Saturday night, many of Montreat’s most faithful supporters gathered under a tent at Moore Center Field for our annual Patrons Reception. This occasion is one of the highlights of my summer, an evening built around a simple purpose: to say thank you.
Gifts to Montreat make possible so much more than budgets or buildings. They make possible the quiet, often unseen work of ministry that happens here every day. A young person discovers a calling. A weary pastor finds renewal. A family connects and reconnects. Friendships are formed. Faith is deepened.
Moments like this are the reason Montreat remains a relevant, formative ministry of the church and a gateway to transformation in so many ways.
At this year’s gathering I referenced a practice of blessing that my wife, Jeannie, introduced to our family years ago – what we call an “open-eyed blessing.” Rather than bowing our heads before a meal, every once in a while, we keep our eyes open, look at others gathered around the table, and simply say, “Open-eyed blessing.” (There is something about looking directly at another human being and calling them a blessing to you. Try it!)
During my remarks, I invited everyone under the tent to do the same: to look at someone nearby and thank them for being a blessing – to Montreat. I wanted people to feel the joyful reminder that this ministry has always been sustained by people who believe deeply enough in its mission to give the prayers, resources, and time that makes Montreat unique and its work so impactful.
As I shared that evening, people rarely tell me that Montreat changed their lives because of a conference or a building. They tell me about a counselor, a preacher, a roommate, a small group leader, or a conversation. The conferences and programs and buildings matter because they make room for those encounters to happen, for God to do what only God can do.
That conviction continues to shape our vision for the future. While Hurricane Helene challenged us to restore our campus, it also revealed the remarkable strength of the community that surrounds Montreat. The outpouring of generosity and encouragement reminded us that this place belongs in the hearts of far more people than one might realize. We are further inspired to think not only about recovery and preservation but about the next generation of ministry.
Of course, the proposed new lodge is part of that larger vision. We continue to make encouraging progress, and we remain hopeful that the conversations taking place with neighbors and local leaders will lead to an outcome that serves both Montreat and the wider community well. Again: Our goal has never been simply to build another building. Our goal is to strengthen Montreat’s ability to welcome guests more warmly, serve churches more effectively, and sustain a vibrant and increasingly year-round ministry for decades to come.
Every generation inherits a Montreat shaped by those who came before. Our generation now has the privilege of shaping what we will leave behind. To everyone who joined us on Saturday evening, and to all who continue to support Montreat in so many ways, thank you. You are helping ensure that future Montreaters will find in this valley the same welcome, the same renewal, the same bonds of friendship and an ever-increasing sense of God’s presence, call to action, and loving embrace.
For that blessing and all blessings, thanks be to God!
Richard DuBose
President, Montreat Conference Center