MAY 2020 | COVID-19 UPDATE
Hello from Hope Shores!
Over the past several weeks, we at Hope Shores have been watching, listening, and waiting, seeking wisdom and discernment surrounding our plans for camp this summer. Our desire has been and continues to be, to make the best decisions possible regarding camp amidst the COVID-19 crisis. We have participated in many conversations with other ACA accredited camps and Hope Church staff, and have also been monitoring guidelines and recommendations from the Governor, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and the CDC. After much thoughtful reflection and prayer, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our June programming and cancel all family camps scheduled for this summer. Cancelled family camps include Family Camp 1, Single Moms Family Camp, and Family Camp 2.
At this time, we plan to hold youth camps at Hope Shores in July. We are moving forward with the following new schedule:
July 12–16 | 2nd — 5th Grade Camp
July 19–23 | 6th — 8th Grade Camp
July 26–30 | 9th — 12th Grade Camp
Please note the adjusted ages for each camp, as well as the shortened dates. Each of these youth camps will run from Sunday through Thursday, instead of Friday. This adapted schedule allows us to still hold youth camps for all ages, while providing additional time between camps to accommodate extra cleaning and disinfecting measures.
Because of our love for the ministry of Hope Shores, it is our deep desire to have campers come to camp as planned this summer. However, we know we will only be able to welcome campers if it is safe to do so. We are awaiting new guidelines regarding summer camps to be released by MDH, as well as ACA in collaboration with the CDC. When this happens, the Hope Shores staff and our Camp Ministry Team will review them to determine if it remains possible for us to safely hold youth camps in July. We will also continue to monitor how the COVID-19 situation progresses and will make decisions accordingly. We are committed to communicating with you in a timely manner on any future decisions.
If your camp is cancelled, or if you choose to cancel a registration for a youth camp, we are offering four options regarding your registration fees:
1. Donate: Instead of taking your refund, make a donation to support the continued ministry of Hope Shores.
2. Credit: Transfer your payment to a credit on your account for a future registration at Hope Shores.
3. Refund and Donate: Consider taking a partial refund and donating the remaining funds.
4. Full Refund: We’re glad to give you a full refund of your registration fees (including deposit).
If you are currently registered for a camp that has been cancelled or had a date change, we will be following up with you in a separate email. Any questions regarding refunds, credits, and donations can be directed to Michaela Pankratz at michaela@hope-pc.org.
Our decision to suspend our June programming and cancel family camps was not easy and did not come without a significant amount of prayer, counsel, and discernment. We continue to trust in the Lord to guide us, and we praise him for his faithfulness. Thank you for your support and prayers for Hope Shores — we are so grateful for our camp community! We ask that you continue to pray for us as we navigate this uncharted territory. We have a faithful and loving God who will lead us through!
Leaning on Him,
Yonathan & Megan Moya
Camp Co-Directors
