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What exactly is a "Christian campmeeting?"
It's about God and you. If you've been
waiting for a sign from Heaven, this might be it.
We welcome all Christian faiths. We provide Gospel
concerts with professional performers on Sunday evenings in our 120 seat open
performance Gazebo during summer months; We offer a faith revival over a summer
weekend for those who wish to renew their faith or to be "born again"; we offer
week-long music camp programs during the summer for young people; From April
through October, we are a private Christian community retreat of historic
Victorian cottages on 31 acres with 150
year old trees; and we are steadily progressing toward the restoration of our
historic buildings and our grounds. Cottages are for sale to responsible Christians who support our values, our efforts
and our mission "to proclaim the Gospel."
A walk through our quiet community and an old fashioned hymn
sing before one of our
concerts, will have you wondering if you didn't just step back 100 years in
time. That's why we're widely known as the "best kept secret in Delaware County, PA"
For more information about our campmeeting members and how we
are governed, click here.
Map and Directions: For a map of our
location click
here, then click on directions on the Google Map page for directions
from your location.
New! If you wish to be added to
our email list and receive free campmeeting news updates, our annual program
guide and more, please click here or on the
"email list" tab at the top of this page.
Campmeeting is offering our front field for sale -
As much as we regret to do this, we need money to fund
some capital improvements which will help our camp meeting community grow and
provide some renovations and improvements. We will retain our entrance to
camp meeting at the traffic light. If you want to know more, click
here
Press Release- October 16, 2011
Historic Chester
Heights Campmeeting
Tabernacle Destroyed
by Fire
Photo: Chester
Heights 1872
Tabernacle
A fire of unknown
origin, which was
reported at
4:11am this
morning completely
destroyed the 1872
church Tabernacle,
an iconic structure
of the campmeeting
which was
incorporated that
same year. The blaze
was reported to have
started there, then
spread to three
adjacent cottages,
of which two were
also destroyed. One
of the destroyed
cottages was owned
by a retired
missionary couple,
of whom the husband
was also a former
U.S. Navy Chaplain.
The nine alarm fire
was responded to by
numerous local fire
companies, including
Chester Heights,
Green Ridge,
Aston-Beechwood,
Lenni,
Concordville
and others. The
buildings were all
unoccupied and there
were no injuries.
The
nondenominational
campmeeting has been
in operation since
its inception and
has been an
important part of
Delaware County
history. It is
listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places, and
as an official
project of “Save
America’s
Treasures.” The
campmeeting received
a historic
preservation award
from the Heritage
Commission of
Delaware County in
May, 2011 for
the restoration of
11 of the circa 1900
Victorian frame
cottages, of which
62 remain.
The campmeeting was
originally formed on
160 acres by the
Methodist-Episcopal
church, and later
became
nondenominational in
the 1980s. In recent
years its programs
have changed from a
two week long
religious revival to
their popular
Sunday evening
programs and Gospel
concerts in the
woods, from June
through September.
Pat Smith, President
of the campmeeting
for the past four
years, said “This
has been a terrible
tragedy, a loss for
not just our members
and cottage owners,
but for the history
and heritage of
Delaware County.”
“We are thankful
that no one was
injured, and we are
grateful that the
damage will not
affect our existing
programs and
services when we
begin our 140th
season next year.
While physical
things can be
destroyed, our
Spiritual faith will
never diminish
during difficult
times, it only binds
Christians closer
together. Our
families at camp
meeting sincerely
thank all of the
fire companies for
their gallant
efforts to contain
the fire from
spreading further,
and are grateful to
them.
Donations to help
the campmeeting are
gratefully accepted.
Our address is PO
Box 78, Chester
Heights, PA 19017.
Thank you.
Gospel Concerts In the Woods - Most Sunday Evenings at 7:00
pm
 
The public is invited to attend our seasonal Gospel "Concerts
In the Woods." The music styles range from Gospel quartets to Christian
song stylists, a good measure of Gospel Bluegrass and an occasional dramatic
play. All concerts are free, and a
love offering is collected.
Concerts begin at 7:00 pm and there are usually a few historic Victorian
Cottages which are open for tours, beforehand. Join us afterwards for refreshments and fellowship.
To view
this year's 2011 Concert In the Woods program brochure:
Click on one of the four images below to enlarge it
To print
this year's 2011 Concert In the Woods program brochure
(as a two page document)
click
here
View general concert photos from prior years,
click
here.
 Campmeeting Weekend - Our Annual Revival:
Saturday July 23 and Sunday, June 24 2011 7:00pm
Dr. Carl Griffin is a teacher and preacher who has served churches in several
capacities over the last four decades, is now Christian Education Director at
Ephata Church of the Nazarene. He is a counselor, a Vietnam Veteran,
husband, father and grandfather - but most of all he's a man of God.
Covered Dish dinner 5:30pm on Saturday Ice Cream Social sunday Evening
$2.00 per person.
Carl became a believer and follower of Jesus Christ in 1972. He has earned a
Bachelor of Science in Jewish Studies; a Bachelor of Arts in Theology; a Master
of Arts in Religion; a Master of Divinity; and a Doctor of Theology. Carl
pastored seventeen years in Coatesville, Pa., and served that community in
ministry for twenty-six years. He has served as a Senior Pastor, and Associate
Pastor, an Evangelist and a Bible Teacher. He is also a Licensed Clinical
Christian Counselor; a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor and a Certified
Temperament Counselor with the National Christian Counselors Association. Carl
and his wife Charlotte reside in New Holland, Pa. They have two children and
five grandsons.
 Campmeeting Missions Weekend -
Saturday August 6th and Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dr. B. W. Hambrick is Senior Pastor of the Ephata Church of the Nazarene.
His academic background includes several Nazarene institutions and a PhD degree
from Millersville University in Lancaster County. As a pastor, Dr. Hambrick has
lead groups to travel, teach and minister in Russia, the Ukraine, Armenia,
Kazakhstan, South Africa and Zambia.
Bring a home cooked dish to share and join us for a covered dish dinner 5:30 pm on
both Saturday and Sunday evenings.
 Youth
Night 2011 - Saturday July
30th 7:00 pm
Jamie Harris & Friends in Concert
Jamie Marie of Chadds Ford is on a journey of singing, dancing and acting in
both secular and sacred venues. Jamie began her career with dance and
musical theatre, and then aspired to attend workshops at the Gospel Music
Association. She competed in vocal there, where she placed in the semi-finals.
Her music has been influenced by many Christian artists, including Amy Grant and
Natalie Grant. Jamie has released her debut album, "Next Chapter" in 2010, which
is available on iTunes. Her website is
http://www.jamie-marie.com/
Cottagers Retreat - April through October every year
Sixty-Five wooden Victorian style cottages provide a seasonal
retreat from April through October for our members, in a grove of 150 year old
trees on 31 acres. Our cottagers are restoring, renovating and occupying
them, to enjoy the solace of our rural,
wooded
setting. Our progress since last year has not only continued, but gained momentum. Some
cottages are available for sale to Christians who first show us their love of
our campmeeting by actively participating in our activities, concerts and
events. For more information click here.
Historical Significance
.jpg) "If
you build it, they will come...,"and they did, in Victorian style around the
turn of the last century. Our campmeeting is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places and as an official project of "Save
Americas Treasures." See many of our historic photos
(click
here) & read about an award winning thesis
by Melissa Buchanan, by clicking here or on
her photo, below.
.jpg)
Chester Heights Camp Meeting is a proud supporter of Legacies and Lessons, a
collaborative event of 10 local historical societies: We invite you to click on
their logo below to visit the
website and learn more about this exciting 2011 event.
Contact Information
We're happy to have you as a visitor to our website. Behind each
page are many more pages, with more photos and information.
We
hope you take the time to explore all we have to offer, as a visitor, a possible
cottage owner, or someone interested in our rich history.
Please feel free to personally contact me with any questions or comments. We
sincerely thank you for visiting with us.
Pat Smith, President
Chester Heights Camp
Meeting Association
PO Box 78, Chester Heights, PA 19017
- (610) 494-4707
- Email:
psmith610@gmail.com
Map and Directions: For a map of our
location click
here, then click on directions on the Google Map page for directions
from your location.
Notice:
For those with disabilities: Handicapped
parking is available, but limited. There are no steps, but some the picnic
areas have wood chips and grass surfaces.
No alcohol or drugs are tolerated
on campmeeting grounds. Smoking in areas where people are present, or
where it may be a fire hazard, is discouraged.
Our association is a non-profit, charitable
organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service and the Pennsylvania
Department of Revenue. We are identified as a 501(c)3 and may accept
contributions, gifts and donations of money and items which can be claimed as
such on your tax return. Please contact us for further details, concerning
your contribution.
The information contained in this website is
proprietary and subject to copyright law. It is subject to errors,
omissions and changes without notice.
Most photos, except those promotional pictures
of performers and historic photos, were taken on campmeeting grounds by Gary Koerner.
Please do not reproduce, copy or transfer them without prior written permission by campmeeting officials.
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