New greeter at the St. Francis Retreat Center October 1, 2017

My name is Joye Crist, and I am the new face you will see at the reception desk at the Saint Francis Retreat Center. I feel extremely privileged to enjoy working here at Mepkin Abbey. Father Guerric, Carole Nicolini and Larry Whittington have greeted and welcomed guests for years here, and this past March, they greeted and welcomed me into the community so that Larry could retire and move closer to his family.

I am a Lowcountry native; I was born in Charleston, spent my childhood in North Charleston, and my family and I moved to Moncks Corner in 2012. I have enjoyed working in many different areas, including special education, music ministry, and preschool ministry. Since 2010, I have been teaching drama, literature, and communication skills in the homeschool community. I homeschooled both my children, who have graduated and are now students at Charleston Southern University. I teach classes at HELP, a local homeschool partnership. My daughter Julie volunteered at Mepkin at the retreat center this past summer, and my son Jackson is looking forward to giving of his time here as well. My husband Jim works in IT at the Charleston international Airport and loves walking the grounds here and attending the Crêche Festival.

My job here at Mepkin is to help facilitate the planning and preparation for retreats, greet people as they arrive at the retreat center and make them feel welcome, and take care of general office duties to free Father Guerric to do vital work in his ministry here. A new opportunity for me here is writing articles for the website so that folks everywhere can see the wonderful things that are happening at Mepkin Abbey and the work God is doing through the dedicated monks who labor, serve, and pray here.

I think one of the things I love most about working at the retreat center is the people I get to meet. People from all over the country come to Mepkin Abbey each week to stay at the Saint Francis Retreat Center. Many are seeking solace from the breakneck pace of modern life. Some are looking for the silence so they may hear the still, small voice of God. There are also those who come here needing to heal from life’s hurts and losses. Men and women from all walks of life linger here and find stillness, acceptance, and hope among the oak trees and within the choir stalls of the church. I like to think we are spreading peace one week at a time. I hope I will see you here soon.