ADVENTURE AND FAITH
FOR GROWING HEARTS

2026 Registration is Open

 

Camp Emmaus 2026 Summer Camp Registration is now open! Note that registration fees will go up after June 1st.

 

Camp Clean-up Day

This coming Saturday, May 30, is our annual Camp Clean-up Day at Emmaus.

This is where our camp community and congregations come together to get the camp looking amazing as we begin our summer camp season. 

The camp will be opened up as early as 8am for those wanting to arrive early and beat the heat. Coffee and donuts will be provided starting at 9am.

Camp will supply all the cleaning supplies but if you have stuff you want to bring as well, please do that. 

Here's the breakdown of congregations who helped last year and the locations they cleaned:

Highland Ave. - Main Lodge Upstairs
Mt. Morris - Dining Hall & Pavilion
Dutchtown - Kitchen
York Center - Pool House
Dixon - Craft Cabin & Dorms
Lanark - Cabins 1-4 & Girls Bathhouse
Polo - Cabins 5-6 & Boys Bathhouse
Freeport - Cabins 7-9

Please contact Randall at the camp to confirm the details.

We look forward to seeing you as we get camp looking spiffy for the upcoming camp season.

Spring Newsletter

2026 Camp Curriculum

The 2026 Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA) “InsideOut” camp curriculum will be titled “In the Wilderness.” An introduction to the theme notes: “Wilderness is a time or place where we encounter what is new, strange, scary, lonely, unknown or mysterious. The wilderness is a wild and beautiful time and place where we can discover the sacred within each person and all creation. … The wilderness reveals our strengths, growing edges, and potential as God equips us for the unknown still to come. The wilderness awaits us all, and God meets us there.” The annual InsideOut curriculum is a partnership between the Church of the Brethren and a variety of other denominations for use in outdoor ministry. Learn more at https://insideoutcurriculum.com/.

National Youth Conference

The next Church of the Brethren National Youth Conference (NYC) will take place July 18-23, 2026, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo., with the theme “Light Within Us.” Because it will be a new location for many of the advisors who will bring youth, it seemed helpful to offer a chance to experience the location prior to bringing youth. Thus, an NYC 2026 Advisor Preview will take place Oct. 11-13. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the campus, check out the food and lodging, and see what recreation options are like. 

Additionally, participants will have a learning opportunity with Charles (Chuck) Hunt, who will lead sessions based on the book Faith Beyond Youth Group. The sessions will build on work by the Fuller Youth Institute, where Hunt is senior director of training, all while inspiring participants and providing new tools to help in various ministry contexts. Continuing education credit will be available. 

Early bird registration is $300 and is available until July 31. Regular registration is $375. Registration includes two nights’ double-occupancy lodging, four meals, and all sessions. All registrants will be responsible for their transportation to and from the YMCA of the Rockies. (Denver International Airport is the most convenient, and there is shuttle service to the YMCA.)

For more information, go to www.brethren.org/yya/advisor-preview-weekend-for-nyc-2026 or contact Becky Ullom Naugle, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, at bullomnaugle@brethren.org or 847-429-4385. 

Registration will open in January. Learn more about NYC 2026 at the National Youth Conference page.