When people ask me about the summer of 2025, I’ve found myself answering with a kind of quiet joy.
“It was very normal. We had a very typical Montreat summer.”
Innocuous, perhaps? A little bland? Okay, these statements may not sound like superlatives on first reading. Placed into the context of the past year, however, my heart lifts with every word. After Hurricane Helene forced us to cancel programming on our campus last fall, the ability to welcome friends, families, and congregations back this past summer for a season that felt normal and familiar was a sign of just how far we have come.
At the same time, “normal” doesn’t mean complete as this report on the one-year anniversary of the storm demonstrates. As you peruse the facts and figures below, you will notice that we are still on the road to recovery and that the main takeaways resemble previous reports:
- Much work has been done.
- We have not yet reached a final resolution with our insurance carrier but are making progress here, too.
- Several significant projects remain yet to be completed.
- The generosity of so many has been critical, helping us repair and restore those areas of our campus that fall outside insurance coverage.
Still, it’s an anniversary worth marking. Below is an outline of the summary of the financial conditions we encountered and steps toward recovery, some of which we are still taking.
Financial Report: Insured Losses
Insurance has helped us shoulder a significant portion of the burden, with claims covering three primary areas of loss:
- Mitigation – ServePro crews removed damaged flooring, sheetrock, and carpet from 18 buildings impacted by flooding and wind-driven rain.
- Building Repairs – Once mitigation was complete, our maintenance team and contractors worked tirelessly to repair facilities so that we could reopen the campus in January 2025.
- Business Interruption – Being closed from October through December 2024 meant significant lost revenue, which we submitted as a business interruption claim.
To date, we have submitted claims of just over $2.7 million.
| Insurance Status | Amount |
| Total Claims | $2,725,000 |
| Payments Received | ($1,042,000) |
| Claims Resolved/Payments Approved | ($988,000) |
| Reductions and Deductions | ($134,000) |
| Claims Pending/Still Processing | $561,000 |
Of the claims submitted thus far, just over $1 million in payments have been received, with another $1 million resolved (i.e. not contested between the two parties), leaving $561,000 still pending. While the amount of the claim still pending is higher than we would prefer, we do expect a successful reconciliation with our provider.
Financial Report: Uninsured Losses and Philanthropic Support
On the long road to recovery from Hurricane Helene, friends and supporters have made a decisive difference at every step. Prayers, volunteer time, and gifts have enabled the repair and restoration of visible parts of our campus and sustained our ability to move forward with confidence. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the extraordinary commitment of so many who love Montreat.
To date, Montreat has received almost $1.4 million in hurricane relief contributions, and more than half of that – $751,000 – has been put to work to repair visible and important parts of our campus that fell outside our insurance coverage:
| Category | Amount | Percentage of Expense |
| Campground/Wilderness | $50,000 | 7% |
| Furnishings and Equipment | $43,000 | 6% |
| Hardscape/Landscape | $120,000 | 16% |
| Lake Susan | $414,000 | 55% |
| Robert Lake Park | $84,000 | 11% |
| Staff Support and Other Needs | $40,000 | 3% |
| Total Funds Expended | $751,000 | 100% |
Approximately $644,000 in recovery funds remain. These dollars will be carefully directed toward important needs that still lie ahead: repairs to courts, fencing, driveways, and retaining walls; coverage of deductibles and unexpected insurance costs; floodproofing of vulnerable facilities; and further restoration of Lake Susan. The timing of these projects depends on both the time needed to complete them and the final resolution of our outstanding insurance claims.
Fortunately, we don’t need to await completion of repairs to be grateful for the support which arrived in the storm’s aftermath and restored beauty and function to our campus. The ways that churches, families, individuals, and other donors responded provide abundant evidence of a covenant community bound to Montreat in ways too many to count or list. The support also reminded us (as does Corinthians) that, even in the face of a hurricane, God’s power transcends, such that “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair…struck down, but not destroyed.”
By God’s grace, and with your partnership, Montreat completed a very normal summer, and continues to be restored so that generations to come may gather here. On behalf of our entire community, thank you for standing with us. Your commitment has been, and continues to be, nothing less than vital to Montreat’s healing and renewal.
With gratitude,
Richard DuBose
President, Montreat Conference Center