We pray this new year will bring personal revival to your soul, fresh healing to your body and new commitment to your walk with Christ. Please enjoy testimonials and news of how God is blessing people through RRMH and please continue to send more for us to share.
Future dates: Cleanup Day: March 18, Raindate: March 25; Spring Camp April 21-23; Annual Potluck Dinner/Business Meeting Sept. 10; Fall Rendezvous and Campmeeting Oct. 13-15; Christmas Candlelight Service: Dec. 3, 4 p.m.; Devotional services 1st Sunday each month – 3 p.m.
Cleanup Day: If you are interested in helping to clean the grounds and do some maintenance on March 18, please contact President Richard Moore at (270) 539-6528 so we can have a count for lunch, which will be provided. We will work from 9-4.
A major loss: If you have used the two long, tall tables in the meetinghouse you can thank Norm Poppy for that. He built these in 2006 for a summer history event and left the tables for others to use. They have proven to be a blessing with communions, potluck dinners, displays for teaching materials, and items for sale.
Have you acquired information at the wooden kiosk when you first entered the walk in gate? Norm built that. He also made the metal doors that secure our fireplace.
If you have ever washed your hands or got a cup of water at the water faucets, you can thank Norm. He donated his time and big equipment in 2008 to prepare the way for our modern restrooms. The large rocks that make the fire ring were moved there as Norm found them with his equipment, digging the water line. Norm and his wife Cathy have helped in so many ways we cannot begin to share each and every one, but they have all benefitted each of us if you have ever visited here. Norm went to his reward on Dec. 13, 2022 and will be greatly missed by many.
Annual Meeting was Sept.11, 2022 with Circuit Judge Joe Hendricks from Russellville as our speaker. He spoke on how the freedom of religion became part of the Constitution of the United States. His talk was very educational and engaging, along with an eight-piece band that played gospel music for an hour that was arranged by Diane Krulik and enjoyed by all.
Our annual meetings have struggled with low attendance since the pandemic, and we are hoping our supporters will soon return. There is always plenty of food and fellowship! Due to rain, the meeting had to be moved to the Schochoh Community Center. We are grateful to have an alternative meeting place when weather causes a problem.
A new historical marker is being pursued to be put up at the end of the RRMH driveway, giving historical marker information about Mauldings Fort, which was built about the time of Fort Nashborough in Nashville and is the oldest settlement in Logan County.
Testimonial: “I always enjoy your newsletter. I visited the area a couple years ago-spent time in the library and became a Founding Father of Russellville/Logan County. I am a Maulding descendant and would like to purchase any available history on this family.” Sandra Brandt. Phoenix AZ (RRMH does not sell information, but the Logan County Archives might. The Maulding family was one of the first families to settle in this area and a project of the 225th anniversary of Logan County was to honor the descendants of the first families.)
October Campmeeting: The services were very different this year. Instead of preaching, we viewed the documentary prepared by the Hopkins County Genealogical Society. It featured Ms. Evelyn Richardson and Glenda Orme Clark sharing their research on the Great Revival of 1800, which is known as the Second Great Awakening.
Everyone enjoyed the sessions and popcorn was served each night. We strayed far from the period of 1800, but the information was well worth it. If you would like a copy of this documentary, please send a 64 or 128 flash-drive and $5 for postage to: Hopkins County Genealogical Society, c/o Theresa Ray, P O Box 51, Madisonville, KY 42431-0051
Theresa's number is (270)245-0250. If you want to send a text that you have sent the drive, she will be watching for your package and will let you know when it arrives and when she mails yours she will send you a text. Donations to the Genealogical Society would be appreciated, too, especially for all their hard work and willingness to share the documentary.
Bear Mills: It was brought to our attention that Bear Mills visited the RRMH in September and spoke of it on his podcast “Dark Before the Dawn.”. We highly recommend that you listen to the podcast
Jeff Barganier visited our humble meetinghouse and The Grapevine in Adairville. We enjoyed the article “Travel Experiences with Jeff Barganier” in the October 2022 edition of BOOM, The River Region's 50+ Lifestage Magazine and the rave reviews he gave us in his article.
HOW TO GIVE: RRMH is tax deductible. We accept personal checks made out to “Red River Meetinghouse and Cemetery” and you can use Paypal on our website. Thank you for your past contributions and generous support.
Contributions can also be made to RRMH through Benevity.com. Many companies are part of the American Online Giving Foundation and allow their employees and customers to make contributions through them. If your company is part of this program, they may also donate matching funds.
Supporters: James C. and Joyce Joines were quoted in our last newsletter. James has since been promoted to His heavenly reward. He will be missed by many family and friends.
Pavilion is finished and ready for tables. We are investigating the cost. One bid is for approximately $175 per 8 foot picnic table. If you would like to sponsor a table, it would be greatly appreciated. The restrooms are available for rent. Details are on our website or you can call Richard Moore at (270)539-6528.
BOOKS FOR SALE: In Melanie Meadow's historical fiction The Waking Up. The setting is the revival of 1800 in Logan County.
They Roared Like Lions, Meadow's sequel to The Waking Up, has been released! In this next installment in the Revival in the Kentucky Frontier series, readers follow the McMillan and McPherson families as they make the long trek to Cane Ridge for the famous August 1801 revival meeting. New characters and old intersect and experience the outpouring of God's Spirit.
Dreama Ruley's Camping Memories is a book of stories from the first 20 years of the Primitive Campmeeting and Rendezvous annual fall event.
Glenda Orme Clark's A Table in the Frontier: Pioneers, Protestants & the Presence of God: Amazing Events and Astonishing First-Hand Accounts of the Second Great Awakening in Kentucky and Tennessee book provides a lot of history concerning the 2nd great awakening and keeps the reader engaged.
All of these books can be purchased through Amazon, or at The Grapevine, and at The Shops at 110 both in Adairville and at Mustard Seed Marketplace on the square in Franklin.
New Tourism Opportunity: The Logan County Tourist and Convention Commission joined with five other tourism entities in the state of Kentucky to apply for a Multi-Jurisdictional State Tourism ARPA grant in the amount of $300,000 to fund a new joint project – The Kentucky Faith Trail. Dee Dee Brown, the LCTCC Director, states, “We are very excited and pleased to announce that recently we received word that we have been approved! Stay tuned, more details will be coming soon!” This is great news for RRMH because it will be included as a site on this trail.
Christmas Candlelight Service was beautiful and serene as the Robert Operia family led us in carols and Robert preached about the darkness of the world that Jesus was born into and has shown His light into. The meetinghouse was lit by one candle until the end when we all sang “Silent Night.” As we shared our fire with others, the soft glow of the candles in the meetinghouse shone so perfectly as we ended the year of 2022 festivities and activities. What a wonderful way to begin the Christmas season.
Testimonial: It was a Sunday. A cold winter morning. It had been an emotional weekend. As I was driving to church, I had a word from God. Weird to some, but of late I have begun to pay closer attention. I shared the word with those it concerned and with my husband. During the worship service, the word was confirmed. There were tears of joy, thanksgiving and praise.
It was also confirmed to me that we were to go to RRMH to pray. We obeyed. I am so thankful we did. We entered RRMH, the decorations had begun for the candlelight service. It was beautiful, simple, authentic, and historic. I was overjoyed to realize we could come back that night and experience Christmas at Red River. How special is ‘The Father’ we have, to have brought us there that particular day, to experience the special event that would be happening later in the evening. Yes, I’d say a divine appointment from God. HE met us there as we cried out to Him and made our petitions known. RRMH is such a Holy Sacred Place.
The candlelight service has been added to my list of the many occasions GOD’s Presence has been with me at RRMH. We returned that night, and the atmosphere was electric! There was joy in the air! The building lit by candles, the musicians playing the dulcimers, with the singers, and the speaker all in character dress creating a feeling of yesteryear. The service was meaningful, a reflection of a simpler, but possibly a harder time. It was a glorious Christmas celebration, that was filled with the Holy Spirit. A beautiful and spiritual way to kick off the Christmas season.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. HE is the light of the world! Candlelight is light, and it spreads when we share it. The representation of this through the lighting of our candles to our neighbors always brings the real meaning of Christmas to light for me.
Thank you to all who work so hard to make this happen and for keeping RRMH open and available for anyone to experience HIS Presence. It is Holy Ground. And, to top it off, we were served cookies, hot chocolate and cider, YUM! I will mark my calendar to return next year. Thank you. Billie Caren Borthick.
President's Corner: New Year, new exciting things happening at RRMH in 2023, which has started out on a busy note. The Lord has big plans for RRMH. Folks continue to come from all over the U.S. and beyond. Folks have started reserving the restrooms for an all-day retreat (Women At War) in February and a wedding in April. A work day is scheduled for March. With the pavilion just recently built, picnic tables are needed and if you feel led to help toward sponsoring one, please let me know through a phone call or email.
We are encouraged by the fact that we now have excellent facilities with the restrooms and pavilion. Once we get the pavilion furnished with picnic tables, school and church groups as well as individuals will be able to utilize it to its fullest. Now, I ask that you please pray for the next step of faith...a caretaker facility that would include a museum, library and archives. There is such a need for someone to be readily available to meet those who come seeking info and what better way to have a caretaker overseeing the grounds and preserving valuable research material made available at the actual location of the Second Great Awakening.