Greetings in the name of our Lord.

Happy Spring!!

We are at that wonderful time of year when the weather starts to warm, buds start to form and bulbs start pushing through the ground. It reminds us of the gift of rebirth the Lord offers through His Son Jesus Christ. And with that comes the reminder of the great importance of the work the Lord accomplishes through Camp Ministry. Camp is such a significant time in the life of a child and for the staff. With the normal distractions of life pushed aside camp provides an opportunity to focus on God and His creation in nature. They say that a week of camp is equal to a year of Sunday School. What an opportunity the Lord has provided to impact lives for His Kingdom. As we look forward to the 2006 Camp Season let’s pray that the Lord will use Monarch to minister to campers and staff in fresh and exciting ways.

Wow - there’s only 3 months left before camp starts!! So much to do! Many of the plans for camp are settled already. There’s only 1 location in question this year. Hey, not bad! We enjoyed the use of Silver Eagle Resort last year for our Eagle Lake Camp, but the resort is up for sale so we may not be able to return there. The Lord likes to keep things interesting!

We enjoyed the new Minden location and will return to 12 Mile Lake United Church and beach.

So camps dates are set. Brochures went out to campers in early March. Registrations are starting to flow in.

Here’s our Summer line-up:

SUMMER 2006

July 4-7 Staff Training

July 10-14 West Guilford

July 17-21 Minden

July 24-28 Stacey Farm-Coby

July 31-Aug. 4 Skills Camp-Coby

Aug. 6-12 - Resident Camp-Kinark

Aug. 14-18 Haliburton

Aug. 21-25 Eagle Lake

Looks like fun eh? Want to join us?

That brings me to the staffing needs for the summer. Monarch has been blessed with many wonderful young people and adults who have come alongside to share God’s love with our campers. Because we are a small camp we have the opportunity to really get to know our campers and to minister to them in large and small ways. I praise the Lord for the Summer Missionaries He has sent to Monarch and for the incredible growth He has orchestrated in their lives. As always the search for staff is a challenge. Again, many of the older staff are moving onto full time jobs. Please pray that they will continue to stay close to the Lord and grow in their faith. We are blessed to have several staff returning. A few applications have been sent out. Please pray for the Lord to provide older staff in key positions.

OTHER NEEDS

The old camp van is in bad shape and will not make it through another summer of hauling trailers. So there is a dire need for a new vehicle. We are in the mobile camp business and move 4 or 5 trailers from one location to another week after week. We are looking for a 2 wheel drive pick up truck or full sized van with a heavy duty trailer package. PLEASE keep on the lookout for such an item and call Barrie. This is a high priority because the old van will just not be able to do the work. No truck - no camp!!

PRAISE ITEMS

This month we held the first Bowling Family Fund Raiser for the camp. It was the brain child of Debbie and Charlie Duggan. Charlie volunteered with us last year at Resident Camp. They organized the whole event and obtained prizes and incentives. We raised $800 for the camp. A very special THANK YOU goes out to Debbie and Charlie!! And to all those who came out to bowl and to those who sponsored a bowler.

We have a new Board Member. Michelle Reay agreed to join the Camp Board. She is from the Minden area and attends Lakeside Baptist. She also plans to volunteer at Resident Camp.

Congratulations to Pastor Ashley Taylor on his appointment to a church in Moose Jaw. He was a Board Member for a short time and a fantastic camp supporter. He and his wife, Lisa have just purchased a house and along with their kids, Laura and Andrew, are enjoying the move west.

SPRING BANQUET

Our annual banquet is set for April 22nd. Due to rising costs in renting the Lion’s Hall we are moving the banquet to Pioneer Baptist Church in Norland. Our focus this year in on prayer and our Special Guest Speaker is Phyllis Morley, Prayer Coordinator for OMS International. Please plan to attend this special evening to focus on the Lord’s work through camp ministry. A special offering will be taken to help support the Summer Missionaries.

Date: April 22nd

Place: Pioneer Baptist Church Highway 35 N

Time: Punch at 5:30 with Dinner and Program to follow

Cost: $12.50 adults $6.00 children

(note: the price hasn’t changed in 7 years)

Call: 887-3625 for tickets

PROMOTIONAL CONCERTS

We have 2 concerts planned that you won’t want to miss, so mark your calendars.

THE FORGET ME NOTS CONCERT

A Concert for Mothers!

Date: Saturday May 13th

Lakeside Baptist Church-Haliburton

Time: 7 - 9 pm

Cost: $10 adults $5 children

This large family group plays, sings and dances. They perform Blue-grass, Country Gospel, Austrian and Classical music. They are annual visitors to the Carter Fold in Tennessee and have travelled the world entertaining with their own special talent and humor. A must see for all ages!

MATTHEW JAMES and TRIUMPHANT SOUND

A saxophone player and a male trio - what a great combination for an evening of music. Matthew plays in the style of Kenny G. Triumphant Sound sing Southern Gospel in perfect harmony. Both performers are tops in their field.

Date: June 10th

Place: Fenelon Baptist Church

Time: 7-9 PM

Cost: $10 adults $5 children

Tickets for these events are available through the camp office or local churches.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE WARDS

Barrie continues to suffer with various health issues, but has had a fairly good winter. He works hard at keeping fit. He continues to help as a CI with Cadets.

Ryan is now in his 6th year in the Navy. He really enjoys it and continues with his training as a Weapons Tech. He loves Victoria.

Nicole is living in St. Catharines, and going to college, in the Security Guard course. And she is working part time.

Riley moved to Uxbridge in Dec. and has been working for a Port Perry company as a Carpenter Apprentice. He has realized that the Armed Forces is really what he wants to do so has reactivated his application and is hoping to head out for Basic Training soon. He hopes to join the Navy also.

Carly and Beth are in grade 10 this year and surviving! Neither one is real thrilled with student life. Beth has been accepted by Teens Impact Missions for a Summer Missions Trip. She is going to Mexico and needs to raise close to $3,000 to cover her missions trip and the cost of flying to Alberta for training. If you would like to contribute to her support please contact this office.

Carly also considered going on a Missions Trip and prayed about it. She felt very strongly that the Lord wanted her in Camp Ministry this summer so she will be returning to Monarch as a counselor.

PRAYER

We have realized the need for more consistent and informed prayer for the camp. I believe that you care about what you pray about, so I am challenging you to consider joining in a regular prayer time for Monarch. It would be valuable to set aside a specific time and pray as a group even if we cannot be together. I would prepare a monthly prayer calendar and send regular updates. I suggest "Mondays for Monarch" and that we pray from our own homes starting at 9 am. The easiest way to update would be by email and on the web site, but if you don’t have a computer I could update you by phone or mail. Please let me know if you would like to be included.

And finally, please pray for staff recruitment and for staff growth, for our campers, that the Lord would draw many new ones to us, and that all the campers would grow in their relationship with the Lord. Pray for safety throughout the summer and for a good response to our promotional activities.

Again, I thank you for your interest in this ministry. I pray for you that you will know God’s love.

Teresa Ward- Director