Greetings from Montreat! We ended 2025 in a flurry of movement and did our best to keep you all up to date. Wise perhaps to begin with an “in case you missed it” update on happenings during the last quarter of the year before casting our attention to the new year.
ICYMI Updates
Lilly Endowment Grant Awarded: In early October, we received the exciting news that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the Montreat Conference Center a second grant of nearly $1 million to continue and expand our Thriving Congregations initiative for another five years. Over the first five years of the program, 30 congregations have taken part in the program, and participants are reporting reengaged congregations, revitalized mission initiatives, and in some cases, growth in membership and giving. This second grant will sustain and expand all of this work. More details here.
Lodge Project Moves Forward: In November, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in a 48-page opinion, unanimously reversed a lower court decision and restored Montreat’s Special Use Permit to build a new lodge on our campus. You can read more about that here. In December, neighbors opposing our project filed a petition to the North Carolina Supreme Court for discretionary review of the Court of Appeals decision, in effect asking the higher court to review the case. Here’s a fuller explanation of that action and our response. Regardless, in the wake of the Appeals Court decision, our Board of Directors has directed us to move forward with our plans for development. We are confident in the scholarship of the Court of Appeals’ decision, and the need for new lodging is real and grows with each passing day.
New Vice President for Development Announced: Also in December, we announced that the Rev. Dr. Marti Reed Hazelrigg will become our next vice president of development. Marti brings a wealth of experience in ordained ministry and deep connections to Montreat. Marti’s first day is January 20th and our entire staff is excited to welcome Marti, and perhaps our development staff especially so. (After all, since Seth Hagler’s departure in July, I have been serving as interim vice president.) More on Marti here.
Looking Forward In 2026
The new year has already started well. First, boosted by a generous December, the Montreat Fund is on track to meet its $1.2 million goal, which we hope to reach by the end of our fiscal year on April 30th. (If you typically give in December but it slipped your mind over the holidays, you can catch up here.)
Also, we just wrapped up our annual College Conference @ Montreat. This year, over 600 young adults from across the country participated, our largest College Conference turnout since COVID. The energy, connections, and spiritual renewal were palpable across campus, and it’s a powerful reminder of why we do this work.
This year’s conference was held as news continues to grow about the challenges young adults today are facing – an assortment of mental health, economic, and cultural pressures that are shaping not only their generation but impacting our society as a whole. Many young adults crave belonging, connection, and real relationships, and our gathering – with an apt theme, “Strains of Joy” – addressed that reality head on, from the stage, in workshops, and in direct conversations. Stage and worship leaders also stressed another reality: that God’s love is extended to all people, that meaning and purpose can be found in a life rooted in faith, and that the church is and can be a supportive and empowering platform to help them navigate this complex time.
As affirming as the conference was for many, it was one conference. Young adult ministry and the challenges of early adulthood, therefore, continue to be an ongoing focus of our work. In late January, for example, we are hosting The Manna Retreat. Now in its fourth year, this retreat continues to grow quietly as it’s discovered by a collection of post-graduate twenty-somethings that include young adults in the church, former conferees and summer staffers, and other curious young adults. According to the feedback, Manna matters to them because it’s meeting them where they are and creating intentional space to pause, reflect, and explore honestly how faith – and a faith community – can be a formative influence in a “defining decade” of life. Laughter is welcomed, questions are honored, and most of all, the belonging is real. We’re excited about the progress of these efforts even though there is much more to be done.
That this work happens in January as a new year dawns is a happy coincidence of the calendar. We begin our new year emphasizing our call to invest in the emerging lives of all people, trusting that faith and exploration will nurture a more grounded, hopeful future for participants, for the church, and for our communities. We enter 2026, therefore, again inspired by the work God is calling us to do and uplifted by the continued support from people just like you. We can’t wait to see you here.
More to come,
Richard DuBose
President, Montreat Conference Center