Camp Meeting

We spent last evening with our gracious Auntie Carla and her family at the annual Indian Field Camp Meeting. Drew, Carla and Duane have been friends for more than 15 years and these guys have been enjoying Camp Meeting as often as possible. Alyssa and I have been several times but this is the first time that she will remember and that I have photographed and blogged. Thank you Auntie Carla for such a rich experience, great fellowship and wonderful FOOD!



Kim & Carla - behind us you can see the family "Tents" - tin and wood barn-like structures with cooking, dining and sleeping areas. There are 99 total at Indian Field in a circle. Alyssa referred to it as the "Farm." Inside the circle of tents, in the middle of the open area, is a large open-air tabernacle for worship and prayer.


The DeWeese family, our carpool buddies, thanks so much for driving! The Wiggles (and anything else that will keep the children quiet) rule!

Alyssa getting "revived" at Children's Church in the tabernacle.

Little Ashley was so industrious and on the go!

Steven and Alyssa flipping on their Daddies. By next Camp Meeting these two long legged children will probably be to big for this - sniff, sniff!

Alyssa and Momma in their "Black, Fancy" shirts.

A little more about Camp Meeting I borrowed from the World Wide Web: Indian Field Camp Meeting has been active for over 200 years. Camp Meetings are believed to have been started out by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, but were also popular among Presbyterians and Baptists in the early 1800's. Camp Meetings began as a "laying off" time after the harvest was gathered. Families came in wagons and brought livestock to be slaughtered and cooked during the week-long gathering. It's possible that the camp meeting tradition extends much farther back to when ancient Hebrews celebrated the Festival of Sukkot, a fall harvest observance in which participants camped out in three-sided shelters. The tents are private property and passed down from generation to generation. Each tent has its own outhouse. All of the buildings have bare earth floors so fresh straw is strewn over all the floors to keep down the dust. Each tent hires a cook to prepare meals all week long. For supper we had fried chicken, collard greens, rutabagas, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, rice, corn salad, marshmallow salad, apple salad, and even roasted deer! I can't remember the full dessert list but we had: buttermilk pie, red velvet cake, caramel cake & chocolate cheese cake. The meals are prepared over handmade, wood-fired stoves. And did I mention our meal was DELICIOUS! I found myself thinking throughout our meal "It's All Good!" Not only the food but to be guests at this table and at this place - thanks again Auntie Carla, we LUV ya!