ontreat Youth Conference’s theme this summer was Light my Path, and it reminded our youth that Jesus walks alongside all of us. Our youth reflected our calling to be a source of light for others. They were able to catch glimpses of Christ’s new world dawning, even in the midst of so much suffering and injustice. A Week at Montreat can be an encounter of God’s guiding light in the lives of young people. Over three hundred people plan, create, and pray for our youth before they arrive. So many seek to affirm our youth’s calling to be and to shape the church. It is a week focused on experiencing what it means to be God’s Beloved. When we return from Montreat, our youth know that their faith matters, that they are loved as they are, that they are part of a community of faith, and that God is empowering them to partner with the Holy Spirit to radically change our world.

SPC has also been a beacon of God’s Light for Montreat this past year, joining a massive community of churches who helped with the recovery from Hurricane Helene last Fall. This took many forms, both financially and through volunteering on planning teams and supporting ongoing work at the conference center by showing up.

Getting to Montreat isn’t easy, but thanks to our partnership with Bryn Mawr and St. John’s Presbyterian Church, we now ride together on a chartered bus, making new friends as we go, and we’re excited in 2026 to stay with our new friends from First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, Connecticut that we will be living with for the week. We are also grateful to our Presbytery, that provides scholarships that make it possible for every youth to attend, regardless of their families’ finances.