Welcome to Camp Phoenix!

Posted on July 28, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

We are excited to welcome Camp Phoenix at DuBois Center this week! Camp Phoenix is the camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. They have been a community partner for many years and have extended an extremely kind and heartfelt welcome to me as the new acting director! We are grateful to be the site for their excellent work in outdoor ministry for youth within their diocese.

Please join us in praying for their campers, leadership, and all involved in the fantastic ministry of Camp Phoenix!

Hayley Elliott, Acting Director of Outdoor Ministry.

Eagle Scout Project Complete

Posted on July 20, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

Thanks to Tom Krueger for choosing to complete an Eagle Scout Project on site – building ADA ramps at the Deer Run Cabins! Continuing to increase the accessibility of our site is just one way we live out our call to welcome all people to enjoy God’s creation here at DuBois Center! Tom and a crew completed this project on Saturday, July 17. Thank you, Tom!

If you would like to volunteer time or resources to aid us in continuing to increase the accessibility of our property and program, please reach out or watch the Weekly Connection and the DuBois Center website/Facebook Page for information on how to volunteer in the future.

The Magic of DuBois Center

Posted on June 20, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

by Becky Harrison, Secretary at St. Paul UCC, Lebanon

It was scheduled for Sunday, May 2, 2021. A Jr/Sr High Youth outing to DuBois Center. Lot’s of planning and effort went in to picking a date (no small task), coordinating with DuBois Center staff, deciding on a mission project (thank you, Nancy Wagner), gathering supplies, and coordinating a worship and communion service with Pastor Don. Kids and parents alike were so looking forward to getting back to DuBois, or going for the first time. Weather forecasters predicted a comfortable, sunny day, so all was right with the world . . . until a few days later. The forecast changed dramatically from warm and sunny to cool, overcast and rainy. All the planning in the world couldn’t keep the weather from changing. Then, a couple of people had to cancel. Drat!

When the day finally came, I felt excited, but anxious. Had I remembered everything? Were we going to get all the way down there and get rained out? Were the kids going to bored? Were the adults going to be bored? Could the weather have cooperated—at the very least? Was any of this worth the effort? Should I just stay home and take a nap?

After a 1/2 hour delay getting started due to a miscommunication on my part (another sign, perhaps?) we pressed on, and forty-five minutes later we pulled into the entrance of DuBois Center and saw the sign above welcoming our group. We parked, unloaded our haul and made the short walk to Oak Lodge. Inside the lodge, we parked the wagon full of cleaning supplies, our coolers full of goodies for lunch, and I gave a brief rundown of the plans for the day, still wondering what important items I surely had forgotten. Everyone took a moment to get settled in and visit the facilities before we got ready for lunch and the rest of the day’s activities.

After taking a moment to let out a big sigh of relief, I walked through one of the back doors of the lodge leading out to the huge covered patio. As soon as that screen door “whapped” shut behind me and I had a moment to look out over the lake, it happened. With each step I took, it felt like 50 lb. weights fell off of my shoulders. The anxiety fell away, my aggravation at local weather forecasters fell away, if I forgot something—who cared? That, my friends, is the magic of DuBois Center—in the nutshell. No matter how stressed and anxious I am, no matter how irritating highway drivers were on the trip down, no matter all of the other unpleasant things going on in life, it all just melts away when I step on that back porch!

Read the entire article

The Amazing People of Illinois South Conference…

Posted on May 28, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

On Friday, May 20th, a group of amazing Illinois South Conference people answered the call to install new ridge vents on 10 cabins on the rustic side of camp. These roof vents will improve the air circulation and air quality in the cabins for campers coming for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to Roger Harris, Belleville St. Paul UCC; David Shanks, Cahokia Bethel UCC; and Judy Doerr, Marvin Doerr, Cliff Goodfellow, Larry Godare, Rusty Portell, Dupo Christ UCC. DuBois Center appreciates your quick efforts prior to opening the camp to visitors.

New DuBois Center Resident

Posted on May 18, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

Last week while running around DuBois Center making preparations for summer camp, I was stunned to find an eagle sitting above our lake for the third time in about three weeks. Perhaps due to being closed down last summer, our lake seems to have maintained its own healthy ecosystem, which in turn invited this new friend to our property. I am reminded of nature’s resiliency – the beauty of our planet is that it is able to return itself to balance.

These have been times for human resiliency, too. As Illinois announced last week that we are in the “Bridge to Phase 5” – with the promise around the corner of life as we remember it provided COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, I am thankful for all the ways we have persevered as the church through this year.

Reconnecting, Rebuilding Relationships, and Centering Ourselves

Posted on May 11, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

I am, thankfully, lucky enough to have a sister who lives close to the beach in Florida. This last weekend, after more than a year of not being able to see each other due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, my whole family was able to be together to witness my sister’s graduation, celebrate my dad’s birthday and Mother’s Day, and my and my wife’s anniversary. This was made possible, of course, by all of our measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, vaccines, and commitment to ongoing prevention methods. As my family and I sat on the beach, soaking up the sun and each other’s presence, I no longer had to dwell on the absence we have felt in the last year. It was great to be reconnected in person and be able to enjoy one of God’s most magnificent creations together.

It dawned on me that this summer will be a lot like these precious moments – a time of reconnecting, rebuilding relationships, and centering ourselves in God’s love. I hope you can find a way to be a part of what is cooking up for this summer at DuBois Center! We are still hiring a number of positions, especially counselors/activity coordinators, without whom we cannot provide the programing we desperately want to provide this summer! Please consider if there is a way you can join us, and email the office at dcinfo@duboiscenter.org for more information on volunteering and/or applying!

I hope you and your family experience God’s abundant love this week!

Hayley Elliott, Acting Director of Outdoor Ministry

Green DuBois News

Posted on May 10, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

The Green DuBois team is happy to be out of hibernation, and back at camp. At the recent DuBois Center Open House, we welcomed and blessed a new hive of bees. Our two previous hives were hit with American Foulbrood disease, and did not survive the winter. We are in the process of adding 3 new hives to replace them, in two new locations. During the Open House, our new Acting Director of Outdoor Ministries, our Conference Minister and two of our beekeepers all suited up to bless the first of the colonies to arrive. Above, pictured left to right, are Shana Johnson, ISC Conference Minister; Beekeeper John Pawloski; Hayley Elliott, Acting Director of Outdoor Ministries; and Beekeeper Julie Kies. Two more colonies should arrive in the next few weeks.

Last week, the invasive species removal team was able to get out in the woods for the first time in more than a year, and they did extensive work around and behind the bathhouse on the Rustic side of camp. They removed in the neighborhood of 500 Japanese bush honeysuckle in one morning, and in the process came across some wonderful finds, including a mother dove on the nest, a few skinks, frogs, a native orchid and a whole log colonized with devil’s cup mushrooms. The orchid, a Wister’s Coralroot (or Spring Coralroot,) is of special interest. It’s not particularly rare, but it does indicate a healthy forest. This orchid grows about a foot tall, has no chlorophyll, and its tiny white blooms only stay open a short time. It grows where it finds specific compatible fungi in the soil. Three specimens were found across the slope going down to the lake. Sections of the woods where the team had previously worked had very few new bush honeysuckle, and that’s a sign we’re making progress in removing this plant.

If you’re interested in being part of the Bee Team, helping with invasive species removal, or want to be part of another branch of Green DuBois, send an email to GreenDuBois@aol.com. More activities will be announced through the summer.

Strengthen your community with DuBois Center

Posted on May 6, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

We were happy to welcome a group from St. Paul – Lebanon Sunday, May 2 who worked tirelessly to clean up our signs! We also welcomed a group of Green DuBois volunteers last week to help eradicate invasive species and plant herbs in planters near one of our cottages.

We are always happy to welcome volunteer groups, or host your communities for retreats! You can contact us at dcinfo@duboiscenter.org for more information on how to get involved!

Posters, slides and more! Summer Camp Resources for our churches are in the mail and online

Posted on April 29, 2021 by DuBois Office — No Comments ↓

Summer Camp is back at DuBois Center, but we need your help to get the word out. We’re making resources available to you through the mail and online. Your church will be receiving promotional materials from us this week. Watch the mail for a package with posters, bulletin inserts, camp schedules, postcards, and fliers that can be posted, copied and shared. You’ll also find a letter from Hayley Elliott, our new Acting Camp Director, Top 10 Things Churches Need to Know about Summer Camp 2021, and suggestions for ways you can help us promote camp this year.

The Resources for Churches page on our website has electronic versions of the promotional materials that you can download and print. It also has slides you can download to include in your pre-service announcements. The slide sets are available in two different size, 16:9 or 4:3. You can download them from this Resource for Churches page by clicking on the appropriate link toward the bottom of the page. Choose whichever works best for your system.

Other Printable Resources:

Greetings and COVID-19 considerations
Top 10 Things Churches Need to Know about Summer Camp 2021
Promote Your Camp – a few helpful suggestions
Bulletin Inserts
Camp Schedule two ways – full page
Camp Schedule – half page
Leadership Experiences And Development fl i er

Slides:

Summer Camp registration is open!

Posted on April 27, 2021 by DuBois Office — 2 Comments ↓

In case you missed Dakota’s FaceBook announcement yesterday, our Summer Camp registration is now open! Not sure which camp sessions to register for, check out our Summer Camp Schedule.

To see complete descriptions and pricing for each camp, click on the appropriate age group: Adults & Children; Completed Grades 1-3; Completed Grades 3-7; Completed Grades 5-9; Completed Grades 8-12.

Dakota can’t wait to see you this Summer – neither can we!

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