Thursday, February 11, 2021

February in Montreat

Montreat Conference Center
A New Year in
Montreat
This Month in Montreat Update from
Richard DuBose
I’ve always been amused by how the mind plays tricks with the passage of time. Some rich, dense experiences seem to slow time to a standstill – “I know I just got here last Monday but I feel I’m a completely different person.” Of course, some memories carry the realization that time is ever so fleeting – “It seems like just yesterday she was taking her first steps, and now she’s graduating.” These days, however competing senses of time have been reconciled; nothing seems like it happened “just yesterday” anymore.
 
And yet, the New Year always brings the opportunity to reset expectations, to open up the windows and invite inside the expectation that the new year will bring better days. If we can’t always wish those better days into existence, we can at least consciously beckon them forward! I have a friend who ritually says out loud on each New Year’s Day, “I think it’s going to be an outstanding year,” as if to will such experiences into existence. 

That’s the spirit our leadership team is taking into 2021 and it’s the spirit we’re adopting when we address the question everyone who loves Montreat seems to be asking: What’s the summer going to be like this year? 

Because the conference center’s fiscal year begins on May 1st, the winter months habitually include a good bit of forecasting, planning, and finalizing a budget for the coming year. Prudence and caution are always warranted and, of course, this year especially so. Still, we are optimistically planning for a year that we expect will be demonstrably better from the one just passed. That means that we are actively meeting with planning teams for upcoming conferences. We are seeking summer staff applications and accepting conference registrations and housing reservations. In summary, we’re for budgeting for a return to normal – or at least to semi-normal – activities, programs, and mission. 

What’s the summer going to be like this year? The answer is that we still really don’t know, of course; the power of positive thinking extends only so far. We can, however, make Montreat ready for the best possible outcomes while preparing for alternatives, and so that’s what we’ve decided to do. Below are some important dates that you might want to consider: 

  • 2/13: Webinar on Celtic Spirituality with John Phillip Newell
  • 4/15-4/18: Spiritual Formation with Columbia Theological Seminary (online)
  • 5/3-5/8: Arts, Recreation, and Worship (ARW)
  • 6/6-8/7: Montreat Youth Conferences 
  • 6/20-6/25 & 6/27-7/2: Worship & Music 1 & 2 
  • 7/6-7/9: PASSport Kids
  • 7/15-7/17: Middle School Conference
  • 8/13-8/15: Women’s Connection

Find out more about each events by going to www.montreat.org/events

The pandemic continues to be a force beyond our control and will likely place some limitations on our highest hopes. In the face of our current uncertainties and difficulties, optimism can seem like a foolish lark. If anything, however, our experiences over the last year have taught us not only about the precious fragility of life but also something about our capacity for resilience as a people, as a church, and as a nation. The coming year will demand that we employ what we’ve learned even as we continue to stretch through new challenges. As we grieve the present circumstances, our charge is to look forward and to rely on forecasts for the year which include the possibility of a late spring or early summer return to a more normal life together. We’ve built up and renewed muscles for adapting as to what lies ahead. Buckle up – I think it’s going to be an outstanding year!
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Many of you have also raised questions about how the conference center continues to weather the financial impact of the pandemic. We are fortunate in that there has been much to celebrate. Montreaters everywhere have responded to our calls for support with unprecedented generosity, for example, and the Montreat Fund is currently running well ahead of last year’s record pace. Further, we received a second round of funding last week from the Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the form of a loan of $634,100. (Students of PPP might be wondering whether we applied under the hospitality provisions of the program, which might have entitled us to greater relief. We did not, reasoning that while our hospitality programs certainly serve the heart of our mission, Montreat is not just a ministry of hospitality.) Meanwhile, the first loan of PPP funding, which we received last spring, has been forgiven. Blessings like these as well as some significant austerity in spending have enabled us to stay open and to continue to offer programming, online and otherwise, as we are able. 

Nevertheless, we’ve also had to borrow from reserves for the first time in almost two decades, and we expect to end the year with a deficit. I confess that the notion of running monthly deficits and borrowing from reserves strikes such a dissonant chord with our Board and management team that we have vowed not to get used to it. Restoring those reserves will be a key emphasis of our fundraising efforts as we begin to climb out of COVID in the months ahead. If there were ever a year that demonstrated how important unrestricted reserves are to the conference center’s continued vitality, 2020 was it. 

I’ve written before that “leading Montreat right now is like piloting a plane on a moonless night. We’ve hit some turbulence, but our instruments confirm we’re stable, and have some fuel in reserve…Now, if someone could just tell us how far away the airport is, we’d be grateful.” Last week a friend emailed me and asked if I had started “looking for a cornfield to land your plane in.” The answer was a rather fortunate “no”; our heading remains fixed on a point of the horizon where, we have faith, dawn will be breaking. 
News Corner
Spring Getaway Weekends open next week! Book your spring weekend sabbath with us starting February 16.

Registration is open for Montreat Youth Conference and Middle School Conference.
  • Have you read our Covid-19 updates for MYC? Find that information on the "Covid-19" tab on our website.
  • Please note the dates for Montreat Middle School Conference @ Maryville College have changed for 2021! To allow for Covid regulations at Maryville College, we are shifing MSC by one day this summer. The new dates of the conference are Tuesday, July 13 to Saturday, July 17. Learn more here.

Small Group Leader applications for MYC and MSC 2021 are open! In efforts to minimize Covid risk and to follow all state and local guidelines, there are modifications to this year's SGL program. Please read the application carefully to learn about these changes. Click here to apply.

The Art of Transitional Ministry conference for February 2021 has been cancelled. The next conference is in August. Learn more here.

The Healthy Congregations conference for April 2021 has been cancelled. The next conference is in October. Learn more here.

Content from last fall's Rethinking Evangelism conference is available! Purchase portions of the conference to watch from your home on our resources portal.

Watch the keynote address with Dr. Reggie Williams from the October Crossroads Antiracism Training for free on our resources portal.

Store update! The Montreat Store is once again open five days a week. Store hours are Mon.-Sat. 12:00pm-5:00pm. You can also call 828.669.5298 to place an order.
Montreat works with the Food Connection

Food Connection collects surplus fresh meals from restaurants, caterers, and institutions, and delivers them to community partners who feed those in need, in order to reduce food waste and ease the pain of immediate hunger. Currently Food Connection is operating in Buncombe County, NC, in cities including Asheville, Swannanoa, and Black Mountain and also in Madison County. Our Assembly Inn kitchen has been in partnership with Food Connection through their Chef Meal program. If you’d like to support the continued efforts of Food Connection you may donate at the button link below.
2021 Preview
Please note some events have been cancelled or rescheduled. If you do not see your event listed, go to our full event calendar and find your event for more information.

CTS Spiritual Formation | April 15-18, 2021


Montreat Youth Conference | June 6-August 7, 2021
Worship and Music | June 20-25 and June 27-July 2, 2021

Middle School Conference | July 14-18, 2021

Women's Connection | August 13-15, 2021

Fall Craft Week | September 26-October 1, 2021
Montreat Moment
We have started off the first two months of the year with a handful of snow days! Click here to see a short video, filmed by Ranger Jason, of the snow over Lake Susan.
Wildlife in Montreat! This Monday we were fortunate to see a red-shouldered hawk resting outside of our office building. Staff member Hope B. captured this photo. See more photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Last month we missed having an Anderson Auditorium full of bright faces to kick off the new year with College Conference @ Montreat.
Keep up with Montreat!
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Montreat Conference Center | PO Box 969, Montreat, NC 28757

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