Georgia Magazine - May 2017 - 24

JARRETT MORGAN

Evening worship is held in the
tabernacle at Salem Campground in Covington. Electric
power for the campground is
provided by Snapping
Shoals Electric
Membership
Corp.

'Camp meeting is a special time
when people can withdraw from the
activities of the world and retreat
into an atmosphere of renewal,
comfort and solace.'

-Carol Windom

Built in 1854, the tabernacle at Salem Campground
was named to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1998. Salem Campground has a historic hotel on the
grounds where meals are served. The hotel has a limited
number of rooms with private baths that are open to the
public and available during camp meeting. Some families have built structures on the grounds, such as the
Ramsey Pavilion, built by Sam Ramsey five years ago,
with tables and seating for 130.
Ramsey grew up at Salem camp meetings. His greatgreat-grandfather, George Cunningham, was one of the
first settlers of Newton County and a founder of Salem
Campground back in 1829.
Ramsey met his wife, Becky Griffin Ramsey, there
when he was 31.
"One of my relatives from Covington invited her
family to camp meeting, and I invited her out for a
Coca-Cola that evening," Ramsey says. "A 5-cent CocaCola. It was a real expensive first date. She and her twin
sister, Alice Griffin Walker, play two grand pianos at
camp meeting every year."

The future of faith
This summer, Tattnall Camp Meeting in Claxton
celebrates 150 years. Founded in 1867, one of its first
trustees was D.H. Smith, the great-great-grandfather
of D.O. Tab Smith Jr., who at age 82 still preaches at
24

Tattnall camp meetings.
"My family has been here since the beginning," says
Smith, who has been preaching since he was 19. "I was
born in January 1935, five days before Elvis, and I was
baptized at Tattnall camp that August, when I was 7
months old."
As a young adult, he worked in public relations for
his father-in-law's company, Claxton Bakery Inc., then
became the first headmaster of Pinewood Christian Academy in Bellville. In the late 1960s he felt the call to be
an evangelist and rode a circuit preaching. His ministry
eventually led to "The Bible Says ..." radio and television
programs that aired around the world.
Since 2006, he's been president of Tab Smith Ministries with his two grandsons, ministers Thomas Miller and
Tab Miller, who grew up in the camp meeting tradition.
"I've been the morning service preacher for the past
six years at Tattnall and served as a trustee for 25 years,"
Smith says. "It's been a real blessing for me. I've never
missed the least part of a camp meeting."
Organizers agree that camp meetings are about
spreading the gospel.
"In the past 20 years, 17 people have been called
to full-time Christian ministry as a result of Salem camp
meetings," Ramsey says. "The bottom line is we're trying
to save souls and bring people to accept Christ."
Sermons, baptisms and testimonies affect all ages at
camp meetings.
"There's a spiritual fervor that rejuvenates churches
and congregations," Smith says. "It's like a super-revival
where people can immerse themselves and get away
from worldly things."
Perhaps Windom sums it up best: "You can't find
anything like this anywhere else. When camp meeting's
over, you're still a part of the community and the
miracles of camp meeting."
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer from Flowery
Branch.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2017