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Jensen Woods Camp is a nondenominational Christian based community camp owned and operated by the Jensen Camp Foundation, which provides low cost to no cost spiritual and physical development in nature thru outdoor activities. Jensen Woods Camp provides camping/retreat services to include but not limited to fishing, swimming, hiking, campfire cooking, horseback riding, environmental education, tree house facilities, Bible study, outdoor games, worship services, boating and star gazing.

Jensen Woods Camp offers 3-day or 6-day summer camps for children of all ages to be held in our rural retreat under the supervision of counselors and staff.

Jensen Woods Camp also offers rental of the camp facilities to organizations and groups, such as, churches, Boy/ Girl Scouts, veterans, senior citizens, 4-H clubs, school groups, RV camping, families, etc.

Jensen Woods Camp is open to all who enjoy nature.

Jensen Woods Campground is located in Brown County, Illinois 5 miles north of Timewell, Illinois

Jensen Woods Camp wants to leave no child (of any age) inside. The camp’s natural, rural setting will allow children of all ages to unplug from our electronically driven, fast paced world and recharge in a growing awareness of God and nature.

MISSION
Jensen Woods Camp provides spiritual and physical development
for all God’s children through outdoor activities, faithful witness,
and Christ-centered relationships.

VISION
To see many generations find and grow their faith in Christ
through Jensen Woods Camp.

VALUES
Matthew 5:13: You are the SALT of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot.
S – Simplicity
Time spent in creation strips away addictions, burdens, and technologies that
distract us from the simple and sole priority and pleasure of the presence of God.
A – Authentic Community
We seek to establish a place where people feel like they belong, they are welcome,
they are fulfilled, and they are connected to each other, nature, and God.
L – Leaders
Others see and hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ through the personal
witness of the Board, staff, and volunteers. Faith and character grow in pursuit
of common goals with fellow believers.
T – Trustees of Tomorrow
We desire to see the camp and woods prosper and grow for the next century
and beyond.

TAGLINE
Come Meet God in The Woods!

Pray for God’s will to be done in keeping this camp a vital, growing part of our Christian community for the next 100 years.

Donate Now!

As we continue to grow Jensen Woods Camp, we need faithful supporters like you to help pay our mortgage, utilities, insurance, etc. If you are unable to help monetarily, we have a variety of options for you to support Jensen Woods, under the “How Can I Help Tab.”  Please consider one or more of the options to support kids and families. Your support is the life blood of our mission.  It has made the dream of Jensen Woods………a reality! 

You can use our Donate Now button or PayPal link at the bottom of the page, or Venmo, or Cash App or mail your donation to:

Jensen Woods Camp, PO Box 131, Camp Point, IL 62320

Jensen Woods Camp is a 501C3 not-for-profit. The camp depends on generous donations of individuals, businesses and churches. Please consider making a donation today and adding us to your yearly giving.

History

The History of Jensen Woods Camp

(Information from IGRC website)

The original acres

Jensen Woods Camp had its origins in the heart of a Methodist man of faith who was deeply committed to camping as a vital means of making young disciples of Jesus Christ and to a daughter, Roselyn, who was informed in 1962 that she couldn’t go to church camp because they were all full.

Ernest Jensen responded to this disappointment by offering 40 acres of timber and rolling prairie to the Central Illinois Conference for a pioneer camp. Jack Muir, Owen Candler, Leroy Kotter, and Ernest Jensen immediately went to work developing the first four sites with “hogan” style dwellings, and the camp was opened for its first season of camping under Jack’s direction. Conversations with the General Board of Outdoor Ministries for the Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., established that 40 acres would not be enough for such a camp. Subsequently, Ernest Jensen acquired another 40 acres which he gave to the conference.

In 1962, Bob Coons and Dale Wilcox began a project to construct four covered wagons to be used as living quarters at the camp. They were built in Dale’s shop in Waverly and then hauled on his truck, first to Annual Conference (held at Illinois Wesleyan) and then to Jensen Woods.

It wasn’t long before Ernest had lined up another 40 acres which he purchased himself in the conference’s name because he couldn’t understand the red tape and hoops of getting conference approval. He said, “You can pay me back when you can.” The cost was $25 per acre for a total of $1,000. It was two years before he was repaid, and by then 80 acres on the east became available for the same price. The camp grew to an expansive 200 acres.

The camping committee of the Central Illinois Conference decided they still needed more land and began looking at other sites. One site near Meredosia had 600 acres, but the attraction of big, old walnut trees resulted in the conference being outbid by a lumber firm. The committee decided at that point to ask Ernest if he would sell his 351 acre farm which adjoined the land on the north.

In the spring of 1964 a meeting was held in the Jensen home with Russ Coulter, Clifford Brown, Harvey Dibrell, Art Runyon, and Ernest and Florence Jensen, who agreed on a price of $50 per acre, even though the Jensens had received a higher offer of $100 per acre. The conference would pay off the acreage at $5,000 per year plus 5 percent interest.

Ernest insisted, however, on first drilling an oil well on the property, which turned out to be a wet one, so drilling stopped at 600 to 650 feet. The oil company indicated they would leave the well casing if the conference would pay for it. The conference didn’t have the funds, but the company never returned to pull it. It was from this well that the camp drew its water supply for many years.

Site development

Ernest Jensen believed in good conservation practices and undoubtedly believed that leaving this land to the church was to leave it in good hands. In the mid-1960’s a number of work groups came to the site to plant 50,000 white and red pine. The Department of Conservation encouraged diversification in case one kind of tree should succumb to disease. Cypress trees were planted in the area along the creek that sometimes flooded, and some ash trees were planted to provide timbers for shelters and other site structures. Some oak trees were planted on the west side just south of the road to the well site, and more than 1,000 walnut trees were planted along the ridge going back to the “slave house” used during the Civil War as part of the Underground Railroad. Many of these trees were lost the next summer when the area was mowed.

Native Americans still lived in the area until the mid-1800’s. It is possible that the “pointer tree” came from this period. There was evidence of other dwellings on the property, too. One old pioneer cabin could be located by the lilies that persisted in growing long after the foundation stones were removed and the drift mine almost obliterated. The trail which passes this landmark was at one time part of a wagon trail which crossed the Little Missouri River at what was known as “Rocky Ford. There was also a ramshackle house known as “Red Eye’s Cabin,” owned by a man who had 12 children and 19 acres of land. According to Ernie, the man managed to send all his children to college. That story is not nearly as interesting as the “ghost story” lore that was passed down to campers over the years of a reclusive man whose eye had been bloodied by an adversary.

As time went on, four sites were developed. Each site contained a three-sided adirondack shelter that could be moved with a tractor, a canvas covered dining area, a hauled-in water supply, and pit toilets. In the 1970’s a central shower house was constructed. Eight tent and trailer sites were also developed near the main entrance.

In the 1970’s Chaddock in Quincy was given permission to construct a challenge course for their use. Chaddock continues to use the camp for the special children who are enrolled in the agency’s residential treatment ministry.

The Stumps

In 1977 the annual conference mandated that the Central Illinois Conference Board of Discipleship conduct a study of conference camping, develop a long-range plan, and bring recommendations to the 1978 annual conference. Additionally, a special session of annual conference that same year ruled that camp land which was not absolutely essential to the camping program of the CIC be sold to reduce the conference’s camp indebtedness, “thereby establishing Epworth Springs and East Bay Camp as the camping centers for the conference.” Faithfully, the Board of Discipleship conducted the study (under the leadership of Dr. Melvin Moody, “our highest denominational executive in camping”) and brought the following report to the 1978 annual conference: “…the Committee on Camping believes that the choices facing the Annual Conference are difficult ones. By programmatic criteria, the land at Jensen Woods is that which should be sold to further reduce the camping debt. That judgment, however, is a most ‘reluctant judgment’. Jensen Woods does not have high programmatic value at this time, but it is a valuable natural resource.” They further reported, “There are significant factors which argue against selling JensenWoods Camp. Though most of that land was purchased by the Conference, the coordination of that purchase was largely arranged by Ernest Jensen. The Jensen family gave around 80 acres to the Conference and sold 351 acres at a favorable price. There is a memorial nature to that camp site, and the family opposes the land’s sale. The land is a rich natural resource and may have greater programmatic value at a future time if the energy situation in our country worsens and trip camping declines in popularity… By keeping the land, the Conference would retain programmatic options and preserve the memorial nature of that site. The land could always be sold by future action of the Annual Conference, and probably at a significant increase in value.” The report concluded with the recommendation that the site be further developed, “including a small lake, cabins, and central cooking facilities, on the basis of designated giving from local churches…”

A motion to amend the report was made from the floor of the conference to sell the 200 acres that were not a part of the original Jensen land in order to reduce indebtedness. The motion failed. A substitute motion was then made to “retain 351 acres of Jensen Woods Camp Site, to harvest the trees on the remaining 200 acres with the option to sell these remaining acres.” The record of this substitute motion ends with, “The motion was withdrawn.” The conference went on to approve the Committee on Camping’s proposal to keep and develop all 551 acres.

What the minutes don’t tell is what sort of debate led to the withdrawing of the motion.The collective memory of those who were present is that there was considerable discussion around the effect harvesting trees would have on the ambiance of the camp. All questions seemed to be settled with seeming satisfaction when a laywoman took the microphone and demanded loudly, “What are we going to do with all these stumps?” The conference floor erupted in laughter. After restoring order, Bishop Leroy Hodapp, the presiding bishop at the time, led the conference in a vote on the previous question. But that wasn’t the end of the stumps. For several years afterward, the question “What about the stumps?” found its way into debates on the floor of the conference on matters totally unrelated to camping and Jensen Woods and continued to elicit uproarious guffaws.

The Daily Journal of the CIC in 1983 records Bishop Hodapp presenting the following “humorous resolution”: “Be it resolved that the Central Illinois Annual Conference establish an emergency apportionment for the purchase of La-Z Boy recliners for all delegates to annual conference and for the maintenance of a 24-hour emergency chiropractic clinic during the conference; Be it further resolved that the Central Illinois Conference find the person who designed these plastic chairs and put him/her to work pulling out stumps at Jensen Woods… preferably by hand. Submitted by A. King Backside, Posterior United Methodist Church.” The motion carried unanimously in the midst of great laughter. There was no shortage of laughter, either, when before the end of his assignment in the CIC Bishop Hodapp was presented with a coffee table made of a Jensen Woods stump.

Further Developments

Under the leadership of Jon Dixon, who was elected chair of the Board of Managers in 1981, there were many improvements to the campground including the creation of a lake (a project completed by the sweat of many neighbors and friends and funds from Chaddock). Picnic shelters were constructed by work groups from Pioneer Parish, Loraine, and Wesley Chapel-Ebenezer churches. In 1982, local churches responded to a “gravel day” and used their trucks to bring loads of rock to gravel the miles of roads in the acreage. A large shelter was constructed by Augusta Larger Parish United Methodist Men and was finished by a group from Doddsville. In 1984, Doddsville UMC cleared an area, built an altar, and constructed seating of JensenWoods lumber. Clyde Snyder, his family, and the Camp Point United Methodists spent countless hours in developing, maintaining, and overseeing the camp site in the 1980’s. Many volunteer clergy and laity served as camp directors and counselors in the summer program.

In 1982, the board of managers was given permission to rent a portion of the site for farming. The first summer 75 acres were farmed, soon to be 100. Local farmers who rented the property used no-till and minimum tillage and crop rotation to save and upgrade the soil. As a result of this stewardship, wildlife returned to the camp.

The 1990’s saw a great deal of growth and change at the camp site. Tree houses were added, as well as mountain bikes and horses. In 1995, camp registrations nearly reached 700. Unfortunately, at about the same time, the site committee began noting shrinkage in the size of the volunteer pool. More and more of the summer program was being delivered by trained and paid staff.

In 1993, the ground was placed into a 10-year conservation program involving tree-planting and cultivation of native prairie grass. The sale of timber was pursued and in 2001, the camp negotiated a contract with Eagle Outfitters for use of the camp in the fall for bow-hunting.

The camp was accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) in 2002. The ACA visitors included in their report a note to the effect that Jensen Woods “is the best rustic camp we have seen.”

In 2010, the Illinois Great Rivers Conference received a $400,000 trust from Roselyn Jensen’s estate for use on Jensen Woods buildings and campground maintenance. Plans were immediately drawn up for an expansion of the Dixon Lodge to include a kitchen and chapel with a walk-out basement. Building began in the fall of 2011 and was nearly ready for use by the summer 2012 camping season.

The Jensen family

Ernest Jensen was born in the homestead built by his mother’s oldest brother around a log cabin that was entirely enclosed in the building. His mother was also born in the house. Ernest’s father, Eric Crist Jensen, came to this country in 1880 when he was 24 years old. He and a second cousin homesteaded near Hozie, Kansas, after immigrating from a home near Hamburg, Germany. He eventually built a house on a bluff of soapstone and clay. Ernest died in a tractor accident in 1964.

His daughter, Roselyn Kay, was born in 1944, the daughter of Ernest Jensen and his wife, Florence Christner Jensen. She graduated from Brown County High School in 1962 and from Illinois State University in 1966. She was a teacher by profession and enjoyed entertaining, gardening, traveling, and helping to maintain the Jensen Woods Camp of her childhood. She was a member of Mt. Sterling UMC when she passed away on June 28, 2010

Testimonials

My granddaughter had such a great time and can’t wait to return this summer. Thank you for providing such a wonderful service to the folks in our area.

Sarah


“Through my years at Jensen woods, I was taught to find God in every situation, both good and bad. Going through a variety of situations each week at camp with my peers and counselors gave me my first sense of community in a church. These people showed me how important worship is for faith and how it creates a relationship with God. While watching how certain counselors worshipped and lived, for the first time, I saw people actually pursuing a relationship with Christ. This inspired me to have a relationship of my own with God and is a big reason I am so strong in my faith today.”

-Bryttney


Words can’t express the wonderful time we had over Memorial Day, staying in the A-Frame cabin at Jensen Woods Camp this weekend. We cooked every meal over the fire, went hiking, canoeing, kayaking, played games, stayed up late, slept in late, welcomed family who came out to visit, and read.
I didn’t get very many pictures because I was too busy enjoying the weekend. After the crazy busy spring we have had, it was just what I needed.
If you have never been out to Jensen, check out this best kept secret in Brown County! It’s available for tent, RV, cabin, or bunkhouse camping, and they have a list of summer camps that will be starting soon. My kiddos can’t Wait to go!!!
Jennie VanDeVelde
 

 

The weekend was lovely and we will definitely use the camp again in the future!  D.M.


Thanks to Jensen Woods camp for a wonderful, relaxing Labor day weekend “camping” trip. We so enjoyed the A-Frame cabin, fishing, hiking, boating, and the beauty of nature!

 
If you’re looking for a place to tent or RV camp, or want to rent the cabin, bunkhouses, or lodge, check it out!
 
Jennie VanDeVelde
 

My family and I had a really great time at Jensen family camp and hope you offer it again next year. We recreated the Taco Soup recipe at home already.

Matt Vigor


My daughter and niece attended the Teen Retreat and couldn’t say enough great things and the fun they had!!!  I was a little sad. I was at least expecting a text saying good morning or good night and nothing.  I asked her why she didn’t.  And her reply. “Mom I just wasn’t on my phone.” How great is that to hear that they were having enough fun to not WANT to be on their phones!

Thanks Kathy, Christine, Deane and counselors for having a great weekend!!

Julie Fessler


Jensen Woods quite literally saved my life. I found myself to be depressed as a young child without knowing that I was depressed. I started drinking at age 12. Somehow, I was able to keep it hidden from everyone. From 12-15 I tried to commit suicide 3 times. Jensen Woods and the staff were the only thing I looked forward to every year. Through the camp and the staff I found my religion. I grew up in the church, but never really got it. This camp means so much to me and my family.

Mollie Bateman


There are two places from my high school and college years that have made an indelible mark both in my heart and also on who I am today. And the thread that ties both of these places together was that I was introduced to them through the youth camping experience. As a camper, it was the boundary waters of Canada where the mix of nature and fellowship inspired me. Some 30 years later I am still in correspondence with a great many fellow campers and counselors who shared in that magical experience. As a counselor, it was Jensen Woods that was my home and heart for two summers.

Jensen Woods for me was nothing less than paradise on Earth. Dusty during the dry times and a muddy mess in the wet ones, it mattered not in the least. You can hardly imagine the joy of an 11 year old who is being actively encouraged to go sliding down a muddy lane or the delight of a kid jumping off a cliff (Ok… it was like 4 feet!) into the creek below. We slept in treehouses and hogans and even on tarps as we watched the brilliant stars in the sky, unfettered by man-made lights. We spoke of constellations and the distance of the universe. We cooked our food over campfires (and smelled like one half the time!) and sang songs long into the night. We learned about the different plants and the animals who shared our woods. We swam in the pond and went creekin’ on the hot days. Campers were introduced to horses and the work that goes into horse care. Some of these kids had hardly even seen a horse up close before these camps. The appreciation for nature and their time at Jensen Woods is one that I’m positive still endures in their lives today.

For me, it’s still my happy place. I had both solitude to think and fellowship to laugh. I grew up a lot those two years… not that anyone could directly tell at the time! I’ve stopped by to visit during the off-times of the year when my work took me in the vicinity. I’ve sat by the pond and paid my respect to the treehouses. I’ve wandered the long lane back to the creek and remembered structures that had long since passed. The memories always make me smile. I was even able to take my family out there for a weekend a few years back, something my kids have frequently referenced over the years. I doubt there’s been in day in the last 26 years since I spent my last summer there that I wouldn’t consider most seriously any invitation to return for a day, a week, or for a lifetime.

I can only hope that other souls get the same opportunity in the future to come to love the spirit of Jensen Woods.

Greg Phillips
Franchise Owner / Manager
Expedia CruiseShipCenters



For most of my childhood, from the time I was 8 until I was 21, every summer was spent at Jensen woods. I was a camper, a wrangler in training, a counselor in training, a paid counselor, dean of staff, and finally in the summer of 2012, I had the immense privilege to serve as the Director of Jensen Woods. So to say that Jensen Woods, and the community of people who worked there, were a formative part of my childhood would be an understatement of grand proportions.

Simply stated, I would not be a Christian in any way, shape, or form without the camping ministry of Jensen Woods. In junior high and the early part of high school, I was addicted to drugs, would binge drink on a regular basis, had sex with multiple girls, would lie straight to your face, and steal right from under your nose. Yet, the people of Jensen Woods loved me regardless of who I was (or at least who I tried to present myself as). Jensen Woods was a safe place where the pressures of high school simply melted away. It was also the place where I first heard of Jesus and his love for me. It was the place where God became real to me. It was the place where God’s presence was so palpable that I could do nothing us but accept it, repent of my sin, and enjoy the warmth of God’s love for what it really is – a pure gift of grace!

The people of Jensen Woods taught me what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. They taught me how to love, how to be courageous, how to stand firm in my faith,how to be in true community with others, and how to be a good leader through service. Jensen Woods became a holy place for me, where I would frequently go to be encouraged in my faith, and to listen to God’s still small voice. It was the place where I first said a prayer I really meant.
It is not only my life that has been changed, there are many others who are now disciples of Jesus because of the way God has used Jensen Woods camping ministries. Just from the 3 year period that I was a counselor at Jensen Woods (2005-2007), our summer staff from those years now includes: an ordained Deacon in the IGRC, a PhD student at a UMC seminary who is also a candidate for ordination, a worship pastor at a large church in Peoria, a soon to be ordained Presbyterian pastor who also teaches Old Testament at a university, and myself, a certified candidate for ordination in the IGRC and a Youth Pastor at a vibrant church in downtown Chicago. And these are just the people who are doing full time vocational ministry!!! This doesn’t even include the countless others who are disciples of Jesus Christ and living out their faith in a vast multitude of ways and means.

Youth Pastor Colin Knapp


Hello, my name is Danielle and I attended Jensen woods for 4 years when I was younger. I’m currently 24 and I have drove past the Jensen woods sign on US-24 and always think about the memories I made. I loved singing around the fire, swimming in the lake, hikes, horseback riding, and of course, creeking! I made some great memories at Jensen woods and was sad to hear it closing. One of my most vivid memories was praying with a counselor about accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. At the time, I had been going to church weekly, but never knew what it meant to accept Jesus into my heart. The counselor had us state our names and say out loud in prayer our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. It was a life changing moment. I know I had two other girls by my side doing the same thing. And I am sure the camp had several children accepting Jesus throughout their years of service. I loved the camp and the years I was able to spend there. I pray more children can enjoy the camp and meet Jesus Christ during their stay.

Thanks,
Danielle Upchurch


The camping ministry of Jensen Woods has greatly shaped my life. For a majority of my childhood, from age 10 to 21, I looked forward to spending my summers at Jensen Woods. I had visited other, less rustic IGRC camps, but never felt the belonging or closeness to God and the beauty of his natural world that I felt there. I progressed from being a camper, to wrangler in training, to head wrangler and eventually assistant director in my time there. During those summers, God taught me so much of embracing his peace as he prepared me to be a sanctuary for his word. He taught me what family was meant to be, by teaching me the roles of the family of Christ and how he puts people in your life to support you and lead you in his way. In my college years, I had originally sought after a veterinary medicine degree, but God led me instead to pursue a degree in Elementary Education to continue to work with children. Jensen Woods has had a profound impact on the course of my life in these, and many other ways! I truly hope other youth will continue to get to experience all the blessings that Jensen Woods has to offer.

Stephanie Patrick


This Facebook post was written April 2019 by a former camper who is now going to send her daughter to camp all the way from Mississippi!! Thank you Brandi!!
“God works in amazing ways y’all! I have been looking for a summer camp for Layken that is Christian based…for weeks I have searched. I found some here in Mississippi that ranged from $1200-$2500 for only three to five days! Waaaaay too much for this mamma! A few days ago, I received a friend request from Gretchen Forsythe and accepted. That same day she sent me a message telling me that Jensen Woods back home in Illinois needed some Mississippi kiddos to come camp with them 😉. (Btw….She had no idea that I was actively searching for camps.)The real kicker is that this is the same Christian based camp that I went to when I was a kid. Anyway, I was able to sign her up for the exact camp I attended 30 years ago! How cool is that?! A Christian based horseback riding camp…For only $350 for 6 days! So if you are looking for a good camp for your babies, I highly recommend Jensen Woods! They have lots of different ones to choose from if horses aren’t your thing. 😄”