When folks volunteer to minister in prisons the commitment is more than an hour a week. Even if you add in travel time to a facility there is also preparation time, time committed to a mentor or small group to stay grounded.
Folks in Kairos make a year commitment when they volunteer. There is six months of planning, -team building, spiritual grounding, learning prison rules and program guidelines, practicing music and coaching each other on the talks they will be giving. Prayer is important too as they pray for each other, for the folks that will attend, even before they know who coming; for the families of those who will be attending; for the inside Kairos team that will be serving; for the CO and prison administrators, chaplains and wardens. In Florida we even asked for blessings on the coming weekend in the form of workable weather because rain can shut a weekend down, not to mention hurricanes!
They often commute long distances to the facility, and may stay in church camps or volunteer homes and commit to very long days in order to listen to the participants and minister to them, pray with them and worship with them, and teach them how to build or join the inside community of faith so that what they learned over the weekend will continue to be nurtured and supported.
Then the volunteers return periodically over the next six months to continue encouraging, supporting and instructing the inside Kairos family. When running at full speed they will have a 2nd team operating in parallel so there will be two inside weekends a year. Leaders are limited to lead one team in five years to insure that it is always Jesus' show rather than leaning on a single charismatic leader whose death causes more than normal grief.
On July 25th the full team will begin training for the fall Kairos #4 at the women's prison where it was my very great blessing to serve two years ago. It is now 18 hours distant from me and I am finding new ways to serve where I am planted, but my heart is certainly with these dear women who travel so far to answer their call to serve.
Won't you join me in taking time on July 25th to support this team with your prayers?
Folks in Kairos make a year commitment when they volunteer. There is six months of planning, -team building, spiritual grounding, learning prison rules and program guidelines, practicing music and coaching each other on the talks they will be giving. Prayer is important too as they pray for each other, for the folks that will attend, even before they know who coming; for the families of those who will be attending; for the inside Kairos team that will be serving; for the CO and prison administrators, chaplains and wardens. In Florida we even asked for blessings on the coming weekend in the form of workable weather because rain can shut a weekend down, not to mention hurricanes!
They often commute long distances to the facility, and may stay in church camps or volunteer homes and commit to very long days in order to listen to the participants and minister to them, pray with them and worship with them, and teach them how to build or join the inside community of faith so that what they learned over the weekend will continue to be nurtured and supported.
Then the volunteers return periodically over the next six months to continue encouraging, supporting and instructing the inside Kairos family. When running at full speed they will have a 2nd team operating in parallel so there will be two inside weekends a year. Leaders are limited to lead one team in five years to insure that it is always Jesus' show rather than leaning on a single charismatic leader whose death causes more than normal grief.
On July 25th the full team will begin training for the fall Kairos #4 at the women's prison where it was my very great blessing to serve two years ago. It is now 18 hours distant from me and I am finding new ways to serve where I am planted, but my heart is certainly with these dear women who travel so far to answer their call to serve.
Won't you join me in taking time on July 25th to support this team with your prayers?
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