A Place Apart: Celebrating 75 Years of God’s Faithfulness at HoneyRock
Words: Juliana Bacote ’24
Photos: Courtesy of HoneyRock
A group at HoneyRock (1958).
Justin Levon still remembers how the quiet landscape at HoneyRock, void of distractions, helped him develop a sense of awe regarding creation. Nestled in the Northwoods of Wisconsin along Long Lake and located two hours from the nearest large city, HoneyRock consists of over 900 acres of woods and green fields and 4,000 feet of lake access. Levon grew up in the Chicago area, where stars are sometimes “few and far between,” so he was struck by how different the sky looked at HoneyRock. “I remember being in a canoe in the lake at night and looking up at the sky, and being blown away,” Levon recalled. “There were so many stars, and they looked like they were connected by lines.” Levon also had a favorite spot on a little bench by the lake that faced West, where he would go in the evenings after dinner to read and watch the sunset.
He attended HoneyRock as a camper alongside his siblings for a few years before participating in the high school program, which was called the “service team” at the time and is now the Catalyst Program. This program enabled him to volunteer with operations staff—including working in the kitchen and housekeeping—while also participating in Bible study, discipleship, a wilderness trip, and other outdoor activities. Now, having added “HoneyRock parent” to his list of titles, he is one of the many individuals whose family has a multigenerational connection to HoneyRock.
Over the last 75 years, HoneyRock, Wheaton College’s Center for Leadership Development, has touched the lives of thousands of campers, parents, high school graduates in the gap-year program, college students, adult staff, volunteers, and donors.
Often referred to as “a place apart,” HoneyRock provides programs for ages across a wide spectrum: summer camp (elementary through high school), the Vanguard gap-year program, the Wheaton in the Northwoods May term and summer staff opportunities for undergraduates, and the Master's in Outdoor Adventure Leadership (OAL).
Initially housed in the now-defunct Department of Physical Education at Wheaton, HoneyRock was established as the Northwoods Campus of Wheaton in February 1951. Founders Harvey and Dorothy Chrouser (often called Harve and Dot) worked with many partners to launch the leadership school at HoneyRock by June that year.
The idea for the leadership school was born after Harve Chrouser, head football coach at Wheaton at the time, organized a summer camp in a forest preserve and brought Wheaton students in to help lead. Harve Chrouser had worked at other camps and knew their value. “He realized that by giving college students leadership responsibility over a cabin group of kids, it became a wonderful catalyst for spiritual growth in the student, and a great example for the camper,” said Matt Erickson, Executive Director of HoneyRock.
When Harve Chrouser rented Honey Rock Camp, the Northwoods camp had few facilities, including an archery range, a boathouse, a dining hall, and a handful of cabins that lacked plumbing.
Despite the humble beginnings, Harve Chrouser saw the camp’s potential, as expressed in “A Place Apart” — Honey Rock Camp, which details the founding and development of HoneyRock. HoneyRock’s location makes it possible for those on the property to be removed from the busyness of normal life. “Part of what Coach (Harve Chrouser) was looking for was a place where campers and students would be deeply immersed in creation,” said Dr. Rob Ribbe, former Director of HoneyRock and current Program Director and Associate Professor of Outdoor and Adventure Leadership. “Wilderness programming has been a core piece of HoneyRock since the very beginning and still is a core piece of HoneyRock today, when a lot of camps are giving up their wilderness programs.”
A group of young men shoot arrows (1958).
One of the greatest parts of HoneyRock, Ribbe notes, is that campers have access to activities that they can’t do at home, such as archery, waterskiing, and horseback riding. Another essential part? Sitting still in creation. “One thing that we do really purposely at HoneyRock is create space for silence and reflection and listening to God,” said Ribbe.
Before campers arrive, counselors walk through training that includes time alone outside. “For many of them, it's their first time ever sitting for two hours alone with the Lord and their Bibles in the midst of creation,” said Ashley Kiley, Camp Programs Director.
Once campers arrive, counselors lead them through this practice, too. This practice of individual, extended time in Scripture and prayer, referred to as “solo,” is one of several “sacred rhythms” exercised at HoneyRock. Other rhythms include counselor-led cabin devotions and examen, known to campers as How-Pow-Wow, a three-part time of reflection and thankfulness. These sacred rhythms supplement corporate Bible study and worship times, all of which become habits that campers and students can continue even when they leave the Northwoods.
This spiritual formation is a core element of HoneyRock’s ministry, as reflected in the many testimonies from individuals who have transformed due to their time there. “Our college students come in with their own faith, and we see that faith strengthen and flourish,” said Erickson. “We see students fall more in love with God and develop stronger confidence in him and the purpose they have in their roles at HoneyRock and in life. Then, we have the great privilege of hearing stories of spiritual growth in our campers.”
Kiley, who was a Fellow and an OAL student before joining HoneyRock staff, says that seeing this kind of transformation every year is her favorite part of her job. “I get to watch people walk in one way and walk out another,” she said. “I feel incredibly spoiled in that vein. I never know what it's going to look like, but I know it will happen. So, I kind of joke and call HoneyRock a growth factory.”
Kiley has not only witnessed this taking place in others’ lives—she has seen this kind of change occur in her own life. “I am a totally different person because I stepped foot on HoneyRock and participated in their programs,” she said. “In graduate school at HoneyRock, I learned I have to be intentional about creating space to discern the voice of the Lord and learned to submit more of my life under his authority.”
This desire to be more intentional flows into other parts of Kiley’s life. “I was no longer content with just surface-level conversations,” she said. “I want to know the depth of who you are and what is breaking your heart right now and how we can come alongside each other and point one another towards Jesus. In relationships, it’s all about the degree of intentionality.”
Intentionality is a high priority at HoneyRock. This is seen not only through the ways campers and staff are led to engage with creation and the Lord, but also through leadership development. Sometimes referred to as a “leadership laboratory,” the training process at HoneyRock uses the roles of developing and running programs, discipling young people, and serving guests to equip high school campers, undergraduates, and graduate students for ministry and for life. Led by educators such as Ribbe, who holds a master’s in educational ministries and a doctorate in education, HoneyRock’s programming helps students grow holistically. “We don’t just throw them in the deep end,” said Kiley.
Professional Staff at HoneyRock (2025).
Staff undergo four weeks of training where they “press into their own spiritual rhythms,” she said, establish mentorships with HoneyRock leaders, and receive coaching. One-on-one time with supervisors who identify their strengths and gifts and pray with them contributes to graduate students’ formation. Supervisors also often allow students to gain experience by allowing them to take on some of their management responsibilities based on each student’s interests and career goals. For undergraduates serving in full-time staff roles, practical coaching in group settings on various scenarios they could encounter during the summer prepares them to problem-solve when campers arrive and in situations they may face outside of HoneyRock.
The model of leadership is rooted in Harve and Dot Chrouser’s belief that “responsibility is the great developer of people.” As students of varying ages step into roles where they lead cabins or direct camper programs, they receive responsibility. Then, HoneyRock leadership walks alongside them in their work to help them grow as they practice leadership. “The type of responsibility shifts with each generation and each season, but at its core, this model’s been integral since our foundation and hasn’t changed,” said Kiley.
HoneyRock staff gather (2025).
This training, combined with other structures in place at HoneyRock, results in a rich community that emerges among those on staff and the campers. According to Levon, one such structure is that “HoneyRock is very cabin-centric.”
Cabin members share living quarters, have devotional time, eat, and complete activities and wilderness trips together. When Levon was a student, HoneyRock only allowed incoming campers to request one friend from home to be in their cabin. “I remember I wanted to be in a cabin with all my friends at first, but in the long run, it really was a good process to meet new people,” Levon said.
HoneyRock’s methods to foster authentic fellowship are rooted in the theory and theology of temporary communities. “If you look at Scripture, there are multiple places where people leave their permanent system and go up to a mountaintop or go on a wilderness journey to encounter God and to be trained and challenged. Then they return back home,” Ribbe said. “When you go away on an expedition and have these unique, challenging, creative experiences together, it automatically produces a different kind of community.”
HoneyRock’s methods to foster authentic community are rooted in the theory and theology of temporary communities. “If you look at Scripture, God used wilderness journeys, mountaintop encounters, and other experiences away from normal life to equip, challenge, renew, and communicate with his people. The purpose of temporary communities is to prepare them to impact their permanent communities,” Ribbe said. “When you go away on an expedition and have these unique, challenging, creative experiences together, it automatically produces a different kind of community that, when done well, results in change for the rest of life.”
The bond counselors can develop with campers also contributes to an enriching community. Levon’s mom, Sue Levon, recently came across some of the letters her children, two of whom went on to be Wheaton alumni, received from their cabin leaders. “They brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “They were long letters of encouragement and thoughtful praise for who God created my kids to be. They reminded me of the amazing resource HoneyRock has in the students at Wheaton College. They can be trusted with our kids!”
Justin Levon shares this sentiment and sent his sons to HoneyRock for the first time in 2025. “They loved it,” he said. “My younger son wasn’t ready to come home. It was great for them to experience something similar to what I experienced, but also a lot of the new things that are going on there.”
His experience provides a mere snapshot of the generational impact HoneyRock has on the lives of many. “HoneyRock has served three generations of my family,” Erickson shared.
As Erickson reflects on HoneyRock's anniversary, he sets his eyes on the future. “I get most excited about the opportunity to serve generations in the future,” he said, referencing HoneyRock’s vision, which is “to see generations alive in Christ.”
Kiley holds a similar perspective, as she celebrates the 75-year milestone. “The Lord has been so faithful over those 75 years,” she said. “There have been a lot of different people and programs, but it’s been the same God doing the same work. I cannot wait to see how he’s going to continue to be true to himself and to be faithful for the next generation that will come through HoneyRock.”
