Camp Emmaus
Mount Morris, IL
Gather 'Round the Campfire!
Enjoy autumn at camp on Saturday, Oct. 21, as the district is invited to a campfire and other fall fun.
Come during the afternoon to relax or hike around camp on your own, then gather at 5 p.m. for a pumpkin-decorating contest and light meal, followed by the campfire (with s’mores!) beginning about 6:15 p.m.
The event is free, but donations are welcome.
At the 75th Anniversary Celebration, Doug Firebaugh received the first ever Bill and Betty Hare Volunteer of Distinction Award to celebrate and thank him for over 40 years of volunteer service at Camp Emmaus in Mount Morris, IL.
Greetings to the many Camp Emmaus enthusiasts, supporters, volunteers, and investors!
My name is Randall Westfall, and I am the new camp manager at Camp Emmaus. I am excited for the new challenge and journey that God has called my family and I to here in Illinois.
Some of you we already know, some we’ve already met and others we’ve yet to meet and look forward to meeting many of you who have made Camp Emmaus a “thin space” to encounter God’s Spirit and presence in creation. Outdoor ministry has been a crucial mission point for many years as we seek to present the Gospel of Christ amidst his creation and live out in faithful community that message of grace, mercy, love, and peace.
A brief introduction to help us get acquainted until we can get do so in person (preferably around a campfire): Originally from Greenville, Ohio I grew up with one foot in the Church of the Brethren and the Old German Baptist Brethren. I attended Manchester University majoring in Religion. I served as pastor at Bethel Center CoB and West Manchester CoB (both in Indiana). I also graduated from Wilderness Awareness School where I obtained certifications in wilderness survival skills, ethnobotany, wildlife tracking, bird language, naturalist skills, and deep nature mentoring. I previously served as Camp Director at Camp Brethren Heights (MI) for 13 summers. I have emergency first responder certification and was recently ordained in the Church of the Brethren.
I am blessed to be married to my wife Brenda (who grew up in the Freeport CoB and attended Emmaus as a child and youth) as well as my children Heidi, Hewyt, (and an angel Hanna). We homeschool our children and we enjoy exploring God’s creation, making music together, and are wonderful pro-craft-inators (meaning that we often get sidetracked by various creative and crafting ventures).
If you want to know my passions, they revolve around these themes:
WildCraft: Wilderness/Outdoor Connection and Education and God’s Eco-Blueprint
WoodCraft: Carving wood spirits, gnome/fairy houses, green men, hiking staffs, kuksas
SongCraft: Making music (particularly Irish, Old-time, and Christian) on the mandolin, banjo, and guitar.
SoulCraft: Deepening discipleship to Christ as a creation-based spiritual director, a self-described Bible Nerd, Anabaptism, Christian mysticism, facilitating men’s spirituality circles, and rites of passage (soul encounters) for youth and men’s groups
God's blessings to each of you and we hope to see you soon at Emmaus!
October 21
District Campfire, event begins at 5pm Youth Leaf Raking Retreat Leaf Raking Day
Intermediate Camp Young Adult and Young at Heart Camp (YAAYAH) Senior High Camp Middle School Camp CIT Elementary Camp Women's Camp Men's Camp
Everyone is invited to help rake leaves
on Saturday, November 11th.
While activities go on at camp all year ‘round, summer always feels like the heart of camp life, as children and youth and volunteer counselors pour through the gate for some life-changing days on the trails, on the field or playground, in the lodge, and around the campfire.
This year was no different, as nearly 100 campers spent a week or a few days at Emmaus for Senior High Camp, Intermediate Camp, YAAYAH, Middle School Camp, and Elementary Camp. More than one camper said it was the best week of their summer!
The 2023 Bible study theme was “What’s In a Name?”, looking at the ways we are uniquely created, gifted, and called by God. Stories of Moses, Zacchaeus, Ruth and Naomi, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Peter, and more helped campers think about their own names and journeys and how God might be calling them.
Head chef Reid Phillips and his crew provided great meals again through the summer, and camp board members and other volunteers covered all the needed duties to keep camp running well. New items in the camp store—including apparel with the new camp logo, and a variety of other T-shirts—proved popular.
It's not too soon to be thinking about 2024. Put Camp Emmaus on your calendars and consider inviting (or sponsoring) children and youth you know to spend a week at camp next summer!
Save the dates: The Midwest's Powerhouse Regional Youth Conference, sponsored by Camp Mack and Manchester University with the help of local districts, will take place Feb. 16-18, 2024, at Camp Mack in Milford, Ind.
Financial archaeology is the art of digging through layers of paper to arrive at a key con-clusion or discovery: the Camp Emmaus Unrestricted Endowment can grow the ministries you love far into the future! We have received more than $20,000 in gifts toward this goal as of June!
My true goal is achieving a $1 million unrestricted endowment base in gross donations. Our policy is to draw earnings/growth based on 5-year averages, for an additional source of income that is resilient and inflation-resistant.
For example, do you give $500 a year to Camp Emmaus? A gift of $10,000 to the endowment would ensure the purchasing power of your gift renews annually forever!
Dan Radcliff
DevChair.CampEmmaus@gmail.com
Aaron Gerdes, chair
Sara Caracheo Garner, vice chair
Dan Radcliff, treasurer
Gary Baisden
Patrick Benassi
Michelle Bowman
Amanda Burch
Jan Dietrich
Shannon McNeil Smith
Elizabeth Patterson
Austin Weaver, recording secretary
Randall Westfall, camp manager
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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 manager.campemmaus@gmail.com
