History Week: National Historic Camp Meeting Celebration

The Historic Camp Meeting Network [HCMN] announces a national celebration of the camp meeting movement on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 7:15 pm.

This collaborative worship service – the first of its kind – will be live-streamed to camp meetings across the country and feature the dynamic preaching of Bishop Gregory V. Palmer of the United Methodist Church. “Our goal is not only to reflect on our rich legacy as camp meetings, but to use this heritage as a catalyst to inform and inspire all people to maximize their potential as children of God,” states Rev. Dr. Charlie Yoost of Lakeside Chautauqua in Ohio, who is coordinating the program.

“We envision this event as a springboard to further collaboration among camp meetings across the United States, as we wrestle with common challenges and confidently look toward a future filled with hope and promise.”

The theme Scripture for the event is II Timothy 2:2: “ What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.”

The service includes music from the Camp Meetings of Lakeside, OH, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and Ocean Grove, NJ, and it will incorporate hymn singing led by the acclaimed 12,000 pipe organ from Ocean Grove. A historic portrayal of the nineteenth-century African-American preacher Amanda Berry Smith will highlight her visits to various camp meetings in the late 1800s.