Chat with Cat: A New Kind of Staff Meeting

I think everyone's day is improved by some mediocre humor, and I hope that many of you agree with me. ReverendFun.com is my favorite source of churchy puns, and you may be seeing a few more of them in the weeks to come.

I suppose I could read into this cartoon something profound about appreciating all gifts brought to the gathering, etc. But really I just wanted you to smile. And to think about your staff meetings.

When the boss or head of staff calls a staff meeting, is the announcement met with a chorus of groaning? Is everyone stuck in the same pre-meeting routine? (Take your notebook to the meeting room; make a pit stop; grab a Diet Coke; take your seat.) Do you feel like you're talking about the same things every day/week/month?

Then maybe it's time for a change. And a change could take many forms. Maybe you need to have a lunch meeting instead of an after lunch meeting (yawn). Perhaps you could change the venue--even a different conference room could shift the mood enough.

Maybe it's time to change topics, time to look at those big issues that have been staring you down for months. If this is the case, then you might want to look into a staff retreat. In this case, "retreat" can mean many different things:

• Meeting in your office for a longer time, without email/phone distraction.
• Meeting at a different venue for a few hours to discuss regular business.
• Spending a day at or away from the office focusing on an underlying topic, such as communication or leadership.
• Taking two or more days to look both at the underlying issues mentioned above, and at a larger task or project, such as long-term planning.

For those smaller or shorter meetings, do some local research to see what kinds of venues might be available. You might be able to rent out the back room of a restaurant or a small meeting room at a hotel. Many public libraries have community classrooms available, although some of them might not let you bring in snacks (and we know how important that is to the brainstorming process). Ask local churches or civic groups with their own buildings.

Of course, for those larger or multi-day meetings, retreat and conference centers are ideal. After all, that's what we're here for. Montreat and many other conference centers often do day meetings as well (and can provide the Diet Coke), so don't be afraid to give us a call to explore the possibilities.

Mix it up. Think about throwing a long stick into your gathering of staff(s), and see how some variety can spice up your conversations.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #5

Download Issue #5 (June 25 - July 1, 2010)

"Presbyterians are known for doing things decently and in order. And since Montreat is predominantly full of Presbyterians or Presbyterian connected folk, messiness is not the main trait here. Yet, there is one place in Montreat where creative messiness is the norm! And what a wonder this place is!"

Continue reading "This Week in Montreat"

This Week in Montreat - Issue #4

Download Issue #4 (June 18 - 24, 2010)

"Hands. Last Sunday in worship in Anderson Auditorium, we all spent time looking at our hands. It was an unusual thing for Presbyterians to do. But the preacher for the day, Dr. James Forbes of New York City, invited us to do so as a part of his sermon.

Hands. Dr. Forbes, using the imagery of Ezekiel and Revelation, suggested our hands are the leaves of the tree of life, nourished by the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God. And he reminded us those leaves - our hands - are for the healing of the nations. It is stunning, isn’t it, that God deigns to use our hands - our hearts, our words, our lives - for healing, healing the brokenness in others and in this world."

Read more from Montreat Conference Center President Pete Peery in this issue of "This Week in Montreat."

Montreat Conference Center Welcomes Bishop Willimon

The Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center is well known for bringing some of the most accomplished preachers in America to Anderson Auditorium. This week’s guest, The Rev. Dr. Will Willimon, is no exception. Bishop of the United Methodist Church and former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, Dr. Willimon has received degrees from Wofford College, Yale Divinity School, and Emory University; he also holds honorary degrees from a dozen different colleges and universities.

In addition to being Editor-at-Large for The Christian Century, Dr. Willimon has also written sixty books which have been translated into eight different languages and sold over a million copies worldwide. His articles have appeared in such publications as The Christian Ministry, Quarterly Review, and Christianity Today, while over eight thousand pastors in the United States, Canada and Australia use his Pulpit Resource each week. A study by the Pulpit and Pew Research Center has found that Dr. Willimon is the second most widely read author by mainline Protestant pastors. The Academy of Parish Clergy selected his Worship as Pastoral Care as one of the ten most useful books for pastors.

Dr. Willimon’s sermon on June 20th is titled “Jesus’ Health Care Plan” and is taken from texts in the New Testament gospel of Luke and the first book of Kings in the Old Testament.

The Sunday Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center is a gift of the conference center to the gathered community of worshipers. Worship this Sunday begins at 10:30AM. Child care for children six months through completed kindergarten is available at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet will be served at the Assembly Inn’s Galax Dining Room, noon to 1:30PM. Learn more about the 2010 Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center.

This Week in Montreat - Issue #3

Download Issue #3 (June 11 - 17, 2010)


"Duncan spoke to me today as if we were lifelong friends. I was filling my plate at Sunday dinner at Assembly Inn. What you need to know is that Duncan is eight years old. He doesn’t live here. He has only met me perhaps twice. And it is my experience that not many eight-year-olds make a point of seeking out old people in their sixties to greet at Sunday dinner..."


Read more from Montreat Conference Center President Pete Peery in this issue of "This Week in Montreat."

This Week in Montreat - Issue #2

Download Issue #2 (June 3 - 10, 2010)

"On Pentecost Sunday, as I opened my worship bulletin, I found a flyer pitching the Pentecost Offering of the Presbyterian Church. The offering supports Young Adult Volunteers in Mission — young people, usually right out of college, who offer themselves for a year or two of missional service, nationally and internationally, through the mission network of our communion. There on that flyer was a picture of three Peruvian children singing along with a young American woman playing a guitar who clearly was the Young Adult Volunteer.

After reading about the offering, I almost put the flyer aside. But then I recognized the young woman..."

Read more from Montreat Conference Center President Pete Peery in this issue of "This Week in Montreat."

Rev. Dr. James A Forbes, Jr. - “The Preacher’s Preacher”

Known in national and international circles as “the preacher’s preacher,” the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., will preach in Montreat Conference Center’s Anderson Auditorium Sunday, June 13. Hailed by Newsweek magazine (March 4, 1996) as one of the twelve “most effective preachers” in the English-speaking world, he has long been a powerful voice for progressive Protestants. Dr. Forbes is founder and president of The Healing of the Nations Foundation and is Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside Church in New York. Called in 1989, he was the first African-American pastor to serve the Riverside congregation. Formerly a professor at Union Theological Seminary, New York, he has also hosted The Time is Now on Air America radio.

A tireless advocate of progressive views on the crucial issues of our time – from poverty, war, and women’s equality to racial justice, sexuality, and the environment, Dr. Forbes is a well-known preacher and lecturer in the United States and abroad. He has earned three degrees and has been awarded thirteen honorary degrees. Dr. Forbes’ new book, Whose Gospel? A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism, is a passionate call to justice published with a forward by veteran journalist Bill Moyers, host of Bill Moyers Journal on PBSand member of the Riverside Church.

Dr. Forbes was born in Burgaw, N.C., and is married to Bettye Franks Forbes, formerly of San Antonio, TX. They reside in New York City and are the parents of a son, James A. Forbes, III.

The Sunday Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center is a gift of the conference center to the gathered community of worshipers. Worship begins at 10:30AM. Child care for children six months through completed kindergarten is available at the Updike Child Care Center on Texas Road. Following worship, a lunch buffet will be served at the Assembly Inn’s Galax Dining Room, noon to 1:30PM. Learn more about the 2010 Summer Worship Series at Montreat Conference Center.

Following lunch on Sunday, June 13, Dr. Forbes will be available in Assembly Inn’s upper lobby to sign his book, Whose Gospel? A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism.