In 1994, three father-and-son pairs camped in a wooded area along the Embarrass River, near the open farmland of Illinois producer Chris Miller. Thirty years and thousands of kids later, Miller’s Father-Son Camp has soared into success, measured by the shaping of American youth.
Each year, hundreds of boys raised on concrete, along with their dads, arrive at Miller’s row crop and cattle operation for a life lesson in farming, fishing, firearms, livestock, woodworking, and biblical-based teaching.
“We try to put tools in the toolbox for these fathers to help the next generation,” Miller says. “We want them to raise boys with backbones of iron.”
Wheels in Motion
On black dirt in east-central Illinois’ Coles County, Miller began farming in 1977. Today, alongside his wife, Mary, Miller grows 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans, and raises roughly 100 pairs of Angus cattle. Beyond agriculture, Miller doubles as a state representative in the Illinois General Assembly, and Mary serves as a congresswoman in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In October 1995, Miller’s fifth (and first son) of seven children, Max, celebrated a third birthday. Miller asked young Max the big question: “What do you want to do on your birthday?”
“Camping. I wanna go camping—no girls allowed.”
Bingo. Miller invited along two friends who also had 3-year-old sons.
“At the time, all I knew as a father was that kids did well in life when parents spent lots of time with them,” Miller recalls. “But beyond that, we just took them for a simple campout. What can you expect with three-year-olds?”
However, unbeknownst to Miller, the wheels were in motion.
“When our boys woke up Saturday morning, we saw something special because of the gleam in their eyes. That tiny overnight became an annual event and then it started to grow organically.”
Run Loose
On Max’s eighth birthday, Miller made a small step that turned into a giant leap: “We went to our local Birkey’s farm store, borrowed their 20-by-20 tent for teaching times, put straw bales around for seats, and decided to combine outdoor adventure and ministry. In the evening, we taught a basic biblical principal that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. And whatever you ate had to be caught or killed.”
“Those first several years, sometimes the dinners were a little gross when a young boy didn’t fully skin his squirrel,” Miller says with a grin. “The last time we did that, we had 120 campers and some campers complained that all they did that weekend was clean fish. For the last 10 years or so, we have enjoyed catered meals.”
Word of the camp’s impact quickly spread. Year over year, the gathering climbed to 36 fathers and sons—to 80—to 140. Then 200 to 300. And now, Father Son Camp consistently reaches 500 to 600. Over four days in October, the camp features meetings in early morning and evening, with activities packed in between, stretched from the Miller farm to nearby Walnut Point State Park and Hebron Hills.
Who are the attendees? “One year we had 17 states and one foreign country represented,” Miller describes. “It’s almost all average fathers that are raising kids in a non-farm or a city environment that have never shot a gun or been around farming. It’s like letting calves off a trailer after a long drive when the boys get here. They kick up their heels and run loose.”
“It’s fathers trying to cast a vision of Christian manhood,” he adds. “Proverbs 29:18 tells us that where there’s no vision, people are unrestrained—and that’s a snapshot of modern society. Our culture is in chaos, and our youth are bombarded by images, cell phones, and mass media. We have to stand up and push back so we don’t lose this generation.”
Power of One
Father Son Camp is independent and funded entirely by donations, with expenses roughly $30,000-$35,000 per year. “It’s open to everyone, and everyone chips in as they can,” Miller says. “But everyone is welcome to come whether they donate or not. It’s about an emphasis on pointing the next generation to Christ while enjoying the open spaces, enjoying outdoor adventures, and the agricultural landscape of central Illinois.”
From Navy Seals to athletes to authors to veterans to pastors, Miller provides inspirational speakers every year. In 2024, Joe Kennedy addressed the camp: “Joe stood up for his right to pray after football games and took his case to the Supreme Court—and won,” Miller notes. “He proved the power of one, and that’s a message we want these kids to take home.”
Miller believes in the role of farmland to mold character and propel sons to manhood. “My hope is that Father Son Camp has a ripple effect that starts in Oakland, Illinois, and moves like a tsunami across the U.S. from north to south and east to west. We want to introduce kids to Christ and the adventures that agriculture can provide for the next generation to give them hope and a vision.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told
Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market
Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man
Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy
Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic
Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years
American Gothic: Farm Couple Nailed In Massive $9M Crop Insurance Fraud
Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam
Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam
The Arrowhead Whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland
Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History
