Stories — Hortense Wesleyan Camp Meeting

01 / STORIES FROM CAMPMEETING

Every generation has a story to tell.

For more than a century, people have come to Hortense to worship, reconnect and spend ten days together. Along the way, Camp Meeting has become part of countless family stories, friendships and memories.

These are the stories of the people who have called Hortense part of their lives.

02 / IN THEIR WORDS

What Hortense means to the people who return.

“For as far back as I can remember, Hortense Camp has always been a part of my life. When I was little, I could not wait to be old enough to stay in the girl’s dorm. As time went by, I came to love camp very much. There was always an activity going to keep us busy.

The memories I have of Hortense Camp are numerous. I remember shaving cream fights, talent shows, catching frogs and letting them loose on the platform under the tabernacle. I remember once that the youth got to walk around the block and Michael Batten let me ride on his shoulders.

But my most vivid memories of Hortense Camp are the ones of everyone gathering around the altar at night to pray. So many people got help at that altar. I thank God for my mama and daddy for taking me to church and to camp. If it had not been for their guidance and support, I would not be where I am today.

My wish is for my children to remember camp like I do. I want them to experience camp like I did. But most of all, I want God to do a work in them and through them so that their testimony will shine in everything they do. Hortense Camp can help achieve that.”

AUDREY ROWELL
Daughter of Sheldon & Dell Rowell

“My earliest memory of the camp is staying at camp as a kid in 1977 and winning a trophy for “Best All Around Camper”. I stayed at the camp every year until 1986 or 1987. Then I was talked into being the boys’ counselor for a couple of years. That was an experience!

I remember lots of great preachers and many friends made at camp. I also remember sitting under the tabernacle on a hot afternoon talking to Mr. Alvin Batten or Mr. Bobby Day. They were always willing to talk an hour or two (Ha!).

I have experienced so many memories at the camp. I was a groomsman when Michael and Jeannie Batten got married at the camp, and I remember what it felt like to wear a tux outside when the temperature was 105 degrees. It was at the camp in 1991 that I was saved. During the camp of 1992 God showed me that Misty Strickland was the woman that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with.

It has only been in the last few years that I have realized what a privilege it has been to live next door to the camp since I was three years old. The camp has meant so much to my family and me all these years.

The saddest day of the whole year is always the Monday after camp ends when we go to put the things away and lock up the rooms. The camp looks so empty, and I always dread that day because it seems like 12 months is a long time to wait for camp to start again.”

Sheldon Rowell, Jr.

Son of Sheldon & Dell Rowell

SHELDON ROWELL, SR.

Camp President

Hortense Wesleyan Camp has always held a special place in my life and in the life of my family.

Growing up next door to the camp, some of my earliest memories are of waking in the mornings and hearing people praying. At night, there would be cars and trucks everywhere as people gathered for the services. And, of course, there was always pine straw to clean up around the grounds. I remember attending children’s church with Bob Long. One time, I had a piece of ice in my mouth when we were called to the altar. I ended up swallowing the ice—but memories like that have stayed with me through the years.

As I grew older, I began helping around the camp myself. I remember Bro. Milton in his safari hat, Sis. Addie Lewis and her dirt-floor cabin, and my own parents working in the dining hall. So many people gave their time, money and labor to make sure camp continued year after year. I also remember the prayer around the altar and the great sermons preached under the Tabernacle. One sermon by H. K. Sheets has stayed with me—the story of a young man who rejected Christ and later cried out for another chance.

Through the years, I have seen God protect this place, even through storms. We always felt that the camp was one of the safest places we could be. The Tabernacle itself is especially meaningful to our family. Both my mother’s and father’s funerals were held there. It is a place connected to some of the most important moments of our lives. When I think about Hortense, I do not want to be remembered for what I did for the camp. I want to be remembered for what the camp did for me.

The impact God’s people at the camp have made on my life is incredible.

Dell Rowell

Has Held Various Jobs Titles at Camp

My first memory of Hortense Wesleyan Camp was in 1965. I had just met Sheldon Rowell, Sr., and we went to his parents’ home, which was near the camp. There were cars everywhere. From their porch down the road, I could hear the preacher and the singing. I had never attended a camp meeting service before, and I had no idea then how much Hortense would become a part of my life.

One of my first jobs at camp was helping Mrs. Iris Smith with desserts. I also helped Mrs. Hazel Rowell in the dining hall. That dining hall would eventually become a big part of my years at Hortense .I remember the first time I saw Bobby Cooley in the dining hall and thinking he was a little odd. Little did I know that Bobby and his wife, Norma, would become such dear friends. I also remember when Phil and Vonda Harrington arrived with their boys in that huge station wagon. They looked like they thought they had reached the end of the earth! Phil’s first sermon lasted about fifteen minutes—possibly one of the shortest sermons in the camp’s history.

Over the years, I served in many different ways. One year I was the Girls’ Counselor while Glen Rainey was the Boys’ Counselor. For many years, I served as Head Cook in the dining hall, with Mrs. Ruby Batten helping me. Mrs. Batten became like a second mother to me, and her husband helped keep us supplied with tomatoes and peaches. There were so many people who worked hard to keep Hortense going. I remember Milton Roberson, Dave Rowell, Iris Smith, Joe Smith and many others who gave their time and energy to the camp. But some of my most meaningful memories are the ones involving my own family.

One of the greatest was when our son, Sheldon Jr., was saved at camp and felt God calling him to be a speaker for Him. Then, in 1992, Hortense became part of another chapter in our family’s story when Sheldon Jr. realized that he loved Misty Strickland and wanted to marry her. Now another generation is making memories here. My three oldest grandchildren love Hortense Camp, and I remember how excited Audrey’s youngest son was when he was finally old enough to stay in the boys’ dorm.

Looking back, Hortense has been much more than a place we attended each year. It has become part of our family’s story, with memories and traditions continuing from one generation to the next.