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Announcement for NovusWay Summer Camp 2020

NovusWay Ministries with Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs, Lutheranch site shields

To honor our commitment to providing the healthiest and safest environment possible for our campers, counselors, staff, and guests, and after prayerful and informed consideration, our executive team and the NovusWay Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision to suspend all scheduled camp programming for summer 2020 at Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs and Lutheranch. With campers, parents, counselors, and congregations, we share the disappointment and loss this painful news brings.

The recommended guidelines on how to conduct camp in this time of pandemic, published by the American Camp Association (ACA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), present constraints that greatly limit the positive impact and experience of summer camp. Even with our skilled program leadership and summer counselors, the cloud of this pandemic creates significant limitations to building the kind of life-giving community we have grown to love and expect at camp.

NovusWay’s registration team will send out emails to registered camper parents, guardians, and leaders providing options and next steps for existing registrations. Our registration team is working tirelessly to develop a system to respond to everyone’s account in a timely manner. You will receive an email to the address you provided on Friday, May 22nd to guide your decision-making.

Our dedicated staff members are developing alternative plans to provide you and your family a way to return to the camp you love in a safe and life-giving way later in the summer. We will communicate those opportunities by early June through email, on our website, and on our social media.

We know that in this time of uncertainty and isolation that children, youth, and adults need camp. As the strong and loving camp community we are, let’s stay connected, draw on our memories of times at camp, and tell our camp stories. Your stories and the stories yet to come will light the fire that carry us all through the next 12 months until we can gather again for summer camp.

Until then, we know that Jesus continues to walk with us. While we all may struggle to recognize his face as we walk through the valley, like his companions on the road to Emmaus, we will say, “Were our hearts not burning within us?” And then, gathered again, we will see clearly and rejoice for all that God has done. We can’t wait to meet you there.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Will there be opportunities for me, my family, or my congregation to come to camp this summer?

Our dedicated staff members are developing alternative plans to provide you and your family a way to return to the camp you love in a safe and life-giving way later in the summer. We will communicate those opportunities by early June through email, on our website, and on our social media.

  • I have registered for summer camp this summer. What do I need to do now?

NovusWay’s registration team will send out emails to registered camper parents, guardians, and leaders providing options and next steps for existing registrations. Our registration team is working tirelessly to develop a system to respond to everyone’s account in a timely manner. You will receive an email to the address you provided on Friday, May 22nd to guide your decision-making and you will have until June 5th to respond to that email. After that time anyone we haven’t heard from will automatically have their fees paid credited towards summer camp 2021. In order to allow our registration team to work most efficiently and effectively and to ensure the most-timely response for all registrants, please respond to the instructions in the email rather than calling our offices.

  • What guidance did my camp’s leadership use to make these decisions?

In making this decision leadership across NovusWay Ministries, including Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs, and Lutheranch, consulted state and local guidelines for their site (as they were available), guidance from the CDC, the Field Guide recently published by the ACA for this summer, and guidance for gathering provided by the ELCA and our four synods.

  • Does my state government declaring that summer camps can open change the status of my camp?

We are appreciative of the work that state and local health departments have done to determine the safety of overnight and day camps. Their declarations inform us IF camps can open. Using their guidelines, as well as those from the ACA and the CDC, we have worked to determine HOW it would be best for our camps to open and SHOULD we responsibility open during this time. Based upon that information and our years of experience safely caring for youth and children at summer camp, we have determined the risk of us holding summer camp is too high for our campers, guests, staff, and our surrounding community.

  • What does this mean for the 2020 summer staff at my camp?

Working on summer staff at Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs and Lutheranch is a treasured and valuable experience for so many. Unfortunately, the reality forced upon us by the need to suspend our scheduled summer camp programming means that we will not be able to have our counselors and summer staff with us this summer. We will deeply miss the skills and energy they bring to this ministry and the impact they would have on the lives of hundreds of campers. All contracted summer staff should have received an email from their site’s Program Director sharing more information.

  • What does the loss of summer camp mean for the long-term sustainability of my camp?

 The cancellation of summer camp significantly and adversely impacts the ministry’s 2020 budgeted revenue. Therefore, NovusWay leadership and board members are hard at work on contingency plans that include appropriate cost cutting measures, increased hosted ministry (retreat rentals) marketing and income, and a special fundraising appeal, among other efforts. These plans together with the faithful and generous support of our donors, friends, foundations, congregations, and Synods will combine to ensure the health and stability of the ministry and each of our four sites – both in the near-term when we are able to gather again at our favorite sites and in the long-term as we look ahead to future summer camps and other year-round programming. By working together, we will emerge stronger than ever on the other side of this current crisis. Thank you for your part and partnership in ensuring the long-term sustainability of these camps we all love.

  • How can I best support my camp during this time?

Let’s Light the Fire! Please join our board members, our executive team members and our amazing donors, parents, and congregations by making a generous financial gift to the ministry – Be a Spark! Choose from three easy ways to give at www.novusway.org today:

  1. Start a monthly gift to the ministry. It’s like subscribing to camp.
  2. Consider increasing your annual giving to the ministry over these next 12 months.
  3. Gift your paid registration fees as a parent or congregation back to camp.

Together we can ‘Light a Fire’ that will carry our camps through the next 12 months with strength and stability. We are not simply waiting for Summer 2021 to arrive. We are committed to continually improving our mission and ministry to grow faith, develop leaders, and strengthen congregations and community.

Additionally, by working together, we will continue to provide resources for parents and campers at home, like Cabin Time. We are developing resources to continue building leadership skills among our young adult community and to help strengthen congregations. We are also committed to making the necessary upgrades to our facilities to welcome you back in a post Covid-19 environment.