Kemmerer Village
The mission of Kemmerer Village is to help the Presbyterian Church fulfill its responsibility to minister to children and families who face stress and turmoil in their lives. Kemmerer Village carries out this mission through its direct services to individual families; and by assisting individuals to advocate for the needs and rights of children and families in their community.
At Kemmerer Village, we are dedicated to serve the very special children entrusted to our care.
In the early years of the Twentieth Century, Kemmerer Orphan’s Home served as a safe haven for many orphaned children of Illinois and also as a large adoption agency. Clearly, it was the Church’s responsibility, in those days, to care for the needy, the poor, and the orphaned. Most of the children were pre-school and grade school age and all lived on the second floor of the old main building. There were caring couples, who served as superintendents in those days. They also served as nurses, cooks, launderers, teachers, gardeners, fixer-uppers, and "finders" of cash and in-kind gifts for the home, as well as caretakers for the 30 children entrusted to their care.
Kemmerer Village's Board of Directors today is composed of representatives of Great Rivers Presbytery, the Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois, and the local community.
Today, Kemmerer Village serves upwards of 120 children daily through our Residential Treatment and Foster Care programs.
To learn more about mission, see The PCUSA Mission Yearbook.
Matthew 25:34-40
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,a you did it to me.
a Gk these my brothers
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.
Camp Carew welcomes campers from all religious traditions.
Camp Carew is a drug- and alcohol-free environment.
