Camp Meeting Time in Virginia

SUMMER 2025 ISSUE | 4 minute read

CAMP MEETING TIME IN VIRGINIA

Camp meetings have long been a powerful expression of faith and community within the American Protestant tradition. Emerging during the spiritual fervor of the early 19th century, these gatherings offered not only worship and revival but also a vital social and cultural experience, particularly for rural communities. While some traditions have faded, many continue—preserving camp meetings as places of renewal, reflection, and fellowship.

Born during the Second Great Awakening (late 18th to early 19th centuries), camp meetings flourished in frontier regions lacking formal churches. Itinerant preachers organized multi-day outdoor revivals where attendees camped out, sang hymns, heard fiery sermons, and experienced personal conversion. These meetings were known for their emotional worship—marked by shouting, weeping, and spiritual transformation—and became foundational for many evangelical denominations.

Typically held in summer, camp meetings drew entire families who brought supplies and set up tents or wagons around a central preaching arbor. Over time, permanent campgrounds developed, with cabins or "tents" passed down through generations, especially in the South and Midwest.

Camp meetings also shaped American religious culture. They influenced gospel music, revivalist traditions, and grassroots movements. In African American communities, especially during and after slavery, camp meetings evolved into branch arbor revivals and holiness gatherings—pivotal in the development of the Black church.

The first recorded Church of God camp meeting in Virginia dates to the 1930s. My own journey began in 1983, at age seven, when my father pastored his first church in Mathews, Virginia. That summer, we traveled to Roanoke for our first Virginia Church of God (VACOG) Camp Meeting—an annual tradition my family and I still cherish.

My memories of camp meeting are filled with joy: late-night meals with friends, skipping morning Bible study to go swimming at the hotel, and reuniting with preachers' kids I only saw once or twice a year. I vividly remember the Friday night mass youth choir—hundreds of teens marching up the hill to the tabernacle, filling the platform and lifting their voices in praise. Under that open-air tabernacle, I witnessed powerful moves of God that left a lasting mark on my life.

I recall Dr. Dennis McGuire preaching from Jude—contending for the faith—holding a glass of water in one hand and a mic in the other, undeterred by a rolling thunderstorm. Pastor Rick Hocker leading us in worship night after night with anointing and passion. Dr. Bill Leonard’s smooth voice singing “Champion of Love.” And so many anointed preachers and teachers—T.L. Lowery, Larry Timmerman, Loran Livingston, Raymond Culpepper, Tim Hill, Raymond Crowley, Steve Brock—the list goes on.

Over time, the format has changed. What was once a week-long gathering is now just a few days. We’ve moved from a single speaker to multiple voices, from an open-air tabernacle to an air-conditioned facility. These changes are part of adapting and staying effective. But what hasn’t changed—and won’t—is the spirit of unity, Pentecostal worship, dynamic preaching, and the deep moves of the Holy Spirit.

Camp Meeting time in Virginia is unlike any other. Mark your calendars and plan to join us this year. You’ll be glad you did.

Bishop Travis Gore
State Ministries Director
Virginia Church of God State Office