THE EMMAUS ROAD - Winter 2025-2026

Camp Emmaus • PO Box 128, Mt. Morris, IL 61054

www.campemmaus.org

FALLING FOR CAMP

The fall season brought an abundance of activity to Camp Emmaus, including the well-attended annual leaf-raking day and youth retreat in mid-November, and an Escape to Emmaus primitive shelter
building day that involved several families learning new skills later that month. Volunteers made short work of the leaves in the camp’s main program spaces, preparing camp for winter.

2026 DATES

May 22-25: Memorial Day Family Camp

June 12-14: Counselor-in-Training (CIT)

June 13-14: Elementary Camp June 14-17: Target Sports Camp July 5-11: Senior High Camp July 12-18: Survivor Camp

July 19-23: Intermediate Camp July 24-26: Young Adult/Young at Heart Camp

July 26- Aug. 1: Middle School Camp

August 6-8: Women's Camp September 4-7: Labor Day Weekend Family Camp

CAMP CLOTHES

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? The Church of the Brethren Outdoor Ministries Association is selling a new line of logo T-shirts, tank tops, and hoodies this winter, with proceeds going to support OMA’s environmental grants for camps and congregations. Check out the available inventory at https://www.bonfire.com/2025-oma-shirt-fundraiser/

.

 

FELLOWSHIP AROUND THE FIRE

Camp Emmaus hosted a fall event and campfire for the district on Oct. 18. In addition to campfire time, the day included hayrack rides, hiking, food, and good fellowship.

CAMP NEWS & NOTES

• The final Escape to Emmaus day of 2025 is slated for Dec. 13 with “Earth Tones: A Creative Songwriting & Poetry Workshop” from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is $15. Camp manager Randall Westfall was featured on the local “Along the Rock” podcast to talk about the workshop. Watch for more Escape opportunities in 2026!
• The camp’s annual Camp Celebration Day and Lunch took place Sept. 13. After the meal, a program shared summer highlights. Outgoing Senior High Camp co-directors Sara Garner and Aaron Gerdes received the first-ever Campfire Award for their service. Pat Heid received the Bill & Betty Hare Volunteer of the Year Award.
• Three new camp board members were affirmed at the Illinois/Wisconsin District conference in Bloomington, Ill., Nov. 8. Welcome to Andy Brooks, Melyssa Otake Greenacre, and Monica Pandya Burchfield! The camp also had a display at the conference, and manager Randall Westfall shared a report during the business session.
• Before the year ends, please consider giving a gift to camp: Mail a check, donate on the website, or visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/8596dd75-871a-458b-b5d2-5f0f3054367c.

CAMP MANAGER'S CORNER

The first snowstorm of the season hit this past weekend, and some 10+

inches later we’re clearing paths and shoveling around entrances to camp. It was the first significant snowfall that we’ve had here since January 2024.

Snow has a way of quieting camp. Trails that rang with summer laughter now lie hushed, waiting. The lake rests beneath its frozen veil, and the trees stand bare yet steadfast, reminding us that even in stillness, life endures. Winter is not absence; it is preparation. Beneath the frost, roots deepen. Beneath the silence, renewal stirs.

At Camp Emmaus, we know that ministry is not only about the busy seasons of programs and gatherings. It is also about the quieter rhythms—those moments when we pause, breathe, and listen for God’s whisper in the wind. Winter invites us to embrace Sabbath, to trust that rest is holy, and to believe that transformation is already underway, even when unseen.

This season also reminds us of the warmth we share in community. A fire in the lodge, a song lifted in worship, a story told around the table: these are embers of belonging that glow against the cold. They remind us that Christ’s light shines brightest when we gather, even in the darkest nights.

The lyrics of an old-time tune written by Molly Mason captures winter’s essence beautifully:

Darkest days, brightest nights 

Mother nature got it right 

Silver sky, full moon light 

Darkest days, brightest nights

As we step into these darkest days and brightest nights of winter, may we carry both the hush and the hope. May we honor the gift of rest, and may we kindle the fire of community that sustains us until spring. And may we discover, in the waiting, that God is already at work—shaping us, renewing us, and preparing us for the seasons yet to come.

Respectfully in Christ,

 

Randall Westfall

CAMP BOARD

Sara Garner, chair; Gary Baisden; Patrick Benassi; Michelle Bowman; Amanda Burch; Shannon McNeil Smith; Monica Rice Frye; Mike Sondgeroth; Jonathan Stauffer; Callie Surber; Everett Teetor, financial secretary; Randall Westfall, camp manager

Escape to Emmaus: Songwriting & Poetry Workshop

Due to low registration, the Escape to Emmaus Eco-Tones workshop has been canceled.

Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday consider giving a gift to Camp Emmaus where we are called to a life of service, peace, and deep connection with one another. Help us to create a welcoming space by giving of your time, talents, and resources.

Give here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/8596dd75-871a-458b-b5d2-5f0f3054367c

Escape to Emmaus: Primitive Shelter Building

Thanks to the folks who came out for our EtE Primitive Shelter Building day this morning.

Leaf Raking

Report to District Conference

 3011 W. Camp Rd. • Oregon, IL 61061
(815) 734-4268 • manager.campemmaus@gmail.com
www.campemmaus.org

Encounter Creation. Experience God. Ignite your Faith.

September 30, 2025

To the Delegate body of the Illinois/Wisconsin District Conference:

On behalf of the Camp Emmaus Board, Staff, Volunteers, Investors and Supporters, I bring you greetings and I am honored to share with you the many ways that Camp Emmaus is impacting the lives of many people on the local level, in congregations, and in the church at large.

The theme for the 2025 summer camp programming was Another Way, where campers, staff, and volunteers embarked on a journey to discover how they experience the way of God that often presents another way of living out their faith. The ministry at Camp Emmaus is one in which we continually seek to discover the way to God’s love; embodied in Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. In doing so, lives are forever changed and that is why camp is more than just a setting, it’s an embodied experience that we share with others. I pray that camp will always be a place where we discover the another way that is different from the world’s way.

Camp Emmaus 2025 Highlights:

• We celebrated 77 years of outdoor ministry.

• Memorial Day Family Camp attendance was 35 and Labor Day Family Camp also had 27 people.

• Spring into Camp had 41 people in attendance

• Summer Camp by the numbers: 127 campers (up 13% from 2024) and 54 staff and volunteers representing 13 congregations in the northern tier of the district.

• New amenities and features: New water heaters in the Retreat Lodge and Pool house, new LED Lights in the Craft Cabin and Bathhouses, new ceiling tiles in both bathhouses, new bridge across the creek wide enough for the mower to cross, walk-in cooler flooring & shelves, new wood shed by the council fire circle, new wood shed at the basketball court, new sand at the gaga pit and volleyball court.

• We were able to raise over $25K this summer to purchase a new commercial dishwasher that will be installed before summer 2026 camps.

• The camp board had our winter retreat in which we created a new mission statement for the camp as well as continuing to lay the groundwork for the next decade of ministry at Emmaus and where God may be leading us to new ministry opportunities. We’re excited to dream together and imagine what camp will grow to be in the next chapter of outdoor ministry.

• Our camp staff, board and volunteers have both done incredible work extending the ministry of Camp Emmaus to several guest groups, and they have sought to be wise and diligent stewards of our financial resources. We continue to have a variety of rental groups and are always looking to find creative partnerships and programming to widen the circle of our ministry.

• A big thank you to our staff and volunteers for all the work (seen and unseen) that goes into keeping this camp looking and functioning as well as it does. Thank you for your passion and gifts to make Emmaus the sacred space that it is and will be for future generations.

• Come see us at our display booth to pick up some Emmaus gear, brochures and more.

2026 Summer Camp Schedule:

May 22-25 Memorial Day Family Camp
June 12-13 CiT Training
June 13-14 Elementary I Camp (Gr. K-2)
June 14-17 Target Sports Camp (Gr. 7-12)
July 5-11 Senior High Camp (Gr. 9-12)
July 12-18 Survivor Camp (Gr. 6-8)
July 19-23 Intermediate Camp (Gr. 3-5)
July 26-Aug. 1 Middle School Camp (Gr. 6-8)
Aug. 6-8 Women’s Camp
Sept. 4-7 Labor Day Family Camp

We share this report about the ministry taking place at camp so that you may know how such experiences of immersive Christian community help people know and experience first-hand the presence of God in ways that nurture hope for our present and future. As we continue the work of Jesus at camp, we ask that you prayerfully consider how you might have a role in the ministry of Camp Emmaus. And as always, we look forward to partnering with you and look forward to what God has in store for us in 2026.

Check us out at www.campemmaus.org or follow us on Facebook.

Respectfully,

Randall Westfall
Camp Emmaus Manager/Administrator

Camp Emmaus is an outdoor ministryof the Illinois/Wisconsin DistrictChurch of the Brethren since 1948. Nestled on 99 acres of rolling woodland in the Rock River Valley in north-central Illinois; We provide a setting where you can encounter creation, experience God, and ignite your faith.

District Campfire

Escape to Emmaus: Wood Carving

The Escape to Emmaus wood carving day has been canceled due to lack of registrations. 

Fall 2025 Appeal

“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 4:9-10

Dear Friend of Camp Emmaus,

As the summer camping season has ended, we are overjoyed for the many individuals who joined us! We hope to see you at one of our fall events. Please plan to attend either the district campfire on Saturday, October 18th at 12:00pm or the annual leaf-raking day on Saturday, November 15th.

This year we served 127 campers and had 54 summer staff/volunteers. Without the support of our camper’s families, congregations in our district, and our donors we would not be able to give them such an amazing experience.

We thank you for your partnership and your prayers. We are grateful for being able to nurture this year’s campers and cultivate 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.

Would you consider making a donation to pave the way for the 2026 camping season?

Blessings to you, Your Camp Emmaus Board

3011 W Camp Rd, Oregon, IL 61061
www.campemmaus.org
dev.chair.campemmaus@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/CampEmmaus 

Illinois Search and Rescue Training

We're excited to be hosting the Illinois Search and Rescue Training being held here at Emmaus.

Another great way to partner with other organizations. So if you're planning to come out to camp just know if there's going to be a lot of search and rescue dogs trampling through the woods.

Escape to Emmaus Days

Escape to Emmaus Days
Fall 2025 Workshops
Sacred creativity. Wild wisdom. Soulful renewal.

The Illinois/Wisconsin District is remembering with gratitude the life of Donald (Don) A. Hart Sr., 82, who passed away Sept. 15. He was 82. A member of Cherry Grove Church of the Brethren, he was a long-time, dedicated volunteer with Brethren Disaster Ministries and Camp Emmaus as well as other local groups. His obituary stated, "Helping others came naturally to Don, and as his faith deepened, his compassion became even more Christ-centered."

Don was born in Milledgeville, Illinois, and later moved to California, where he married his wife, Cathy, in 1980. They moved back to Lanark in the mid-1990s, where they opened Don Hart's Automotive and operated several rental properties. He loved the outdoors and was known for his ability to "fix just about anything."

By wishes of the family, no memorial service will be held. Our prayers are with Cathy and other family members and friends in this time of loss.

Obituary: www.lawjonesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/donald-a-hart-sr

SUMMER 2025: BY THE NUMBERS

Total summer campers: 127  (Up 13 percent from 2024) 

Summer staff and volunteers: 54 

Congregations represented: 13 (from the northern area of the district) 

2026 DATES

May 22-25: Memorial Day Family Camp
June 12-14: Counselor-in-Training (CIT)
June 13-14: Elementary Camp
June 14-17: Target Sports Camp
July 5-11: Senior High Camp
July 12-18: Survivor Camp
July 19-23: Intermediate Camp
July 24-26: Young Adult/Young at Heart Camp
July 26- Aug. 1: Middle School Camp
August 6-8: Women's Camp
September 4-7:
Labor Day Weekend Family Camp 

AWASH IN DONATIONS

While we can’t say camp is awash in cash, our donors did come through in a big way for the campaign to replace our aging commercial dishwasher as it was on its last legs. More than $25,000 was raised in a little over eight weeks to meet and exceed the need. The new dishwasher will be installed before the 2026 summer season. Thank you! 

CAMP NEWS & NOTES

• 
  Numerous updates happened at camp this summer, including: New water heaters installed in the retreat lodge and pool house; new ceiling tile in the boy’s and girl’s bathhouses; new LED Lights in the craft cabin and bathhouses; new bridge across the creek wide enough for the mower to cross; new walk-in cooler flooring & shelves; new woodshed by the council fire circle; new woodshed at the basketball court (Thanks to Jonathan Boettner & Boy Scout Troop #7); new sand at the gaga pit (pictured above) and volleyball court.  
  
  
• The Camp Celebration Day and Lunch is on Saturday, Sept. 13, with meal beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a program. All are welcome! 
  
  
• The district is invited to a fall event and campfire Saturday, Oct. 18, starting at 12 p.m. 
  
  
• The annual leaf-raking day will be Saturday, Nov. 15. A youth retreat will take place around the leaf-raking, Nov. 14-16. 
  
  
• As always, please consider giving a gift to camp: Mail a check, donate on the website, or visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donationform/8596dd75-871a-458b-b5d2-5f0f3054367c. 

CAMP MANAGER'S CORNER

there are times when we must get away –
like a deer started by sudden movement
we feel the need to bolt
     as the world grows too
     loud too fast
     our nervous system
        waves the white flag
     to retreat
      to find stillness
                and if we don’t listen
                if we don’t honor our
                 need for solitude
                we burst at the seams.
                              —Scott Stillman

       As autumn is upon us, it is meant to be a time for slowing down. The rush of spring and summer now give way to the crisp air that invites us to gather around a campfire and reflect on the blessings and challenges of the past few months and what remains for 2025.

      As I begin to slow down and shift gears towards a season of reflection, these words by Scott Stillman are resonating in my heart. And I am reminded that his words echo the sentiment and reason that we have a sacred place like Emmaus.

      For the times when the world gets too loud or too fast, come to camp for quiet and stillness. When our nervous system begins waving a white flag, it’s time to surrender to the pace and chaos of brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible aspects our lives and rediscover how camp provides a robust, tranquil, reliable, and clear sense of connection to Christ and Creation (by disconnecting from the world).

      Autumn is a season for retreat, a time for stillness, a time for solitude. Because if we do not honor our need for solitude, we will surely burst at the seams. And if your heart and soul are like a deer started by a sudden movement and you feel the need to bolt, then do so knowing you can find solace on these sacred grounds called Emmaus.  

Respectfully in Christ, 
Randall Westfall 

CAMP BOARD

Sara Garner, chair;  Gary Baisden; Patrick Benassi; Michelle Bowman; Amanda Burch; Shannon McNeil Smith; Monica Rice Frye; Mike Sondgeroth; Jonathan Stauffer; Callie Surber; Everett Teetor, financial secretary; Randall Westfall, camp manager 

InsideOut Curriculum for 2026

The 2025 Church of the Brethren Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA) national conference will take place Nov. 16-20 at Inspiration Hills near Burbank, Ohio, with the theme “Campfire Conversations.” The keynote speaker will be Travis Troyer of Off the Wall Discipleship. Workshop options will include a camp tour, group sharing, and more. A field trip will take participants to BibleWalk, featuring more than 325 wax figures of biblical scenes, and games, debriefing, and recreation will also be part of the week. Cost for OMA camp members is $200, non-members $225. Registration and more information can be found at https://omacob.org/camps-2/annual-retreat/. 

The 2026 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/.

Dishwasher Fundraiser Update

Your kindness and commitment keep camp running strong. From every camper, staff member, and volunteer, thank you for making this possible!

Young at Heart 2025

Senior High Camp 2025

Senior High Camp 

July 13-19, 2025

Spring into Camp 2025