 Chapel Worship
Thursdays at 11:00 a.m.
Gaither Chapel
This worship service is a time for our college community to exalt our Lord. Worship is led by our student chapel band and incorporates contemporary songs and historic hymns of our faith as well as the proclamation of the Word. See the current chapel schedule.
Catacombs
Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.
Gaither Fellowship Hall
This worship service is student-led and directed. It is an inspirational and casual time of worship.
Montreat Community Churches:
Montreat Presbyterian Church (EPC)
Montreat Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
A Word About Worship
Worship is an interesting thing at Montreat College. I wonder how many students we have who, like me, had never before attended a Sunday morning service that employed an organ. How many others wondered what possessed an entire congregation to (seemingly spontaneously) start reciting the Lord's prayer in unison? The point is that Montreat is a diverse place, with diverse religious traditions and preferences, although the college itself is historically Presbyterian. Among my close friends there are some who grew up reciting liturgies in ancient pews and others who were raised in congregations who spoke in tongues and danced through worship. Some find that they worship best through service to the community. Still others meet with God most naturally in quiet solitude with a Bible and a journal. A great thing about Montreat is the abundance of avenues provided for students to worship.
I head up a praise band that leads worship during our weekly chapel services, where all of our students, regardless of personal tradition or preference, gather to praise God and to learn about him. This is not all that Montreat offers, though. Most of the worship that goes on is organized by the students and won't be found on any school calendar. “Catacombs” is a weekly worship service with an entirely different dynamic. Here worshipers sit on the carpeted floor of a candlelit room singing along with acoustic guitars. Later in the week you could attend “The Flame Within,” a worship experience appealing to the heavy metal culture (yes, you have permission to find this strange), where sweaty people with theatrical expressions shout along to all kinds of joyful noise.
There is a prevailing attitude on campus that worship is not limited to a setting or a service. Many students encounter and glorify God in very practical demonstrations of Christian service. Montreat provides us with opportunities to go into the local community and show Christ's love by painting an old lady's house or building a deck or any number of other things. Since I have been at Montreat, the school has seen its students go to Cuba, Thailand, Pakistan, Uganda, post-Katrina Mississippi, and numerous other places. I think Montreat lives out what is best described on a t-shirt that fellow-student and friend Bethany Carr made for me. Beneath hand-drawn stick figures representing all walks of life (businessmen, hippies, skateboarders, elderly, etc.), it says simply, “Worship is a lifestyle.”
-Andy Black
Reflections on Worship at Montreat College - Andy Black |