History
South Union History Told
By Addie M. Buck
The Choctaw Plaindealer
July 25, 1941
 The
Methodist circuit riders of the past century pioneered with the
first settlers of Choctaw County and out of their needs and plans
came the camp meeting movement over seventy-five years ago.
Pioneering is usually fruitful as it is difficult, and from the
camp meeting that began seventy years ago at old South Union
Campground has wrought an institution that meets the recreational
and religious needs of today.
Following the war in 1866 the older churches
were organized and were served by regular pastors. One of these
churches was South Union; nestling in the dense pine forest near
one of the finest springs ever discovered. The original church
at South Union was built of huge logs near the ever-flowing
spring. It was built with an apartment back of the pulpit for
accommodation of the Negro slaves, where the slaves or former
slaves, worshiped as devout and regular as their masters. In
this crude structure the congregation worshiped for a few years
following the Civil War. The preaching day was on Thursday only
once each month. On that day all work was laid aside -- for all,
including the slaves went to church. The preachers, who were
known as circuit riders, went by horseback and usually spent
several days in each community before and after "preaching
day."
There were few vehicles of any kind at that
time, and often only one horse to ride. The woman rode that,
carrying one or two small children, while the man and the other
children walked to church.
The original log structure at South Union
eventually replaced by a better and more commodious church,
better suited to the needs of the people. In the original church
and the one immediately succeeding it, the gospel was dispensed
by such heroes of the Methodist ministry as Reverend Harrison,
Tom Castles Hyde, Murff, William and J.O. Woodward (uncle and
grandfather of the writer) Archie Moss, Jimmie Carlisle, Kenneth
Jones, W.R. Rainey, Hinds, Muncie, and others.
 Thus
in this spiritual, intellectual and moral atmosphere where plain
living and high thinking were the order of the day was conceived
the idea of a camp meeting in 1872 and the camp ground was laid
off in a square. The land was given to South Union for this
purpose by Mr. Parham Pollard, or Grandpa Pollard as he is
familiarly and lovingly called to this good day -- and we would
pause to state that he lived to be 101 years old. He has many
descendants living in Choctaw County who have followed in his
footsteps for service and sacrifice.
Click here for a copy
of the original warranty deed.
The encampment was in the shape of a square.
The large shingle-covered tabernacle was built by Mr. Arthur
Tenhet. It is said that when the timbers and building material
had been assembled for the structure that the grand old men of
the community gather for a prayer which prayer was led by Mr.
Wesley Townsend. This prayer one of the most eloquent and
appealing in its simplicity and faith sought God's guidance in
the building of the camp ground and for the continuation for
good. Gathered around Mr. Townsend knelt Mr. Parham Pollard,
Archie Moss, Arthur Tenhet, Humphrey Buck, John Buck, William
Adams and others.
 The
first tents that were erected around this tabernacle for the
encampment of the worshipers were somewhat crude in style and
structure. In the absence of nearby saw mills the farmer, with
axe, saw and fro felled the giant virgin pine trees, cut them in
sections of uniform length and split them into slabs or boards,
out of which the walls and roof were made. Split logs with pegs
driven in, formed the crude benches that first seated the
tabernacle. Oat straw was a substitute for floors. After the
farmer had his oats thrashed he would haul the oat straw to
South Union to cover the floor of the tent or tabernacle.
Scaffolds, covered with straw over which
quilts were spread, served as beds. A long brush arbor at the
rear of the tent sheltered the dining room from the sun, while
another one was used for the benefit of the cooks and water
carriers -- all of these Negroes.
The entire camp ground was lighted at night by
huge pine torches placed upon earth-covered scaffolds. The
tabernacle was lighted at night by the use of tallow candles
made and donated by the generous women of the church. These
required the care of at least two persons during the services in
order to have anything like satisfactory lights. Each woman who
camped was busy before the day set for the camp meeting to begin
moulding candles from tallow which she had made from the fat of
beef.
The hours of worship services were: Sunrise
prayer meeting, preaching services at eight and eleven o'clock
in the morning and three o'clock and eight o'clock P.M.
Prayer meetings were held at five P.M. in the
beautiful oak grove surrounding the camp ground. Many people
scattered over these United States testify to the fact that they
received their first spiritual thrill at these grove prayer
meetings.
The campers were called to assemble at these
services by the long, loud blast of a "Texas" horn
owned and used in John Buck home as a dinner horn. One of the
Moss boys, usually Wesley, performed the service of blowing the
horn for each service. Wesley Moss, was considered adept at
blowing that old horn that could be heard for miles around. The
campers were still called to later assemble by the blast of the
horn, usually blown by Gene Bruce, Jep Bruce or Jim McKinnon,
and others where descendants of the pioneer settlers.
There were no musical instruments in those
days and some of the campers must "raise a tune." Mr.
Wash Gordon was the song leader -- in the absence of some
Methodist preacher who was gifted in song. Wash Gordon had a
voice that was both musical and powerful and his leadership
added much to the song service.
These camp meetings were first held the third
Sunday in August but in 1892 they were changed to the fourth
Sunday in July, at which time they continue to be held,
beginning on Friday before the fourth Sunday and closing the
following Wednesday night.
Camp meeting without a "mourner's
bench" was an unheard of thing, and a series of services
conducted without the use of such an arrangement was thought to
be an innovation, and was regarded as a failure if not a
travesty on religion. This bench was placed in front of the
pulpit. Sinners were invited, begged and persuaded to come and
kneel before this "throne of grace", the good men and
women of the congregation came and knelt around the penitents
and there wrestled in prayer for salvation of his soul. At these
altar places, many hundreds professed to have been born again
and gave expression to his joy in shouts of praises. Methodist
are still called shouting Methodist. While some of these may
have fallen away or were possibly deluded yet many others were
able thereafter to give reason for the hope that was in them and
those who have been called to their reward have died in the
triumphs of this living faith.
The cooking in the early days of South Union
camp grounds was done on log fires in pots and skillets. Usually
Negro men and women did the cooking. A place was provided for
them to sit under the tabernacle and worship after their work
was done. Negro boys carried buckets of water up the hills to
the tents.
 The
people wore home spun clothes to South Union in its early days.
That was right after the Civil War. The defeat of the South by
the North in the terrible struggle for Southern independence was
a challenge to the manhood and womanhood of Choctaw County to
let courage match the calamity. To stand erect when all was
leveled by the storm took courage and the pioneers of old South
Union had courage. They wove the cloth and made their garments.
Old men today who were boys seventy years ago
recall with a thrill the first carriage that was driven to South
Union. It was owned by Colonel Drane of French Camp and driven
by a faithful Negro man. Mr. Joe Moss stated that no boy of
today gets any more thrill out of seeing an airplane come over
than he did when that first carriage came driving up to South
Union.
The encampment has had an eventful history. On
Sunday morning, April 22, 1883, a cyclone swept through the
forest, devastating everything in its wake. The camp ground
happened to be in its course. Every tent, the tabernacle, shade
trees and even the monuments marking the graves in the nearby
cemetery, were demolished.
On July 22, 1914, disastrous fire destroyed
the encampment. But none of these things daunted the spirit of
the friends and patrons of the camp meeting. Immediately
following these catastrophes they rebuilt the tents and
tabernacle and held the annual camp meeting without missing one.
Thus through an unbroken term of seventy years
camp meetings have been held annually. Today the grandchildren
and great-grandchildren of those heroes of the long ago are the
chief camp ions of the camp meetings and right well do they
acquit themselves in the manner of perpetuating this sacred
interest. It is a trust thrown to them from falling hands, they
have taken up the responsibility with a spirit that equals that
of their pioneer forefathers who built the encampment. Not only
has the fame of those old pioneers been sung down through the
ages, but in the General Assembly of the saints many will rise
and call them blessed.
The first tent builders at South Union
included: Parham Pollard, Ira Pollard, John Buck, Clark Buck,
Rev. Humphrey Buck, Dan McKinnon, Archie Moss, Wesley Moss,
William Moss, Garner Love, William Moss, Garner Love, William
Bruce, Culby Smith, H. H. Weeks, Dr. Smithwick, Bob Love, Ike
Cork, J. M. Commander, Emily Commander, W. M. Dinsmore, W. H.
Smith, Sid Whisenant, Frank Love, Joe Evans, Sam Smith, Arthur
Tenhet, Tol Wells, Perry Bruce, W. M. Adams, Walter Adams, Jack
Gaston, Joe Moss, Leroy Boyd, John R. Gaston, Noah Weeks, Jim
Strawbridge, Will Bruce, B. K. Draper.
Other tent holders include Jep Bruce, T. H.
McClure, Jim McKinnon, D. H. Buck, Will Buck, Sid Moss, Elie
Smith, Dutch Smith (Great Grandfather of this webmaster), Sid
Moss, J. Lem Seawright, Sam Moss, Gene Bruce, Mack Bruce, Emmett
Moss, R.B. Draper, John Draper, Wade Gaston, Bob Henderson, Pink
Adams, Hugh Smith, John Drane, Dr. B. Strong, Leslie Curtis,
Wallace Martin, W. M Kennedy, Bob Childress, Feaster Coleban,
Lee Wells, Frank Keen, Mitchell Commander, Cicero Pollard, Nat
Pollard, Boyce Bruce, Tom Ballard, Billy Blain, C.E. White, Sam
Buck, Joe Ward, Lester Buck, Dewitt Ray, Gene Stewart, Bill
Stewart, Carvell Adams, Lee King, Jeff McKnight, Jim Hamric, J.L.
McWhorter, L.A. Spurgeon, John Henderson, Lark Bruce, Robert
Thompson, Emmett Tullos, Henry Smith, Anderson Blackwood, and
many others.
 Methodist
preachers who have been identified with the establishment and
growth of South Union include the best talent of the Southern
Methodist church. Three men whose names are most outstanding in
the list are the Reverend W.R. Rainey, Jimmie Carlisle and the
Rev. Casey. Brother Rainey would move down from Sturgis and Mrs.
Bill Smith stated that he was so closely identified with the
camp meeting that as a child she felt that the meeting only
began when she saw him come riding in on his gray horse.
Other preachers who through the decades that
followed have preached here include W.F. Barnett, Rev. Williams,
L. D. Worshaf, W. M Lester, R. P. Goar, T. W. Dye, Eugene
Johnson, J. T. McCafferty, G. W. Bachman, R. M Evans, V.C.
Curtis, A. T. McIlwain, J. A. George, R. P. Neblet, T. H.
Lipscomb, T. C. Weir, J. A. Biffle, W. R. Couch, Tom Castles, W.
M. Commander, Sam Vowell, J. M. Wyatt, D.C. Foust, W.F. Rodgers,
W. N. Duncan, W. S. Shipman, J. B. Randolph, W. M Graves, H. M.
Young, G. W. Gordon, Wylie Lewis, Rev. Mr. Smith, J. B. Burns,
T. F. Sartain, Rev. Mr. Ashmore, E. M. Allen.
Young men of Choctaw County who have become
ministers of the gospel and whose lives have been touched by the
spirit of South Union include Rev. Edd Buck, Rev. J. T.
McCafferty, Rev. Jim Moss, Rev. Viner Cobb, Rev. Leland
Caldwell, Rev. Howard Thompson, Rev. Elmer Martin, Rev. Garner
Martin, Rev. Daniel Martin, Rev. Claude Calcote, Rev. Jim Bob
Bright, Rev. Bob Ruff, Rev. Sam Hemphill, Rev. Floyd Lummus,
Rev. Andrew Crawford, Rev. J.C. Stewart, Rev. Lawrence Mecklin.
One Hundred Twenty-Eight Years of History Preserved At South
Union Campmeeting
The Choctaw Plaindealer
Wednesday, July 28, 1999
Volume 112, Number 30
By Sandra Berryhill
This article is part one of a two part series featuring South
Union Campground
 The
128th annual South Union Camp Ground meetings will begin with
Prayer Services beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 22.
Fellowship services will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 23
continuing thru Wednesday, July 28.
Reverend James Cox of Hernando, pastor of
Cockrum United Methodist Church, will be bringing the message on
Friday with Reverend Buddy Smith, United Methodist Minister and
executive assistant of the American Family Association of Tupelo
leading the music. Pastors from local and surrounding churches
will be bringing the fellowship messages during the afternoon
worship services beginning at 3:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Reverend Jerry Lawson from Enon
Cumberland Presbyterian Church will bring the message. Rev. Greg
Chamblee from Ackerman Church of God will bring the message on
Sunday while Reverend Bryan Carruba from Saint Stephens United
Methodist Church in Columbus will bring the message of worship
on Monday. Reverend Ron Harrison from First Baptist Church of
Ackerman will be bringing the message on Tuesday; and Reverend
Phillip Cooper of Chester Baptist Church will bring the message
on Wednesday.
A fellowship supper will be held on Wednesday
beginning at 6:00 p.m. Sunday will be celebrated as the
Homecoming of Sound Union Camp meetings, repeating history of
more than 128 years of South Union Camp meetings.
A large number of worshippers, scattered all
over the United States, are expected to attend the 128th annual
South Union Camp Ground meeting. By tradition, worshippers are
called to the services by the trumpeting of the horn, which is
in the possession of Martha Ward, and donated by Edward Buck.
Everyone is invited and welcome to attend all
of the services, so listen for the trumpet sound.
128 Year-Old Tradition Continues
The Choctaw Plaindealer
Wednesday, August 4, 1999
Volume 112, Number 31
By Sandra Berryhill
One hundred twenty eight years of history
repeated itself last week at the South Union Campgrounds as
descendants of the founders gathered together for a week of
fellowship with one another. Approximately ten families camped
at the campgrounds during this week, as local and surrounding
area residents came to visit or to attend the services.
A prayer service was held on Thursday, July
22.Services began on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and continued
over until the following Wednesday night, which included a
fellowship supper at 6:30 p.m.
According to Linda Liddell, whose husband is a
descendant of the founders, there were four services held each
day. Each day began with a devotional service at 8:00 a.m., a
visiting minister brought the message at the 11 a.m. services,
various visiting ministers spoke at the 3 p.m. services and a
visiting minister brought the message at the 7 p.m. services.
Each service began with the sounding of the horn.
The echoing sound of the horn vibrated across
the campground, letting everyone know that it was time for the
camp meeting to begin. Worshippers, ranging in ages from three
years to approximately ninety, came and gathered under the Arbor
for the 3:00 p.m. service that was held on Tuesday, July 27.
The services began with Buddy Smith reading
scripture from the book of Psalm and then asking the
congregation to join with him in singing that old time favorite,
The Lily of the Valley. Reverend Sam Dodd welcomed those that
were visiting and gave a report on how successful this year's
camp meeting had been, despite high temperatures and an
occasional rain. Ron Harrison, Pastor of Ackerman First Baptist
Church brought the message. Special music was shared by Buddy
Smith, the camp ground children singing Father Abraham, and
Rachael Fulce singing Precious Memories. Summer Lidell played
the piano.
"I can remember when there were crowds of
people standing around the Arbor because there was no place to
sit," said Erin Moss, great-granddaughter of Reverend
Archie Moss, one of the campground founders and Circuit Riders.
"Now the number has decreased in attendance."
 The
Moss sisters: Thelma, Evelyn and Erin (above); have attended the
camp meetings ever since they were little girls. Recollecting
that back then there wasn't any electricity or inside plumbing
as it is today. "Several of the tents have been modernized
over the years," said Erin Moss. "Most of them now
have electrical sockets and running water and plumbing."
There are still a few tents that have the look of history.
"At each side of the Arbor, there were
scaffolds made out of wood," said Moss. "Shovels of
dirt were on top with rich pine knot stuck in it. The pine knot
was lit and that is what was used for light around the Arbor. It
would light up the whole campground."
According to the Moss sisters; each tent was
made up of two bedrooms, one on each side of the hallway, a
kitchen area and an eating area. The men slept in one bedroom
while the women and children slept in the other. Water was
brought up from the spring, which was the only source of water
then, that still runs near the campground. Although the tents
and campground have been modernized to some extent, a trip to
the spring is still a highlight for the campers. "Still
today, as tradition, we bring our water bucket and dipper,"
said Evelyn Moss.
The Choctaw Chronicle
Ackerman, Mississippi Volume I - No. 5
Wednesday, July 21, 1999
On a parcel of land, ten acres, donated by
Samuel Eastlerling Moss; five acres donated by Parham Pollard
and an additional two acres that was obtained from J.M. Draper
and wife, sets The Arbor. This is the last of three Arbors that
were constructed on this site. The first Arbor that stood forty
by fifty was constructed in 1872, after three South Union
principals, the Reverend Archie Moss, the Reverend Humphrey
Buck, and Parham Pollard held a prayerful meeting at the nearby,
ever flowing spring known as South Union Spring.
From that August date in 1872 until this year,
this has been the annual event. This year will be the 128th camp
meeting which is now being held starting prior to the fourth
Sunday in July and ends the following Wednesday.
Meetings originally were held on the third
Sunday in August, apparently because at this time almost all
crops were "laid by" and this is as a relatively quiet
time on the farm until harvest began for some crops in
September.
The first Arbor came to an end on April 23,
1883, when the skies darkened and spawned tornadic winds that
not only destroyed The Arbor, but all of the tents and trees and
damaged part of the monuments marking the graves in the nearby
cemetery.
The Arbor was destroyed but not the spirit
that built it. For, according to local historians, planning
began the very next day and a new Arbor was built some thirty
percent larger in size according to these same historians, the
campground meeting was held late in August. Stave shingles were
used to shield worshippers from the elements on this new
structure.
On July 22, 1914, thirty-one years into the
life of this structure, The Arbor, again was destroyed. Fire
this time was the culprit. The fire destroyed The Arbor and
eighteen of the forty tents. Again spirits were not daunted.
Friends and patrons of the camp meeting immediately following
this disaster began rebuilding the tents and this tabernacle and
the regular camp meeting was held and still will be held this
year.
In 1999, the 128th South Union Campground
Meeting will be held eighty-five years after the fire; one
hundred and sixteen years after the tornado and one hundred and
twenty eight years after those three men in prayerful thought
gave birth to the idea of the Arbor. The Arbor still stands, and
the week of July 23rd through July 28th, members and friends
will celebrate the spirit that has allowed this physical plant
to exist, as they celebrate their faith in God.
A prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m.,
Thursday night. This year's services will begin officially
Friday evening, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. The visiting evangelistic
team will be Reverend Jim Cox from Senatobia and Reverend Buddy
Smith from Tupelo. Reverend Cox is pastor of Cockrum United
Methodist Church and Reverend Buddy Smith is also a United
Methodist Minister and Executive Assistant of the American
Family Association based in Tupelo. Rev. Smith will be leading
the music. The afternoon worship at 3:30 p.m. will have local
pastors preaching. They are as follows: Saturday, the Reverend
Jerry Lawson from Enon Cumberland Presbyterian Church; Sunday,
the Reverend Greg Chamblee from Ackerman Church of God; Monday,
Reverend Brian Carruba, from Saint Stephens United Methodist
Church in Columbia; Tuesday, Reverend Ron Harrison form the
First Baptist Church of Ackerman; Wednesday, Reverend Philip
Cooper from Chester Baptist Church.
Sunday is usually a very special day.
According to local historians, Sunday will be Homecoming and
history will more than likely repeat itself with attendees from
all areas of the United States and as far away as Canada, and a
large crowd of local worshippers are expected.
Wednesday, also, will have a special function
according to these historians when at 6:00 p.m., in the evening
a fellowship supper will be held. Said one historian, "Come
and join us." Bring you own food, or come and share ours.
Tradition has it that worshippers are called
to the meeting with the trumpeting of a horn. The keeper of this
horn, donated by Edward Buck, is Martha Ward. Listen for its
call. Everyone is welcomed and invited to come to all of the
services.
Families Make Revival A Long-Standing Tradition
The Clarion-Ledger
Jackson, Mississippi
Saturday, July 21, 2000
By Julie Whitehead
Special to The Clarion-Ledger
[ Julie is a free lance writer from Brandon, Mississippi. She
attended Camp Meeting as a young person with her family - Linda
& Terry Liddell of Ackerman. Linda & Terry remain as
faithful participants in Camp Meeting and Julie along with her
children (see below) still enjoys an annual visit. She can be
contacted at 117 Summit Ridge Drive, Brandon, MS 39042. ]
Shortly after the Civil War, Choctaw County
families gathered at South Union for a revival meeting in August
1872.
The tradition still endures today, making
South Union the oldest camp meeting revival in the state.
South Union Camp-ground is holding its 129th
annual Camp Meeting revival today through July 26.
The Rev. George Buell of New Hope United
Methodist Church in Horn Lake will preach two services per day
with Rachel Fulce and Summer Liddell, both of Ackerman, serving
as music ministry leaders. Services are 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m.,
and 7:30 p.m. each day of the revival.
The worship schedule goes back to times when
families came to the meeting after harvest was over. Families
arrived at the campground three miles outside Ackerman by a
natural spring, an stayed for the duration of the meeting,
camped around the church.
"The whole concept of the camp meeting is
the foundation of the Methodist Church," the Rev. Keith
Tonkel of Wells United Methodist Church in Jackson said.
"All the Methodist Churches began out of camp
meetings."
Families are drawn to the camp meetings, said
Tonkel, a "spiritual and evangelistic experience. Camp
Meetings are a great opportunity to hear different kinds of
worship and different preachings to get other perspectives on
things."
By tradition, the first service is led by lay
people, with the visiting pastor preaching at 11 a.m. and 7:30
p.m. The 3 p.m. service features local clergy from various
denominations.
Union Campground was organized by William
Parham Pollard, the Rev. Humphrey Buck, and Archibald Moss,
according to J.P. Coleman's Choctaw County Chronicles, with
Pollard and Samuel Moss donating land to build an arbor for
worship and the surrounding tents.
On Sunday, April 22, 18883, a cyclone
destroyed the original buildings. The present arbor is the
third, built after the second was destroyed by fire on July 18,
1914.
The campgound is maintained by donations.
Campers often donate services as well.
Although the tradition dates back to 19th
century, campers have made concessions to modern technology. The
grounds have been modernized with electricity, plumbing, and
camper/RV sites.
South Union Camp Meeting even has a Web site
with photographs, historical documents, and an electronic guest
book, maintained by the Rev. Buddy Smith of Plantersville.
"My wife Carol and I grew up going to
campmeeting with our grandparents," said Smith, Executive
Assistant for the American Family Association. "I consider
those times a foundational experience in my spiritual
life."
Smith recalls leading the song services for
the first time at 14 as a substitute for the scheduled leader.
He has been back seven times to lead worship since then.
Smith added the Web site because "we
really did need to preserve the history of this place."
He plans to add video footage of future
meeting and a recorded interview with his grandfather Casey
Smith, who helped rebuild after the 1914 fire.
Visit South Union Campground on the Web at www.southunioncampmeeting.org.
Above Photo Courtesy of The Choctaw
Plaindealer
South Union Tradition Continues
The Choctaw Plaindealer
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
Volume 113, Number 30
Ackerman, Miss.
By Allen Baswell
Picture the scene: a quiet, pristine wooden
arbor, complete with old fashioned wooden benches, overhead fans
and a few electric fans constantly running to stave off the
sweltering heat that invades Mississippi summers.
The scene progresses as a group of
God-fearing, God-loving people singing "The Old Rugged
Cross" holding Cokesbury Hymnals accompanied by a
songleader and pianist. A pastor delivers a stirring message as
mothers fan their children with the old fashioned hand held
fans, and a few "amens" are heard from the crowd.
No, it isn't a passage from a William Faulkner
novel, a Eudora Welty short story or Willie Morris essay -
though it could be. Instead, it is an actual happening as once
again the South Union camp meeting returns.
For the 129th year, this camp meeting, which
could be considered a tradition almost as old as Choctaw County
itself, has made its way back to the serene area of South Union
United Methodist Church.
"Some say this is the 128th meting, but
it is the 129th meeting," said Miss Erin Moss, who along
with her sisters have been attending camp meetings at South
Union as long as they can remember.
For the Moss sisters, it could be more than
safe to say that coming to camp meetings is a family tradition.
After all, their great-grandfather, the Rev. Archie Moss, was
one of three men who helped bring this event to fruition.
"He was a circuit rider," Miss Erin
recalled. "He and Rev. Humprey, another circuit rider and
and a layman, Parham Pollard started it."
Samuel Easterling Moss donated 10 acres of
land, and Mr. Pollard donated another five acres. The other two
acres were purchased from Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Draper.
A large wooden sign in front of the arbor
gives a history of the church and the beginning of camp
meetings. At night, the camp ground was lit with huge pine
torches placed upon earth covered scaffolds. The women of the
church donated the candles which were made from beef tallows.
In spite of tornadoes, burnings and
difficulties that almost saw the small church close its doors
for good, it has stayed open for those who love and want to
worship the Lord.
As one walks along the grounds, not only do
they see the church and arbor, along with a well-kept cemetery,
they see many wooden buildings called tents. All during camp
meeting, families and friends stay at the tents and bring
rocking chairs and a few modern amenities, yet the tents are a
reminder of a simpler time long ago before VCR's and the like.
Rev. Sam Dodd of the Ackerman United Methodist
Church, who also delivers the word of God at South Union,
described camp meeting at South Union as being around family.
"Everybody is family here. If you're not
family when you get here, you will be before you leave," he
said. "It is a unique place, it has tradition and a family
atmosphere."
This makes the fifth year Dodd has attended
South Union's camp meeting, which is one of at least six still
held in Mississippi. Yet for others, such as Rev. George Buell
of Horn Lake, this is his first one, one that has made an early
favorable impression.
"I think it's a group of loving folks who
love Jesus," he said. "It is refreshing to see folks
take time to worship the Lord through fellowship, worship and
praise."
Like other things, South Union is joining the
rest of the world on the super information highway. Yes, there
is now a website - it was started following the 1999 camp
meeting - devoted to South Union. From the history of the church
through information on who is buried in the cemetery, even
pictures from earlier camp meetings. It is there on the South
Union Web Page.
To get access to the web page, click on
www.southunioncampmeeting.org.
The meeting began Friday, July 21 and
continues through today (July 26). Each day, there are four
services: a devotional at 8 a.m., then regular services at 11
a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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