Kairos
Prison Ministry International, Inc.
Program
Description
The
purpose of Kairos is to establish strong Christian communities among
the population of correctional institutions. Our mission is to bring
Christ's love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals,
their families, and those who work with them.
Kairos
Prison Ministry International had its beginning in 1979 and today has
over 30,000 volunteers donating more than 3,500,000 hours of service
each year. These volunteers serve in more than 350 institutions in
33 states plus Costa Rica, Australia, South Africa, England, and
Canada. More than 200,000 incarcerated men and women have been
introduced to Kairos, since its inception. This year, an estimated
24,000 inmates will be introduces to the Christian community of
Kairos.
Statement of Need
There are over 1.2
million men and women in federal and state prisons.
There are over
240,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 24 in prison.
There are over 1.6
million children who have one or both parents in prison.
t
o
grow the Ministry and reach the 1,248,270 men, women and youth that
are in prison. The miracles of Kairos are taking place in over 350
prisons worldwide. The red dots on the map represent about 700
prisons in our United States mission field with no Kairos programs.
Christ's
call in Matthew reflects God's desire for us to meet human
needs and bring Christ's love to the abandoned.
Matthew
25:36
"I was in
prison, and you visited me."
K
airos
for Men and Women
Well-organized
and well-trained volunteer teams of men and women from the
communities surrounding an institution present an introductory 3½-day
weekend, described as a short course in Christianity. This
interdenominational team of volunteers - both clergy and
laypersons - works in cooperation with the Chaplain who
carefully selects up to 42 inmate leaders to attend. They spend over
40 hours in small table families. Each table has 6 inmates 2
volunteers and a member of the clergy. A follow up program is part of
this ministry, incorporating monthly reunion visits to the
institution.
T
hese
women are all Kairos graduates and after
their
3-½ day Kairos weekend, continue to have regular
prayer and share groups.
Kairos Volunteer Leadership
The International Board of
Directors consists of the Executive Director, President,
Executive Committee, State Representatives, and International
Representatives. State Representatives are elected from the State
Committees throughout the U.S. International Representatives are
elected in a similar fashion, with each active country having one
representative on the Board. The Board guides the direction on the
ministry.
We believe God has a special
plan for each person and we respect the spiritual process of each
inmate."
Our
ministry is in only 25% of our prisons and we believe God is calling
us to grow our ministry. To do that we are putting out a call for
help - our need for human and financial resources is great.not
to glorify us in any way but to bring these inmates to Jesus Christ.
Wesley
UMC supports 2 Kairos Weekends a year at Zephyrhills Correctional
Institute; one in April and the other in October. For more
information, please contact John or Shirley Gravlin at 885-5929
john_gravlin@commercelink.com.
The Kairos National web site is www.kairosprisonministry.org
