SOS Summer Camps 2020 - Update 4-13-20
It is with heavy and sad hearts that we have decided to cancel our volunteer home repair camps for the summer of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel it is a necessary decision in order to care for all of our stakeholders--campers and youth leaders, our year-round staff and summer staff, and our homeowner partners and neighborhood friends (many of whom fall into the high-risk category).
This decision was not made lightly. We have spent weeks praying, listening to local and national health officials, speaking with churches and other similar organizations, and discussing as a staff and board of directors the realities that this pandemic has brought upon us. It is truly an unprecedented time. This will be the first time since 1986 that SOS will not host volunteer home repair camps in the summer.
Yet, in spite of this decision, we are not laying down our mission - SOS exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in underserved neighborhoods through home repair and leadership development. If anything, this pandemic only reinforces the need for our mission. It reminds us that we live in a broken world, a world that is not experiencing the Shalom that God intended, the Shalom that Jesus celebrated in His living and secured in His resurrection. And that is why, now more than ever, it is important that we fight for that Shalom by seeking to set right things that have been broken.
Even in - especially in - these hard and unprecedented times, our commitment is ultimately to our mission and not just to our strategies or programs. So, while we may not be able to host large groups of people in our facility throughout the summer, we are confident and committed to fulfill our mission in new and creative ways. To that end, here are some of the commitments we have made for 2020:
We will still provide roof replacements for every homeowner to whom we have already committed this year - that’s nearly 30 homes!
We will still look for creative ways to use the platform God has given us to influence, equip, and disciple as many young people as possible.
For more on what that will look like and how this decision might affect you, we have listed some FAQ’s and answers below.
We love you, our beloved SOS family! We say this all the time - there is no way SOS could accomplish our mission without all of YOU. That remains true even now. And while most of you won’t be here physically with us this summer, our hope, prayer, challenge is that you will still partner with us in this great mission God has given us: to proclaim - with both our words and our actions - the good news that Jesus is making all things new.
With love and hope,
Your SOS Family
Philip, Big Dog, Laura, Kelly, Ally, Jake, Reed, Mark, Josh, Kayci & Jamey
Watch a personal message from our Executive Director, Philip Walkley:
FAQ’s
If we are registered to come to camp will we still be responsible for paying the balance on our trip?
No. We do not expect any church that has registered for camp to pay the balance on your trip.
Will we receive a refund for the deposits we paid when we booked our week at camp?
We are asking all churches who are registered for summer camp to consider letting their deposits stay with SOS as a donation to help us fulfill our mission of repairing nearly 30 homes this summer. However, if that is not possible for your church, please contact us and we can talk through other options.
Are there other ways that we can still help or be involved in the mission of SOS this summer?
Yes! We can’t do it without you! Here are a few suggestions:
We are still planning on providing roof replacements for the nearly 30 homeowners to whom we have already committed this summer. While the process for providing those roof replacements will look a lot different this summer, we'll be sure to include you in the process as we're able. If nothing else, we welcome your prayers, even now, for the successful completion of all projects.
As we pivot our strategies, we'll be seeking new ways to share our "camp magic" and resources with the SOS family. We hope to support you (from afar!) as you continue to seek to serve your neighbor and engage your Gospel identity and charge wherever you are. We're putting on our very best thinking caps and will work diligently to be a resource and partner to you in a socially distant fashion!
Consider donating any funds that individuals and / or your group have already raised for your SOS trip to support our ongoing ministry. Cancelling camp will come with a significant financial loss to SOS because of all the planning we have already done for this summer and our commitment to continue to provide home repair. Any financial support received from groups will go directly towards helping us continue to carry out our mission. Donations of any size can be made online HERE or checks can be mailed to:
SOS
2505 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38112Let us know if you have other ideas! We are open to partnering with you to help us accomplish our mission in new and creative ways.
If you are not having camps, how do you plan on repairing so many homes?
As mentioned above, we are committed to providing home repairs for every homeowner who we had planned on partnering with this summer - that’s nearly 30 homeowners! While we don't yet know what public health directives will look like moving forward, we will seek to adapt to them using our resources as is appropriate.
Still have questions?