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Northern Light Summer '26

A Note from the Executive Director

The summer is flying by as we are in the second week of our Residential Camp Session 3.  I am very pleased with how the summer has gone. Our college summer staff have led our campers well and handled their job responsibilities wonderfully.

What has been most fun for me is seeing with my own eyes our full HoneyRock summer staff (153 student leaders) operate as a microcosm of the full body of Christ.

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well...” 

Romans 12:4-6a (NLT) 

As many of you know, we have a wide range of important summer staff positions at HoneyRock:

  • Summer Leadership School (SLS) and our School of Adventure Leadership Training (SALT) are our Cabin Leading Positions.
  • Vocational Leadership School (VLS) are our Support Staff Positions, including Food Service, Retail & Guest Services, Construction, Grounds, Painting, Transportation & Maintenance, Receptionist, Worship Coordinator, Nurse Assistant and Media Team.
  • Facilitative Leadership School (FLS) are our Activity Leader Instructors for our 14 activity areas.

Each of these roles is essential to our mission and equally valued.  And it is very important to me that especially those in support staff positions really understand and internalize their value and this amazing opportunity to be the body of Christ. This summer we have clearly seen this, with wonderful stories from across our schools and programs.

Please keep reading for a short selection of student and camper stories.

God Bless,

Matt Erickson ‘95

Matt Erickson Headshot

Summer 2026 Stories of Impact

A young boy riding a horse with a girl leading them

"I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to ask my campers if they had accepted Christ as their Savior. One boy asked, 'How do I do that?’ After I led him in a prayer," the joy of the Lord was so evident on his face.” - Summer 2026, Head Wrangler

Three girls wearing aprons in the HoneyRock kitchen

“I learned an important lesson about service and the provision of God in the kitchen this year. I was reminded that those I was serving were being sustained by the Lord. What an awesome work to be a part of fueling!” -  Summer 2026, Kitchen Staff

Two student leadets in the camp trip locker talking to each other

“HoneyRock brought me to the end of myself, a place where joy in God became my strength. I learned the value of serving others and leading with humility.” - Summer 2026, Trip Locker Supervisor.

A group of young campers doing a conga line in the worship tent

“One of the ways my campers saw God this session was in glowstick camper worship, when everyone is engaged in the motions and shouting praises to God. In the tent, it is true that ‘sin has lost its power’.” - Summer 2026, Cabin Leader

A college student leading in a circle of students wearing a hat and life guard hoodie

“One of the biggest things for me this summer was the four weeks of training. It was a blessing to be in a place where people pour into you and help you minister to campers from a full cup.” - Summer 2026, Cabin Leader

A group of young boys roasting marshmellows by a fire

“My favorite part of Camp was going on trip and bonding with my cabin, who became like a second family to me. I also got to see God through sitting in his creation and reading His Word on Solo.” Summer 2026, Camper

Four girls jumping for joy in front of the volly ball court

“My favorite part of camp was getting to meet everyone and experience the fullness of HoneyRock”- Summer, 2026 Camper

A leader and group of campers on a large paddle board

“After his session, our camper sketched out a Bible reading plan inspired by Morning Watch. I cannot imagine an outcome I would hope for more as a parent. The work of HoneyRock is not taken for granted.” - Summer 2026, Camper Parent

A Res camp camper and her mother posing together

“We love sending our kids to HoneyRock because it’s a place set apart where our children can grow into who God has made them while being discipled by people who love Jesus.” - Summer 2026, Camper Parent

Two young boys on mountain bikes

"The spiritual investment your team makes in campers is evident, and we continue to see the fruit long after they come home." -  Summer 2026, Camper Parent

A paver of engraved bricks

Stones of Remembrance

Since 2012, HoneyRockers have been honoring the memories, life-shaping decisions, and enduring friendships forged at HoneyRock by engraving a legacy stone of remembrance to set into the chapel patio. This practice is reminiscent of God’s invitation to the people of the Old Testament to set up stones as a reminder of His faithfulness.

Similarly, the pavers outside the chapel help us remember a date, person, or experience connected to HoneyRock. Paving stones can be engraved with a name, a brief description of an event, a memory, a tradition, dates, group names, initials of friends or family, or a meaningful verse.  Stones also serve to honor a friend's legacy or memorialize the life of a loved one who had a meaningful experience at HoneyRock.

The pricing for each paver was originally set to support the important fundraising for finishing the interior of the chapel. In honor of HoneyRock’s 75th anniversary, we have reduced the original suggested donation amounts so that more HoneyRock friends and family can remember in this way.

Prices:  

4x8 | $75

8x8| $175

12 x 12| $275

If you would like to have a paver engraved and installed prior to our September 24-27, 2026, 75th anniversary event, please complete your order by August 14, 2026.

To get started, click the button below, and you will be redirected to the payment portal to select your preferred size. Questions? honeyrock.partners@wheaton.edu

Order Here
A boy dressed up pointing in front of the Zacco wagon

Return to the Rock | September 24–27 | Three Lakes, WI 

Register by August 24th

Come home to HoneyRock for a Friends & Family Reunion weekend filled with the rhythms that have shaped generations.

Activities include:

  • Canoeing
  • Hiking our trails (to Black Bear and other iconic campsites)
  • Playing classic HoneyRock games
  • Shopping our vintage merch in the Beehive
  • Waterskiing
  • Wrangler Breakfast
  • Archery & Riflery
  • Arts & Crafts
  • Mountain Biking
  • Frisbee Golf with President Ryken
  • Trail Rides
  • Pontoon Rides
  • Taking a Solo
  • Zacco
  • Bonfires

The weekend will also include devotions, worship, and stories of impact across generations. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with old and new HoneyRock friends, and reflect on HoneyRock’s past, present, and future.

Register Here
A black and white phooto of boys in a pyramid

Remember the Rock | November 5 | Wheaton, IL

Register by October 19 

 
Gather in Wheaton at the College Church Crossings building for a free evening of connection, storytelling, dinner, and celebration. Explore our historical gallery spanning 75 years of HoneyRock history, purchase HoneyRock merch at our mobile Beehive, reconnect with fellow HoneyRockers, hear “Harve Talks” highlighting how HoneyRock has impacted people, and worship together across the eras as we celebrate “Generations Alive in Christ.”

Register Here

M.A. Outdoor Adventure Leadership Update

This fall our graduate program, M.A. Outdoor Adventure Leadership (OAL) is welcoming 17 new students, 9 of whom will be at HoneyRock in Graduate Assistant roles and the rest scattered at camps across the country. This brings us to a record of 41 graduate students this fall, 5 of whom are international students. It is a great joy for HoneyRock to play such a key role in the deepening and expanding the movement of Christian camping worldwideA gorup of men and women sitting in the park

There’s still time to join Vanguard this fall!

We are excited for the new group of gap year students coming this fall. If you know a recent high school graduate who would benefit from a year set apart to grow in faith, build a lasting community, gain real-world work experience, and prepare for what comes next, we’d love to connect with them.

As one alum reflected, “Vanguard equipped me for college and the adult world in a way that nothing else really could have. There have been a lot of life experiences that I underwent following Vanguard that I never would have been able to do without it. I matured a lot in my relationship with other people, and there isn’t a single person that I am still not close with from Vanguard.”

Share Vanguard with a student or family in your circle who may be wondering what’s next

Learn More about Vanguard

Volunteer Positions and Job Openings

Contact Us

HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development
8660 Honey Rock Rd.
Three Lakes, WI 54562
630.752.7474
honey.rock@wheaton.edu