In a notice (March 12) to church members, Victorian Conference president Pastor Graeme Christian said, “This was a difficult decision to make, as we all highly value the spiritual and social contribution of Big Camp to church life in Victoria.
“The decision was made prayerfully, not driven by panic or fear, but recognising our need to trust in God to guide us to act wisely and responsibly in every situation and to avoid potential risk/pitfalls. The old Indian proverb seems relevant, ‘Pray to God but row away from the rocks.'”
Pastor Christian said over the coming days, the Victorian finance team will be refunding in full all application/meal ticket fees for Big Camp 2020.
“We encourage all of our churches and members to take necessary precautions to ensure the health of their family. At this stage, no other Conference events have been cancelled and we recommend that church gatherings continue as normal with general preventative measures.”
The president of the South Australian Conference, Pastor David Butcher, released this statement: “In light of the growing concerns of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) the South Australian Conference Board of Directors met on Thursday evening March 12 and made the decision to cancel April Big Camp. Quantifiable and unquantifiable risks with holding the event were considered. The wellbeing of our members and staff is paramount. Consideration was also given to the impact on the school facilities that we hire, in the event that an outbreak may take place.”
He went on to say, “Camp is a highlight for many of our members and is particularly significant for our young people. So the decision to cancel camp was not taken lightly.”
The SA Conference is currently contacting their members and communicating this decision and what it will mean.
