Denver, Colorado … In these turbulent times, we are confident that God is present. Although we face social isolation and uncertainty for the future, we find strength in our faith. Remember, God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power and love (2 Timothy 1:7). To our friends who are facing the postponement and/or cancellation of so many important events, whether it be our students at Mile High and Campion missing out on sporting events, class trips, spring break at Disney World, etc., our college students facing similar cancellations and the new challenge of distance learning in upper level labs, or any of the myriad of other challenging situations that we are each facing— we understand and feel your frustration.

We share your disbelief in what is taking place. If you’d like someone to talk with, we are available, so just send one of us a note and we’ll schedule a time to chat. While we cannot be within 6 feet of you (wink, wink), we are in this with you.

Finally, our team would like to affirm each of our communities as they seek to move forward in taking action that protects the vulnerable among us. We are strongest when we are united in action. Hold each other up and don’t give up hope. Our prayer is always this, that regardless of the circumstances, each member of our community continues to live their greatest story through the power of Jesus.

On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency in Colorado following growth in the number of novel coronavirus cases confirmed in the state, stating that “the quicker we can contain the spread of coronavirus in Colorado, the better we’ll be able to protect our most vulnerable populations.” Colorado is currently advising organizations and businesses to follow the CDC recommendations for event and community gatherings. At this time, directives are to minimize the frequency of gatherings, reduce the number of people gathered at any one event or time, and to increase the space between people in public.

In alignment with the RMC’s decision to postpone town halls, suspension of church services, as well as State of Colorado recommendations and guidelines put forth from the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization, the RMC Youth Ministry Department will be canceling our events and gatherings to occur in the next 30 days. At this time, this includes only the Global Youth Day service projects on March 21 and the Young Adult Winter Retreat on March 27, 28 and 29.

We will continue to monitor the situation and issue new announcements for our events scheduled to occur on or after Friday, April 10, 2020. At this time, we will be moving forward with plans to hold the Adventurer Fun Day, Pathfinder Fair, and Summer Camp programming as currently scheduled.

Global Youth Day – in accordance with General Conference directives and the current push to promote social distancing, we are cancelling GYD 2020 in the RMC. “e GC is switching focus to a day of prayer. If you’re interested in joining, 2 hours of prayer will be hosted on the GC Facebook Page @gcyouthministries from 6-8 a.m. EST or 8-10 p.m. EST on Sabbath March 21, 2020. Please reach out to our department if you’d like recommendations and ideas for doing a “Global Youth Day at Home.”

Young Adult Winter Retreat – effective immediately, we are cancelling the Young Adult Winter Retreat that was to take place on March 27-29 in Silverthorne, CO. Summit County is a hot spot for the coronavirus and we are uneasy to place young adults from around our conference in close quarters for an entire weekend. Our department will be issuing full refunds to each individual registered for the event. We share in your disappointment and pray that you will help as you can to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

Adventurer Fun Day & Pathfinder Fair – at this time, we plan on holding these events as scheduled. We will monitor the situation in the coming weeks and will send updates as the statewide and national situation develops.

Summer Camp – to occur as currently scheduled; beginning on June 12, 2020 and concluding on August 2, 2020. Effective immediately, we’re promising that families can make a reservation for Summer Camp 2020 without fear of a financial repercussions relating to cancellation because of COVID-19. We will offer free reservation transfers and/or refunds to families whose campers cannot attend any of our camp sessions for Coronavirus related reasons.

Follow further decisions and developments follow www.rmcyouth.org

RMC Youth Department