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 the ways Summer Staff make a difference in our community, creative ways to document your summer, and our first barn dance of the season. Find these, along with other important announcements, below.

The Impact of Summer Staff

by Richard DuBose, president of Montreat Conference Center

Welcoming summer staff each year signifies for many “the real beginning” to the summer season. That’s because it is hard – perhaps even impossible – to articulate the full impact of the summer staff tradition on Montreat summers – both on those who participate and on Montreat itself...

How to Document Your Summer in Montreat

Learn how to share your own stories from Montreat.

This week, our Marketing Assistant, Kayden Foyles, began shadowing and working with summer staff from other departments to get an idea of how their work supports the Montreat experience. To help her communicate and share what she is experiencing, Kayden has been trained to collect information using a variety of creative writing techniques. Today, I would like to share a few of the strategies that she is utilizing in case you are interested in using them to document your own Montreat experience this summer...

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, June 8, we will be joined by Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York, NY. 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.

• Join us tonight for a favorite Montreat tradition! Our first Barn Dance of the summer will take place tonight in the Barn from 7:30-10:00 pm.
• Public hikes guided by our wilderness rangers will start June 10! All hikes are free and open to the public. Visit our website or stop by the Nature Center to learn more.
• The second week of Montreat Youth Conference begins this Sunday! The community is invited to join conferees for evening worship in Anderson Auditorium beginning at 7:30 pm Monday through Thursday and 8:30 pm on Friday. Learn more about Montreat Youth Conference by clicking here!

• Lake Susan was restocked with 500 rainbow trout earlier this summer. Fishing is permitted in designated areas with a license which can be purchased at The Montreat Store or the Assembly Inn front desk. Learn more about our fishing rules here!
• This summer, we are bringing in outside experts for two guided hikes. Join us on Thursday, June 12, for a guided hike with zoology professor Bill Sanderson. We will meet at the Montreat Nature Center at 9:00 am to look for, listen to, and learn about some of Montreat's avian wildlife.
• The Huckleberry has extended hours June 2 through August 2. Stop by for ice cream, coffee, or to enjoy the view of Lake Susan dam Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 9:00 pm and Saturday 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. View the menu here!

• Let your creativity take flight! This week, you can make your own “bluebird of happiness” as a reminder that joy is always near! You'll learn how to sculpt a three-dimensional bird as instructor Sarah Peters guides you step-by-step through forming the body, adding texture, and refining the details that will bring your feathered friend to life. Sign up online.
• This week, the Sally Jones Pottery is thrilled to welcome Susan Dodge and Caro Krech as our Artists-in-Residences! These talented artists will be bringing their creativity and expertise to Sally Jones Pottery—and they’ll also be teaching a couple of exciting classes that you won’t want to miss. Read more about them here.
• Registration for all classes offered at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery Studio can be completed online. To find a complete schedule of offerings, click here.

• Did you know? Gifts made to the Montreat Fund support Clubs and other recreational activities in Montreat each Summer. Without the support of Montreat Patrons, the Montreat experience would not be possible.
• Gifts made to the Montreat Fund have a direct impact on the Montreat experience! Make a gift today!

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.