Our Missions Team verse this summer was, 2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, keep your head in all

situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

It seems to me that God wrote this verse especially for camps.

Little did we know that this would be a summer of many hardships and we’d need God’s wisdom, often.

Team members dealt with a variety of struggles and challenges. It took lots of energy to keep the Team on track and focused. There were many times of deep prayer and support for each other.

Campers talked of struggles, families coping with children needing more attention and some needing professional help.

Yet through it all God was at work. At the end of the summer and after a few days of rest and prayer, it seemed God confirmed that the work He did this summer was deep and foundational. We may never see the full impact of the ministry, but trust that God used each struggle and hard decision and fervent prayer, to bring the Missions Team closer to Him and to work in the hearts of our campers to make Himself very real to them.

Our Missions Team was the largest we’ve had in many years. We had 17 people on the Team, working varied numbers of weeks.

Missions Team 2023

Returning Missions Team Members
Kayla McLaughlin, Payton Newell, Olivia Robinson, Daniel Reid, Jordyn LeMay, Jackson Goulding, Jessica Goulding, Jacob Clark

New Team Members
Aidan Smith, Andrew Reid, Carsyn Elchelsyn, Abii Gordan, Ajay Gordan, Jacob Wessell, Shynelle Bryon, Anastasia Wilcock, Hannah Affleck

Missions Team at Minden

Insight from the ministry we use for Team Devotionals.

You may be wondering if the sacrifice to work at a Christian camp was really worth it all. Maybe you’ve already begun thinking of better ways you can spend next summer Wait a moment!

Even if it doesn’t appear to you that God’s kingdom was growing by leaps and bounds this summer, God has promised us that he is building his church. If you were faithful in living for Christ and in speaking God’s word, perhaps seeds were planted in young hearts that will bear fruit next year or ten years from now. You may never even see the results of your labour, but you do have the promise of Christ. He didn’t say, “I might build my church.” He said, “I will build my church.”

Perhaps in twenty years or so this camp will no longer exist. Christ has not promised to build and preserve any Christian camp.

There is a greater institution that Christ is building, the Church—not even hell itself can destroy it or stop it. It will grow and continue until Christ returns for his people. Used with permission. Joel Risher, Character Building Ministries

2023 Summary

Kids Clubs The purpose of these programs is to disciple young people in the Lord and build on friendships made at camp. New people welcome. We ran 3 Clubs in 2022/2023

Haven at Faith Tabernacle Church in Coboconk. In 2022 it was in the school pre-summer then moved to the church. This year we have 14 participants and 2 new leaders. We are now walking the students from the school to save parents 1 drive. Reflect ran from November to June at the Fenelon Falls United Church. It was not continued in the Fall.

On Guard in it’s 4^th year, continues to be a fun and engaging program over Zoom.

Spring/Summer Ministry Quest May 12-14

27 campers Focused on the *Least Likely. Campers learned about the Bible and how to find their way around it. Several campers recommitted themselves to God. All had FUN!

VBS + Staff Training

Pioneer Church Norland-July 3-7

VBS ran from 9 to noon

40 kids attending, 14 Missionaries

6 kids asked the Lord into their lives Training – afternoons –learning how to work with kids, keep them safe and how to run activities

Day Camps- Run from 9 to 4 Snack is provided by the church.

Chapel lessons – alternated weekly Bible Biggies – people who served God well + Bible Bullies – how to stay strong in God.

It seemed God calmed campers during Chapel time. It was wonderful how attentive they were, week after week.

West Guilford Camp

July 10-14 37 Campers, 11 Missionaries We ran boats, had Browning Reptiles visit, had lots of fun and saw God work in camper’s and our lives. 2 campers became Christians.

Minden Camp-July 17-21

51 campers, 10 Missionaries

We set up camp differently and it worked really well. This was such a fun week and the campers were well behaved and cooperative. The Minden Hills Fire Dep’t brought 4 trucks and a dozen Firefighters to do a safety talk and spray the hoses. A shocking 30 campers prayed to become Christians.

Coboconk Camp-July 24-28

34 campers, 13 Missionaries

This is always an enjoyable camp. We had many children of former campers at this site. How cool is that! We had so many requests for Swim Lessons that we couldn’t run boats. Carsyn did a good job organizing his lessons. We enjoyed having the Learn to Fish program visit us. It has improved so much and everyone had a great time.

2 campers prayed for Salvation and several recommitted to the Lord.

Resident Camp- July 30-Aug 4

36 Campers, 10 Missionaries, 2 kitchen staff and our Chapel Speaker, Hilya Persaud

This was a very impactful week. At campfire we invite Counsellors and campers to share about their faith. Many attested to how God has come alongside them in times of need and strengthen their faith.

Others talked of walking with God since a young age and feeling His guiding hand. Some felt safe enough to talk of deeper struggles and feelings of being unloved and misunderstood. People gathered around them, prayed and assured them they were indeed loved.

Teresa talked to the parents of those who shared and was assured they knew of the struggles and their kids were getting help.

We had the Abernathy’s come to entertain in music. The campers caught on to the humour of their songs and loved having them there. We also had the Norland Corn Hole Club bring their equipment for the campers to play. It was our dress-up dinner night, so this was the first time the Club had played Corn Hole Toss in formalwear!

Two staff had to step away from camp due to anxiety mid-week.

Bolsover Camp-Aug. 7-11

13 campers, 8 Missionaries

No idea why the numbers were so low, but we had a great time.

Skits and Team cheers were especially good this week. Deeper connections with campers were possible.

Haliburton Camp-Aug 14-18

33 campers, 8 Missionaries Haliburton is often a tough camp, kids seem harder to connect with and to keep on track. It was a tiring week and still Chapel went well and campers got into skits and cheers. 2 campers made a commitment to Christ and only 2 indicated they attend church. Browning Reptiles came to this location and these kids loved Sarah’s presentation.

Fenelon Falls Camp-Aug 21-25

37 Campers, 9 Missionaries

The Learn to Fish Program came to this camp as well and again excelled. Again very attentive campers in Chapel which made it enjoyable to teach. Several cousins attended together. We faced some tough issues this week and did lots of calling on the Lord. 4 campers asked Jesus into their lives this week.

Stats

Campers – 281

Salvations – 51

*Least Likely – 189

No Church/Christian input – 92

Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, You are my God;  I will exalt You and praise Your name for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.    

I am awestruck by God’s faithfulness to camp and His goodness.  We’ve gone through a few lean years, operating with very few Missionaries, making do with-out boats and swimming because of we had no lifeguards.  We’ve had big plans for school year ministry, but kept running into snags. God is now showing us the harvest, bringing good fruit to all the hard and hopeful work, the planting and waiting, the growing and sowing.  Our Missions Team will be the biggest it’s been in many years. He’s provided Volunteers for each club. God is so good and so faithful to those who faithfully walk alongside Him. 

Our Banquet theme is Faithfulness.  While we have been faithful to His call He has been faithful to the ministry of Monarch.

BANQUET + AGM  May 6^th
Pioneer Baptist Church – Norland
Sponsor a Table of 8  $135
Single seats $17.50
5:30 Punch - Dinner + Program to follow to register call 705-887-3625 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Great is His Faithfulness.

There is much to celebrate!

This year Monarch has been able to connect with more campers and club participants in many creative and significant ways. We are back to running our After School Program, Haven, pre-summer in Ridgewood School. There was a real struggle trying to get the club running again at the school and the final outcome was that school rentals can only occur after 6pm. Praise the Lord, Faith Tabernacle Church is hosting this program. 9 kids are attending and enjoying games, snacks and learning about God.    

We were invited to run a program for Fenelon Falls United Church and in November we started Reflect.                       

We want to reflect God through our creativity and our Christian witness.  The church is covering our expenses and providing Assistants. It’s small at this time, but are hoping to promote better to try to attract more kids grades 4 +.

On Guard, our online Program, is in its  3^rd year and continues to impact the participants. We are focussing more on how to “guard” our faith. The kids are getting more involved prayer, leading games and selecting worship songs. We are enjoying new leaders and new participants.

We see God’s faithfulness after these lean years with more young people committing to working at camp this summer, new people hearing about Monarch, and a deeper sense of purpose.

2023 Schedule:  Three clubs running weekly till mid-June. For all three, God has provided caring Volunteers who are faithful each week.

Quest – May 12-14 FREE camp weekend sponsored by the Bible League of Canada for the purpose of introducing young people to what a life with Christ can look like and giving them a found-ational understanding of the Bible.

Please pray that we fill all 30 spots and that many come to faith and a deeper understanding of God’s goodness.

Summer

July 3-7 VBS/Staff Training  Norland
July 10-14 Day Camp – West Guilford
July 17-21 Day Camp Minden
July 24-28 Day Camp Coboconk
July 28-Aug 4 Resident Camp Norland
Aug 7-11 Day Camp Bolsover
Aug 14-18 Day Camp Haliburton
Aug 21-25 Day Camp Fenelon Falls

God uses camp to impact children’s lives and maybe even more so, the lives of those who serve in the ministry.  I often say, “If you want to grow with God, serve God.”  So here’s some wise words from our Mission Team members.....

My experience with Monarch has been a great journey so far and I am happy to continue making memories with the camp.  I support the camp in its outreach and digital media efforts and I truly saw the glory of God come together during the Dessert Night Fundraiser + AGM in June where we reached our fundraising goal despite the odds. I am happy to say I will continue being part of Monarch Bible Camp and I am excited for Quest Camp in May This will be my first real camp experience. I look forward to coming alongside campers in their own experiences. I am grateful to be part of a camp that allows children to learn about God and experience the beauty of nature.  I am looking forward to this years Fundraiser and seeing how God will provide for us then. -Barbara – Social Media Officer

Hello all, my name is Aidan Smith. I am a resident of Fenelon Falls. My family moved here in 2008 from Richmond Hill.  Life has not been easy. My mom, brother and I all suffer from mental illness.  I came to Christ at the age of 3 when I asked my mom how I could be close to Jesus like her.  So, she asked me to repeat the simple prayer to accept Jesus into my heart, and right there in the sandbox I became a Christian. 

My interests include: Jesus, Computers, The Right to Repair Movement, Sustainable Agriculture, Green Energy, People and Food.  My main goal in life is to spread the word of Jesus to people who may not know Him.

Thanks to Monarch Bible Camp, I now have an avenue to practice my faith and help share the Word of Jesus to those having the least opportunity to hear.  Thanks for the opportunity Monarch Bible Camp.  

Aidan is part of our On Guard Team and will be a Summer Missionary. 

Serving at camp has been a truly impactful experience that has shaped my view of how God works through his people. This summer coming will be my third serving with Monarch and it just keeps getting better each year! As an educator, my heart has always been to see God at work in children’s hearts as much as He is in adults’. Children’s thoughts, feelings and voices are often overlooked or undervalued by our society. This is a huge loss because they have so much to offer! I have seen God work through children to impact adults in a way that another adult wouldn't be able to do. There are numerous stories of children coming to camp, hearing about Jesus, and then sharing what they heard with the adults in their lives. Even the most stubborn of hearts and minds can be transformed by hearing the word of God spoken by a child. Camp empowers children who may not have heard about Christ to gain knowledge and a sense of His love in a safe and caring environment. I know that the Lord will use each missionary serving this summer to further his kingdom in the youngest (and often most open!) hearts. Kayla McLaughlin-Program Director

Alica-Quest
Barbara-Quest
Rosa- Quest
Braiden- Quest
Payton-Full Summer
Kayla-Full Summer
Olivia-Full Summer
Aidan-Full Summer
Dixee - Partial  Summer
Jacob-Partial  Summer
Daniel-Full Summer
Andrew-Full Summer
Jackson-Partial  Summer
Jessie-Part Summer
Shynelle-Partial  Summer

Camp is a unique opportunity for children and youth to connect with each other and make lifelong friendships.  Camp enables kids from church families to learn about their faith in a concen-trated way over the course of a week,  and for kids from non-churched lives to explore the foundations of the Christian faith.   I and my family  have been connected with Monarch as  summer  helpers at first, then my kids as campers,  then they served as staff and now as parents sending their kids to camp.  Monarch has blessed many of the smaller churches in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton or over 40 years and we look forward to many more providing a camp experience that many families would not likely experience.  Pray for Teresa as she seeks to plan another summer and the need of a new visionary person to come along side her as we plan for the future.  Rev Ross Fogwell Chair of Monarch Board

What a wonderful success our Reaping the Harvest Annual Fundraising Banquet and Annual General Meeting was last Saturday April 21^st!  With over 110 guests, representing 5 local Churches (West Guilford Baptist, Trentside Baptist, Minden Bible Church, Pioneer Baptist and Shiloh Christian Centre) along with many individuals showing their support – the place was packed!  In addition to all these seat/table sales we raised over $5,000.00 in support of our Summer Missionaries!  What a blessing it was to have so many people invest in Camp, support through prayer and finances and show their love and encouragement to Teresa and the Summer Missionaries! 

Matt Whittaker did a fantastic job sharing his Harvest story of how Camp has shaped his life and music ministry and blessed us with his amazing voice and music. Many other Harvest stories were shared driving home the fact that Camp changes Lives!!!!

Joining us on the red carpet were former Camp directors Ken and Louise Leonard, who brought camp to the Minden area back in the late 1980’s.   As well as our Field Director from One Hope Canada, Stephen Johnson attended.  What an opportunity it was to see how far reaching and long standing the impact of the Harvest is with Monarch Bible Camp.

Even though we were blessed so largely with the monies raised, because we are not using the Government Summer Job grants this year we really need as much financial support we can get.  To donate go to www.onehopecanada.ca or call Monarch’s Camp office at 705-887-3625.

Thank you to everyone involved! A special ‘Thank you’ to Denise Faulkner who headed up the Kitchen Team and provided the wonderful meal!

Thank you to those who came to serve, some who are Summer Missionaries and some who just like to help!