Ocean Grove, New Jersey

TR and I are in Ocean Grove, New Jersey today. I had never been here before, nor had I heard of it (ashamed to say). It is historically a Christian community. The Camp Meeting Association was founded here in 1869, mostly by Methodists. Those were the days when both camp meetings and the Methodists flourished. Ocean Grove is a one square mile little town, 20,000 here in the summer, 3,500 in the winter. Many of the streets have biblical names.

There is an association with old-fashioned hymns here. Fanny Crosby used to come here all the time and wrote a poem about Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Thomas Chrisholm wrote “Great is Thy Faithfulness” here. Eliza Hewitt and Emily Wilson wrote “When we all get to Heaven” here. One of the little streets running right into the Great Auditorium is called Pilgrim Pathway. The second verse of “When we all get to Heaven” begins with the words “While we walk this pilgrim pathway”.

Great preachers have been here – William Booth, Billy Sunday, D. L. Moody, Billy Graham, D. James Kennedy. Seven presidents have spoken in the Great Auditorium including Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. Musicians and singers performing here include Enrico Caruso and Marian Anderson This building was built to seat 10,000, but now seats 6,500 although some 1,600 were present today when I preached there.

See the photo with TR and me in front of the Great Auditorium. Note the photo by the street Pilgrim Pathway. The other photo is with Dr. Dale Whilden, the present chairman of the Camp Meeting Association. It has been fun to be here. Just thought all 13 of my followers would like to know!