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 Google Map "Camp Meeting Road, Chester Heights, PA"
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.
Our Campmeeting is asking for your help
- Come out and give us a hand as we prepare our grounds and
Performance Gazebo for our 2012 season. Network with some fellow
Christians as we spruce things up and prepare on Saturday, May 19th and Saturday
June 2nd. This is a great opportunity for adults, teenagers, gardeners, youth
groups and those looking for community service credits. Please bring your
own brown bag lunch. For more information, contact Jeannie Shambo,
President at jeanniekb56@netscape.net
2013 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.
June 9th - Season Opening Concert - The Rockdale Boys Gospel
Bluegrass Band at 7:00pm (6:00 pm Hot Dog Dinner $3 for hot dog, chips and
soda $3.00)
June 16th - Gordon Douglas
June 23rd - The Messiah's Messengers
June 30th Chiz Rider
July 14th - Ruthie
July 21, 22 & 23 (Fri-Sun) Rev. Dr. James W. DiRaddo, Camp
Meeting Evangelist (Sat Covered Dish Dinner 5:30 pm; Sun Ice Cream Social $3
per person, following the evening message)
July 28th - Black Creek
August 4th - Jean Poole Gospel Singers
August 11th - Hagans Family
August 18th - Harmony Quartet
August 25th - Brothers in Grace - Gospel Quartet
September 8th - From Harps to Halos
September 15th - Sunnyside Gospel Bluegrass Band at
7pm (5:30pm Chicken BBQ - Registration and pre-payment required by Sept 9)
View general concert photos from prior years,
click
here.
Campmeeting Weekend
2013 - Our Annual Revival:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 21, 22, 23 2013 7:00pm
The Reverend Dr. James W. DiRaddo -
Covered Dish dinner 5:30pm on Saturday Ice Cream Social Sunday Evening
$3.00 per person.
An internationally noted counselor and preacher, Jim has spoken for
the past 55 years at conferences and evangelistic crusades throughout the US,
Canada, South America, Africa and Asia. A native of Camden, NJ, he is
currently an adjunct professor at Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
February 22, 2012
10 Historic Cottages Destroyed by Arsonists February 18, 2012
in Second Fire
A devastating arson fire ripped through 10
cottages at campmeeting, destroying them completely. Three fires were
started 40 yards apart from each other, according to the fire marshall.
The above left photo shows a cottage being consumed by flames. The photo
on the above right was taken the day after the fire where 9 of the ten cottages
were built in the late 1800's.
Click
here for an Article from the Delco Daily Times which announces the arson.
Click
here for a video of a television report from ABC Action News (this link will
take you to the ABC site, and the video is preceded by a 15 second ABC
commercial.)
Despite this fire, and the previous one, 52
cottages remain at the campmeeting, as well as the performance gazebo where the
well known Gospel "Concerts In The Woods" program is held on Sunday evenings
during summer months. The fires will not impact on the concerts this
summer, our 140th continuous summer of worshiping the Lord.
A white pickup truck and a dark SUV were
seen leaving the crime site. The arson fire is currently under
active investigation by state police, who are pursuing viable leads. Anyone with
information pertinent to the case is asked to call PA State Trooper Timothy
Greene at 484-840-1000.
If you wish to make a tax-deductable contribution to Chester Heights Campmeeting
to help with their losses and fund it's restoration, please send your check to
CHCM Restoration Fund, 40 Patricia Lane, Glen Mills, PA 19342. We sincerely
thank you for helping us.
Here are photos of a few of the cottages
destroyed by this fire. CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT. (Also, see the
press release below for details of the first fire,
which destroyed our Tabernacle and 3 other cottages, just four months earlier.)
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.
Here are photos of our tabernacle tree days before the fire, as well as
recent photos of the cottages. CLICK ON ANY PHOTO
TO ENLARGE IT
Click
here to download a pdf file of the architectural description of our tabernacle
with photos from the past. Page down while reading the document to see
the photos for a better understanding of the architectural terms and the layout
of the building.
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.
Jeannie Shambo, President
Chester Heights Camp
Meeting Association
PO Box 78, Chester Heights, PA 19017
- Email:
jeanniekb56@netscape.net
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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