Camp Emmaus
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Camp Emmaus is an outdoor ministry that seeks to create a welcoming space where all can experience the healing powers of creation and be called to live a life of service, peace, and deep connections with one another.
Emmaus is an outdoor ministry of the Illinois/Wisconsin District of the Church of the Brethren since 1948.
June 20-22
Counselor Training (CIT) Elementary Camp Freeport COB Potluck Survivor Camp Senior High Camp Middle School Camp Intermediate Camp YAAYAH Camp Target Sports Camp Women's Camp Labor Day Weekend Celebration Lunch ONLINE CAMP REGISTRATION
Check the schedule page for rates and other details.Note that fees will go up after June 1st.
Registration for Emmaus' 2025 Summer Camp Programs are officially OPEN!!
What will your Emmaus adventure be this year?An epic cannonball at the pool at Middle School Camp? Creating new memories with a parent at Elementary 1 Camp? Perhaps it's the belly laughs that come with Kiddie Pool Kickball at Intermediate Camp? Maybe it's the movement of God's Spirit felt at Senior High Camp? Or the chance to hit the bullseye at Target Sports Camp or learn how to live more connected to God's earth at Survivor Camp? And you can't go wrong with the fellowship that happens at YAAYAH or Women's Camp...There are plenty of options and plenty of time to decide which camp is best for you... but don't wait too long! This year there is an early bird discount if you register by June 1. So, get those registrations in!Tell your friends! Tell your church! Tell your family! It's time to start planning for your next adventure at Camp Emmaus.
Please register in a timely manner to receive important information from the Director before camp.
Registration Fees for 2025 are:
Middle School and Sr. High - $450
Intermediate - $350
Elementary - $125
Women's and YAAYAH - $150
Survivor Camp (offsite) - $500
Target Sports - $300
Dear Friend of Camp Emmaus,
As the camping season approaches, you are invited to join us in our mission to seek to create a welcoming space where all can experience the healing powers of creation and be called to live a life of service, peace, and deep connection with one another. Our vision is to build a faith-based community to develop a sense of belonging for generations of campers, volunteers, and families through outdoor ministries. Please join us in opening camp at our Spring into Camp Event, April 26th.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ~ 1 Peter 4:10
We are called to serve as stewards of God’s creation and at Camp Emmaus we need to care for the land for current and future generations. With the preparations for the 2025 camping season beginning our calling is revitalized and we must address the ever-changing landscape before us. Since its founding, Camp Emmaus has thrived as an outdoor ministry and community, thanks to the tireless dedication of volunteers who have worked diligently to maintain and protect its cherished landscapes. Their ongoing efforts, though often unnoticed, are evident in every corner of our camp—from the serene, walkable trails to the flourishing pollinator prairie, and the careful preservation of our beloved shooting stars.
To ensure safety of our community and the biodiversity of our natural surroundings, the Board is developing a comprehensive land management plan. This plan will address immediate concerns while laying a foundation for a sustainable future. Our initial focus includes assessing the health of our remaining old-growth oaks and identifying areas for new tree plantings, maintaining trails and campfire circles, and managing the lake's ecosystem. Perhaps our most ambitious goal is the development and implementation of forestry management strategies—encompassing responsible timber harvesting, fire management, and reforestation—to ensure the long-term health, resilience, and beauty of our forested areas.
So how can you be a steward and help cultivate a safe and welcoming space which creates deep connection with one another? First, you can join us at our Camp Work Day and help us ready the different areas for camp, we can especially use help in clearing spaces for our campers to enjoy God’s creation. Second, you could donate to Camp Emmaus to aid in the cost of our forestry management endeavors, this is a new line item in our budget and is important to create a healthy camp for generations to come. Please use this link to donate - Spring 2025 Appeal.
We thank you for your partnership and your prayers. We look forward to seeing you sometime in 2025!
Blessings to you,
Your Camp Emmaus BoardCamp Emmaus • PO Box 128, Mt. Morris, IL 61054
campemmaus@live.com
wwww.campemmaus.org
www.facebook.com/CampEmmaus
Tis the season of viriditas. It’s a Latin word that means greenness,” but to the 12th-century Christian mystic Hildegard of Bingen, the term went beyond just a color. For her, viriditas was a symbol of the creative spark, the life force that permeates all existence and catalyzes the transformation from dormancy to bloom. This green vitality was seen as the physical expression of God’s presence, nurturing both the natural world and the human spirit.
As camp is now awakening into its viridian season, I am aware of how the greening of all things is an invitation to explore the ways that God is “greening” our hearts, minds and spirit. By that, I mean that the Holy Spirit stirs in us to see anew the grace and peace of God’s love for each one of us. As we are living into Holy Week and the Easter season, we are reminded that we are a resurrection people, and we ultimately have Christ to thank for that; and we also have God’s creation as a visceral expression of what was once dormant that now is sprouting forth and green with new life. This is the pattern for us as disciples of Jesus: what was believed to be dead, is alive again.
I’m excited to be thinking about how our summer together at camp recreates the creative spark of the Holy Spirit. What ways might campers, staff and volunteers be feeling are dormant in their lives, only to experience the power of God’s Spirit working through the ministry at camp as a kind of chrysalis experience!
Spring presents a viridian blueprint for renewal. When we are invited to embrace the energy of spring, we are invited to shed old patterns, rejuvenate our inner landscapes, and celebrate the continuous flow of life. My prayer for every camper, staff, volunteer, board member and camp supporter is that we experience God’s viriditas/ renewal/ awakening/resurrection in our lives and at camp this summer. Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Viriditas!
Respectfully in Christ,
Randall Westfall
- May 31 will be camp clean-up day! Come by and help get camp ready for the summer.
- Another offering in the Escape to Emmaus series— Primitive Shelter Day—was planned for April 19. Watch for future Escape to Emmaus offerings!
- Camp manager Randall Westfall led several local outdoor education sessions at the camp in March in cooperation with the Oregon Park District.
- Firewood is available for sale at the camp. For information, contact the camp at 815-734-4268.
- Give to camp: https://campemmaus. churchcenter.com/giving.
Freeport Church of the Brethren is welcoming all area COB members, on Sunday, June 29th, to Camp Emmaus shelter for worship with Randall Westfall at 11:30 am. Followed by a potluck picnic. Please bring a dish to share and own table service and drink. Please join us! Questions, please email Wendy Boettner at peaceandjoy.1954@gmail.com.
September 13 - Camp Celebration Day and Lunch
About Emmaus
Camp Emmaus is so named because it was on the road to Emmaus that the disciples encountered the living Christ. Because of this experience, the disciples continued on in their lives with a new vision, a new message, and a new hope for those back home. In this outdoor setting, Board programming seeks to strengthen our faith in Christ, develop stewardship of God's creation, strengthen future Christians by nurturing mature decision making, look beyond ourselves independently in intercultural experiences, and develop strong Christian leaders. We seek to provide good quality year round facilities for use by a variety of groups, both religious and secular as a service to the local community and region. May God guide our direction!
Enjoy the beauty and serenity of creation at Camp Emmaus. Located on 97 acres of rolling wooded countryside, Camp Emmaus is surrounded by nature's splendor. The seasons dictate the color and characteristics of the camp, as well as the activities such as swimming in the outdoor pool, hiking, cross country skiing, fishing, bird watching, picnics and campfires.
Opportunities are provided for family tent/trailer camping with a nearby picnic shelter and the retreat lodge are available year round. Note that there are no RV hookups and no facilities to dispose of trailer waste at this site.
The camp is utilized during the summer for Church of the Brethren sponsored youth camps. These camps include Elementary through Senior High, as well as separate family camps. The Brethren camps are during July and August and the camp is otherwise available to be rented by other groups.
In addition to Church of the Brethren camps, Camp Emmaus accepts various groups, both religious and secular. Contact the camp manager at 815-734-4268 for more information.
Facilities
There are four girls' cabins and five boys' cabins. In addition to the cabins, there are the main lodge, craft cabin, retreat lodge and log cabin. Overall capacity of the camp is 185 campers.
The kitchen, dining hall, and camp store are located in the main lodge.
The retreat lodge, with its kitchen facilities, and the log cabin are available for use year round.
Recreational facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, basketball court, volleyball court, tetherball, ping-pong, and four-square.
Sara Garner, chair
Gary Baisden
Patrick Benassi
Michelle Bowman
Amanda Burch
Shannon McNeil Smith
Monica Rice Frye
Mike Sondgeroth
Jonathan Stauffer
Callie Surber
Daniel Radcliff, interim financial 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
