On Friday, September 27, Lake Susan and Flat Creek swelled to historic levels following heavy rainfall brought on by Hurricane Helene. This led to catastrophic flooding throughout the town of Montreat and Western North Carolina.
Much has happened since then: Restoration of water-affected buildings, dredging of Lake Susan, the slow reopening of our trail system to name a few. Montreat has throughout everything remained open to support recovery efforts of the community. There is still much to do, and we expect echoes of Hurricane Helene to remain in our region for many months and years to come.
Volunteer and Mission Opportunities
As the response shifts from triage to stabilization, the community’s focus now turns to recovery and rehabilitation. Montreat Conference Center is uniquely suited to help support this effort in several key ways. There are several ways an individual or a group can help our region and community through volunteering and mission work. There are single day opportunities within Montreat you or your group can add to your visit to Montreat to week long projects centered in the surrounding region directed by the Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders. We have collected these options on the Volunteering and Mission Work webpage.
Visiting Montreat
We are open! A great way to help us and our neighbors is to attend a conference. Our conference topics range from arts conferences, to youth conferences, to conferences for church professionals. We also have some opportunities for personal Sabbath, where you can come stay in Assembly Inn for rest.
Shopping and Food
The Montreat Store is open for business! Come by to grab gifts and other items to remember your time in Montreat.
The Huckleberry Cafe is also open. Come for a bite, cup of coffee, or to meet up with old friends!
Recreation in Montreat
We continue to evaluate the safety of our campus post hurricane and are reopening sections of the campus as repairs are completed and it is deemed safe to return to those spaces.
- Hiking Trails: Most hiking trails have been reopened. A complete list of trails and their status can be found at Hiking in Montreat.
- Fishing: Construction work still continues on Lake Susan that we expect to be wrapped up soon. We will not be immediately restocking the fish in the lake as we determine ecological options.
- Robert Lake Park: The park has reopened and is open from dawn to dusk. No pets allowed. Children need to be monitored by an adult.
Thank you for your support!
We have seen an immense and amazing outpouring of support for Montreat in the past several months, in the supplies shared, comments made, hugs given, and – importantly – in financial donations to help us rebuild. Thank you for everyone who has supported Montreat!