Mission
Mission
Beacon Bible Camp is a non-profit organization that exists to provide an adventurous Christian camping experience where people, particularly youth, can be encouraged to respond to the gospel of the Lord Jesus and to grow in their Christian life.
Since 1963, Beacon's staff and volunteers have spent countless hours providing engaging camp experiences during all seasons, including our primary focus on summer camp. Currently, over 600 campers of all ages attend 9 different summer sessions each year, and we welcome another 400+ campers to Beacon events during the off-season. As part of our commitment to developing the local church, we offer retreats and programs for churches, youth groups and schools that align with our core value of promoting the teachings of Jesus.
Our History
Beacon was founded in 1963 by Ted and Barbara Becker ("Skipper" and "Scamper"), who felt called to provide a camping experience for young people from the Toronto area. After initially taking young men to North Carolina (to what later became Hickory Cove Bible Camp), a fellow by the name of Charlie Nicholson offered his property in Muskoka as a place to meet and run a summer camp. Since then, buildings and programs have been added to increase the capacity of Beacon's mission.
Our camp has been blessed by more than 55 years of work by an all-volunteer staff who have poured into thousands of campers in an effort to show them, through words and actions, the love of God, helping those campers to make a life-changing decision to trust and follow Jesus Christ.
What Makes Beacon Unique?
Many people who encounter Beacon for the first time are shocked at the caring community that seems hidden just around the corner in Torrance, Ontario. Many families know about "the big camps" (we love those camps too!), but haven't heard about us before. In case this is your first time hearing about Beacon, here are a few things that make us unique:
Our Size: With an average camp size of about 75 campers, your child will been known and seen by our staff and each other. We know that our camp sessions often have long waiting lists, but we value the idea of a small, family-like atmosphere where each camper is known by name by more than just their cabin mates
Our Staff: Beacon's "secret sauce" is our amazing staff! All of Beacon's session staff are volunteers, meaning that they're at camp because they want to be there. We select staff based on their experiences, then provide key training for them before they arrive at camp so that they're ready for a week of fun. With our session model, we're often able to retain staff for many years, which means that they have lots of experience dealing with camp-specific issues (our average cabin leader age has been above 25 years old!).
Our Food: Beacon's food is often mentioned by campers in our post-session surveys... but it really does help when camp was founded by a baker! We still use some of Skip's recipes in our meal planning, and our kitchen staff balance each day to ensure that food choices are fun, but healthy.
Our Facilities: Nestled on almost 400 acres of beautiful Muskoka wilderness, Beacon's property has been carefully maintained as a forested site, meaning that campers get to enjoy nature as it was intended. Our buildings are lovingly maintained by our staff to provide a safe, clean environment for all our programs and rentals.
Our Mission: We are unashamed about our love for Jesus, and what He teaches. We're sensitive to the fact that the world is changing, but are committed to ensuring that each camper who visits us during a camp session has the opportunity to hear about the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.
Our Beliefs
Beacon is a Christian organization whose primary mission is to share the gospel of Jesus with those who come into contact with our ministry. During our programs, we teach using lessons, music, skits and interaction between campers and staff. Campers at Beacon come from many different faith backgrounds, and some come with no previous faith experience. Every camper is welcome, and no one is pressured regarding a personal decision to follow Jesus. Our staff are committed to guiding campers as they wrestle with important life decisions, and are trained to support and love campers, no matter what their life situation. For more information about our beliefs, click below.
Accreditors
As a part of our commitment to programming and ministry excellence, Beacon is a member of several accrediting organizations. For more information about each one, click on the logo below to be taken to their website. If you have questions about how Beacon works with and is supported by these organizations, please contact the camp office.
