A letter from Paul Robyn, WSS Center Director

March 10, 2021

Dear WSS Friends & Family,

Ministry within the body of Christ is vital at all times, but as this last year of COVID has shown us, Christian community and the Body of Christ is needed now more than ever. With this in mind, we prayerfully and eagerly continue conducting ministry at White Sulphur Springs by hosting guest groups and our own programs.

While we cannot eliminate all risks associated with COVID, we are confident that we can take measures to reasonably reduce risk, allowing us to conduct ministry.

We ask guests who attend a program at WSS to help us keep everyone safe by complying with the following guidelines:

  • If you have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine, please conduct a self-screening of everyone in your travel party before traveling to WSS. If anyone in your travel party is experiencing any COVID-like symptoms in the 96 hours leading up to your arrival or knowingly been exposed to someone with a positive COVID test result within the past 7 days, we ask you to stay home and not travel to WSS.
  • If you have received the COVID-19 vaccine and aren’t experiencing any COVID symptoms, you are welcome to join us at WSS.
  • Due to the lifting of the mask mandate in Pennsylvania, masks are optional throughout the building, but we will continue to ask guests to be prepared to defer in love to others that remain more cautious. Please have a mask on hand in case you are around more cautious guests who prefer to mask.
  • Give grace. Be aware that some guests are going to be more cautious or more casual in their approach to COVID. Allow for those differences within the body of Christ and be respectful as each family finds the right level of protection or interaction while here at WSS. Be comfortable in communicating to other guests your desires in either finding ways to interact more while here, or finding ways to ensure a greater level of protection for you and your family than even the guidelines at WSS establish.
  • Remember that as guidelines and recommendations change, or as the need might require, our policies are subject to change, too.
  • If you are uncomfortable in any way with COVID-19 protocols throughout your stay, talk to us! We’d love to make your stay as enjoyable as possible, so please don’t hesitate to talk to a staff member about your concerns.

Here are some measures we have already taken or will take to reasonably reduce risk and protect our guests and staff:

  • We will ask each guest group coordinator before their group’s arrival to gauge their guests’ level of caution so our staff can adapt as needed. Retreat group coordinators will be asked to indicate which of the following three categories best applies to their group:
    • Green: Masking is optional for all guests and staff, but casual guests and staff will have masks on hand in case they are within six feet of a guest who prefers to mask. Some meals will be served family-style, and some will be served buffet-style.
    • Yellow: Masks are required for guests and staff when moving around the dining room, and all meals will be served buffet-style.
    • Red: Masks are required for all guests and staff when distancing is not possible, all meals will be served buffet-style, and we will create distanced pod seating arrangements in meeting spaces.
  • Our staff have masks on hand to defer to any guests who may choose to be more cautious.
  • Our Guest Services Team has increased cleaning and sanitizing protocols to clean common areas, commonly touched surfaces, and public bathrooms more frequently.
  • Staff set extra tables in the dining room so guests who desire to eat all their meals as a family at a separate table are able to do so.
  • The health of our guests and staff is always a priority, so we will continue to monitor ongoing developments and guidance from authorities and health officials, and we will cancel events at any point that we feel it is unsafe to continue hosting guests at WSS.
  • If you have to cancel your reservation for a WSS program for any reason or feel that you are not comfortable complying with any of these guidelines, you may choose to receive a full refund, apply any previous payments as credit to a future stay at WSS, or you are welcome to donate your previous payments as a gift to WSS.

Thank you for your understanding, your prayers, and your cooperation as we seek to conduct ministry in an ever-changing environment. We look forward to hosting you for your next getaway!

In Hope,

Paul Robyn

WSS Center Director