Chowan County NcArchives News.....HAPPY HOME CHURCH FIRST CAMPMEETING 1925 January 26, 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: GERALD WIGGINS gwiggins@inteliport.com May 6, 2006, 7:54 pm THE CHOWAN HERALD January 26, 2006 WRITTEN BY EARLINE WHITE FOR THE CHOWAN HERALD WEDESDAY JANUARY 25, 2006 A PICTURE OF THE PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE FIRST CAMPMEETING HELD IN 1925 AMONG THE FAMILIES REPRESENTED WERE THE BYRUMS, WHITES, DILDAYS, JORDANS, TWINES, BUTLERS, BOYCES, NOBLES'S, SPENCE'S, HILLBERNS, BANKS, BAKERS, LAMBS, CHAPPELLS, COPELANDS, DAILS, ELLIS'S, WALKERS, AND MORRIS'S. THEY TRAVEL BY FOOT HORSE AND BUGGY OR BY TRAIN TO THE TABERNACLE TWO MILES SOUTH OF RYLAND ON HAPPY HOME RD, THE FIRST HAPPY HOME CAMP MEETING TOOK PLACE IN SEPTEMBER 1925 AND CONTINUED FOR TEN DAYS, PEOPLE FROM THE WEST GOT OFF THE TRAIN IN EDENTON AND WERE MET BY CAMP MEETING ATTENDEES, OFFENTIMES JIMMY BYRUM, WERE TRANSPORTED FREE OF CHARGE OVER HARD SURFACED ROADS BY AUTOMOBILE TO THE CAMP GROUND, THOSE COMING FROM SUFFOLK WOULD BE MET ON ICARIA ROAD AND TAKEN TO THE SHELTER FOR THE WEEK-LONG RELIGIOUS EVENT. ALL THESE YEARS LATER HAPPY HOME CAMP MEETING REMAINS ONE OF THE BEST WELL ATTENDED EVENTS IN THE AREA, AND ONLY ONE OF THREE SUCH EVENTS HELD EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. HUBERT BYRUM WAS TWO YEARS OLD WHEN THE FIRST CAMP MEETING TOOK PLACE, MY PARENTS DIDN'T SEND ME TO CHURCH THEY TOOK ME. AND I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CAMPMEETING FOR THE PAST 80 YEARS. THE CAMPS WERE 10 FOOT SQUARE WITH WHEAT STRAW ON THE GROUND FOR MATTRESSES, UNTIL 1950 WHEN THE NEW TABERNACLE ( AND CAMP BUILDINGS BEHIND THE TABERNACLE WERE BUILT BUT TODAY ARE SELDOM USED. COOKS WOULD SPEND 10 DAYS IN THE KITCHEN THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN UTENSILS. PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WOULD BRING CHICKENS AND VEGTABLES TO BE EATEN, EVERYTHING WAS DONE ON VOLUNTEER BASIS , JUST LIKE IT IS TODAY , ONLY NOW ONE FAMILY DOES THE COOKING FOR ONE DAY. THERE ARE STILL THREE MEALS AND DAY AND THREE SERVICES , BACK THEN SERVICE BEGAN AT 6AM ANOTHER AFTER LUNCH AND ANOTHER ONE LATER THAT NIGHT. TODAY THEY HOLD THE MORNING SERVICE AND HAVE ADDED THE EARLY AFTERNOON ONE. NIGHT SERVICE WERE HELD UNTIL 1947 , BUT WE HAD ICE CREAM THAT CAME FROM SUFFOLK, STILL COLD , THAT WE'D SELL FOR FIVE CENT A SCOOP, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY BLISTERS I GOT SCOOPING THAT ICE CREAM IT WAS SO COLD. PREACHERS FROM AS FAR AWAY AS CALIFORNIA HAVE VENTURED TO HAPPY HOME FOR CAMPMEETING BENEATH THE WOODEN SHELTER CHOIRS HAVE SUNG OUT THEIR HEART AND PEOPLE JAVE BROKEN DOWN IN TEARS BEARING WITNESS. WHEN THEY LEAVE CAMP MEETING THEY ARE NOT THE SAME, CHANGED FOR THE BETTER CAMPMEETING IS HELD IN AUGUST THE 17-27 WEEKS. PASTOR OF HAPPY HOME THE REV. CHUCK DAVIS SAID" LIFE WOULD SHUT DOWN IN THE COMMUNITY AND PICK UP AT THE CHURCH, FARMERS WERE AT A POINT WITH THEIR CROPS THAT THEY COULD DONATE THE TIME TO THE CHURCH AND PEOPLE WOULD PLAN THEIR VACATIONS TO CONCIDE WITH THE CAMPMEETING SERVICES. WHEN I CAME TO PREACH AT HAPPY HOME THE FOLKS REALLY ENJOYED THE MINISTRY AND WE LOVED THE AREA. WRITTEN BY HAZEL T. BYRUM APRIL 14,1991 PRESENTED DURING THE NEW SANCTURAY DEDICATION, INTITLE; HAPPY HOME CHURCH, ALONGSIDE A COUNTRY ROAD, NESTLED AMID THE STATELY PINE SETS A LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH, IT'S BEEN THERE A LONG TIME, A SMALL CONGREGATION, MAYBE TWENTY OR SO BEGAN HOLDING SERVICES OVER SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO OUT ON THE LAWN YOU SEE A SMALL BRICK SIGN LETTERED WITH ITS NAME ONE YOU DON'T USUALLY FIND. HAPPY HOME CHURCH IS ITS NAME , YOU SEE RECKON HOW THE NAME REALLY CAME TO BE. THIS SMALL THIS SMALL BAND OF CHRISTIANS GATHERED IN CHRISTS NAME TO WORSHIP THE LORD PRAISE , PRAY AND PROCLAIM THAT JESUS CHRIST SAVE ALL FROM SIN IF YOU SURRENDER YOUR HEART AND LET HIM COME IN. THE DOORS STAND AJAR FOR ALL TO ENTER IT MATTERS NOT WHETHER SAINT OF SINNER ITS ARM OF LOVE REACHES OUT TO EVERYONE, SAYING ENTER MY CHILD YOU WELCOME TO COME HOLINESS IS PREACHED ANDMANY SOULS ARE FED AROUND THE ALTER, MANY TEARS AND PRAYERS HAVE BEEN PRAY,BUT GOD KNOW KNOWS ALL AND BOTTLES THOSE TEAR NO ONE IS WASTED AS WE SETTLE OUR FEARS. THIS CHURCH HAS BEEN LIKE A SAFE SEA HAVEN FOR WAYWORN TRAVELERS THAT ARE SO HEAVY LADEN , THE STORMS OF LIFE RAGE AND FIERCE WIND BLOWS YET THERE IS PEACE IN THE MIDST,OF ALL THESE FOES.THIS CHURCH HAS BEEN LIKE A MIGHTY LIGHTHOUSE SENDING BEAMS FROM FARAWAY SHORE, RADIANTLY SENDING OUT THAT PRECIOUS LIGHT, IF WE FOLLOW HE WILL GUIDE US EVEN MORE. ALL THINGS CHANGE,SO HAS THIS STRUCTURE,TOO A BRAND NEW SANCTURY FROM PULPIT TO PEW. STEPPING INSIDE WE SURVEY THE BEAUTY AND HUE HAPPY HOME HAS REALIZED ANOTHER DREAM COME TRUE. A NEW OUTSIDE OF BRICK COVERS THE ONE WHITE-CLAD IT'S A GOD GIVEN STRUCTURE, ALL THE CHURCH IS SO GLAD, LETS REJOICE IN OUR HEARTS, AS THE DAY DRAWS NEAR THAT WE DEDICATE BACK TO GOD WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US HERE.THERE HAS BEEN MANY CHANGES FROM THEN TIL NOWHAPPY HOME MUST MOVEALONG WITH PRAISE AND PRAYER, GENERATIONS HAVE COME AND GENERATIONS MUST GO LET'S HOLD TO HIS HAND AND HIS BLESSINGS WILL FLOW. THE TORCH OF HERITAGE HAS PASSED ON THIS DAY TO BE LIFTED HIGH AND NEVER TO SWAY , TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR ALL HE HAS DONE AT THIS LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH NAMED HAPPY HOME. THE WOODED CHURCH PICTURE ALONG WITH THIS POEM IN THE CHOWAN HEARLD JANUARY 25, 2006 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/chowan/newspapers/happyhom33gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 5.7 Kb