Reports began circulating on social media this weekend regarding an outbreak of Covid cases from Keystone Church’s youth camp, which was apparently held out of town at Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center in Aquila, Texas July 6-10. Keystone Church is located in Keller, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Brandon Thomas is the founding and senior pastor. One post shared by Sarah Zamora on Facebook included photos of the kids at camp in groups and singing at a very large gathering without masks. Some photos do show kids wearing masks at times.
We’ll be reaching out to the church and TCPHD this week to get a handle on facts.
— City of Keller, TX (@cityofkeller) July 19, 2020
I’d like to write a blog post about the Covid outbreak at your church camp. Do you have a statement?
— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 19, 2020
And just like that, @keystonechurch blocked me. I asked them for a statement about the Covid outbreak at their camp for a blog post I’m writing. pic.twitter.com/y2bGmqsuR4
— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 19, 2020
@dangoodwinonfox @ashleyonfox4
This deserves a story. Keller is in big trouble. 200 kids went to a camp for 5 days and they are testing positive for covid-19 now. @keystonechurch isn’t addressing it nor taking accountability. The public deserves to know. https://t.co/ihOM4PLuUG— Christine Gostomski (@CGostomski) July 19, 2020
It seems Keystone Christian Church in Keller is having themselves a little Camp COVID outbreak.
July 6th -10th. Hundreds of participating teens. The sick kids were sent home. The rest stayed and continued to share their love of Jesus.
And COVID. pic.twitter.com/Roz2YckWfp
— Laura Haines (@Haines4Laura) July 19, 2020
If anyone has any further information, I can be reached at watchkeepamy@gmail.com.
Risking his daughter’s life at camp and he’d do it again he says @keystonechurch pic.twitter.com/dKSym7VeHK
— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 20, 2020
From the mom who spoke out in the @NBCDFW story. @keystonechurch this doesn’t seem like the Christian response. Is this how kids react after “rededicating their lives to Christ?” pic.twitter.com/S9Qv8sj00O
— Meredith (@MereMay87) July 20, 2020
“To everybody in town that I see posting on FB about how this isn’t real and that it’s a political scheme, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, come intubate these patients,’” Kelsey Dowell said from the back porch of her home. “‘Come see what we see. It’s real.’” https://t.co/PY8iY1eH9I
— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 19, 2020
Moms in the DFW area are contacting me & thanking me for covering this issue. New: concerns over large public school-related events still being organized and promoted (@KellerISD @cityofkeller). This is for the @KellerHighBand fundraiser @SkyCreekRanchGC #COVID19 #TexasCOVID pic.twitter.com/MH8Mn7tKum
— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 22, 2020
Latham Springs temporarily closes after COVID-19 exposure
Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center at Aquilla has closed for two weeks and its staff is under “house quarantine” after the camp learned about confirmed cases of COVID-19 among members of a church group from Keller.
Keystone Church, a nondenominational congregation in Keller, rented the retreat center for a July 6-10 camp that involved about 450 students, sponsors and staff.
“On the first day of camp, after the group had been here a few hours, we received a call from a parent of one of the students that a family member had tested positive” for COVID-19, a statement issued by Latham Springs read.
“We immediately isolated the student and then sent her home. Two days later, we were notified that she had tested positive for COVID-19. The church immediately isolated her age group, and then anyone that had close contact with her was sent home. The rest of that group was isolated (after parents were notified) for the remainder of the camp and then sent home with parents.”
My my what a tangle web they are weaving. Lies, deceit, and some people are being threatened when they post pics and truth.
I don’t understand why the church is being so dumb. It looks like there were minimal protections, if any. How can this conduct even be good for the church?