History
Beginnings
In 1976 the Western Conference of the Evangelical Church of North America purchased 180 acres located in the southern corner of Stillwater County, in South Central Montana. This location was an existing cattle and sheep ranch which had been homesteaded in the beginning years of the 1900's. Seeing a tremendous potential for a camping ministry to help youth and adults with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Conference of Montana Churches joined together in commitment to purchase and develop this spectacular property.
The 1980's
In 1980 the construction of our existing dining hall (this has now become our Homestead Trading Post store) was begun. The plans also called for a water and sewer system to handle the needs of the lower camping area. In 1982 the dining hall, water and sewer projects were completed. 1982 through 1984 saw the addition of six A-frame cabins, five of which became housing for 60 and one became the Snack Shack. In 1984 Faith-Beier Gemstone Lodge was added. This year round facility sleeps 48 and incorporates a kitchenette; five rooms each with its own shower, toilet and lavatory.
The 1990's
1990 saw a start on the Copper King Mansion, which holds 56 and has a kitchenette/meeting room. We also added a small pond and started construction on 18 new RV sites. In 1992 we built a full sized arena for our horse program. 1993 we finished off the inside of the chapel, made a toddler play area, built a swimming pool and finished the inside of the Copper King Mansion. An additional 40 acres was purchased and raised the total acres to 220. We also expanded the camping programs to include camps for Developmentally Disabled (Sonshine Camp); Senior Adults (Legacy Camp); Super Summer Montana (A School of evangelism and discipleship for teens); Horsemanship Camps; Science Camps; Family Vacation Camp; Junior Camps (for grades 4-6); Wilderness Backpack Camps. 1995 was a busy year as we moved a three-bedroom house with a two-car garage from Billings. These structures became the Mouat Mansion and Maintenance Shop respectively. In the fall of 1998 we began the dirtwork for the spring construction on a new dining hall called the Bear's Tooth Dining Hall.
The 2000's
In 2006 we began work on 5 new Miner's Cabins. 2010 will bring the completion of all of these facilities plus the new RV camping areas and the new recreational field. During 2000-2009 continued improvement on the Power Keg shooting area raised the offering to 10-stand sporting clays, 5-stand sporting clays and improved archery equipment and shooting area. We also added a new climbing wall, zip line, paintball, mountain boards and additional horses for all of our equestrian programs. The summer of 2009 brought a large ambitious summer staff that harvested, peeled and raised almost a half mile of jack leg fence around the new parking area, climbing wall and Bear's Tooth Dining Hall. A special 2006 addition is the Prayer Chapel that sits up on the hillside overlooking the campus area, hense the name "Hillside Chapel". We continue to work on a 2.5 acre pond, rerouting the entry road, additional staff housing and additional Miner's Cabins and hope to have these needed facilities finished as funds allow.
Today
Over the years this facility has grown to the capacity of 500 campers during the summer and 220 campers during the off season. Our largest camp brought in 520 Senior High campers and staff during the Super Summer Montana camp in July 2003. Our location has proved to be a wise choice as we are within easy driving distances of most of the eastern half of the state as well as parts of Wyoming, Idaho and the Dakotas. Billings, being the largest city in Montana, is a short 75 miles to the northeast by way of excellent highways and Interstate 90. The long-range plan for BMCR is to have facilities to host 500 campers and operate one to three camping programs at a time.
BMCR is a much-loved camping facility to many throughout Montana. It has been the passion and dedication of people which has helped to develop a facility that is committed to sharing Jesus Christ with the world through our words, deeds, beautiful surroundings and the Bible. Most of the work has been done by volunteers who sacrificially donate their time, tools, abilities and money to help these facilities grow. We are sound financially and anticipate being a strong ministry in years to come.