Young adults experience spiritual joy in music, nature and community
Sights and sounds: Montreat College Conference Day 3
MONTREAT, North Carolina — Young adults continued to explore how joy lives in the midst of grief and struggle through a keynote speech addressing mental illness and poverty before taking time to enjoy the sustenance of building friendships while enjoying coffee and ice cream at the Huckleberry Café or to settle into the serenity of Montreat’s natural setting at the 2026 Montreat College Conference last weekend.
Students were given plenty of time to wrestle with the day's difficult topics through critical conversation groups and discussions with their home groups. Sunday afternoon offered workshops on career discernment and Christian community development as well as lots of opportunities to be creative, while the evening schedule made space for fellowship with their host groups, worship and a barn dance.
Katherine Jolly, an event team member, interviewed Sunday’s keynote speaker, the Rev. Brian Martinez de la Combs after his keynote speech on Sunday. The United Methodist minister and founder of Haywood Street Urban Ministry shared his experiences with individuals suffering from poverty and mental illness and his insights on joy, empathy, and advocacy. The Q&A period opened up a time for young adults to ask difficult questions about how his family history of mental illness and his work with individuals who are housing and food insecure have shaped how he understands faith and joy. The session set a tone of authenticity that encouraged deeper reflection and vulnerability for participants throughout the day.
On Sunday, students and their leaders enjoyed conversation with each other during free time. Some gathered over coffee and ice cream at the Huckleberry Cafe.
Event team leaders Rain and Atticus pray in worship with the Rev. Natarsha Sanders. Sanders offered a sermon series on the theme "Strains of Joy," which featured stories about her family, especially her two siblings, and what their lives had taught her about joy's existence alongside the need to grieve and the call to be courageous.
Throughout the winter and spring of 2026, check out the PC(USA)'s TikTok or the PC(USA)'s Instagram Reels, featuring video testimonials from college students on where they find spiritual joy, their Top 5 favorite things about PC(USA) campus ministry and what being Presbyterian means to them as young adults. Follow the PC(USA) there and consider sharing your own #spiritualjoy or #BeingPCUSA.
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