by JERRY J. JETER
and women who came from conservative
100
Methodist backgrounds. Camp meetings
were held twice a year in the spring and
fall as people from all over central Florida
gathered for days of preaching, prayer,
and consecration.
Tomlinson’s visit to Pleasant Grove in
May 1909 lasted 10 days and was accom-
panied by many signs and wonders with
“shouting, praying, leaping, dancing, and
YEARS
falling prostrate on the straw” (Tomlin-
son, Journal of Happenings). By the time
he left, Tomlinson had taken 174 mem-
bers into the Church of God in what he
called “the greatest time of church join-
ing I ever saw yet.” This camp meeting
OF FLORIDA
brought several families into the Church
of God who would make a significant
CAMP MEETING
impact on the movement, such as the
Barrs and Evanses, the first Church of
God missionary team, along with the
Simmons and Tharp families. Tomlinson
“
I stood there while altar work continued with loud cries,
was so excited about his success with the
shrieks and much prayer until some fell; then I was able
camp meeting he would return that same
year in October.
to sit down on the altar in the midst of the seekers
The Church of God in Florida contin-
where I remained until about midnight giving instruc-
ued to hold its camp meeting at Pleasant
Grove through 1913. When the South
tions and interpretations. Wonderful meeting. The Lord
Florida Holiness Association declined to
has promised us great things here if we will be humble
bring their campground into the Church
of God, Florida ministers decided to build
and obedient.” —A.J. Tomlinson (Pleasant Grove, Florida; 1909) a new campground 22 miles away in
Wimauma. By one account the site was
T
HE CHURCH OF GOD in Florida town about 20 miles east of Tampa where chosen as Zeno Tharp, who would later
was born in the fires of a Holiness A.J. Tomlinson, general moderator, first serve as general overseer, and his brother
camp meeting. It was the revival saw the potential of camp meetings to were swimming in Lake Wimauma and
fires of this camp meeting that change the Church of God and the one of them looked up to the grassy hill
fanned the flames of Pentecost as they world. The town was Durant and the above noting that it would be a good
swept across Florida until men and campground just a mile away was called place for a Gospel tent. The land was pur-
woman were consumed with its passion Pleasant Grove. This campground was chased under the direction of State Over-
from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast and operated by the South Florida Holiness seer W.S. Caruthers, and construction of
north to south. It was in a small, obscure Association, a loosely knit group of men a 70-by-70 tabernacle was begun.
Pleasant Grove
22 EVANGEL • JUNE 2009 campground
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37