Thursday, November 6, 2025

November in Montreat

Montreat Conference Center is pleased to bring you our monthly newsletter November in Montreat. Please find updates from our president, highlights on programmatic offerings, and ways that you can engage with Montreat below. Specifically, in this issue we are talking about our Thriving Congregations initiative, upcoming public hiking opportunities, and ways to practice gratitude.

Montreat Receives Second Lilly Endowment Grant to Support Thriving Congregations

by Richard DuBose, president of Montreat Conference Center

In early October, I ventured to Indianapolis, Indiana for a diverse gathering of nonprofit leaders representing organizations that shared at least two things in common: 1) a hopeful commitment to the vitality of the wider church, and 2) our institutions had all received grant support from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Thriving Congregations Initiative.


I was already feeling buoyant as, a week before that gathering, I had received the exciting news that the Lilly Endowment has awarded the Montreat Conference Center a second grant of nearly $1 million to continue and expand our own Thriving Congregations initiative for another five years

PROGRAMS & EVENTS

We share updates related to offerings for youth & young adults, adult conferences, and retreats in a series of topical email newsletters each month. Sign up to receive one, two, or all three directly in your inbox by clicking here.

  • The Montreat community is invited to join us at 8:00 am on Thursday, November 20, for our monthly community breakfast in the Galax Dining Room of Assembly Inn. We’ll have a warm meal waiting, you just need to bring your appetite and good company! All are welcome to attend!


  • This fall, Montreat Conference Center is offering a variety of community hikes. No reservation is necessary, but a $10 donation is suggested for each person who attends. On Tuesday, November 11, we will hike to Graybeard Falls (est. 3-4 hour trip), and on Tuesday November 18, we will hike Big Piney Trail to Rattlesnake Rock (est. 3 hour trip). Both hikes will depart from the Montreat Nature Center at 9:00 am. Contact Jason Nanz for more information.


  • As Thanksgiving approaches, we have been pondering ways to live in an “attitude of gratitude.” Today, we would like to encourage you to step outside, pause, and breathe deeply. As you breathe in, silently name something in creation for which you are grateful. As you breathe out, offer a prayer of thanks. Through this practice, we are reminded that gratitude doesn’t always require words. Sometimes, it’s just the simple act of noticing and giving thanks. You can explore other spiritual practices on our website.

We share updates for locals, news about the Montreat Wilderness, and information pertaining to spiritual exploration in three monthly email newsletters specific to each topic. Select which ones you would like to receive in your inbox by clicking here.

Montreat Conference Center, a ministry of the Mountain Retreat Association, is a national conference center located in Western North Carolina with roots in the PC(USA). Learn more at www.montreat.org.

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