Afternoon: Arrival at the Assembly Inn, check in between 4 - 5:30 p.m. Spend some time walking around the beautiful grounds. Concrete and gravel path surrounds Lake Susan... or venture out with your map to explore the campus.

Dinner: Join us for a scrumptious dinner in the Galax Dining Room, located on the first floor of the Assembly Inn. A full salad bar, choice of two different entrées, vegetables, rolls/bread, fruit and dessert will tempt your taste buds and your appetite! Sweet/Unsweetened tea, milk, coffee, water with tea, etc. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Evening: Our opening program and orientation will be at 7 p.m. in Convocation Hall, also in the Assembly Inn. We'll spend some time reviewing the schedule for the week, and you'll have an opportunity to meet and hear from your instructors. Our evening will close with some "get to know you" activities and fellowship/games/puzzles in the lobby.

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: (early coffee available around 6:30 a.m.) Our breakfast buffet is served from 7:30 - 8:30 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room. Is breakfast your favorite meal of the day? If so, you're in for a treat! Breakfast options change daily, incorporating lots of your favorites... biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, French toast, pancakes, oatmeal (not the packaged kind either), and lots of others. Standard offerings include fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, granola, baked pastries, orange juice (and another juice option). Fresh coffee or hot tea will start your morning off right!

Morning: Our early morning course will focus on Christianity and Culture, with Douglas Johnson. We will look at both culture and the Christian faith. We start out with two questions: What would be an acceptable definition of culture? What would be an acceptable definition of Christianity? We then have a very short review of the books listed. This is primarily to engender thought on the issue. After a break for something to drink and some goodies, we will return to the classroom for our course titled "Is Liberalism a Dirty Word," with Robert Wiley. This morning, we'll be exploring the question 'which "ism" is better for man in a political society?' Trace the philosophical roots of Liberalism - Aristotle.

Lunch: Lunch is served in the Galax dining room (typically from 12:15 - 1:15 p.m. The lunch menu varies each day, but normally features a salad bar, sandwich fixings, soup, and a yummy (light) dessert to top it off.

Afternoon: Time for some musical fun! Let's look at the History of Broadway and explore the 20s and 30s. The early days of Broadway were the days of Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, Kern and Hammerstein, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter. The shows were often silly and forgettable, and usually nothing more than vehicles for the stars involved. But the music was sublime. Throughout the week, we will discuss the writers and composers of the great shows, as well as some of the notable performers. We will examine how sociological forces (the changing roles of women and minorities, the youth movement of the 60’s) and technological innovations (radio, television, the LP album) have shaped the Broadway musical. And best of all, we will sing some of the great songs we remember from the good old days. After class time, you'll have an opportunity to explore the Heritage Center and take a guided walk around Montreat.

Dinner: Assembly Inn Dining Room, Dinner, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Evening: "Fun in the Mountains" recreational program. Games/cards and tv available in the lobby of the Inn for fellowship.

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Whether you like muffins, pancakes or waffles, bacon or sausage, grits or oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, or a bowl of cereal and some fruit.... breakfast in the Galax Dining Room, served from 7:30 - 8:30 is sure to please! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Morning: Our early morning class, "Christianity and Culture," will discuss the problem as it is confronted in the Old and New Testaments. "Biblical Backgrounds." We will look at some issues in the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Book of Exodus as a cultural event, later developments that threaten the cultural integrity of the People of Israel, and their reactions to them. We will them look at the New Testament, especially at Paul’s attempt to relate the Christian message to the surrounding Greco-Roman culture. We'll have a break and come back to the classroom for our presentation and discussion on whether Liberalism is a dirty word. Today, we'll trace the philosophical roots of Conservatism -- John Locke, We'll also compare and evaluate Aristotle and Locke.

Lunch: Time to eat again! Lunch will be served in the Galax Dining room on the first floor of the Assembly Inn. Today's feature: Taco Tuesday! Enjoy Mexican dishes... build your own tacos or burritos, make a Mexican salad, All the trimmings make for a delicious and fun lunch... including tortilla chips and melted cheese... sour cream and peppers. Top it all off with some warm peach cobbler and ice cream. Yum Yum!

Afternoon: After all this hard work on politics and religion, it's time for some more fun! This afternoon, in our course on the History of Broadway, we will discuss the 40s. Oklahoma revolutionized our whole way of thinking about the Broadway musical, and ushered in the Golden Age dominated by Rodgers and Hammerstein. A new unity of story, character, and music prevailed, and instead of being a harmless evening’s diversion, a Broadway show was now a serious work of art. Following class, there is an opportunity for a hike in the mountains. Led by a Montreat volunteer, who helped to build the hiking trail, you can explore flora (and perhaps fauna) as you walk along a mountain ridge on a trail built specifically with our Road Scholar participants in mind.

Dinner: Galax Dining Room in the Assembly Inn welcomes us for dinner from 5:30 - 6:30. This is typically what we call the "holiday meal." Turkey, dressing, ham, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie perhaps?

Evening: More fun for the evening. Let's relax and enjoy a musical concert or a storyteller to tickle our funny bones!

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Another great breakfast buffet in the Galax Dining Room at the Assembly Inn, served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.

Morning: This morning, our early morning course will look at the interplay of early Christianity with the prevailing Greek and Roman cultures. We'll also take a peek at the Middle Ages. Issues in the early church. The struggles of the early centuries, as the church and the surrounding cultures confront one another. The question of the use, or rejections, by Christians, of the philosophies of the day as a way of understanding the Faith. Politically, we will look at the persecutions of Christians, and the eventual “settlement” under Constantine. After a morning refreshment break, with some coffee and goodies to aid our learning, we'll return to the classroom for our continued evaluation of whether Liberalism is a dirty word. We'll look at conservatism and liberalism in action: opinion and legislation.

Lunch: Lunch buffet in the Galax Dining Room of the Assembly Inn.

Afternoon: Free time in the afternoon for relaxation or exploration of the area. Lots of suggestions and directions will be provided.

Dinner: Dinner in the Galax Dining Room of the Assembly Inn, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Have you gained your required five pounds yet? Still a couple of days to work on it.. so don't worry.

Evening: Let's continue our trip down memory lane as we look at the 50s and 60s in the History of Broadway. The 50s were arguably Broadways' finest decade, with classic shows by Lerner and Loewe, Frank Loesser, Adler and Ross, and Meredith Wilson. During the 60s, the shows became more daring, going into places such as Russian ghettos, Nazi nightclubs, and Spanish prisons that would have been unthinkable a decade earlier. And music, for better or worse, became more tightly integrated with the book. Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman are among the outstanding creative forces.

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The Enlightenment, Founding Fathers, and the 70s and beyond in Broadway Music

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet, served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. If you haven't tried the grits yet, you really should!

Morning: Our early morning course focuses on the Enlightenment, and the roots of the modern world. We will also examine its effects on the United States. We skip to one of the roots of modernity, and thus of America, the Enlightenment and its relationship – usually hostile – to Christianity. We will also take a short trip through the dominant political and social thoughts of the Nineteenth Century. We'll have a refreshment break around 10:15 a.m. and return to the classroom for our course on Liberalism. Two widely held myths exploded: that the Founding Fathers were conservative, and Original Intent trumps all.

Lunch: Lunch buffet in the Galax Dining Room.

Afternoon: Finishing up our course on The History of Broadway... more music, and some more sing-along. The Seventies and Beyond! Choreography, which had always been there, becomes a more important element. Some critics argue that the shows...as the shows...become more and more about scenic spectacle, they become less and less about memorable music.

Dinner: Dinner is served in the Galax Dining Room from 5:30 - 6:30. Thursday night's feature is usally "Italian night." spagetti, lasagna, salads, bread, and lots of great dessert.

Evening: A fun evening with some local entertainment... either a musical concert or a storyteller. Games/cards/tv in lobby for fellowship

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Last breakfast buffet in the Galax Dining Room at the Assembly Inn, 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Splurge on those biscuits and gravy... you can work it off when you get home!

Morning: During our final early morning class, we will apply all we have learned and discussed to some important contemporary issues, such as the relation of church and state. "America." A quick trip through the American experience and the interaction of it with Christianity, from the Bill of Rights to present situation. How much have they influenced, and perhaps corrupted, one another? Contemporary issues, such as school prayer and religious toleration and relativism will be considered. At the morning break, you'll have time for checkout (required by 11 a.m.) Our second morning class presents the question of Liberalism and Conservatism today: where do we go from here? After our classes end at 12:15, we'll have a brief closing program before lunch.

Lunch: Lunch and Goodbyes in the Galax Dining Room of the Assembly Inn 12:30 - 1:30 (box lunches provided for those who do not wish to stay through lunch)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch