Written by Montreat Conference Center’s 2024 Marketing Assistant, Anna Samon
Three years ago, Montreat was a place I had never heard of. Two years ago, Montreat was a youth conference I was going to for a week in the summer. One year ago, Montreat was a semi-familiar place with some gaps left unfilled. This year, Montreat is my home.
I started coming to Montreat Youth Conference (MYC) when my aunt, Rev. Katie Ory, Youth and Children’s Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Cookeville, TN, told me to come on a trip with the other kids at our church (FPC Cookeville). We didn’t have a youth group, but we all came together for a week in the summer of 2022. She told me that it would be more of a spiritual retreat than anything else. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from that definition. I had my questions, but I went anyway. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Montreat quickly became more than a foreign word, town, or conference. It became a place where I felt God like never before. I will never forget sitting in Anderson Auditorium during worship that first summer and thinking that there was no possibility that I could feel connected to every single person in that room without God being there with us and in us.
During my second year at MYC, I bawled my eyes out after the candlelight worship service around Lake Susan. I had the idea in my head that I would never have the chance to come back to Montreat. Delightfully, I was so wrong. While attending College Conference @ Montreat, I learned about Summer Staff. I submitted my application during the ride back home. Later, when I got my job offer, I was the most excited I have ever been. I was so excited that I started packing more than two weeks in advance. I moved out of my dorm at college about a month before leaving for Montreat and was basically moving things from a packed box straight into my suitcase.
When you drive through Black Mountain and are nearing the stony Montreat gate, you can feel it. The air gets thinner, the sun peeks through the clouds, the noises of cars and trucks fade, and you become immersed in nature. Entering through the Montreat gate grants a feeling of instant revitalization.
I had no idea how different it would be living in Montreat all summer as opposed to spending one week here during a conference. There are so many things I never learned about as a youth conferee that I learned about on staff. Things like the Summer Worship Series, Summer Singers, taco Tuesday at Assembly Inn, or the Velvet Moose Club. I never expected that I would get addicted to pickleball while on Summer Staff! I had no idea how many bears you see when you are here all summer, how fun the barn dances are, or how quickly you make life-long friendships.
Montreat, North Carolina, is a place, but Montreat itself is a character. Montreat is love, kindness, fellowship, community, friendship, spirit, art, and so much more. Montreat is always with you. You may visit for a week in the summer, but what you experience here will remain with you for your whole life. You will never forget the flowing dam, the babbling creeks, skipping rocks, the bustle of The Huckleberry (The Huck), playing games on Anderson Lawn, or candlelight worship. Simple things just seem to take on a whole new meaning at Montreat.
The Summer Staff experience is different than any other job environment I’ve been in before. Every single staff member is happy for you to be here. I’ve been overjoyed that everyone on Summer Staff has been willing to share in my joys and sorrows, regardless of how well we know each other or how many times we interacted over the summer. We all know how special this job is and want to share the joy as much as possible.
Being a Summer Staff member is also always something to be proud of. Everyone I have met here has fully embraced and embodied Montreat, on and off the clock. I have experienced people who have been on Summer Staff for three or more years take brand new staff (me) under their wings! Whether you’ve come before for MYC or Clubs, have been on Summer Staff for years, or this is your first time at Montreat, the Summer Staff always offer a warm smile and encouraging words.
Montreat is such a special, accepting, affirming, and loving place. This is something I have seen in the past through Small Groups and is something I observed through my experiences this year. I come from a youth group made up of many different personalities and characters, but everyone in my Back Home Group (this is what MYC people call your church group or the group you came to Montreat with) has always found a place here. The Summer Staff, the year-round staff, and all other Montreat lovers invite you to come enjoy, rest, and find peace in the simple movements of Montreat. Sit in a hammock and watch the ducks wade on the water. Sit outside The Huck and appreciate the cycle of life the dam provides. Find your peace amongst the mountains at Montreat.
Anna Samon
Marketing Assistant, Summer 2024