The Great Revival
Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church, 1803-2003
In 1802, the flame of Methodism in the Cabarrus County area was fanned by a great religious revival that spread throughout the entire area between the Yadkin and Catawba. The Presbyterians began the camp meeting movement in the area, but the Methodists carried it to its greatest fruition. Men like William Ormond, James Patterson, and John McGee preached at meetings all over the Yadkin Valley. Orators such as Daniel Asbury and James Jenkins attracted entire pioneer families on journeys as long as one hundred miles to share in the experience. Families camped out for four or five days in makeshift tents; only later did permanent shelters begin to be erected by church organizations. James Patterson recorded in his Diary descriptions of camp meetings in Montgomery County in April of 1803, in Randolph County in July of 1803, and at the well-known Snow Creek Campground in Iredell County in August of the same year. The meeting places were within traveling distance of Cabarrus County's faithful and we can be sure some attended. Presbyterian minister and historian W. H. Foote records a camp meeting held in the bounds of Cabarrus County in 1802, but was not able to give us the location of the meeting.
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