Brush Arbor Worship & Lunch September 17, 2023

I (Pastor Lisa) grew up in Alabama, and Brush Arbor was a term used for outdoor services that usually happened in the late summer or early fall. These services were most common in rural communities and could involve a single congregation or combine several community congregations. Brush Arbor could be a single worship service or services over several nights for a full-fledged revival.

I did a little internet research in order to learn where the term originated. Lo and behold, Brush Arbor has Presbyterian roots and was birthed in Tennessee and Kentucky. The following excerpt is from http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/fa75d.htm.

An American heritage that has always been cherished is the right of religious freedom. Americans have always been free to gather together to listen to the word of God. For the early New Englanders it was not a difficult task, for the people lived in close communities centered around a church. But as the frontiersmen moved farther west, people moved farther away from a community life, becoming semi-isolated from their neighbors and the outside world. Still, the people longed for fellowship and a place to worship together.

Then around the late 1790's a powerful Presbyterian preacher came up with the answer. His name, James McGready, and the answer, the camp or brush arbor meetings. The technique he developed was one which used the resources provided by the hilly regions of Kentucky and Tennessee where he preached. Trees and brush were used to build a temporary out-of-doors shelter for the people who came from miles and miles around to hear the word of God. This protected them from the harsh sunlight and rainfall.