Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

We are closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and will post any updates here. Click here to see the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 cases in the state of South Dakota.

Postponement of Upcoming Training Events

Posted on January 13, 2021

It is clear that the global situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has not improved like we had hoped it would by this point. This obviously brings into question the safety and feasibility of hosting an in-person training event over the next few months. After prayerfully discussing this matter with our leadership team, we have decided that the safest and wisest course of action is to postpone our next two training events: both the US training over February 22 – March 5 and the international training over March 22 – April 16, 2021.

We certainly regret that we will not be able to host these two training events, as we had hoped. This is partially due to an insufficient number of applicants at this time. And of course, it is largely due to the health risks involved with hosting a training while the pandemic is spreading at its current rate. While we do not want to live in fear, we also want to exercise wisdom and be faithful to protect the students, volunteers, and staff members in our community, especially those in a more vulnerable health condition. We take this responsibility very seriously, which is why we believe that it would not be wise or responsible to host a training in the current circumstances. We must postpone conducting a training in person until we can see that the pandemic is easing and that it would be safe and responsible to do so. 

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility during this time. We also want to extend an invitation to you to pursue some other training opportunities that are available either now or later this year. The Keystone Project Online Academy is now open for enrollment; this six-month program features recorded lessons from our training, as well as online coaching support. If you are unable to travel to Keystone, or even if you plan to attend a later training, this is an excellent option for you to begin covering the basics of making disciples who make disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can enroll in the Online Academy here. 

We’d also like to invite you to join us for our next Zoom Webinar, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2021, from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). This four-hour session will include the devotional “Kairos and Chronos,” an overview of our training called “What Is The Keystone Project,” and a vision-casting session called “The Great Commission.” You can register for this free webinar on the “Training Events” page of our website. Lastly, you are also welcome to register for one of our training events scheduled for later this year: either a one-week training for residents of the US over May 17-21 or a month-long training for international and US participants over October 4-29, 2021. (We plan to offer Spanish translation at the October Training, as well as the webinar in February.) Of course, it is still too early in the year to predict what the situation will look like by that time, but we are sincerely praying and hoping that things will have improved by then and that we will be able to safely resume in-person training later this year. If you have already completed an application for a previous training, you won’t need to fill out another one on our website; you can contact us directly to transfer your application to one of these later trainings. Or if you are a new applicant, you can fill out the “Training Application Form,” which is on the “Training Events” page of our website as well.

Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions. We hope that you will take advantage of one of these online training opportunities, and of course, we hope to see the Lord open the doors for you to attend a training in person – in His perfect timing. We know that all these things are in the Lord’s control, and regardless of any circumstances, we know that He is accomplishing His redemptive purposes around the world.

Confirmation of the August and October Trainings

Posted on June 18, 2020

The Keystone Project team is looking forward to resuming our in-person training events soon! Although the last several months have seen significant strides in the development of our online resources, we are excited to conduct this training at our headquarters once again and bring in students from across the United States and around the world. Our training calendar will resume with a week-long training for residents of the US and Canada over August 17-21, 2020, and a month-long training for international participants over October 5-30, 2020. While we continue to track the COVID-19 developments and guidelines, we still plan on hosting both of these events, and we hope you will plan on joining us for one of them!

If you are thinking about traveling to Keystone, South Dakota, for one of these trainings later this year, we also want to assure you that we are continuing to monitor the spread of the Coronavirus in our area and take the appropriate precautions, as needed. In South Dakota as a whole, the rate of new cases testing positive each day peaked in early May (reaching 299 new cases on May 8); at the time of this writing, the rate of new cases has averaged around 100 per day since then across the entire state, and that rate is steadily declining. In Pennington County, where we are located, the rate of new cases each day has been more fluctuant, but it has been averaging around 10 per day so far through the month of June. We are praying and trusting that those numbers will continue to diminish over the next several weeks before these training events.

At this point, we have still had no cases among our staff. We have done our best to follow CDC and local guidelines in our community, and we have been especially careful this summer while working at our hotel, the Rushmore Express. We have implemented several precautions at the hotel to keep our guests and staff safe, such as the following measures:

• Regularly sanitizing frequently touched surfaces in the lobby and public areas
• Thoroughly cleaning each room with extra sanitation measures
• Providing hand sanitizer in public areas
• Temporarily closing some public areas, such as our pool, exercise room, conference room, and breakfast room
• Serving breakfast as carry-out only
• Having our staff wear masks and gloves as needed

We will continue taking precautions at the hotel to keep you safe during your stay with us, and we will also implement any social distancing and sanitation precautions that we can at the Ministry Center to keep all our students and staff safe during each training. If you have any questions about these things, please direct those questions to our Training Team (training@keystoneproject.org). Or if you would like to register for one of our training events, you can do that on our website here. Feel free to refer any other students who you think would benefit from this training program. We are excited to meet the students that God brings to both of these trainings and to see the transformation He works in their lives for His Kingdom.

Postponement of the May Training to August 2020

Posted on April 22, 2020

Over the last several weeks, the leadership team in Keystone has been watching the COVID-19 situation and prayerfully considering whether to proceed with the May Training as planned or reschedule it. Unfortunately, the number of cases in South Dakota is not expected to peak until approximately the middle of June. Therefore, we have decided to postpone this training to a later date in the summer. The new dates of the US/Canadian Leaders Training are August 17-21, 2020. We apologize for the change in plans and any inconvenience this might cause; however, we trust that you can understand the reasoning behind this decision, considering the unprecedented circumstances we are navigating. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Registration is open for the newly scheduled August Training, and we are continuing to take new applicants, in addition to those who signed up for the original dates in May. If you live in the US or Canada and you would like to apply for this training, you can fill out the “TRAINING APPLICATION FORM” on our “Training Events” page. Once you have created your account, filled out the Application Form, and paid the $25 application fee, our Training Team will contact you with more information for your stay with us. Or if you cannot attend the new dates in August, another option would be to attend the first week of the International Leaders Training, which would be October 5-9, 2020. You are also welcome to stay for additional weeks or even the full monthlong program, if you can; but the first week of the October Training will cover most of the same material as the weeklong August Training. You can apply for the October Training in the same Application Form on our website.

Because it is just one week, the August Training is only available for residents of the US and Canada; however, if you are applying from another country, you are more than welcome to attend our International Leaders Training. To make the most of your trip, please plan to stay for the full monthlong program over October 5-30, 2020. Once your application has been approved, our team will send you a Formal Invitation Letter for your visa interview, along with further instructions to apply for a tourist visa, book your tickets, and reserve your seat at the training.

Also, whether you are applying locally or internationally, you may be interested in our first Zoom Webinar, which will be held live on April 28, 2020, from 1 – 2:30 pm (EST). You’ll have the opportunity to hear Richard Greene, President of The Keystone Project, share the basic steps to launching a disciple-making movement, followed by a live Question & Answer time at the end. This webinar will be an excellent primer to lay the foundation of our training before you even come to Keystone. You can register for this free webinar here.

If you have any questions about the August Training or any of these training events, please feel free to contact our team (training@keystoneproject.org), and we’ll be glad to assist you. We are praying and trusting that the COVID-19 situation will improve by August, and we are looking forward to our time together at this training and everything God has in store for it.

Update on the US/Canadian Leaders Training, May 11-15, 2020

Posted on April 9, 2020

At this point, we are still planning on hosting our weeklong training in May for residents of the United States and Canada, and we are still accepting applications for this event. Of course, there is a considerable possibility that we may need to cancel or postpone this training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are carefully tracking the situation and gauging how it is expected to develop over the next several weeks. Our leadership team is planning to make a definite decision on this training no later than Tuesday, April 21^st. We apologize for the wait on this decision; however, the situation is constantly evolving, and we want to be sure that we can make an informed decision, based on any new developments by that point.

Once we have made a definite decision, we will notify our applicants if the May Training is confirmed to continue as planned or if it is canceled. If the May Training is canceled, we will reschedule it to a later date, possibly in late August or mid-September, and we’ll post the new dates on the “Training Events” page of our website. Another option for US/Canadian residents is to attend the first week of the next International Leaders Training (October 5-9, 2020). New students must attend at least the first week but are welcome to stay for additional weeks or even the full monthlong program, if possible. The first week of the October Training will cover most of the same content as the weeklong May Training. 

If you have not yet applied for a training and would like to do so, you can find the “TRAINING APPLICATION FORM” here.* If you’re applying within the United States or Canada, here is a summary of your options at this point:

1. Apply for the monthlong October Training (let us know which weeks, if needed)
2. Monitor our website to see if the weeklong training is rescheduled
3. Apply for the weeklong May Training as it is currently scheduled

As of right now, there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Keystone, SD, and our staff has maintained strict precautions during this time; however, we understand any concerns about traveling in the near future, and we would still be glad to have you join us at a later date. If you apply for the May Training and it is canceled later, we will inform you of the rescheduled dates and will transfer your application at no additional cost. Please feel free to contact our Training Team (training@keystoneproject.org) if you have any questions.

*INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: If you are applying from outside the United States or Canada, please select the International Leaders Training and plan to stay for the full monthlong program; once your application has been approved, we’ll be happy to provide further instructions to help you apply for your visa and secure your seat at the training. 

Cancellation of the International Leaders Training, March 23 – April 17, 2020

Posted on March 13, 2020

Dear Students, Coaches, Volunteers, and Staff,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and honor and praise in all things. I regret to inform you that we have canceled the March 23-April 17, 2020 International Leaders’ Training program due to the spread of the Coronavirus and the potential danger it poses for all of us. This difficult but unanimous decision was made after consulting with the leadership team here in Keystone, as well as with The Keystone Project, Inc. Board of Directors. We apologize for the lateness of this decision, but as we were closely monitoring the situation over the last two weeks, it became obvious that the virus has not been contained in the manner we had hoped.

Therefore, we are asking you to not come to Keystone, SD, USA at this time.

Events are out of control, and new policies could result in you being unable to return to your homes and families for a considerable time. For all confirmed students (those that have submitted their itinerary), we will transfer your application to the October 5-30, 2020 International Leaders’ Training program, and we will hold your seat at that training until 30 days prior to the event, awaiting confirmation through your new confirmed itinerary for those dates. Please advise the training team (training@keystoneproject.org) if you would like to plan on coming in October or if you will not be able to attend that event.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience and expense incurred as a result of this decision. However, I am sure you see the wisdom in this action. We look forward to seeing you here in Keystone as soon as the Lord allows. God bless you!

Sincerely,

Richard W. Greene

President

The Keystone Project, Inc.