Montreat Conference Center

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Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit.” NRSV

For people of faith who are yearning for a deeper spiritual life.

“Being Spiritual in a CrazyBusy World”

You are called out of the chaos of your crazybusy, constantly moving, overextended lives to a place grounded in the imagination of God. You are invited to a thin place where you can sense God’s presence and find yourself spiritually connected, even quieted, in your inner being. You are invited to join with others on this spiritual journey that gives you fresh energy and creative vision for God’s future.

Key Leadership

Donald Miller, Portland OR; Keynote Speaker; author of Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, and new, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Leaving home at the age of twenty-one, Donald Miller traveled across the country until he ran out of money in Portland, Oregon, where he lives today. Harvest House Publishers released his first book, Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, in 2000. Two years later, after having audited classes at Portland’s Reed College, Don wrote Blue Like Jazz, which would slowly become a New York Times Bestseller. In 2004 Don released Searching for God Knows What, a book about how the Gospel of Jesus explains the human personality. Don is the founder of The Mentoring Project, a not-for-profit foundation which partners with ten-thousand mentors through one-thousand churches as an answer to the crisis of fatherlessness in America. A sought-after speaker, Don has delivered lectures to a wide-range of audiences including the Women of Faith Conference, the Veritas Forum at Harvard University and the Veritas Forum at Cal Poly. Don’s newest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years humorously and tenderly chronicles Don’s experience with filmmakers as they edit his life for the screen.

John McCall, Greensboro, NC; Bible Study Leader; senior minister, Westminster Presbyterian Church. John served as a seminary teacher and Director of Spiritual Formation at the Taiwan Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Taipei, Taiwan, for 13 years. Prior to his work overseas, he was the pastor at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church for seven years, and served as an associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in DeLand, FL, for five years. John earned his BA degree from Duke University, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary.

Thomas Daniel, Decatur, GA; Worship Leader; pastor, Kairos Church. Thomas is a 2003 graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary, and has served as the associate pastor at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church Evanston prior to organizing the new church development, Kairos Church, in Atlanta. Thomas is the recipient of the 2007 Harrington Prize. He has preached at the 218th General Assembly, Montreat Conference Center Summer Worship Series, and various conferences for college students and young adults.

Jessica Tate, Fairfax, VA; Worship Leader; associate pastor, Fairfax Presbyterian Church. Jessica is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. She received awards from Union Seminary and the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church for her preaching. Her broader church experience includes serving as a member of the National Council of Churches’ Committee on Public Education and intern for education and advocacy in the Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA), working on immigration issues and policy related to children.

Reggie Weaver, Chicago, IL; Worship Leader; pastor, First Presbyterian Church. Reggie served as a co-moderator of the National Presbyterian Youth Ministries Council. He has been a member of the planning teams for several youth and young adult conferences, including Montreat and Triennium, and currently is member of the General Assembly task force studying the addition of the Belhar Confession of Faith to the Presbyterian Book of Confessions.

Meredith Kemp-Pappan, Louisville, KY; Worship Leader; Church Growth for the General Assembly Mission Council. Meredith joined the staff of Church Growth Ministries in the office of Evangelism and Church Growth of the PC(USA) in 2008. A recent graduate of Austin Seminary, she earned her M.Div. and is a candidate for ordained ministry.

Margaret LaMotte Torrence, Asheville, NC; Liturgy; associate pastor, First Presbyterian Church. She has served churches in New Jersey and North Carolina; frequent conference and retreat leader.

Juanita Yoder, Hightstown, NJ; Conference Artist; Juanita’s works explore abstracted natural, celestial and human forms, and draw on her experiences, dreams and Mennonite spiritual heritage. She has worked with fiber-reactive dyes on silk for twelve years, along with drawing, watercolor and wearable art. Juanita earned a B.A. in Art at Goshen College in Indiana, a Master of Art at Eastern Illinois University, and has studied in Italy and Haiti.

Eric Wall, Asheville, NC; Music; director of music and organist, First Presbyterian Church. Eric has served on the faculty, planning team, and as director for past Montreat conferences on Worship and Music.

Micah Dalton, Decatur, GA; Music; Music, Kairos Church and Atlanta-native singer/songwriter. Micah describes his own music as “soul-infused alt folk… with popular music tendencies.”

Workshops

Choose two workshops and two alternates. If you have already registered for the conference, but didn’t sign up for your workshops, SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS NOW!

• Art — Juanita Yoder, Hightstown, NJ; see bio above
• Practices of Justice — Julie Clawson, Austin, TX; Julie describes herself as a “follower of the way of Christ, stumbling through my faith journey and simply trying to seek justice in this world.” She’s worked as a telemarketer, librarian, substitute teacher, children’s pastor, and church planter – but spends her time these days taking care of her kids and trying to squeeze in time to write. Julie is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices (IVP, 2009).
• Grounding Beyond Certitude — Steve Hayner, Decatur, GA; President and Peachtree Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth, Columbia Theological Seminary. Steve joined the faculty in 2003 and brings a long history of experience in ministry to the church and to students at Columbia Seminary
• Connection to the Workplace — Stephen Payne, Princeton, NJ; speaker, MBA teacher, author, and founder of A New Equilibrium – a community of leaders dedicated to fully realizing the benefit of mastering their self-help leadership. Author of First Rule of Leadership: Achieve Far More by Leading Your Self BEFORE You Lead Others, Total Leadership – The Essentials, and Driving Growth Through Leadership.
• Friends of the Groom — Friends of the Groom is a theater company committed to proclaiming the Christian message with a unique blend of humor, story, challenging content, and scenes that are hard to forget. Since 1980 the group has performed original plays, led retreat weekends, and conducted workshops at thousands of locations from Anchorage to Athens.
• Lenses for Seeing God at Work/Seeing the Fingerprint of God — Bill Greenway, Austin, TX; Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Participants will learn from one another as we reflect together upon occasions in which we have discerned the fingerprint of God at work. We will discuss diverse places and fashions in which God’s spirit may be manifest, concrete obstacles and challenges to discerning the fingerprint of God at work, ways in which we can make discerning God’s spirit at work easier, the unique challenges of different work contexts, and ways in which God’s spirit may be manifest to others through our own lives at work.
• Conversations with the Preacher of the Day

General Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule for the event. Please note: changes may be made to the schedule, and you will receive a final schedule at the conference registration table. Worship is always open to the public, but attendance at plenary sessions and workshops requires registration for the entire event.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

• 3:00 pm – Check in to your housing facility
• 3:30-5:30 pm – Conference Registration in Assembly Inn Lobby (Late registration: Pick up registration packet at Assembly Inn front desk)
• 5:00 pm – Introduction to Montreat (optional)
• 5:30-6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 6:45 pm – Welcome
• 7:00 pm – Opening Program & Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Monday, May 30, 2011

• 8:30-9:30 am – Keynote
• 10:00-11:00 am – Bible Study
• 11:15-12:00 noon – Small Groups
• 12:15-1:15 pm – Lunch Break
• 1:30-3:00 pm – Workshops
• 3:00-5:30 pm – Free Time
• 5:30- 6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 7:00 pm – Evening Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

• 8:30-9:30 am – Keynote
• 10:00-11:00 am – Bible Study
• 11:15-12:00 noon – Small Groups
• 12:15-1:15 pm – Lunch Break
• 1:30-3:00 pm – Workshops
• 3:00-5:30 pm – Free Time
• 5:30- 6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 7:00 pm – Evening Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

• Remember to check out of your housing facility by 11:00 am
• 9:00-10:00 am – Bible Study
• 10:30 am – Closing Worship with Communion

Registration & Accommodations

Comprehensive Rates (program, housing, and meals)

Comprehensive rates below include discounted conference fee of $100 per adult, room in Assembly Inn, Winsborough, or Glen Rock Inn (Sunday through Tuesday night), meals in the Galax Dining Room (Sunday supper through Wednesday breakfast), plus a $3 community services fee per adult. Rooms are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Some rooms have private baths, and some rooms have connecting baths. After April 23, these rates will increase by $25 per person.

Assembly Inn

• $449.50 single occupancy
• $314.50 per person, double occupancy
• $25.00 spouse discount (when registering online, enter “spouse discount” in the comment section)
• $76.50 for children 12 and older
• $38.75 for children ages 5-11
• no charge for children under 5

Winsborough or Glen Rock Inn

• $299.50 single occupancy
• $239.50 per person, double occupancy
• $25.00 spouse discount (when registering online, enter “spouse discount” in the comment section)
• $76.50 for children 12 and older
• $38.75 for children ages 5-11
• no charge for children under 5

Commuter Rates (program only)

Rates below include conference fee plus a $3 community services fee per person. After April 23, these rates will increase by $25 per person. Optional meal packages for the Galax Dining Room may be purchased when you register online or at the front desk of Assembly Inn.

• Commuter Rate: $178 per person
• Spouse Rate: $78 per person
• Daily Rate: $70 per person/per day

Refund Policy

Cancellations must be received by April 23 in order to receive a full refund less a $25 service charge. Cancellations received after April 23 but on or before May 22 will receive a 50% refund of the conference fee and payments made toward room and meal charges (if applicable) less $40. No refunds will be issued after May 22. All requests must be in writing and received via email, fax, or U.S. mail.

Child Care Information

Childcare is available for this conference, but pre-registration is required and enrollment is limited. Rates below are for the entire conference.

• Clubs (completed kindergarten and older) – rate TBA
• Child Care (6 months thru pre-kindergarten) – rate TBA
• Evening Care (6 months thru first grade) – rate TBA

Learn more about our Clubs and child care program…

Watch the Video to Learn More…

Introducing the 2011 Signature Conference & Institute for Church Leadership

More Information…

• Questions about registration? Email the registrar at susana[at]montreat.org.
• If you would like conference information mailed to you via U.S. mail, please email carolo[at]montreat.org.
• Find out more about housing options available in Montreat.

Learn more about other opportunities offered by The Center for Faith & Life…

Register online for conference only »

Register online for conference with accommodations »