Remembering the Old Fashioned Holiness Church Summer Revivals ✨✝️✨

It was 1970 something and the Pennsylvania summers were awesome! No air conditioner needed. I’m not sure if my younger self just had a better heat tolerance, or if it’s true what the older generation always said about our summers being more tolerable years back?

Ok, setting is a Pilgrim Holiness Church Revival! If you’ve never been, well then, wow! I’ll do the best I can to create a glimpse into this “step back in time” feeling, best described as close to early 1900s feeling as we can get currently.

I’m no church denomination expert, and will never claim to be. This is just from my childhood memories, how I felt and saw it.

Mid Summer, July something,…..women of all ages in long modest dresses covering their knees and almost to their ankles. Men in button up dress shirts, typically rolled up to their elbows because of the heat. Every woman over age 20 something has her hair wrapped up in a bun, sometimes a long braided bun. Hair pins everywhere to hold these massive hair buns in place. No woman is allowed to cut her hair, so long hair everywhere.

It’s an old, 1800s something white painted wood church with so much history in it I don’t even know where to begin. As a kid, my favorite part is playing with the old rusty water pump out front. During a break from this 3+ hour revival I get to run outside and play, as long as there are any other kids there. Typically we’re small in number.

Nothing, absolutely nothing tops my memory of those nighttime breaks, running full speed out to the woods chasing the fireflies, laughing, adding in a little game of tag while chasing them! It was as pure and innocent as it sounds.

The crowd is mostly pretty serious old hymn singing middle agers and up. Almost 80% of the night is family style singing; now I really loved this part! It’s not just one person up front, it’s usually a family singing together, or a husband and wife team. It’s loud, acoustic, and full of passion.

Old paper fans on a flat stick are waving everywhere to help cool down. Ladies with sweat beading down the sides of their faces, fans a wavin’.

The Preacher is the only man still in his full suit coat. He’s up there sweating away; Fire and brimstone style preachin’ about the world we live in, how we’re to be disciples to everyone, how we’re to keep living our modest, God fearing way without giving in to the temptations of the worldly ways!

And then the singing starts up again! Oh, that was the best part. My dad has such a good strong tenor voice. Mom’s is a quieter soprano but her harmonies sound really good with him. Dad’s the song leader at our church and they are both typically one of the featured singing groups at these revivals.

As a 6-7 year old, pretty quiet only kid, I’m pretty pumped at these camps. It’s what I know. What a world! Mom’s best friends were typically Mennonites, and we know quite a few Amish families too.

Oh, I could go on and on about the homemade pies sitting on the window ledges, the feeling of running barefoot everywhere, as long as it wasn’t winter, the smell of the gardens (because everyone had one). Gardens bursting at the seams with tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, 🍅🥒 and those horrible radishes, that was about the only thing I really didn’t like.

At the time, I had no clue I was living like an early 1900s, “Little House on the Prairie” community. I knew I didn’t look like anyone else at my public school,….and went through years of questions,...”why do you look like that, why don’t you cut your hair, why are you always in dresses?” 🤦‍♀️

It’s all good. My parents left the Holiness church when I was about 10. First pair of pants and first haircut ever! I wouldn’t change any of it for anything. What a cool foundation it gave me! My perspective now has so many non typical dimensions to it.

Middle of the road Methodist now, and will always absolutely cherish my childhood Holiness church revival memories! Big families, Old Hymns, Fans with Jesus pictures on them, and Fireflies,……so many fireflies those nights. Life before any abuse is always so much brighter. ✨✨