Our story began in Joliet, Illinois in 1933. A graduating high school senior, Marie Olesen, answered the call of God to attend Moody Bible Institute. During her Junior year, she was offered the opportunity to travel over 500 miles south to Arkansas to give out free Christian literature from Moody. At this time most of their trip was on unpaved roads and it took 2 1/2 days before they came to a small community called Western Grove. While they worked out of Western Grove, Marie and two other team members were responsible for a small community 12 miles farther south called St. Joe. They spent the summer meeting people, handing out literature, and spreading the Gospel. After traveling back to Moody Bible Institute for her Senior year, Marie’s heart was burdened for the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.
After graduation in 1936, she came to live in Arkansas. She soon realized there were too many needs for her to handle by herself and was later joined by her Moody classmate, Florence Billings, who had just become a registered nurse. They set up a medical clinic in Western Grove, Arkansas and started assisting the physical needs of the area, but her main purpose was to share the Gospel. Doors began to open as other classmates joined. They began starting Sunday School classes, adult Bible studies, and sending the “Bible Ladies” to schoolhouses around the immediate area. As the ministries began to take root, Marie realized the need to establish a mission organization for the small group of missionaries that had joined her. Marie’s home church, Ridgewood Baptist Church in Joliet, IL, helped with organizing a 501c3 mission to handle the needs. Thus in 1946, ten years after Marie came to Arkansas, our mission known as North Arkansas Gospel Mission was officially started.
Starting the mission was the first step to help serve this area. Under the leadership of Co-Directors Marie and Florence, the mission would put the call out for preachers to Shepherd the small communities. Our mission would hold a yearly Bible Conference, startup Daily Vacation Bible Schools, continue the work in Sunday Schools, and continued with the “Bible Ladies” in the schoolhouses. In the Late 40’s our mission was already reaching close to 300 kids every year in the D.V.B.S. and the Bible Ladies were welcome in 20 of the local’s schools, with a total of around 1500 kids hearing the Gospel in school.
By 1950, we began to focus on creating a multipurpose space in Hasty. This would include an office for operations and a clinic for those in the community to come with health concerns. This clinic would be available for the public in 1951. We begin helping in communities all throughout the area including Nail, Swain, Mt. Judea, and even Morrilton. Boys clubs, Girls clubs, and more Bible Ladies schools would all be added to the list of ministries by 1952. As our reach began to grow, a need for more activities for the young people in the area became more apparent. After visiting a camp in Bella Vista with a group of girls, Marie again heard a calling for a new ministry in the Ozarks. In 1953, Rock Haven Bible Camp would be born and would organize its first summer camp in Bella Vista, AR.
After the success of the camps held at the rental facility, we purchased approximately 110 acres of land beside the Buffalo River in 1956 for our own camping facility. A year later, camps were held there and led by the Camp Director June Schwantes. Rock Haven Bible Camp was something many young people in the community looked forward to attending every year. As the camp became a strong ministry to the community, our mission was still able to continue its other local ministries. The Bible Ladies were still in local schools and others would shepherd churches and communities across 7 different counties by 1960.
We would continue to see growth in many ongoing and new ministries in the 60’s including the Hasty Bible Church ministry, nursing home ministries, Bible Quiz Teams, woodworking classes and Home Ec. Classes not taught in schools, and even helping those interested in foreign missions. The Bible ladies would continue their mission in reaching children in schools. As schools would drop out of the program, the Lord would provide more schools for ministry. By 1965, the Bible Ladies were in 22 schools and 2800 kids were reached weekly. Rock Haven would grow as well, recording over 220 kids in the summer of 1966. They would begin to expand into 5 weeks of summer camp and overnight retreats in the spring and fall by the mid 60’s. The camp would build a home for the camp director, a new outdoor tabernacle for chapel, and other additions as more kids would begin to come.
As plans were continuing to be made, there was a looming threat of the camp land being forced into a sale by the government to create a National Park. In the late 1970’s, this threat became a reality and by 1977, the camp would see it’s final season on what is now referred to as “Old Rock Haven”. The Lord would still provide the way forward for a new camping ministry by way of Woodland Acres Bible Camp. During the years of searching for new land to build on, Woodland Acres opened its doors to Rock Haven Bible Camp for the ministry to continue. The staff would also continue its other ministries at this time such as the bible ladies’ ministry in many schools, Sunday school groups across the state, VBS weeks in the summer, and movie ministries among other community-based ministries.
The 1980’s brought the new leadership of George Taylor and with him a renewed vision to get Rock Haven Bible Camp rebuilt. In 1983, ground was broken on the land where Rock Haven Bible Camp still resides today. It was built with the prayers, support, and labor of the community. By 1984 we would open Rock Haven Bible Camp up for a full camping season seeing close to 300 kids in a 4-week season. Through the decade the camp would work in tandem with our other ministries, such as the Mailbox Club and the Bible Ladies ministries to strengthen the reach of all ministries. Camp would see its first expansion in 1986 with the addition of an outdoor covered worship center. We would grow the programs provided by camp as well. The mission would also start a ministry to plant and strengthen churches in the Northwest Arkansas area. Some of the Fall and Spring retreats like “Pig Fest” would see a total of over 100 kids for the overnight event. We would also see the need and desire of young people who were transitioning out of high school to grow spiritually and serve more. Mike Moore and Tim Bartlow would create “Boot Camps” to challenge and disciple the next generation.
We would see interest in using our facilities for Ministry Conferences and Pastoral Retreats in the 90’s. This type of interest encouraged us to build not only a new air-conditioned indoor worship center, but 6 hotel style rooms below as well, to accommodate pastors and other volunteers. As camp became larger, the need for more on campus staff was needed. The camp would go on to build 3 houses on campus for staff in the early 2000’s. We branched out into new forms of ministry in the 2010’s such basketball and soccer camps to reach younger kids who were not quite in high school programs. It was a great opportunity to give them fundamentals for the activity they loved, but also spread the Gospel to kids in the area.
Today, we still thrive to change with the times and minister to our community. We have planned expansions, such as the Tim Bartlow Recreational Center. We have youth programs for those wanting to serve and grow in Christ, like the SWAT Program. The Swat Program serves not only at camp but also has the opportunity to serve in other locations like the Christian Food Room, Community Seeds and Dallas Life. We hold youth retreats and women’s conferences in the Spring and Fall. We serve the community and local events, provide “Pastor fill-ins” for churches in need, and ministry trainings for those in the area who would like them. We are always “Kingdom-minded” and working to spread the message to all.