Summer Worship Series keeps Montreat faithful connected

Montreat Conference Center balances worship and social distancing with virtual sermons

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 22, 2020

The Summer Worship Series, hosted by the Montreat Conference Center, has traditionally brought hundreds of worshipers to Anderson Auditorium every Sunday to hear sermons from guest preachers, but as the need for social distancing continues, organizers have turned to a virtual setting for the weekly gathering. Courtesy of Montreat Conference Center

For over a century, thousands of visitors have passed through the stone gates each summer into the Montreat Conference Center, as guests seek respite in the natural beauty of the cove. Campers, hikers, conference attendees and families taking a break from the day-to-day stress of life spend long summer days exploring the creeks, hiking the trails and taking advantage of the many programs offered by the Christian retreat.

Hundreds of people have traditionally gathered inside of the stone walls of Anderson Auditorium on Sunday mornings for the Summer Worship Series, which features sermons delivered by guest preachers from around the country and blends worship, art, music and liturgy into the message. This year, however, as the world is thrust headlong into the era of social distancing, the pews in the spacious meeting hall remain empty on Sunday mornings while the conference center is turning to a virtual platform to bring the series to the masses. 

The COVID-19 crisis forced the Montreat Conference Center to make significant changes this summer, a season that brings the vast majority of the retreat’s estimated 20,000 - 30,000 visitors to the area each year. The six youth conferences and the Worship & Music Conference scheduled to be held this year were moved to an online platform. Traditional events like the annual Fourth of July parade and the conference center’s Friday night barn dances were cancelled. 

Montreat typically employs around 125 college-aged summer staff to facilitate the programs offered during its busy season. This year the conference center welcomed a small group of summer staff to lead outdoor activities, including guided hikes along Montreat’s trails, boating, tubing and scaled down version of the craft center.

“Our ministry is based on people physically gathering,” said Tanner Pickett, vice president of sales, marketing and communication for Montreat Conference Center. “So this has been a completely new experience for us.”

Internal discussions about the potential impact of COVID-19 on the retreat’s summer programming began in April, according to Pickett. 

“We started having conversations around what we might have to adjust and tried our best to anticipate what the climate might look like,” he said. “By May, we were having serious discussions about ways to offer worship services online.”

The Summer Worship Series has experienced an increase in popularity in recent years, according to Pickett. The weekly gathering, organized by the conference center’s Summer Worship Team, brings anywhere from 300 - 800 people into the Anderson Auditorium each Sunday. Organizers receive a scripture text chosen by the guest preacher each week and carefully craft visual and musical interpretations to complement the message. 

“Part of the charm of it is that it brings people from the Montreat community and people from the surrounding community and visitors together,” Pickett said. “You have this co-mingling that happens there that makes this series unique.”

While physically gathering would not be possible this summer, the worship team was committed to maintaining as many of the creative elements associated with the series as possible for the virtual iteration. The production features live organ music performed inside of the auditorium, testimonies streamed from various locations throughout the conference center. 

The virtual series continues to welcome Presbyterian preachers from around the country to deliver the weekly sermons. 

“Our team spent a good amount of time talking to these preachers so they could understand what they were willing or able to do for the series this year,” Pickett said. “Many of them were already streaming or recording services so it wasn’t hard for them to make this transition.”

Each service can be viewed live, beginning at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday, on Montreat Conference Center website. Links to archived services can be found on the website, as well. 

“One of the interesting things about doing it this way is that on one hand, we’re not gathering so there isn’t the opportunity to social and physically be there,” Pickett said. “But, on the other hand, you don’t have to be there to see it. So people can watch from home on Sunday morning or any other day that’s convenient for them. This allows us to continue the Sunday Worship Service without being limited by proximity.”