Meeting Wednesday at Montreat Conference Center, pastors and leaders in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina told Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and one another some of the stories of ministry that have occurred since Hurricane Helene struck the region hard Sept. 26-27.
When word began to circulate that western North Carolina had suffered massive damage from Hurricane Helene, one of the landmarks that came to the mind of many Presbyterians was Montreat Conference Center.
The Rev. Dana Waters is the fourth person in his family — and the third Dana Waters — to be ordained into PC(USA) ministry. He is the newest Ministry Relations Officer to join the Presbyterian Foundation.
The annual Worship & Music Conference of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians kicked off two weeks of offerings in Montreat, North Carolina, on Sunday with evening worship, followed by a full schedule of classes in choral and congregational music, lessons in specific instruments, hymn-writing, liturgy and preaching.
“It’s very easy to lose hope in a world so dominated by oppression and darkness. And yet, the work of the Holy Spirit is alive and thriving at the 2024 Montreat Youth Conference!” said the Rev. Danny Dieth, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Georgia, and an adult leader for the Flint River Presbytery youth group that is attending Week 2 of the annual Montreat Youth Conferences in Montreat, North Carolina.
One of the highlights of Montreat Conference Center’s year-round programs is the summer worship series in which leading preachers from across the country join with visual artists, musicians, singers, and volunteers in a service of worship open to the surrounding community. All are welcome and all are invited.
During the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference held over the past two weeks, Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand has taken 400 already polished singers each week and worked them — worked them hard, at times — to put forth a glorious sound pleasing to the 700 or so people who gathered each week, and pleasing to God, too.
Steve Prince, the artist in residence during the two weeks of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference, has taken the accumulative approach with the dozens of students he’s been working with last week and this week.
With the final work by artist-in-residence Steve Prince and his students welcoming everyone gathered in Anderson Auditorium at Montreat Conference Center to “come unto me,” Friday’s worship at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference capped a week of thoughtful, prayerful, community-building worship that put glorious music by people of all ages front and center.
Worship during the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference being held this week at Montreat Conference Center continues with its pattern of seamless and beautiful liturgy and quality musicianship, the latter provided Thursday by Dr. Tony McNeill on piano and Eric Wall on organ.