Dear friends,
After much prayer, research, and deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all scheduled summer camps for 2020. This decision was made after careful review of information from the CDC, the American Camp Association, Governor Larry Hogan’s Roadmap to Recovery, and our local health department, and through many hours of discussion between the Claggett staff, Board of Trustees, and colleagues in camping ministry throughout the country.
At the heart of camp ministry is the belief that our lives and relationships are changed when we truly seek to love our neighbors as ourselves. At camp, we ask how our actions affect the rest of our community, and we challenge ourselves to take care of each other, even when it’s not easy. This decision was made out of love for our campers, staff, their families, and our local community, even as it was made with heavy hearts. In the early phases of re-opening in the state of Maryland, restrictions on group sizes, social distancing, and use of communal space would limit who we could serve and alter essential parts of the camp experience as we know and love it. We are not willing to hold camp that leaves out members of our community or exposes them to an unacceptable level of risk.
We know that this news is difficult to hear, and that many of you join us in grieving the camp experience we’d planned for this summer.
Even in the midst of this sadness, we are convinced that God will still move in our lives through Claggett this summer. We are committed to offering ways to gather with friends, worship God, ask big questions, and laugh together, even if it looks nothing like we’ve ever experienced before.
We are developing plans for “long-distance” offerings, including online Small Groups that will meet throughout the summer, as well as potential new ways to gather in person when it’s safe to do so. Please stay tuned and stay in touch as we share developments through our social media and mailing list. Camp is enriched by every member of the community, and we truly hope that each of you will be part of Claggett this summer and beyond.
If you have registered a camper for summer 2020, you are entitled to a full refund of registration fees, including deposits. Alternatively, we invite you to consider donating all or part of your registration fee to Claggett to support the life-changing ministry of camp in the future. Please contact Rita Yoe regarding your preference.
We ask for your prayers as we face something new and unfamiliar, and we will continue to hold each camper in our prayers.
God's peace,
