March 12, 2020
COVID-19 is beginning to create challenges in communities around the globe. In light of recent developments related to the virus, the upcoming April Kairos Project gathering at Sioux Falls Seminary will now be virtual and hosted online. Instead of meeting together on campus during the week of April 20-23, we will instead gather together via Zoom video conferencing. This change applies to all students and to all degree program levels.
While it is impossible to duplicate the energy and momentum that comes from gathering on campus together, we will seek to create a virtual event that fosters community and encourages small group dialogue and interaction. Case studies will continue to be a large part of the week, but daily meeting times will be shorter. A tentative schedule and additional updates will be provided on the gathering Eventbrite page. Please look to this page for details and developments.
The decision for this change was not taken lightly, and a number of considerations and options were weighed. We realize that the impact of such a change may create some level of hardship for those who already made travel arrangements to Sioux Falls, but we believe offering the gathering via Zoom is an appropriate response given the rapidly evolving situation. Many airlines, hotels, and travel services are offering free or reduced fee cancellations and changes at this time. We encourage you to check with your travel provider to find out what options are available to you.
We are monitoring COVID-19 updates and evaluating other upcoming seminary events, like graduation, course offerings, board meetings, and other late spring/summer gatherings, in light of new developments. Additional communication and updates will be provided, as needed, in the coming days and weeks.
If this change is extremely problematic for any reason, please contact Nate Helling (nhelling@sfseminary.edu), Shanda Stricherz (shandas@sfseminary.edu), or Chad Smith (casmith@sfseminary.edu) so we can talk with you about this.
Link: Frequently Asked Questions Related to Gathering Change
Video: President Henson talks about moving the April gathering online. Click the image below to view.