Posted April 1, 2022
We are excited that as of April 1, 2022, Canada is no longer requiring pre-entry testing for fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada! More information about this update can be found here. We continue to monitor the border crossing requirements related to Covid-19 as we draw closer to SERVE, and, as always, ThereforeGo Ministries staff will support every team that crosses the border, assist with paperwork, and make sure leaders are clear about what is required for crossing the border at the time.
You can reach out to our staff through a phone call to 616.241.5616 ext 3038, the online contact us form, or by emailing us at serve@thereforego.com.
Posted November 10, 2021
Dear Friends of ThereforeGo Ministries,
We are grateful for the vast strides that have been made throughout 2021 towards moving past Covid-19. We are excited to be moving forward with a traditional SERVE summer for 2022! SERVE registration opened as expected on November 1, and sites are filling up quickly so be sure to reserve your spots if you haven’t already! Click the link below labeled “SERVE Host Church Covid Plans” to read the latest Covid-19 policies that specific host churches have in place.
Additionally, as of November 8, the border between the U.S. and Canada is fully open for recreational travel. Currently, U.S.-bound travelers at the border will need to have proof that they are fully vaccinated, though, unlike air travelers, they are not required to show proof of a negative Covid test. At this time, Canadian-bound travelers need to show proof of a negative molecular (PCR) test, taken within 72 hours of attempting to cross the border.
As people continue to get vaccinated, we are hopeful that the number of Covid-19 cases will decrease in the U.S. and Canada during the winter and spring, and that we will see a decrease in restrictions and requirements for border crossings. As always, ThereforeGo Ministries staff will support every team that crosses the border, assist with paperwork, and make sure leaders are clear about what is required for crossing the border at the time. You can reach out to our staff through a phone call to 616.241.5616 ext 3038, the online contact us form, or by emailing us at serve@thereforego.com.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in ministry!
Previous Updates
Dear Friends of ThereforeGo Ministries,
In light of the current realities of this global pandemic, we, the board and staff of ThereforeGo Ministries, have determined that SERVE 2021 will not be able to happen this summer. This will be the second summer without a conventional SERVE program, but please keep reading to learn about our plans for the next year.
Our decision to cancel SERVE and readjust our expectations for the summer once again are strongly guided by continuing travel restrictions without a firm end date. We continue to take the statement that your safety is our number one priority very seriously, and therefore could not, in good conscience, continue to encourage anyone to make plans to travel across state and provincial lines. We also had to recognize that the necessary safety precautions SERVE host teams would have to follow, in regards to eating and sleeping arrangements, would put an unnecessary and unrealistic burden on our host teams and their churches. In addition, limiting participant interactions with each other in small groups and at work sites would make many of the relational and discipleship aspects of SERVE unrecognizable and inconsistent with our mission.
We had hoped that we would be in a different place by this point. However, even though vaccine news gives us hope, we feel like our respective countries need more time to recover before SERVE, in its traditional form, is a wise option again.
While we are unable to offer SERVE this year, we are excited for our second year of the SERVE@Home program. Through our website, you can purchase a kit with spiritual life guides, t-shirts, string backpacks and letter-to-self materials. In addition, we have a robust online resource center with recordings of each of the SERVE@Home evening sessions walking your group through each session of the curriculum, resources on how to come up with worksites, and other materials for you to use for an at-home version of SERVE.
In addition to offering SERVE@Home, our staff will also be in close communication with youth workers and churches as we work to develop new resources and events for youth ministry in and after a pandemic. Additionally, we are excited to be kicking off our first online mentoring cohort this month.
Friends, this is a hard time in the world and we have not made the above decisions lightly. We have explored all the options that we had for this summer and truly believe this is what is best and safest for all involved. We want to thank you for trusting us through this process.
If you ever have questions or would just like to talk through this decision we would love to speak with you. You can reach out to our staff through a phone call to 616.241.5616 ext 3038, the online contact us form or by email at office@thereforego.com.
SERVE 2021 Registration opens on November 2 at Noon (EST)
We are excited to be launching our new season of SERVE with hope for the future. However, having hope does not give us an excuse to not be prepared. Below you will find the adjustments we are making, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the SERVE 2021 season.
A Healthy SERVE Season
A healthy SERVE season begins with you! Please before arriving at SERVE be sure to check your temperature and if you are feeling sick, please stay home. It is important that when participants arrive at their SERVE 2021 sites they are feeling healthy and are ready for a week of service and worship.
COVID Preparedness Plans and Training
We are working with each of our Host Churches to confirm they have a current COVID Response Plan in place at their facilities. We are reviewing each plan to ensure their protocols are in line with our safety requirements.
Furthermore, this spring we will be adding additional training requirements for our Host Teams, as well as our Sending Churches, to make sure everyone is up to date with the latest regulations as they plan for their SERVE weeks.
SERVE “within borders”
We love being a bi-national organization. We have seen great value in students and churches from both sides of the border come together during our SERVE weeks. However, the reality is the Canada/US border remains closed. We don’t know when it will reopen or what restrictions will be in place when it does. When registering for SERVE 2021, US churches will only be allowed to register for US SERVE sites and Canadian churches will only be allowed to register for Canadian SERVE sites.
This is a temporary change. Next year, Lord willing, we hope to be back to business as usual, and allow churches to go where-ever they’d like!
US and Canadian Pricing
Because SERVE is “within borders” we are going to accept both USD and CAD this year. For a Canadian church heading to a Canadian site, they will be able to pay in CAD.
SERVE@Home
SERVE@Home is being updated and improved for the 2021 SERVE season. Churches will be able to purchase a kit for this SERVE option starting November 2 at Noon (EST). They will also be able to pay for SERVE@Home in the currency of their home county.
Refund and Cancellation Policies
Our refund and cancellation policies have been re-written to include COVID related cancellations. It now states…
“ThereforeGo Ministries (TGM) will refund monies if a written cancellation request is received by May 1, 2021. Please note that while we were blessed to be able to refund all deposits this past year, moving forward all deposits will be non-refundable and not transferable to your remaining balance due.
If you request a change of location or substitution of participants within 30 days of the start date, an additional $50 may be charged to cover administrative costs.
In the case of extreme weather, disaster, or COVID cancellation: TGM has your group’s safety in mind as we host events. If we are unable to host an event due to weather conditions, national disaster, or because current COVID guidelines set by government agencies prohibit TGM from continuing a SERVE experience, deposits cannot be refunded. Refunds of final balance payments will be made only if properties and/or locations refund TGM for these costs. If an event is hosted as scheduled and your group cancels or reduces numbers due to weather conditions or other concerns, all payments are non-refundable.
If a registrant or immediate family member has an emergency prior to or during the summer mission experience, TGM will do what we can to refund a significant portion of the money.”
Please visit our FAQ page for other updates and answers.
We are excited to be launching our new season of SERVE with hope for the future. However, having hope does not give us an excuse to not be prepared. Below you will find some adjustments we have made, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the SERVE 2021 season.
SERVE “within borders”
We love being a bi-national organization. We have seen great value in students and churches from both sides of the border come together during our SERVE weeks. However, the reality is the Canada/US border remains closed. We don’t know when this will change or what restrictions will be in place when it does. When registering for SERVE 2021, US churches will only be allowed to register for US SERVE sites and Canadian churches will only be allowed to register for Canadian SERVE sites. We believe it would be irresponsible to allow churches to register for sites that we don’t anticipate them being able to attend. It would only unrealistically inflate your numbers, and cause undue stress, for everyone.
This is a temporary change. We are playing the long-game here. Last year we had to cancel all SERVE trips. This year, we are playing it ultra-safe. Next year, Lord willing, we want to be back to business as usual, and allow churches to go where-ever they’d like!
US and Canadian Pricing
Because SERVE is “within borders” we are going to accept both USD and CAD this year. For a Canadian church heading to a Canadian site, they will be able to pay in CAD.
SERVE@Home
SERVE@Home is being updated and improved for next summer and churches will be able to register for this (COVID safe) SERVE option next summer starting November 1st. They will also be able to pay for SERVE@Home in the currency of their home county.
Refund and Cancellation Policies
Are being re-written to include COVID related cancellations. You will find these updates, on October 1st, on the FAQ page.
COVID Preparedness Training
This spring we will be adding additional training requirements for our Host Teams to make sure they are well-informed as they plan for their SERVE week.
Posted April 9, 2020
Dear Friends of ThereforeGo Ministries,
In light of the current realities of this global pandemic, we, the staff and board of ThereforeGo Ministries, have determined that SERVE will not be able to happen this summer in the traditional way. However, we have a new plan.
Our decision to cancel the SERVE plans we had in place, and readjust our expectations for the summer are strongly guided by travel restrictions without a firm end date. If we are serious about the statement that your safety is our number one priority, then we could not, in good conscience, continue to encourage anyone to make plans to travel across state and province lines, let alone across the Canada/US border.
There is a lot we don’t know right now. We don’t know when these travel bans will be lifted. We don’t know how long we will be working from home. We don’t know when it will be safe to hold gatherings of any size again.
Here is what we do know. We do know that psalm 100:5, “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”, is as true when it was first written as it is today. We know that maybe now more than ever people need hope. Finally, we know that we can stay at home.
So, we want to suggest a new way to do SERVE. SERVE@Home, if you will. For those of you who were registered to attend a SERVE trip this summer and still want to partner with us, we will be putting together boxes with spiritual life guides, t-shirts, string backpacks and letter-to-self materials. In addition, we will be developing an online resource center with recordings of some of our favorite SERVE speakers walking your group through each session of the curriculum, resources on how to come up with worksites, and other materials for you to use for an at-home version of SERVE.
If you sign up for this option we anticipate being able to deliver supplies to you by June 15th. However, you do not have to “host” your SERVE experience at that time or even when you were originally planning to attend SERVE. You will have the freedom to wait until it is safe to be out and about in your community.
We hope this new plan will do two things. First, we are releasing you from the commitment you made to us for the summer. (We will explain how the money works below). You no longer have to make the hard decision about if it is a good idea to travel with a group of teenagers this summer, we have decided for you. Second, we hope that SERVE@Home will still allow you to have something to look forward to with your youth group. This could be a wonderful opportunity to show your church and community what teenagers are capable of.
Thank you for your understanding.
Friends, this is a hard time in the world and we have not made the above decisions lightly. We have explored all the options that we had for this summer and truly believe this is what is best and safest for all involved. We want to thank you for trusting us through this process.
If you ever have questions or would just like to talk through this decision we would love to speak with you. You can reach out to our staff through the online contact us form, through a phone call to 616.241.5616 ext 3038, or by email at office@thereforego.com.