In 2020, Living Water Ministries made the decision to cancel our programs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing the safety of all our participants and the communities in which they live.  In 2021, Living Water Ministries decided to continue this commitment to safety for participants and their communities by maintaining the cancellation of our programs for a second year.

Neither of these decisions were easy, but both decisions were made rooted in our understanding of God’s life-giving nature.  If we weren’t able to safely bring together all of God’s children for the life-giving experiences God provides through our programs, then the next best thing we could do was to do our part protecting all of God’s children from the life-stealing nature of COVID-19.

As we move into 2022, we do so with great excitement for restoring community by once again bringing together all of God’s children for in-person programs.  In fact, we’re so excited to be in community again that we’ve made every program at Stony Lake available at no cost to participants in 2022!  Yet, despite our excitement, risks related to COVID-19 remain.  Case counts and fatality rates continue to be troublingly high as hospitals continue to struggle to keep up.

While the persistence of the risks related to COVID-19 are still unsettling, we give thanks to God for the availability of vaccinations for adults and children ages 5 & older.  Vaccines, while a controversial topic in our increasingly divided society, have proven to be safe and effective.

Considering the persistent risks related to COVID-19, and the accessibility of safe & effective vaccines, the Living Water Ministries Board of Directors recently made the decision to make full vaccination a requirement for attendance at any Living Water Ministries program in 2022. It is our hope that through this vaccination requirement we can hold in tension our desire to again bring together all of God’s children for in-person experiences while at the same time doing our part to mitigate the risk of infection for our participants and the communities in which they live.

In these troubling times, no solution feels perfect.  However, the decision to require vaccinations for participation in 2022 maintains Living Water Ministries’ consistent commitment to God’s life-giving nature, and the safety of our participants and their home communities. If you would like to provide feedback regarding this decision, please email our Executive Director C.J. Clark with your comments or concerns.  Anonymous communications will be discarded.

For specific vaccination requirements for attendance by age group, please visit elcalivingwater.com/covidrequirements/

C.J. Clark
Executive Director
Living Water Ministries

Pastor Matt Smith
Board President
Living Water Ministries