Spring is almost officially here and it’s time for CLEANUP DAY on this Saturday, March 22, at Red River Meeting House. Anyone interested in helping should be ready to start at 9:00 am CDST. We ask you bring gloves and any tools you might use in any area you wish to help with.
Tasks needed to be done:
*Time to pick up fallen limbs on the grounds of meeting house and cemetery to get ready for mowing season. We have some bigger limbs that need cutting for firewood used by primitive campers. We also have some undergrowth to trim out/back.
*Restrooms, both modern and primitive, need to have an opening up and cleaning out. Meeting house needs leaves and excess dirt blown out with blower.
*Picnic pavilion needs some blowing out and cobwebs brushed off picnic tables. Maybe some painting on fence at driveway entrance if weather permits.
*We have Billy Wilkerson from Franklin is helping with cemetery and marking some unmarked graves. If anyone is interested in helping with cleanup day this Saturday, please let us know so we can plan accordingly.
*You may email us at redrivermeetinghouse@logantele.com or comment here.
*Snacks, water, and lunch will be provided for those helping. You can help physically by coming, financially by giving and/or spiritually by praying.
For further information or questions, please contact President Richard Moore at
270-539-6528.
RED RIVER AWAKENINGS
#34 (February 2025)
Annual Dinner Meeting on the Grounds-Sept 8, 2024. Glenda Orme Clark was our speaker. She shared how God led her in compiling her book, 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. Our special music was led by Demetria White and Jill Templeton. The pavilion and picnic tables are such a blessing and make setting up for the potluck so much easier. Thank you for making this possible. The next annual dinner meeting will be September 14, 2025.
Fall Rendezvous and Campmeeting-Oct 11-13, 2024. The event provided the answer to a question we posed in a previous newsletter concerning the large pine tree in the middle of the grounds. Dickie Carter was at the forgiveness ceremony when the tree was planted and remembered what took place. It was approximately 2014 when a group of about 30 people met to pray in RRMH. A Cherokee Indian Chief came to join in the prayer service. The speaker of the meeting humbled himself in front of the chief and asked forgiveness for the crimes the white man had committed to the native Americans. Then the chief in turn asked forgiveness for the crimes committed by the native Americans against the white man. The tree is a symbol of that forgiveness, unity and healing for the United States. Many people have asked about the tree and have been blessed knowing its purpose.
The yearly auction for the upkeep of the grounds was a success! Cori Davis is an up and coming artist. She sold some of her original drawings of RRMH, the Unity tree and the old stump that now has new life growing forth. You can find her on Facebook under her pen name, Sammy J. Morrison.
On Sunday morning Robert Operia spoke on having hope in Christ when hard times come. Steve Vann was in charge of the sacrament. Thank you to everyone involved.
This year's fall event will be REPLACED with a special 225th Anniversary Commemoration. It will be October 10-12, 2025. Details are in the President's Corner at the end of this newsletter.
Christmas Candlelight Service-December 1, 2024 was beautiful with Glen Mason playing the violin, and the Operia family singing. Robert Operia spoke about Christmas in 1800 and the wonderful things God did in the Great Revival. The next Christmas Candlelight Service will be December 7, 2025.
Upcoming Spring Encampment- April 25-27, 2025 Robert Operia will be our speaker and Steve Vann will be in charge of the sacrament on Sunday morning. Primitive camping encouraged and modern campers are welcome too. For more information, visit our website.
Non-Denominational Devotion services are on the first Sunday of every month at 3 p.m. (except December). Our faithful attendees have doubled in size. At one of our Sunday meetings, James Taylor brought another pew that he has repaired as well as a beautiful table that he made from an 18th century blueprint. These lovely additions to the meetinghouse are greatly appreciated.
BOOKS FOR SALE: Melanie Meadow's historical fictions The Waking Up and They Roared Like Lions. Dreama Ruley's Camping Memories. 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. All of these books can be ordered through Amazon. If you are in the area, you can buy these books at The Grapevine in Adairville.
SPECIAL DONATION: Rod and Debbie Bond are serving as missionaries in Utah. They recently retired from living history events and donated their clothing and accouterments to RRMH. We greatly appreciate these items that will enable us to outfit newcomers to our living history events.
CLEANUP DAY for the meetinghouse and cemetery yard will be March 22, with March 29 as our makeup day in case of inclement weather on the 22nd. Lunch will be provided. Please bring your tools and contact us if you need more information.
DID YOU KNOW?? that RRMH was one of the Jeopardy questions on June 24, 2024? The question was listed under the category “Where's The Meeting.” It was the $1,600.00 question and none of the contestants knew the answer, even Ken Jennings seemed surprised at the answer.
The question was “Logan County, Ky. in 1800 is credited as the birthplace of the fervent religious gatherings called these 4-letter meetings.” The answer was “What are camp meetings?”
SEPTEMBER was a very busy month with a school group touring the Robey dairy operation next door and then using our picnic tables and restrooms. Wildfire Ministries hosted a three day revival and the Portland Nazarene Church had an afternoon service.
OCTOBER Logan County Chamber of Commerce's Adult and Youth Leadership Logan classes met with Darlynn Moore. Freedom Church International had a prayer meeting, a Trevecca Nazarene University class came as a field trip and the month ended with a wedding.
NOVEMBER had Portland Nazarene Church bike riders to RRMH for a prayer meeting, a wedding, and filming of a documentary that is being developed by Ken Shaw Films LLC. Many of us were part of the filming and pray that this film will bless multitudes and lead to the next Great Awakening.
HOW TO GIVE: RRMH is a 501(c)3 so your contributions are tax deductible. We accept personal checks made out to “Red River Meetinghouse and Cemetery” or you can use Paypal on our website. Thank you for your past contributions and generous support. We have received many donations and notices of people who want to move from mailing to the email list which we greatly appreciate. Please let us know if you have a change of address or email. The newsletter is also posted on our website.
If you would like to use the grounds, please see our website under the Grounds/Reservations page.
PRESIDENT'S CORNER: 2025 is a special year as it marks the 225th anniversary of The Great Revival of 1800. Let me be the first to announce that a three-day celebration of this special historical religious event is being planned for October 10-12, 2025 at RRMH. We have begun to work toward such an event where we will explore the history of Rev. James McGready coming to Logan County and the three congregations that he led; Red River, Gasper River, and Muddy River. In these three churches the folks spent time praying, weeping, and seeking God for themselves.
In Rev. McGready's writings that were published in 1837, twenty years after his death, and titled The Posthumous Works of James McGready, he mentions an 'awakening' beginning in 1797, during the spring following his arrival to Logan County in 1796. When he talks about this so-called 'awakening', he goes on to say, “But the year 1800 exceeds all that my eyes ever beheld on earth.” Rev. McGready's statement explains why the Second Great Awakening was labeled The Great Revival of 1800 and why we are so passionate to explore the roots and share it with others as part of this event.
The weekend will be filled with praise and worship, and learning more about the late 1700's and early 1800's. Before the actual Great Revival of 1800, the churches were asked to fast and pray a certain time of each month leading up to when “heaven touched earth” as Glenda Clark refers to the revival in her book, A Table in the Frontier; Pioneers, Protestants, & The Presence of God, which I highly recommend.
We are asking folks to pray and fast for this special event and to set aside the 25th of each month leading up to October 2025.
We hope you will make plans to join us to commemorate and celebrate the 225th anniversary. We will have further details coming and will post on our website and Facebook account in the coming months. You may contact us by phone or through email as well.
October 10-12, 2025 is coming. Are you?
--Richard Moore