Fairfield County, SC (WLTX) On Monday the tent holders at Camp Welfare in Fairfield County thought they would not be able to hold their yearly camp meeting, or revival, on a plot of land that was gifted to former slaves after the civil war and has been used since then for the yearly camp meeting. The land on which the tents were built is now owned by the Camp Welfare AME Zion Church.
Late Tuesday, Judge Brian Gibbons ruled the revival could go on as planned.
On Wednesday, tent holders began moving in to begin the week and a half of fellowship and worship. Margaret Talford has never missed a year since she was born here 67 years ago. She says, "I am so thankful. I am so delighted, oh Jesus!"
That gratitude comes because Talford knows how close she came to not being able to celebrate her birthday at the camp meeing and pass the traditions practiced here, on to her grandchildren. Of the stress of not knowing if they could hold camp or not has caused, she says, "To serve a true and living God by worshipping and fellowshipping one with another. That's what makes it all worth it."
So as people move in to their tents and get ready to worship and fellowship together, like they and their ancestors have for 156 years. They say this year is extremely special.
Shirley Kennedy, 72, is Margaret's older sister. She says, "I can't ever remember missing a year on this camp ground." She says there was one year when she was three, that there was a quarantine for children and she wasn't allowed that year, but it was the only one.
For the next ten days, tent holders say the campground will be blessed with almost 600 people, many of them children. Kennedy says, "We are not going anywhere. Man might say we're leaving, but we're not going until God Moves us.. when he moves us then we'll just be in the record books as having been here."
Pastor Gracene Hayden who helped organize the New Welfare Camp Tent Holders Board and create a non-profit says, "We're inviting the community. We want everybody to come. We're not trying to exclude anybody."
Even though the group got to have this year's revival. They know the controversey is not over. There is another hearing next week in front of Judge Brian Gibbons, so future revivals are still uncertain.