COVID-19 Statement – April 15
Hello camp friends! The following is an update on where we are at with respect to this situation we all find ourselves in. Here at Southern Alberta Bible Camp we are closely watching as the events around our world unfold with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. I could say words like “unprecedented” and “never seen since WWII” but you have been following the news and have heard those words a million times. We really don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring so we are trying to be faithful with the information that we know while continuing to pursue our mission of “seeing lives transformed by God through the Gospel”.
How are we doing this? First of all, we continue to prepare for the summer. Many of our summer staff are hired already and we are hopeful that they will be joining us in June. It is an All Star Team! Registrations continue to come in for summer camp with the assurance that fees will be refunded if summer camp is cancelled. Our year-round team is cognizant of the reality that camp might not look the same but we are watching closely and preparing with hope.
Present Adjustments – Our year-round staff team has had to shift gears to deal with our rental season-ending completely until the end of June. This significant loss of income has forced us to layoff our cleaning and weekend cooking staff and some of our office staff. It also forced us to think out of the box and create “Dave’s Meals”. Dave’s Meals brings prepared frozen meals right to your door. We have been pleased with the response and are hopeful that this will continue. It’s fun to share Dave’s gift with our supporting families. This is one reason why we have been able to keep most of our year-round team working.
Building – I wish you could all take a walk through our new building. It is getting closer and closer to being finished. The paint is on the walls and we are into the finishing work. Currently, we are close to $100,000 under budget and we continue to watch our spending closely. We are thankful for SilverRidge and their management of the project. It has been a long, hard process. This is a massive project. We thank you for your continued giving towards this project. We are still needing to raise $2 million to finish off the project debt-free but we do have interim financing in place for the next few years.
How to Pray? – We are struck by the uncertainty of these times but rest in knowing that God has not changed. He is faithful and goes before us. Thank you for praying for wisdom as we continue to balance staffing, projects, and loss of income. Thank you for praying that we would be able to open our doors again this summer. I encourage you to sign up online for our monthly email prayer list found on our website at www.sabc.ca/pray-and-news-email/.
We continue to receive information and updates from our leaders of government at different levels and are striving our best to follow the guidelines as mandated. Our office hours are limited but we are monitoring the voice messages and emails on a regular basis.
Sincerely,
Jon Gartly, Executive Director
Psalm 9:9-10 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
