Summer Worship Series 2023

Summer Worship Team

Planning for each Sunday service begins with a scripture text chosen by the week’s guest preacher. With texts in mind, the study and planning begin. Ann Laird Jones, arts ministry director, and Hannah Garrity, summer liturgical artist, begin to imagine how the text can be interpreted visually. Eric Wall, conference center musician, selects music that will proclaim God’s Word through congregational and choral singing. The summer liturgy writer writes the words that move the congregation through gathering, hearing the Word, responding, and being sent into the world. As summer approaches, the team expands to include Keith Grogg, pastor of the Montreat Presbyterian Church; the summer ministry team; and our audiovisual director, Heather Scott. This group, along with Richard DuBose and Carol Steele, meets regularly through the summer. Many other hands contribute to summer services as ushers, singers, communion servers, liturgists, and facilities and production crew members.

All comments concerning the Summer Worship Series can be directed to Carol Steele.

Key Leaders

Eric Wall is Conference Center Musician at Montreat Conference Center. In the summer season, he helps lead music for Summer Worship and directs the Summer Singers choir, made up of members of the Summer Staff.  During the rest of the year, Eric is the Gene Alice Sherman Associate Professor of Sacred Music and Dean of the Chapel at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is married to Mary, and their son Tristan lives in Charlotte.

The Rev. Dr. Ann Laird Jones is celebrating her 30th year as director of arts ministry at Montreat Conference Center, and loves the process of visual proclamation in the ongoing conversation between art and theology. She treasures the collaborative process between visual artist, musician, liturgist, and preacher which is so central to Summer Sunday Worship at Montreat! She is a graduate of Eckerd College, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, where she earned her doctor of ministry degree in arts and theology. She has been a PCUSA minister for 40 years, and is a member of St. Andrew Presbytery. She is married to Mike Caulfield. They are proud to be the parents of Sally Caulfield and Doug Caulfield.

Hannah Garrity is the liturgical artist for the conference center’s summer worship series. Her creative energies are inextricably linked to her understanding of her faith. Her work explores the sacred and collaborative creativity of the Church. Hannah is a founding creative partner of A Sanctified Art, LLC: Art, Faith, & Honest Connection. Graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in painting from Cornell University, in 2004, Hannah was inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame, in 2014. She holds her Master of Science degree in teaching from Pace University and was an educator in public and private schools for 17 years, beginning with Teach for America in Brooklyn, NY. She loves and is dedicated to her precious family. In her current studies, she explores the intersection between theology, race, and the image of God.

The Rev. Keith Grogg began as pastor of Montreat Presbyterian Church in April, 2014. He previously served as the pastor of Carolina Beach Presbyterian Church, and before that served a shared ministry in Kannapolis, NC, as pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church and associate pastor of Bethpage Presbyterian Church.
Keith received the MDiv from McCormick Seminary in 1993, and is currently pursuing a DMin in Christian spirituality through Columbia Seminary. Keith has been married to Vivian Hare since 1992 and they have two young adult children.

Alec Peters ​has a lifelong interest in Presbyterian history and in the history and use of symbols. He is an elder and choir member at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, in Raleigh, NC. A retired layer, Alec and his wife Sarah, who works at the Sally Jones Pottery during the summer months, are the parents of Walker and Lila. Alec and Sarah are upcoming Chairpersons of Montreat’s President’s Council. During the summer months he serves on the Summer Sunday Worship Team.

Carol Steele is the staff representative for the team. She grew up in rural Virginia and graduated from Davidson College with a degree in Art History in 1996. She worked on Capitol Hill for a series of House Representatives culminating in a stint with Representative Ted Strickland serving the Sixth Congressional District of Ohio, a rural, coal-mining section of Appalachia. While in D.C. On the Hill, Carol focused on domestic policy issues, including heath care and education. Carol and future husband Dwight were ordained as deacons at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. In September 2000 they married and in September 2001 they entered seminary at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. Carol and Dwight moved to Black Mountain in 2005 when Carol began work at Montreat.

Offering/Past Worships

Give An Offering

The offering at this service supports the worship ministry of Montreat Conference Center. If you would like to make a contribution to Montreat Presbyterian Church, checks can be made out to MPC and mailed to: MPC, PO Box 577, Montreat, NC 28757.