Montreat Conference Center is pleased to bring you This Week in Montreat, our summer publication which provides weekly updates and information about activities in the Montreat valley. This week, we are talking about politics in sermons, the enthusiasm of the Montreat Rangers, and Montreat Adult Summer Club. Find these, along with other important announcements, below.

Are There Boundaries for Politics in the Pulpit?

by Richard DuBose, president of Montreat Conference Center

You may remember this moment from the funeral for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was one of nine Black victims tragically killed in the June 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Following his recitation of the hymn, Amazing Grace, President Barack Obama broke into song, and the congregation joined in, a chorus of unity in the face of terrible tragedy.

In the ten years I’ve presided over our Summer Series of Worship Worship Series in Anderson Auditorium, no summer stands out like 2015. The preachers of that summer engaged, acknowledged, and referenced that terrible event in various ways…or they didn’t. No matter how a preacher addressed or didn't address the church violence in Charleston, I received critiques from members of our congregations – thoughts on what should be preached, on how topics like gun control and racism should or shouldn’t be addressed, and whether there are boundaries for politics in the pulpit...

The Untamable Spirit of the Montreat Rangers

Spending two days with the Montreat Rangers felt like tagging along with a band of mountain goats who carry axes, wear matching hats, and can rattle off the name of any plant you point at. As we worked in the Montreat Wilderness, their job was to keep Montreat’s trails safe, beautiful, and hikeable. My job was to try not to pass out as I attempted to keep up with them...

This Sunday in Montreat

We are delighted to welcome leading preachers from across the country as they join with visual artists, musicians, and volunteers in a service of worship open to the surrounding community. All are welcome and all are invited.

This Sunday, July 6, we will be joined by  Rev. Dr. Buz Wilcoxon, Marianne and E.G. Lassiter Chaplain & Dean of Spiritual Life at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. Services will begin in Anderson Auditorium at 10:30 am.

Immediately following the service, lunch will be served in the Galax dining room of Assembly Inn. Find the lunch menu and meal costs here.

• Please note that Second Loaf will not be collecting food donations on July 5. Collections will resume on Saturday, July 12, in the parking lot of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. Thank you for supporting this important ministry!
• Montreat Adult Summer Club will begin its summer speaker series on Wednesday, July 9, at 2:30 pm in Upper Anderson. David Fleming will serve as the first speaker and will discuss his research into the Mecklenburg Declaration - a document also referred to as the first Declaration of Independence. Click here to learn more!
• Test your knowledge of the “MRA” with this short survey! All participants can collect a special-edition Montreat sticker as a thank you! To take the survey, click here!

• At the Bill Wilde Youth Center, you can you can check out board games, rent tennis courts, and participate in a variety of other recreation activities! Click here to learn more about activities and hours!
• Our second Arts, Music, and Theology lecture will take place on Tuesday, July 8, at 7:00 pm in Convocation Hall. Ella Adams will be speaking on “Between Heaven & the High Country: Constructing Religious Space in Montreat’s Mountain Landscape.” To find more information about this series, click here!
• Join the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Heritage Center, Anne Chesky, on a hike focusing on the history of Montreat on Thursday July 10, at 9:00 am. The hike will navigate sections of Elizabeth's Path along Flat Creek. Click here to learn more!

• "Paint your summer" this week with Caitlin Wallace-Rowland! This class will gather on the porch to paint objects in watercolor as a way to memorialize your summer in Montreat! Whether it’s the Montreat gate, your cabin, or the mountains, let’s paint them together! Beginners are welcome and all supplies are provided. Click here to sign up.
• Caitlin Wallace-Rowland and her husband, Drew Rowland, are our Artists-in-Residence for July 7-11. Drew will be teaching wheel throwing while Caitlin teaches painting on porcelain ornaments and trays. See their bios here.
• In addition to our pottery classes, this week we will also be offering jewelry making, sewing, writing, and glass mosaic classes. Registration for all classes offered at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery Studio can be completed online. To find out more about these and other offerings, click here.

• What is a Montreat Patron? Montreat Patrons are individuals, households, or churches that make a gift of $500 or more to the Montreat Fund within our fiscal year. Montreat Patrons are a part of a community that make financial commitments to sustaining the mission and ministry of Montreat Conference Center and are essential to creating Montreat memories!
• Make a gift to the Montreat Fund and become a Montreat Patron 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). More at www.montreat.org.