To Pray and to Play (and to Sway)

At the Chautauqua Institution in New York this past week the theme was “The Art of Play”. A variety of speakers looked at the importance of play in our daily lives. My presentation tied into that theme. I spoke about the old-time camp meetings. Not only were they used to strengthen the faith of the believers and to convert the sinner, they were a time of social interaction and play. Folks on the frontier were often isolated, so the camp meeting was a time to renew acquaintances and for the younger folks, it was a time to play (and for courting). The image is an artistic rendition of a camp meeting in the 1830s.  When people were convicted by the Holy Spirit some would sway. If you look on page 3 of the Daily Chautauquan you can learn more about the presentation.