Henderson Settlement will continue to be open with limited operations pending a significant shift in the health environment within our community.  We will continue to monitor, and comply with decisions made by the United Methodist Church, as well as the Federal and State governments.  At this time, continued operation with some adjustments is compliant with the decisions of these groups.

Our organization has developed a plan including operational adjustments to increase our already high sanitation standards.  Staff and community members are clear that they are not to come to the Settlement if they are sick … even if the sickness is thought just to be a head cold.  We have suspended any visits by volunteers from outside the community in alignment with KY State mandates.
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To join us in the logic of the decision to continue limited operation, it is necessary to understand the context within which we function.  When we shut down, there are folks that go without food.  Our working community members are without child care options to react to the 3 or 4 week (or potentially longer) school closures.  Some members of our community are dependent upon the Settlement for transportation to access medical assistance and to purchase the daily necessities of life.  Our community youth will be largely idle for a month or more, lacking the diversions that are common and available in most American homes and communities.  We can make the seemingly “safe” decision to shut down to protect our community members, leaving them to face further hardship.

We have prayed for God’s direction, and He has answered our prayer.  The first sign was peace with the decision.  The second sign was the provision, at just the right time, of the devotion you can read at the bottom of this message.  Please take the time to do so, it is particularly pertinent to this period in our Christian lives.  The third sign was alignment from the Red Bird Missionary Conference to support whatever decisions the Leadership Team should make.

We expect that the next three months, or more, will be particularly difficult for our community and our organization.  No, not largely because of illness.  The hardship will result from the impacts of fear.  The temptation when we are afraid is for us to focus inwardly….”How can I protect myself?  How can I keep my family safe?  How can we prevent contributing to the spread of illness within our congregation?”

An alternative is to focus on the impact that others around us may experience as the result of this situation and the panic surrounding it.  Charitable support can decline over-night as churches and families feel less financially secure.  Access to food, medical, and other forms of support systems can instantly vanish as these systems are shut down. Those among us with the least resources to weather a storm are typically the most dramatically impacted by it. 

We ask that you continue to support us in the following ways:

1. If you have scheduled to participate in Work Camp this year, but now need to cancel, please consider making a donation to the Settlement of all, or some portion of the money you would have invested in your mission trip.  We will continue to pay our staff and meet urgent needs within the community with these resources.
2. Please also continue your faithful financial support of our ministry.  The Spring is typically the  period of increasing financial support.  The measures to control spread of the virus have resulted in Work Camp cancellations and temporary church closures.  As we have recently communicated, we entered Spring, 2020 with a low operating cash balance.  Your financial support is important to help us sustain operations and recover during this volatile period.

Regardless of all else that takes place, please join us as we honor God with our decisions and actions, and as we bring Glory to His name in continued service as He has commanded.
 
For the Leadership Team,
James L. Knight
Executive Director
Henderson Settlement

Updates as of
June 10, 2020

Henderson Settlement Phase One COVID-19 Required Practices

​The truth is that very little is proven regarding how COVID-19 spreads.  It is extremely difficult to validate the exact path the virus has taken in transmission from one individual to another.  There is a strong body of evidence that COVID-19, as a viral respiratory infection, spreads via sneezing and coughing, and through hand contact with the face.  There is anecdotal evidence that transmission may occur via contact with contaminated surfaces or aerosolized virus containing particles, but this has yet to be proven or disproven.  What has been scientifically validated is that high concentrations of virus can remain active on surfaces for up to 72 hours.  There is no scientific proof that COVID-19 can be spread through food consumption.
This leads us to the selection of four primary on-campus containment strategies:

1. Provide a period of vacancy between each group’s use of our housing
2. Sanitize high touch housing surfaces with each rotation of group use
3. Minimize staff contact with team members of Work Camp groups while on campus
4. Minimize inter-mingling of Work Camp group team members

Strategy 1
Since residual active virus risk is mitigated after 72 hours, we will attempt to maintain a minimum 72 hour vacancy period between uses of our housing locations. 
Strategy 2
Our housekeeping staff will utilize a cleaning agent proven to be effective in eliminating COVID-19 virus, paying special attention to high-touch (surfaces utilized repeatedly by our temporary residents).  To make this more manageable, we will limit the areas where the temporary residents are permitted entrance, closing all communal areas for use during this phase.  Under this strategy, we will be careful in our selection of on-campus projects that might be assigned to Work Camp team members so that they are isolated from community and staff contact.  On-campus interior work areas previously occupied by Work Camp team members should be left vacant for at least 72 hours following their departure.
Strategy 3
We will utilize a scheduling system that prevents multiple work camp teams being present in the Work Camp shop simultaneously.  While present in the shop, we will require Work Camp Team Leaders to wear face masks or coverings.  During these periods, Settlement staff are required also to wear face masks or coverings.  Meal preparation will be performed by kitchen staff members.  On-campus volunteer group sizes below 45 will be served  in the Dining Hall, with each group separately seated and distanced from other teams.  For higher capacity weeks, multiple serving times will be established to maintain group counts below the capacity threshold.  Kitchen staff will follow existing food preparation standards that include the use of gloves and sanitary measures in the food prep process.  The Settlement kitchen continues to operate with a Health Department “A” rating.  We will utilize radios to coordinate any scheduled activities with work teams, vs in-person contact.
Strategy 4
We will make every effort to maintain Work Camp group segregation while on campus.  Within group social distancing makes very little sense, as the team members will be traveling to Frakes as a group (or sub-group) within the same vehicle, will be living in close proximity while with us on-campus, and will be in close proximity to one-another while executing project work in the community.  We will leave it to each group to determine any supplemental measures they wish to follow to further minimize the potential of within-group transmission while on campus. 
To accomplish this group segregation, we will modify our programming to eliminate multi-group combined activities.  Each group will, in effect, be self-quarantined in their own assigned housing location for the duration of their stay with us.  Each group will utilize their own transportation to-and-from the community work sites, and will not interact with the community off-campus, with the exception of their assigned community project work.

​​Work Camp COVID-19 Ramp Up Plan – Phase One

​We currently have no active cases of COVID-19 in our service area that we are aware of.  We know that both our ministry and our volunteers from outside the community want to do everything in their power to keep it that way!  Here is our plan:
 
Do not Come to the Settlement if Anyone in your Team Exhibits Symptoms
Logically, if the virus is not currently present in our community, the primary risk resides with your team coming in from outside.  You will likely be traveling in a vehicle in close proximity to other team members.  Simply stated, if anyone on the team is sick. has previously tested positive for COVID-19, even up to the very last minute before departure, this is not the year for your team to leave home destined for Frakes, KY!
 
Expect to be Temperature Checked Immediately Upon Arrival in Frakes
The first thing we will do as you arrive in Frakes is conduct a no-contact temperature scan of each team member.  Anyone registering a temperature of 100.4 or greater, will indicate a risk level we cannot support.  We will be prepared to provide sack lunches for each of your group members, but please understand that sadly your team will be asked to return to your vehicles and immediately return home if a team member fails to successfully pass the on-arrival temperature scan.
 
Recognize that Frakes (and the Settlement) are not Your Home (or Home State)
Each state and community is dealing with the COVID-19 situation under unique guidance, and unique interpretation of that guidance.  Further, each individual has his or her own unique interpretation of what they have been told and have learned from a wide variety of sources, and what represents a significant risk.  Bottom line, your practices may not be our practices.  You will be fully supported at the Settlement to follow any supplemental practice you may feel is beneficial to further reduce your risk of your team’s exposure, but you must  as a minimum requirement comply with the practices we will separately outline.  These practices are incorporated into our over-arching plan for resumption of Settlement operations, compliant with the requirements of the State of Kentucky.  We will not support attempts by members of one team to enforce their own supplemental practices upon the members of another team.
 
Carefully Think Through Your Decision to Come
This is a very strange year, to say the least!  Many folks feel highly at risk, and are very afraid of potential virus exposure and subsequent serious or fatal illness due to that exposure.  Just as we cannot guarantee that you will not have a traffic accident while enroute to Frakes, we also cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed to the virus during your time with us.  If, upon reflection, you feel too at risk, and are afraid, this is not your year for Work Camp with us.  We love you dearly, and will welcome you with open arms once again next year when this situation has passed.
 
 Bring Your Own Personal Protection Supplies
Upon review of the Settlement required practices intended to minimize the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus, you will see that certain supplies (primarily face masks) will be required at some time during your stay.  Please bring an adequate supply of these materials to meet the needs of your team during your time with us. 
 
Recognize that Programming Will be Different this Year
Consistent with the logic that the greatest source of exposure risk will be individuals travelling into the community from outside, we are taking steps to minimize the inter-mingling of teams while they are on campus, to minimize the exposure by members of our staff to members from multiple teams, and to minimize Work Camp team member contact with family members of community families we serve.  Here are some of the impacts you can expect during this first phase of our resumption of operations plan:
To the maximum extent possible, teams will be separately housed, to minimize inter-mingling of teams

• The Work Camp schedule will move to a 4-day basis, eliminating the Wednesday free day;  departure will be Friday AM, to enable adequate time to clean facilities for the next week’s groups
• Common areas in mixed team facilities will not be utilized
• Shower and restroom access may need to be scheduled during peak weeks
• Morning devotions will be team-specific, and will take place where your team is lodged, or at some alternate location specifically reserved for your team’s use. (this location must be approved by the Work Camp Staff Director)
• Sadly, group programming will not occur this year (ie, Bluegrass Music) … at least not in it’s large-group format.  We will be as creative as possible to help your team have a great experience while on-campus with us, but while utilizing alternate approaches.
• Work Camp shop interactions will be limited to team leaders, and scheduled so that we only have one team in the shop at a time
• The gymnasium will not be available to the members of your team
• A travel/fun activity day outside our community on Wednesday cannot take place in this phase;  we do not want to inadvertently transfer the virus into our locale;  if your team wishes to incorporate a side-trip, please do so on Friday after leaving our community.
  

Community Families will be Pre-Screened for Your Protection
Even though there are not yet cases of COVID-19 in our community, that does not necessarily mean that it will remain that way.  To minimize the risk of your team members encountering exposure to the virus via contact with the members of the community families we serve, we will take the following precautions:

• A pre-screen visit close to the time of your project’s start date will be made by Settlement staff to ascertain that no members of the community family are currently experiencing symptoms
• Family members will be cautioned to strictly maintain the 6-foot social distancing from your Work Camp team members while you are at the job site
• Your team members will be expected to strictly maintain the 6-foot social distancing practice from members of the community family
• No social events are to be planned where community family members and Work Camp team members co-participate
• We ask that this year your team not make any in-person visits with community family members from families you have served in the past.  There is always the telephone … and the option for an in-person visit next year when this virus event has passed.

 
We know that this represents a lot of change vs our past practice.  However, we feel that these changes are necessary at this time, and that they offer the best balance of risk-management to control potential virus spread, while at the same time meeting critical needs for support that have become even more pressing due to the economic ripple effects of national and state virus containment policies. 
We are truly grateful for your continued faithful support of our ministry!

HS COVID-19 Plan

Programs
• Identify critical community needs
• Adjust program delivery to address critical needs
• Defer non-essential programming (communicating approach during deferral period)
• Designate & prepare a location to be used as an isolation facility should on-campus illness occur

Communication
• Develop, deploy and routinely update aligned operational plan
• Staff Communication – initial expectations, and ongoing updates 
• Community Communication – initial expectations and ongoing updates
• External Volunteer Communication – Work Camp and Volunteer Participation plan

Sanitation (beyond normal high levels of operation sanitation)
• Hand wash stations identified and supplied
• High-touch surfaces disinfection – common areas of highest focus
• Suspend use of non-essential facilities to enable focused use of resources

Resources
• Verify supply lines for critical need programming
• Verify inventory of required containment supplies

Co-ordination
• Weekly Lead Team sessions with subsequent deployment to staff
• Pop-up daily crisis control sessions, should situation warrant
• Augment local school efforts … do not duplicate

Safety First Devotion

IN WORD   In many places in the world, Christians are put to death for no other reason than being Christians.  This is no surprise, Jesus said it would be so. American Christians usually aren’t quite sure how to relate to this, because we aren’t often threatened with death for our beliefs.  But it happens. According to recent statistics, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.

Still, there is something comforting in Jesus’ words “Not a hair of your head will perish.”  He has just told them that some will die, yet not a hair of their head will perish. How can this be?

Jesus doesn’t define death as genuine harm.  As frightening as death is to most of us, and as tragic as early death seems to us, we can all expect to die.  Death is a universal experience, whether we are being persecuted for our faith or our bodies fail us for some reason.  Yet Jesus assures us that if we stand firm with Him (v. 19), not a hair will perish. No real harm will come to us, because death in Christ is not real harm.  “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more." (Luke 12:4) 

IN DEED   Where does your security lie?  Do you seek security in your physical well-being?  That would be insecure indeed, according to Jesus. No, real safety is found in standing firm with Him.  He is our protector and defender. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear any evil;  the Good Shepherd is with us. Our safety is contingent only on our faith in Him. (Luke 12:8-9)

Let God redefine your understanding of security to be consistent with Jesus’ words.  Know that even when you die, not a hair of your head will perish.
From:  The One Year At His Feet Devotional
           Chris Tiegreen
      Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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