Throughout the Covid19 pandemic, Andrew Wommack Ministries has gone to great lengths to cooperate with public health authorities, except when restrictions infringed on the constitutional right of freedom of religion.
The Ministry has recently added the step of hiring a qualified medical staff member to support its virus suppression efforts. Even before COVID-19, Charis has had a longstanding contract with Ute Pass Regional Health Services District (formerly known as UPRAD) to be on site in the event of a medical incident.
The Ministry has been conducting extensive line list and contact tracing investigations every week since late July 2020. Other measures have included screening of guests and staff, large scale work from home requirements, as well as mask and quarantine rules for staff and students. With all of the extra steps being taken to implement a suppression plan, the Ministry recently made the decision to bring a medical staff person in-house.
“We have created a new position which will provide staff and students with a qualified nurse whose responsibilities will be to conduct line list investigations and contact tracing requests from local public health officials going forward,” said Andrew Wertz, Senior Vice President of Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis Bible College. “We are pleased to announce the hiring of Amy Sparks, a registered nurse, who will fulfill the Charis Bible College Nurse Position effective this month,” Wertz said.
The State Department of Public Health and Environment and Teller County Department of Public Health sued the Ministry for an injunction to enforce caps on the number of people who can attend religious events.
The government dropped its case on December 18 following the recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court that such restrictions violate the Constitution. The move by AWMI to hire Ms. Sparks is an enhancement of ongoing cooperation with County officials and is not directly related to the suit.
Sparks is a licensed Registered Nurse in the state of Colorado and a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where she received her Associates degree in Nursing in 2008. Sparks came to the ministry in 2020 from Parksville, Kentucky to attend Charis Bible College. She is married and has one daughter; all of whom are attending Charis Bible College.
About: Charis Bible College and Andrew Wommack Ministries first broke ground in Woodland Park in 2012 and have contributed significantly to the health and vitality of the community’s economy as one of the largest employers in the area. In 2019, the Bible College and AWM headquarters created 539 total jobs for Woodland Park. From 2012 to 2019, the Ministry generated economic activity resulting in about $4.0 million of tax revenue for local governments.
