- America today has more distraction and entertainment than ever before. It is fascinating that camp meetings – held in rustic settings with poor air conditioning and simple facilities – still work. But they do. And this country is better because of it.
Last evening I sat on a podium in Pennsylvania, overlooking an altar at the front of a tabernacle. There I saw men and women, young people and old, crying out to God and telling Him “Here I am! Send me!” Their pleas were to be sent to the hard and dark places of the world, to run to the sound of the pain all around the globe, to be His agents of love. Frankly, it was a glorious sight to behold!
I am at a camp meeting this week.
There are something like 1,000 active camp meetings dotting America this summer, from California to Maine. Some of these gatherings date to the early 19th century. Most began as frontier preaching stations, serving settlers hungry for spiritual encouragement because their itinerant pastors traveled a circuit and only came around every month or two. The opportunity to hear three or more sermons a day for 10 days brought them in droves to these locations, where their hearts could be inspired and their spiritual tanks filled for the challenges of the year ahead.
But — from those early camp meetings to the ones today — it’s not just about good preaching. People return each year to fellowship with families they have come to intimately know across the decades of attendance, to pray together, sing hymns and spiritual songs. The children gather for fun and deeper experiences in the Lord, as do the youth. It is a diversion from the work-a-day routine to focus on God.
For those who have never participated, it might sound like a strange vacation destination. But to the faithful who attend year after year, it is a holy annual habit that they wouldn’t miss. Here’s why:
Regular retreat to give God special attention and focus is deeply-rooted in Scripture. In Leviticus 23, for instance, God introduces Israel to a calendar designed to inculcate understanding of who God is and what He had done for them. Annual celebrations like Pentecost, Passover, and the Feast of Booths necessitated that the people halt their normal lives and travel to a location (typically Jerusalem) in order to sing, celebrate, remember, and concentrate on their consecration to God. The contemporary camp meeting is basically a rendition of that pattern: escape the normal routine to focus for 7-10 days on God’s Person and purposes, allowing a unique opportunity to hear and respond to His voice.
The intent is renewal for individual, family, and church in a setting saturated with exposure to biblical Truth. Nehemiah 8–9 provides an almost complete theology of camp meeting: People gather together; the Bible is read, recited, and explained; conviction and repentance ensue, which brings forth worship and new spiritual commitments; and the anticipation of a God-saturated future is re-ignited. Camp meetings like these are not to take the place of daily worship, but they become a time to settle down without distraction and focus on the Almighty and His plan for your life.
Deep and abiding fellowship is frequently birthed in the camp meeting environment. Families return to a particular camp meeting year after year; children grow up with this annual tradition and bring their own families, fostering a rich, multi-generational spiritual heritage. Regular attenders may only see each other once a year, but the bonds they create are deep and lasting. Deeply-knit communities are forged through singing, fellowship, the Word of God, and these set-apart weeks of spiritual immersion.
Finally, at their best camp meetings frequently become launchpads for missional emphasis. Most feature missionary speakers. Offerings are taken for their endeavors and invitations given for others to consider this call of God. Perhaps more importantly, attendees are encouraged to return to their communities, vocations, and congregations and be the hands and feet of Jesus wherever they find themselves.
And that is what our very full “altar call” was about last night in Pennsylvania. Youth and families kneeling before God and saying “Here I am/Here we are!” to whatever He wants for their lives. Scripture makes clear that to answer such a call often brings challenge and hardship. Despite any difficulties that might lie ahead, they nonetheless came and consecrated their lives for the cause of Christ.
America today has more distraction and entertainment than ever before. It is fascinating that camp meetings – held in rustic settings with poor air conditioning and simple facilities – still work. But they do. And this country is better because of it.
Matt Friedeman
