A local church is celebrating its 90^th annual camp meeting this week, which is the oldest camp meeting of its denomination in the state.

Snowd Branch Church of God celebrates the 90^th anniversary of its tabernacle camp meeting this week, bringing area churches together for worship and fellowship. For one week each year, usually the third week in September, the church hosts the camp meeting and invites visiting speakers and participants. Each night of the week, members and guests alike come together for praise, worship, fellowship, food and fun, Waters said.

The camp meetings are like a regular church service, Waters said. Guests and members hear special singing, the choir performs, an offering is collected, an alter service is conducted and it’s an opportunity to hear some great preaching. This year, Harry Clark, a pastor from Wagram, will be the meeting’s guest speaker. There will also be concessions sold before and after the meetings, which are provided by the church’s womens organization. Proceeds from the sale of concessional items will go to the local women’s discipleship, Waters said.

“We have this ongoing camp meeting,” Waters said. “It’s like a revival for our community and surrounding areas. We have people coming all the way from Virginia and the western part of North Carolina to become a part of our camp meeting. It’s a time we get together to fellowship and worship together. It’s a great time with friends and family.”

The church’s camp meeting started Sept. 15 and will continue through Sept. 21, said Glenda Waters, the wife of Snowd Branch Church of God Pastor Jerry Waters.

Waters said the church, established in 1919, decided there should be a meeting of area churches for worship and fellowship. It held its first camp meeting the week of Sept. 13, 1924 in the church, and from its success, plans were made for future gatherings, Waters said.

In the two following years, the camp meetings were held in a tent outside the church, but by Sept. 10, 1927, a tabernacle had been erected on property given to the church by J.O. Johnson, a local farmer and member of the church. Men in the area cut the logs and built the tabernacle themselves, which is still used today for the church’s annual gatherings, Waters said. According to Waters, the church, at one time, hosted visiting participants in cabins and provided three meals per day in its fellowship hall.

“It’s a part of our heritage for the Church of God in eastern North Carolina,” Waters said. “We are the oldest outdoor camp meeting continuing in North Carolina and one of the oldest in the Church of God. I love listening to people tell their experiences about it.”

Waters said this year’s meeting has been successful through the help of Alligood Church of God Pastor Phillip Jethro, the district overseer for the Church of God. Friday night, a 30-minute presentation was held, highlighting the history of the church’s camp meeting, which was put together, presented and narrated by Ron Mizell, a retired bishop within the denomination, Waters said.

Snowd Branch Church of God is located at 3283 VOA Rd., Washington.