What an extraordinary time we find ourselves in. All over the world families and individuals isolate themselves from friends and family, they cancel weddings, postpone parties, and attend worship services online or over the television due to the threat from an invisible enemy. Only a few weeks ago, we lived our daily lives completely unaware of what steamrolled towards us. Facebook Live, Zoom and Google Hangouts permeate the vernacular of millions of people who never thought that videoconferencing would serve an important role in their lives. I pray that you and your loved ones are remaining healthy and safe physically, spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically during this time of quarantine, isolation, and widespread anxiety.
Petra Kids Ministries is not immune to the effects of COVID-19. As of the most recent report, 14 cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Uganda. The Ugandan government directed all schools to close, consequently, all 350 of our students were sent to live with families in Aduku. Our scholarships are still providing the basic necessities for our students in those homes. We still continue to pay the teachers, so that they will be available when the school reopens. The only person remaining at the school is a security guard. Despite all of this, we have made progress on a new dorm! The only things remaining to complete are the roof and the floor which could not be completed before the school was closed.
Obviously with local city and state orders prohibiting gatherings of ten or more people, the PKM banquet scheduled for April 3rd must be postponed. Even before the order, the board and committee engaged in contingency planning. The safety and health of our friends and donors are of the utmost importance, but we wanted to have a clear path forward before communicating what could possibly require changing yet again. We have rescheduled the banquet for Saturday, June, 6th at 6pm at the same venue, Stephenson Hall at First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa.
As you may be aware, the annual banquet is the largest and most important fundraiser of our year. By far, the vast majority of sponsorships, scholarship funding, capital funding and general operating funding comes from this event. Delaying the event by two months impacts cash flow substantially. While the teachers and headmaster have been sent home, students must be fed, clothed, and attended to regardless of the quarantine situation here and
abroad. Our plea is that, while the banquet itself will not occur until June, please make any donation you planned to make and renew or increase your existing sponsorships as soon as possible. The attached Banquet Donation Form includes all the details needed to help continue the Petra Kids Ministries mission to develop the orphaned and impoverished children in northern Uganda socially, spiritually, physically, and intellectually grounded on Christian Biblical principles.
In addition, we are preparing yet another contingency in the event that the banquet cannot be held on June 6th and must be canceled for 2020. The contingency plan will involve a virtual (digital, online) banquet including the auction. We will update you with details if this becomes necessary, though we hope that it does not. In order to participate, we ask that you ensure that your contact details, including your email are updated.
If you need to make corrections or additions, please email me directly at jeremydcase@www.petrakids.org and I’ll ensure that our records are updated appropriately.
Even in this time of uncertainty, our God reigns. While we never saw this pandemic coming, He knew and has a plan to bring his people through. Our prayer is that the love of God will drive out your fears (1 John 4:18), He will protect you from this disease (Deut 7:15), and that you will have hope and peace because Christ has prevailed, no matter our circumstances (John 16:33).
Blessings and grace,
Jeremy D. Case Jan Creveling
PKM Board, Banquet Chair PKM Board President