A longtime tradition in Henry County’s faith community has been put on hold, for now.

  The Board of Trustees for the Shingleroof Campground in McDonough voted on June 1 not to hold its annual campmeeting next month. The board will consider rescheduling the event for late August or September.

  Randy Daniel of Stockbridge is the chairman of the board of trustees at Shingleroof Campground. Daniel said the group met recently to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the campmeeting, which was originally scheduled for July 17-23.

  “The Board unanimously agreed that certain functions such as guest choirs, youth activities, children’s activities, Sunday School, and offering meals in the dining hall would have to be suspended this year due to the pandemic,” said Daniel. “It was recognized that state, federal, and CDC guidelines for mass meetings are evolving, coupled with

the uncertainty of the pandemic’s trajectory.”

  Daniel said the board is  evaluating the possibility of upgrading the campground to enable livestreaming of services on the Internet. This option, he said, could potentially benefit individuals with compromised immune systems, and those who would choose not to attend the campmeeting.

  Daniel said “no decision” has been made to cancel campmeeting for 2020.

  “I am hopeful we can hold campmeeting this year,” said Daniel. “Shingleroof was established to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ through revival. America needs revival. As we monitor the evolving conditions, recommendations, and available data, the board will strive to make an appropriate decision for this year.”

  Hundreds of people typically come to the Shingleroof Campmeeting each year for a week of old-fashioned preaching, singing, and fellowship. The occasion has become a tradition for numerous families locally, as well as others who travel long distances to worship under the Shingleroof tabernacle.

  Sophe Pope of McDonough also serves on the board of trustees for

Shingleroof, and has never missed a campmeeting there during her lifetime. She said she was looking forward to coming to the campmeeting with her husband, Dusty, and their four daughters.

  “I’m really going to miss the opportunity to gather with friends and family that I so looked forward to seeing and hugging, and the opportunity to sing together under the tabernacle,” said Pope. “I know that we will come out of this stronger as a community, and we will reconvene as soon as possible.”

  Pope said the board postponed the campmeeting for the benefit of its older, more vulnerable population. Still, she said it was not an easy decision to make.

  “For me personally, it was completely heartbreaking,” said Pope. “But, it would have been impossible for us to host a campmeeting under current guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all of our guests while still preserving the tradition of campmeeting.”

  The origin of the campmeeting at Shingleroof dates back nearly 200 years. County Historian, Gene Morris Jr., is a lifelong attendee of the event, and said it has had a significant impact on the area’s faith community.

  “Shingleroof Campmeeting is a pioneer religious institution dating back to 1831, and possibly earlier,” said Morris. “It was founded during the Second Great Awakening, an evangelical Christian religious revival which swept across the American frontier in the early 19th century. The people

of Henry County have gathered at the corner of Campground Road and Ga. Highway 155 for 10 generations to worship and praise God, sing, and fellowship together.”

  Morris said few written records exist about the early days of Henry County. As such, it is unknown exactly how many times a campmeeting has been canceled or postponed.

  “We do know of a couple of periods when campmeeting was not held,” said Morris. “In 1864, campmeeting was cancelled due to the Civil War military campaigns in the Atlanta and Henry County area. Campmeeting was not held again at Shingleroof until 1873. Following that, campmeeting resumed as before and renewed the spirits of Henry Countians.”

  Morris said campmeeting was also not held at Shingleroof from 1893 to 1900.

  “There are speculations, but no one really remembers why,” he said. “The campground was still used for Sunday School conventions, singing conventions, singing contests and family reunions during those years. In 1901 campmeeting resumed and continues.”

  Morris said the campmeeting has always been an important piece of the spiritual and social life of Henry County.

  “Now, in 2020, we are in a time of pandemic when large gatherings are considered a threat to health, safety and the general welfare,” he said.

  “Hopefully, the sun will come out, the summer heat will beat back the virus threat and campmeeting can be rescheduled for later. Like everything these days, we all have to stay tuned to see where things are going. This is a historic year in many, many ways, and we are all a part of it.”

  Marianna Rowan Brown of McDonough attended her first campmeeting at Shingleroof when she was just five months old, and has returned every year since then. She said she supports the decision to postpone the event, and that she believes it will be back.

  “Personally, I do believe it is the correct decision for the safety of all,” said Brown. “Shingleroof is still going to thrive in our hearts, and we’ve never been faced with anything in my lifetime before. I am praying that our lives can eventually return to some type of normalcy in the future months or next year.”