Congregants Return for 186th Annual Marietta Campmeeting

EAST COBB — Whenever Cheryl Lassiter pulls off of Roswell Road onto the grounds of the Marietta Campmeeting, she feels her blood pressure go down.

The annual, nondenominational revival has been part of her life for the past 54 years.

“I married into this. My husband’s family has been here for probably five generations,” Lassiter said.

Her connection to the campmeeting runs deep; she was married on the grounds and baptized her children in the baptismal pool across from the old schoolhouse. Her son, Michael Lassiter, also married his wife and baptized their two kids there.

For nearly two centuries, the Marietta Campmeeting has been a cornerstone of spiritual renewal and familial connection for families like the Lassiter’s. This year marks the 186th gathering, continuing a tradition that began in 1837 with a meeting under a makeshift brush arbor.

“The original campmeeting had such a huge following that (the tenters) all agreed before departing that they were going to come back as soon as they were able to check and tend to their farms,” Michael Lassister said.

The following year, in 1838, an open-sided oak tabernacle was built, still referred to as “the arbor.”

Now, attendees continue to gather under the arbor for a daily morning and evening service, with an extra service on Sunday.

Early tenters traveled miles by wagon, ox-cart and horseback to participate in the revival, bringing their own livestock and living in canvas tents.

“Everything was self-sustaining. They didn’t go out and buy from stores … like we do now,” Michael Lassiter said. “It’s a different way of looking at the way we live now as consumers.”

To this day, some ancestors of the original tenters return to the campground each year, attending daily services and reconnecting with family and friends.

Darla Gaines, of Hiram, first attended a campmeeting when she was 9 months old. Her great-great-great-grandfather, Jimmie Gaines, was one of the original founders almost 200 years ago.

Each summer, she and her family join the other tenters and live in the original cabins, or “tents,” on the property for 10 days.

“It’s 10 days for us to get together, go to religious services and see all of our family members who we may not connect with on a day-to-day basis,” Gaines said.

Due to the growing size of their family, Gaines said they now occupy three of the 23 cabins surrounding the arbor.

The oldest cabin is over 100 years old and still has sawdust floors.

“Most of us have put in concrete floors to try to keep the bugs out, but I can remember when we sliced tomatoes and you’d just sweep the peels off into the sawdust,” Cheryl Lassiter said. “We always say if the termites quit holding hands, the structures will fall.”

Gaines and Lassiter, like many other tenters, have made updates to their cabins, adding bathrooms and floors. Still, none of the cabins have air conditioning.

“Before marrying into this, I used to drive by and wonder what this place was,” said Cheryl Lassiter. “I never dreamed I would be blessed to be a part of it.”

Her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Lassiter, said coming to the campmeeting is like stepping back in time.

“We have all found that this is our favorite time of year. We come here, we get to be slow, we get to be together, we get to sit on our porches and visit,” Jennifer Lassiter said. “And then we leave and we go back to our crazy, everyday lives.”

She has been coming to the campmeetings for 20 years, starting when she first began dating her now-husband, Michael Lassiter.

Their two kids look forward to the meeting for months each year.

“For our family, and a lot of families here, this is all we’ve known as a summer vacation,” Michael Lassiter said.

Outside of marriage and the birth of a child, he added that the campmeeting is one the most important events that they do as a family.

Lassiter enjoys seeing his kids experience the camp in the same way he did as a young boy.

“There’s no devices, no internet, no televisions. They just get to go out, play and be a kid. And if you need anything, you can go to anybody’s place,” Jennifer Lassiter said.

She said the community is so different from what they see living in a neighborhood where people keep to themselves.

During the week, the kids attend a Bible study in the school house, culminating in a Friday performance where they sing songs they learned during the 11 a.m. service.

“One generation after the next, the kids run around and play and learn what it is to go to children’s church and then come, sit still in church and behave,” Cheryl Lassiter said.

Michael Lassiter envisions the campmeeting continuing for generations to come.

“I hope to see all of us keep coming as long as we possibly can and see our kids and their friends come in behind us and take the roles that we take to help provide the opportunity for others and keep it going forever, as long as the good Lord wants it here,” he said.

While the meeting has faced its challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, he believes the energy and sense of community has returned.

“It just follows with the ebbs and tides of life,” he added.

The Marietta Campmeeting, which runs from July 12-21 at the Marietta Campround, is open to anyone who wants to join. Times and dates of services can be found at mariettacampmeeting.org.