2026 Lake Union Camp Meetings

Experiencing the Lord of Hope  

The year 2025 marked the Illinois Conference celebration of 25 years of Camp Akita. This year, we join our sister conferences in celebrating an even larger milestone: 100 years of summer camp ministry. For a century, generations of young people and families have encountered God in the outdoors through summer camps like Akita. For over a decade, Camp Akita has hosted our camp meetings as well.  

It will be a festive time once again at our two camp meetings this summer. Our main camp meeting will be held July 22–25, followed by our Hispanic Camp Meeting from July 31–Aug. 2. Both gatherings offer an opportunity to step away from the noise and busyness of daily life and reconnect with God and one another in the beauty of God’s creation. 

This year’s camp meeting theme is “Experiencing the Lord of Hope.” In a time when many people feel overwhelmed by uncertainty, the theme invites campers to rediscover the deep and steady hope found in Christ. Through worship, study, fellowship, and recreation, campers will be encouraged to not just talk about but experience the kind of hope that sustains faith through all the seasons of life. 

During the week, Pastor Ira Bartolomé will serve as the devotional speaker, helping set the spiritual tone for each day. Prof. Glenn Russell will lead several seminars designed to deepen faith and provide practical spiritual insights. On Friday evening, Illinois Conference President John Grys will address our campers, sharing words of encouragement and vision for our conference family. On Sabbath, Adrian Murray, director of mission and ministries at AdventHealth North Pinellas in Florida, will serve as our featured speaker. Matt and Josie Minikus will join us as special musical guests (“musicianaries” as they call it!), providing worship through music throughout the weekend. 

For the Hispanic Camp Meeting, Elden Ramirez, president of the Lake Union Conference, will serve as the main speaker. The Ramirez family will also be providing the music, creating a meaningful time of worship and fellowship for our Hispanic members and guests. 

Camp Akita is waiting for you! Our veteran campers know that camp meeting is just as much about enjoying the climbing tower, zipline, jet skis, swimming, and peaceful walks in nature as it is about listening to speakers and enjoying the music. Friendships are renewed, families reconnect, and new memories are made each year around the campfire, on the waterfront, and in the worship pavilion. 

Whether you come for the spiritual renewal, the fellowship, or simply a few days surrounded by God’s creation, camp meeting at Camp Akita offers something special for everyone. We hope you will join us this summer as we celebrate a century of camp ministry and experience the Lord of Hope together. 

Dates

Camp Meeting: July 22–25 

Hispanic Camp Meeting: July 31–Aug. 2 

Address:  Camp Akita | 1684 Knox Rd 1200 N, Gilson, IL 61436

Threads of Grace: The Fabric of Family 

Our 2026 camp meeting will follow the Indiana Conference year-long theme – Threads of Grace: The Fabric of Family. As the author of all love, God offers hope, healing, and restoration to broken relationships and provides guidance and strength so that we can experience true joy and peace in the home. Our camp meeting seminars, sermons, and activities will be built around this theme of restoring and building relationships with others. 

Held on the campus of Indiana Academy, camp meeting seminars will highlight such topics as family life, family financial planning, natural remedies, prayer ministries, religious liberty, cultural insights into Christ’s life and ministry and more. 

Children’s programming, designed for toddlers through teens, will provide enriching Bible presentations and plenty of recreation and fellowship. Additionally, family-oriented activities are scheduled throughout the week. 

The first conference-wide gathering will be held on Sabbath, May 30 for our Spanish-speaking families. Dia de la Hermandad is a vibrant time of worship and fellowship. 

Our weeklong camp meeting event will begin on Monday evening, June 1, and conclude on Sabbath evening, June 6. 

Additionally, our fourth annual one-day Haitian gathering will meet at the Cicero Church on Sabbath, June 6. 

Indiana Camp Meeting is always a special week of fellowship, encouragement, and inspiration. Make plans today to join us! 

Speakers: 

Dates: June 1-6, 2026 

Address: Indiana Adventist Academy, 24815 IN-19, Cicero, IN 46034 

Multiply by Mission 

In just a few short months, we will gather once again on the sacred grounds of Camp Wagner for camp meeting 2026 under the theme, Multiply by Mission. This theme is more than a slogan. It is a divine call to action. It reminds us that we are not simply saved to sit, but sent to serve; not just called to believe, but commissioned to build the kingdom of God. 

Rooted in Matthew 28 and Acts 2, Multiply by Mission reflects both the command of Christ and the evidence of a Spirit-filled church. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives His final instruction to His disciples: to go into all the world, make disciples, baptize and teach. This Great Commission is not reserved for a select few. As a conference, as a church, and even as individuals, we are all called to surrender ourselves fully to God and say, “Lord, use me.” 

When we accept that call, Acts 2 shows us what happens next. The Holy Spirit is poured out. Lives are transformed. The church begins to multiply. Not by human effort alone, but by divine empowerment. Notice that the early believers were united in purpose, bold in witness and committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. And as a result, thousands came to know Him.  

The goal of Camp Meeting 2026 is to ignite that evangelistic fire within every heart and to remind us that we are disciples called to make other disciples.  

You are invited to join us as we come together in worship, fellowship and the Word of God. Our prayer is that each one of you will experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit and leave the campgrounds empowered to go and do the work of the Lord. 

Because when we say yes to the mission, God brings the multiplication. And that is the true blessing of Multiply by Mission. 

With a Loud Voice 

In Revelation 14, God has a special end-time message for earth given through three angels, or messengers. This message is described as “the everlasting gospel” that must be given “with a loud voice” (v. 6). The message of the angel is to fear God, reflect His character, and understand the times in which we are living. It is noteworthy that the “loud voice” of the angel mimics the voice of God “like the sound of loud thunder” (v. 2). In this passage we find that proclaiming the Gospel is an act of godliness. In fact, the messenger seeks to be like God so much so, that he mimics God in the very way the gospel is proclaimed, with a loud voice—the theme of this year’s camp meeting.  

On opening night, our president Jim Micheff will share the Friday evening message. Our featured speaker for the first weekend will be Stephen Bohr, president of Secrets Unsealed. Each morning, Pastor Steven Conway of the Troy Seventh-day Adventist Church will share on spiritual growth and healthy relationships drawing from decades of ministry and global outreach.  

Ryan Hayes, professor of chemistry at Andrews University, will give the mid-morning messages from Monday to Friday. Hayes is known for using science to point audiences to God’s design in creation. Starting Wednesday evening, Elder Paul H. Douglass will bring decades of global leadership experience as treasurer and chief financial officer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world headquarters. 

Our prayer is that the voice of God invested to His remnant church through the proclamation of His everlasting gospel will be proclaimed with a loud voice.  

Hispanic Camp meeting will take place at Camp Au Sable from May 22 -24 and our Upper Peninsula Camp Meeting will take place from Sept. 11-15.  

Michigan Camp Meeting 

June 12-20 

Theme: With A Loud Voice 

Location: Great Lakes Adventist Academy, 7477 Academy Rd. Cedar Lake, MI 48812 

Contact: Stephanie Howard slhoward@misda.org | misda.org/camp-meeting 

Camp Meeting Speakers 

Taste Of Heaven

Wisconsin Camp Meeting is a great spiritual retreat, offering inspiring worship and fellowship at the beautiful Camp Wakonda. The event will take place on June 19-27, and the theme is “Taste of Heaven.”

While we live our everyday lives on this earth, God invites us into something far greater than the ordinary. We are called to experience life as a foretaste of heaven, where God’s presence is real, personal, and transformative. Amid daily routines and responsibilities, we are reminded that heaven begins now when we choose to walk closely with God and allow His Spirit to shape our thoughts, actions, and purpose.

This heavenly foretaste is experienced most deeply when we gather to worship with fellow believers. In worship, we are united across differences, lifting our hearts together in praise, prayer, and gratitude. These moments of shared faith reflect the eternal worship described in Scripture and strengthen our connection with God and one another, reminding us that we are part of something much larger than ourselves.

As we live and worship in this way, we are also called to extend the invitation of God’s kingdom to others. Our lives become a living testimony, inviting friends, neighbors, and communities to experience the hope, grace, and love found in Christ. By reflecting heaven through our words and actions, we help others catch a glimpse of God’s kingdom and discover the joy of belonging to Him.

We are excited to welcome a dynamic group of Spirit-filled leaders who will inspire, challenge, and encourage us throughout Camp Meeting 2026.

Our evening speakers will include Richard Halverson, director of Church Growth and Revitalization for the Southern Union; Titus Naftanaila, president of the Wisconsin Conference; Eric Flickinger, associate speaker for It Is Written Television; and Shane Anderson, pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church. Each will bring a powerful message rooted in Scripture, vision, and a passion for God’s mission.

Our midweek gatherings will be enriched by Esther Knott, interim assistant to the president for mission and culture at Andrews University, and Dr. Nadine Thomas, a licensed certified life coach, who will offer practical insights and spiritual encouragement for personal growth, leadership, and whole-life discipleship.

Beyond the messages, Camp Meeting 2026 will offer moments of joy, renewal, and celebration through a special concert, a baptismal service, the annual Hallelujah Hustle, inspiring worship experiences, and meaningful fellowship. Together, these elements will create a sacred space for reflection, connection, and spiritual renewal.

We look forward to sharing this unforgettable experience with you—thank you for planning to join us for Camp Meeting 2026.

Dates: June 19-27

Contact: 920-484-6555 or 608-296-2126

Location Address: W8368 County Hwy E, Oxford, WI 53952

Theme: Taste of Heaven

Speakers