Imperial Valley Holiness Camp: A time-honored legacy of faith

The Imperial Valley Holiness Camp is an interdenominational family church group whose grounds are located on Highway 6, 3 and a half miles east of Imperial, Nebraska.

Each year, dozens upon dozens of people of all ages travel from near and far to attend the 10-day spiritual event. 

This year’s gathering of Scripture, teachings and music will begin Thursday, July 20, with a 7 p.m. concert in the main tabernacle at the camp, featuring the Freedom Fellowship Worship Team from Freedom Fellowship Church in Yuma.

 The worship team is made up of three young women — Amanda Monk, Kennadee Monk and Aelyn Munoz, glorifying God and leading the worship to prepare hearts for the next nine days of spiritual growth and learning. 

Following the concert will be Pastor Ben Walker, musician, vocalist and spiritual leader who will be leading worship each night, ushering God’s people into His presence through worship, praise, prayer and music. 

Speaker for the Imperial Valley Holiness Camp meeting for the week will be Pastor Rob Schmutz, a traveling evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene. He is originally from Abilene, Kansas.

This is a family camp with activities for all ages, including two church services a day combined with opportunities to attend an early morning prayer meeting and afternoon Bible study for adults.

 There will be youth and children’s workers on the camp grounds to teach and plan activities throughout the day.

Kris Mustion and Kathy Weintz will be returning as children’s workers, leading the curriculum “Walking with Jesus.”

Pastor Brian Boisselle of Crossroads Wesleyan Church and his wife, Amber, will be assisting with the daily children’s program.

The camp is not about activities but rather spending time in God’s Word, developing lasting relationships with Christian friends and strengthening the family unit so, as Christians, they can take the Word of God home to share with others. 

The object of the holiness camp association is to seek and save the lost, empower them to lead a sanctified, changed life, and send people back home to strengthen and edify their local church.

After its July 20 opening, the camp continues until Sunday, July 30.

Accommodations

Camp attendees can reserve accommodations at area motels/hotels or B&B establishments if desired. 

Many choose to reserve spaces on site for campers or motor homes. Camp sites are equipped with electrical and water hookups as well as space to set up tents.

There are also 15 cabins to reserve for adults and families, plus dorms for girls and boys entering seventh grade up to entering college.

The Holiness Camp relies solely on donations from those who attend. The donations pay for camp expenses. Staff members and the Association’s board are volunteers.

Meals are provided three times a day in the camp dining hall for a freewill donation.

Enders Reservoir is available for camping less than 5 miles away.

Birth of a legacy

The first inkling of an idea about establishing a camp meeting took place during the 1890s by Levi Harmon, a deeply spiritual and capable leader.

Harmon’s son, Galen, became owner of his father’s farm and its cottonwood grove. He, too, carried a burden on his heart to start a camp meeting. In August 1911, after contacting other interested, the first camp meeting was held at Harmon Grove, one mile west and eight miles south of where the Day schoolhouse sat. The grove was two miles south of the Chase County line and seven miles east of the Colorado line. 

The interdenominational camp meeting was organized and it became a member of the Nebraska State Holiness Association. It was named the Dundy and Chase County Holiness Association.

The committee was formed with each evangelistic worker being chosen from a different church organization — sometimes as many as 8-12 organizations were represented in one year. The organization grew to 21 charter members representing a variety of denominations. 

It was said, “Many people received great spiritual benefit from these meetings and testified to the power of God’s Spirit. The Glory of God that was on these services and how the Holy Spirit manifested His power in their midst was a driving force.”

The camp was held at Harmon Grove from 1911-1920 as the number of attendees grew and the association held conventions in various locations. The year was 1913, and the lights were gas lanterns hung on two center poles supporting a big tent.

During camp meetings, people would bring their milk cows, cook stoves, tables, chairs, dishes and any equipment necessary for 10 days of camping and making meals. Large donations of food were brought in such as summer apples, canned cherries, peaches from home orchards, tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers, roasting ears, flour, chickens, homemade jellies and animals for butchering. 

During the last meeting in 1920, it was decided the camp should be moved since Galen Harmon had sold his property and moved to California. In 1921, the camp meeting was moved to a grove nine miles north and eight miles east of Harmon Grove and dubbed Robert Grove. 

In 1922, the name was changed to Dundy, Chase and Perkins County Holiness Association due to a large attendance from Perkins County. 

Another milestone was achieved in 1923 when eight association conventions resulted in several new churches being organized in the area. 

The camp was held at this location until 1924 and saw increasing numbers of people attending, bringing their burdens and problems to lay at the altar and hear heart-searching sermons preached under the anointing of the Spirit. More people participated as volunteers to help assist with camp meetings, provide food and work together during challenges or hardships.

Miriam Hegwood, longtime member of the holiness camp association and current secretary for the board, wrote about a challenging situation in 1924.

A severe storm broke during the evening service. The dining tent and several of the small tents were blown down, and the tabernacle tent was in jeopardy.

Several men held the ropes while others supported the two center poles. Other people were holding the sidewall curtains as rain and hail beat down on the canvas top so loudly the people couldn’t hear each other speak.

The lights strung throughout the tent went out, and they could only see as the lightning flashed. That particular night the standing tents were overcrowded. The lightning struck a tree nearby but no one was injured.

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