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NovusWay Ministries Statement on COVID-19

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

Updated March 30th, 2020

At NovusWay Ministries, the safety and health of campers, guests, and staff are always our highest priority. As a 70-year-old camping organization, we have a long history of planning for and managing communicable diseases, and we are closely monitoring developments with respect to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Our staff at Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs, and Lutheranch place a high value on being prepared to welcome guests and campers into safe and healthy communities. Out of an abundance of caution, and to play our role in the global community’s work to slow this pandemic, we are canceling or postponing all NovusWay spring programs through the end of April. NovusWay staff has followed up through email with all registered participants with instructions on the next steps.

As we continue our work to prepare for a safe, fun and faith-filled summer, we are following recommended guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Camp Association (ACA), and the Association of Camp Nursing (ACN) We are consistently listening to and following the guidance of the health departments local to each of our sites.  We are also paying attention to shifting grade school schedules and measuring the impact they will have on our summer camps.

We are currently reviewing our health-related plans and procedures to ensure a safe and healthy environment for allAdditionally, our guest services and housekeeping departments are already taking additional measures to be preventative during this flu season for the safety of our guests. These steps include, but are not limited to, posting CDC recommended precautionary steps around all of our sites and having hand sanitizer and tissues accessible at all gathering places. 

Parents and guardians are important partners with us in keeping our campers and guests safe, and we are grateful for the attention you give to our pre-camp screening procedures. If upon recommendation from health authorities, we need to add additional screening processes for the goal of assuring the highest level of safetywe will communicate those procedures in advance.  

We will continue to keep you updated as new information becomes available at novusway.org/healthupdates. If parents, guests, and congregational leaders have questions they can email registration@novusway.org or call 828-684-2361.

As a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we continue to be in prayer for all around the world impacted by this disease and for the trained healthcare professionals working to care for them and address this situation. We give thanks for the gifts that God has given to those who practice medicine and care for those in need. We stand with parents who are caring for their children’s development as they are home from school. We have faith that Jesus Christ walks with us on the mountain tops and through the valleys. In partnership with our parents, campers, guests, and staff, we will continue to provide a safe and healthy community where all can experience the love of Jesus.