North Jefferson News, Gardendale, AL

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September 9, 2010

Revival celebrates 150 years

By Ben Montgomery The North Jefferson News

GARDENDALE — Gardendale-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church is having a tent revival this weekend as part of its 150th anniversary celebration.

The church is renting a 60-by-60 feet tent from the Great American Tent Company in Gardendale for the event. According to director of worship Robert Bradley, the tent is meant to symbolize an old practice of building a brush arbor, which is a makeshift shelter made of twigs and branches that early pastors of the church constructed to preach under.

“We didn’t want to build a brush arbor for 300 people, and we decided the next best thing would be a tent,” said Bradley.

“We wanted to recapture some of the history, the evangelistic fervor and the dedication to the Gospel.”

Bradley said he considered the revival to be a celebration of both the church’s and the community’s history.

“We are part of the history of this community,” said Bradley. “Revival is something that a community needs just as much as a church does.”

Bradley said he feels that revivals aren’t as much of a community event as they used to be, but that he hopes the tent revival can begin to change that.

“I think we can achieve that by having a real revival in the hearts and minds of the people,” he said.

The event is open to the public, and there will be watermelon, ice cream and other refreshments after the service each night. A nursery will be available, and there will be activities for children and activity bags for them to take home.

“This is all about getting back to the roots of this church,” said Jerry Swafford, an organizer for the revival. “This is an attempt to bring back some of the heritage of the church.”

Bradley thinks there could be as many as 300 people each night.

“Even if people can’t attend, we’re asking them to join us in prayer for our community,” said Bradley.

The church has also organized several musical acts, including the church’s own men’s ensemble, choir, and praise team.

“We’re going to have some old ‘camp meeting’ style music because it’s a tent revival, but we’re going to have more modern things, too,” said Bradley.

Bradley said he was worried about the weather while planning the event, but he is feeling more optimistic with the recent drop in temperature and approaching fall weather.

The guest speaker for the revival will be Dr. John Ed Mathison, recently retired pastor of the Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery.

The revival is part of a year-long celebration of the church’s 150th celebration. The seed for the church was planted in 1860 when the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South sent the Rev. John Shugart to Alabama as a missionary, according to a press release from Gardendale-Mt. Vernon.

Shugart was said to have preached services at a brush arbor. Later that year, locals organized the more permanent Shugart’s Chapel, which was the forerunner for the church as it stands today; it was supposedly located where Hobby Lobby is now.

The revival will be Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Services will be at 8:30. 9:45 and 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day. The tent will be on the south end of the church’s upper parking lot.

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