From World Venture: It is with great sorrow that WorldVenture shares this news with you: On Friday, June 6, 2025, Robert (“Rob”) and Martine (Turcotte) Karch were involved in an accident at their home in Quebec, Canada. Rob passed away, while Martine was hospitalized and later released. Rob and Martine were exposed to toxic fumes while working on a project. The fumes rendered them unconscious. Both were rushed to the hospital, but while Martine recovered, Rob succumbed. We are devastated to lose Rob, even as we thank God for Martine’s recovery. We ask you to keep Martine and their adult children, Caleb and Constance, in your prayers.
A funeral service has been scheduled for June 21st in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Additional information, including funeral details, will be available at the following website: worldventure.com/karchfamily. The family will try to provide a live streaming option for those who cannot attend in person to view the service online. We understand this tragedy creates questions and uncertainties, and we are committed to addressing those in due time. In the meantime, we thank you for your faithful support as we care for the Karch family. We take comfort from the very same good news that Rob and Martine devoted their lives to sharing with others, remembering the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that “we mourn, but not as those without hope.” Mourning with those mourn, yet confident in the promise of the Resurrection.
Karch Family
serving the French-speaking world (based in Quebec, Canada)
Key Verse: Acts 11:20-21
Ministry Focus: The Karch family is deeply passionate about a contextually relevant Gospel movement that permeates Québec and overflows to the rest of the French-speaking world. To that end, they are deeply involved in various forms of discipleship and church planting (as lead planter, coach, mobilizer, etc.). They are part of the launch team for the Perspectives course in French in Québec for the first time. Rob is currently completing a PhD, focusing on the indigenous peoples in Québec (11 nations, 55 communities) and how their cultural integration with the French in centuries past produced the French-Canadian peoples of today. His goal is to discover what a Gospel movement could look like that includes the mosaic of French-Canadians of European origin, indigenous peoples, and more recent immigrant populations that make up Québec Martine is completing her studies in counseling, preparing to deeply impact individuals with empathy and Gospel-centered wisdom. They have two children.
Please pray for:
- the healthy growth of several new church plants in Laval, Mont Tremblant, Montreal, and elsewhere.
- the Perspectives course’s success and impact in beginning the process of launching French-Canadians to other cultures and regions of the French-speaking world.
- the successful completion of Rob’s Ph.D. research on cultural integration and what a Gospel movement could look like, including the Franco-Québécois of European origin, indigenous peoples, and more recent immigrant communities.
- the successful completion of Martine’s counseling studies to equip her with wisdom and compassion in guiding others.
- our children as they begin college, seeking God’s guidance regarding programs and majors.
