneous. So, start eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary can speak. People will listen."

If the blogroll had eliminated all the extraneous links and focused on the blogs that they believe to be of value, I would have taken the time to look at them. After all, if I'm already a reader then I obviously see some credibility in the source and would trust their judgment.

Likewise, if you have chosen a venue to handle your retreat or conference, wouldn't you also trust their judgment regarding plans for your event? Why then would a venue give you all the possibilities under the sun and expect you to filter out what is valuable?

One of our guests, in a video interview, made a comment about how easy it was to have her event at Montreat Conference Center. She said, "It was easy to book; it was easy to leave; it was... easy."

Not only will we work with you to create an appropriately personalized event for your needs, we also draw on our years of retreat experience to make sure that planning your complex occasion is as simple and "easy" as possible.

And this process will make it easier for you the planner, but above and beyond that it will also--as The Nametag Guy says-- "eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak." Your conference, however complex, will run seamlessly in the eyes of your participants, removing distractions and letting the true message of your event speak loudly.

Think about simplicity. What are you complicating through your current message or way of working?

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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.

This Week on the Web

This Week in Montreat is a wonderful weekly overview of summertime in Montreat, but it only runs in the summer when our talented summer staff Creative Assistants devote much of their time bringing it to the Montreat Community.

As the Video Marketing Associate and in-house techie, I thought it might be a good idea to keep people up to date with what's happening with Montreat on the web.

Montreat.org

• Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey. The more we know about you and your needs, the better we’ll be able to serve you. Thanks in advance!
• Jean Moore has finished putting information up for every single conference scheduled for 2010! Check back often, as new information is always being added.
• You may have noticed the navigation bar at the very top of the website. You can easily switch between Montreat.org, MyMontreat.org, and the Montreat hub.
  

MyMontreat.org

• The College Conference registration opened on September 15th to huge demand. Read about the key leaders and activities for January 2-5th on MyMontreat.org
• As you may have heard, conference center housing for the College Conference at Montreat is full. Don't fret, though, there are plenty of other options.
• Plus, get a peek at the 2010 Youth Conferences at Montreat!
  

Twitter

• As Twitter becomes increasingly popular, some of the staff here at Montreat have expressed interest in updating the Twitterverse (that's Twitter-Universe) about what happens at Montreat in their area of expertise. We'll be adding more people next week, but for now, you can follow our Cat (Of "Chat With Cat" fame) @Cat_Montreat, Evelyn Coleman in the Center for Youth and Young Adult Ministries @Evelyn_Montreat, and myself @Josh_Montreat.

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Josh Richard is the Video Marketing Associate at Montreat. He creates promotional videos for Montreat and helps manage the website, blog(s), Facebook and Twitter.

Josh can be found @josh_montreat & joshr@montreat.org

Montreat Conference Center Welcomes New Guest Services Manager

Aletha Roper, the new Guest Service Manager at Montreat Conference Center, will be one of the first to welcome visitors to the conference center as she assists them with check-in at the front desk of Assembly Inn. Roper, who was graduated cum laude with a degree in sociology from the University of North Carolina Asheville, comes to Montreat with a strong background in management and customer service. “Aletha’s experience in the local restaurant business, both as a proprietor and as a consultant, is a perfect fit with this position,” said Mike Morse, Vice President for Hospitality at the conference center. “Her personal warmth and ability to deal cordially with our guests will reflect the image we strive to present to the public.”

Morse went on to note that Roper’s community involvement will also be a plus for the conference center. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Asheville Bele Chere Festival, she has been a frequent guest speaker to the hospitality class of A-B Tech, a task force member for the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Culinary Showcase, and an Alumni Board Member with the University of North Carolina Asheville, just to mention a few of her many community activities.

Roper attends First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, where she sings in the choir and was in their recent production of Godspell. She has been the proprietor of 23 Page, the New French Bar, and 23 Page Catering; the proprietor of the New French Bar Courtyard Café; and a consultant for Windows On The Park, Old Europe Café of Asheville, and StoveTrotters.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the team here at Montreat, working in a Christian community and serving the Lord by providing comfort for those who rest here,” Roper said when asked about her new position. “I have been blessed with this opportunity.”

Reflections of a Ranger: Water from Another Time

It has long been the woodsman's prerogative to sit under shelter and listen to the rain. In the past few weeks I have had ample opportunity to do so. Much like many of the woodsman who have come before me, I find rainy days a perfect excuse for sitting and thinking. It struck me that despite the many complaints I overheard about the miserable state of the weather, Montreat has always been a rainy locale. The past couple of years we have experienced long dry spells. The week of precipitation took me back to when I was a conferee and used to love to play frisbee in the warm summer rain. In fact some of the rain we got last week could well have been the same droplets of water that slicked the grass beneath my feet years ago. Water has a wonderful way of washing things clean and then, after being absent some time, falling again to cleanse the same place again.

The constant rainfall has also swelled the level of water in all of our many streams. I was up on top of Rocky Head last week and I could hear the mighty roar of the creek almost 2000 ft below. The spillway behind the General Store is flowing nicely. Most importantly the little spring by which I gauge the ambient water level in Montreat is flowing nicely. I have included a picture at the top of the blog. It is an unassuming body of water, but unlike so much of the water in this country, it flows clean . I have drunk from it many times over the year often much like one of Gideon's chosen men at the spring of Harod. I was so thankful for the rain when I went up to it earlier this week and saw a brisk flow heading down the mountain.

One wonders whether or not that spring was there when the Cherokee roamed this hills, but if it was, it is hard to imagine that the water was any purer or more refreshing to them than it was to me earlier this week. So the next time it rains, take some time and realize that it is not just another damp and dreary day, rather God is wiping things clean and refilling our cup.

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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