For
more than a century, countless thousands of Presbyterians and
other Christians have been drawn to Montreat as a place of spiritual
renewal, continuing education, and physical refreshment. In
1897, the Rev. John C. Collins, a Congregational minister from
Connecticut, along with other church leaders, purchased a valley
in the mountains of North Carolina for a church retreat center.
In 1906, Dr. J. R. Howerton, then pastor of First Presbyterian
Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, formed a group to purchase
Montreat for use by the Presbyterian Church. A non-profit corporation,
the Mountain Retreat Association, was created to own Montreat
Conference Center “for the promotion and advancement of
the Christian Religion, under the auspices and control of the
Presbyterian Church.”
Today, Montreat is one of three national conference centers
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It welcomes close to 30,000
conferees, visitors, and guests annually. Its programs and facilities
are designed to provide educational and worship experiences
for individuals, groups, and the church as a whole. In addition
to the Conference Center, other Presbyterian organizations located
in Montreat include Montreat College, the Presbyterian Historical
Society, and the Montreat Presbyterian Church.
Montreat plans and conducts a large number of its own conferences
including six on-site Youth Conferences, Women’s, Reclaiming
the Text, Spirituality, Understanding Congregations, Christian
Education, Fall Older Adult, Adoptive Families, Young Adult
Weekends, and off-site Youth Conferences in Colorado and Florida.
Montreat also hosts conferences planned by other agencies and
arms of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), such as Worship and
Music, Peacemaking, Wee Kirk, Annual Recreation Conference,
and Christian Life. The General Assembly, presbyteries, synods,
local church congregations and many other church-related groups
also regularly choose this beautiful valley as the setting for
their conferences.
Within one day’s drive of almost half of the U.S. population,
and probably two-thirds of the membership of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), Montreat is committed to providing excellence
in conferencing for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by improving
and expanding its capability to serve an even larger number
of Presbyterians to the end that individual Christians, local
congregations, and the whole denomination may be strengthened. |
