The Camp Emmaus Board would like to recognize and thank the community for the generous donations that were given when Camp was in a position of need. Part of the Camp mission is to assure that everyone has the oportunity to worship here and come closer to God. In order to do that, Camp keeps costs as low as possible for the campers. As a not-for-profit organization, donations are a large part of what keeps Camp up and running. Your donations make it possible for people of all ages to be a part of the Camp Emmaus Community and find their way closer to God. Thank You!
No cost, but bring a rake if you have one. In order to keep the camp wildlife healthy, the leaves need to be raked up off the grounds. Camp will provide donuts and various beverages throughout leaf raking. If you would like to make this a weekend event, please contact the camp manager at 815-734-4268 to reserve a cabin.
November 9-11, 2018
Camp EmmausWhen: Registration will begin at 7 pm on Friday Night. Retreat participants will be dismissed on Sunday around noon. We are open to people coming late or leaving early so long as they are at the retreat Saturday Morning.
Who: Everyone currently in 9th through 12th grades plus First Year College students during the 2018-2019 school year. Friends and advisors are welcome.
Cost: $30 for youth and adults. Make checks payable to “Illinois/Wisconsin District Youth”
What to Bring: Games, Bible, Rake, Sleeping Bag, Snacks to share, Towel, and Work clothes.
Service Project Information: We recommend dressing comfortably and in layers – it can be chilly in the morning – and you may warm up while raking leaves.
Would you like your own event to be hosted at Camp Emmaus, or are you looking for a quiet getaway? You can contact 815-734-4268 to reserve a cabin.
Here are the dates for 2019:
Senior High: 7/7 thru 7/13
Elementary II: 7/14 thru 7/17
Young at Heart: 7/17 thru 7/21
Junior High: 7/21 thru 7/27
Elementary III: 7/28 thru 8/2
CIT: 8/2 thru 8/4
Elementary I: 8/3 thru 8/4
Women's Camp: 8/8 thru 8/10
Memorial Day & Labor Day Family Camps are on the traditional weekends
Tentative - Wilderness Camp/Retreat held during spring break on a Friday thru Sunday
Directed by Jonathan Stauffer & Randall Westphall
You can download the August newsletter here! If you’d like future newsletters by email or would like to leave feedback, please send an email to campemmausnews@gmail.com
Camp is a not-for-profit organization that depends on donations from camp community members like you.
To be or not to be? To answer the call, to take the challenge, or to choose a more simple, less intimidating path? A week before beginning my journey as Youth Peace Advocate, I was terrified. I was mortified at the prospect of traveling the country alone, talking about a subject I wasn’t sure I knew how to address, and feeling as if I wasn’t worthy of the task for which I was called. At “senior campfire night” at Camp Emmaus, every student stood up and said something very similar – about at first being afraid to come to camp, but as soon as they arrived, having those worries relieved.
When I was packing up my room I found a box of temporary tattoos. I had gotten them at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before my freshman year of college, and there was one tattoo left in the box: “To be or not to be?” It went on jet black and crisp; it almost looked like a real tattoo! The words were edged on my left shoulder blade and it felt right. I didn’t think of it at the time, but it was a question I had been asking myself 500 times a day since accepting the call to be the Youth Peace Advocate. To be or not to be? (I’m a little angsty, but you know what, so was Hamlet). These tattoos usually last between 1 and 2 weeks. Believe me, I’ve gone through a whole box of them. But this question seemed to linger, staying planted on my left shoulder blade and in the back of my mind. To be? Can I do this? Is this a call I can handle and will be valuable for others? Or not to be? Who would I be if I let my anxiety about it take over? In the first weeks, I had to learn that being the Youth Peace Advocate is different than being on the travel team, and I was going to bring different things to the camps. Maybe I haven’t brought the high energy skits and songs or the funny anecdotes that people might expect from the Youth Peace Travel Team. But I did bring other things, and I know that is different and valuable in itself.
This week, my temporary tattoo washed off and with it, the question. Camp Emmaus has felt loving, accepting and is a safe place to express vulnerability. Seeing the seniors be so vulnerable in their stories and seeing how much this place effects their lives was a moving and inspiring experience. Maybe that is a reason I feel brave enough to share this struggle with you. I feel safe. I may not have anything profound to say this week. I’m not going to try to tell you how to be Brethren or the importance of peace or even the sequence of events that happened at Camp Emmaus. Instead I’ll tell you: I know the answer to my question and it has taken me as long (or longer) than the magnificent seniors here at Camp Emmaus. And the answer is this: Be. Follow the call. These campers have found a safe place where they feel heard and honored, and they have learned how to gift that to others. They gifted it to me!
Follow the call. The senior highers have found an amazing home here at Camp Emmaus, and although I haven’t been here nearly as long, I feel like I’ve gained a permanent home outside of a little town named Oregon, Illinois. Even if I never get to come back, the mark that this place has made on my heart is far from temporary.
#AintNoMountainHighEnough
#Iloveyoubaby
#TheBeaverSong
#Supertrooper
#Thunderdome
#Peaceme
–Laura Hay, Youth Peace Advocate
PRAY
• Lift Camp Emmaus, its managers, staff, directors, counselors, and campers up in your daily prayers.VOLUNTEER• Your time and talents for a variety of projects around the camp. Painting, carpentry projects, tree trimming, etc.DONATE
• Your time as a counselor or director, urgently needed mature Christians over 25 as counselors
• For a 3-year term on the camp board• Financial donations to camp for the general operating fund are greatly appreciated.send mail to:P.O. Box 128To make a reservation or ask the Camp Managers a question please call 1-815-734-4268; for summer camp related questions please contact campemmaus@live.com
Mt. Morris, IL 61054
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Camp Emmaus
send mail to:
P.O. Box 128
Mt. Morris, IL 61054
ship UPS to:
3011 W. Camp Rd.
Oregon, Illinois 61061
To make a reservation or ask the Camp Managers a question please call 1-815-734-4268;
for summer camp related questions please contact campemmaus@live.com
