Spring 2017 News from Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. Vol. 43 No. 1 Thankful for This New Season! As we enter this new season that spiritual needs of incarcerated what He would go through prior brings fresh life to our outside men, women, youth, and their to and during his crucifixion, He surroundings, we also celebrate families. endured the pain and suffering to this season with the Lenten die for us and our sins. Period and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In We have been called into this this holy season there is so much amazing ministry to share of to remember of what Christ has God’s love and forgiveness. We done for us, not only leading up are answering the call to share to His death, but what He did the good news by ministering to after and is still doing today. those that are often forgotten by society. We are also entering our busier season with our Kairos “Therefore go and make Weekends. It’s exciting to see the disciples of all nations, list of Weekends that we pray baptizing them in the name of for every Tuesday afternoon at the Father and of the Son and of our Kairos International office, the Holy Spirit, and teaching steadily growing. them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I We are thankful for the past am with you always, to the very season as it was a time end of the age.” to prepare for the harvest of what Matthew 28:19-20 is ahead! Kairos Prison Ministry sees the Thank you for stepping out in “The Lord will open the heavens, fruit of what our volunteers are faith to answer this calling. the storehouse of his bounty, to doing on a weekly basis as we Every Kairos Weekend is filled send rain on your land in season share the love and forgiveness of with unexpected, God-shaped and to bless all the work of your Jesus Christ. It is awesome to see surprises. hands.” Deuteronomy 28:12 how God changes hearts, how lives are being transformed and how our Thank you also for bringing Kairos is so blessed with the ministry is making an impact hope, in helping to change hearts volunteers that we have and yet wherever we minister around the and making an eternal impact in sometimes, we are limited in the world. your local community for Jesus number of Participants we can Christ. Thousands of lives in reach. We challenge each person This holy season is about 2017 will be changed because of and team to recruit and identify redemption and Christ loving us so the faithfulness and financial more leaders to build on our much that he would give up his life support of our Kairos team! ministry to address the for you and me. Even in knowing From the Executive Director God’s Special Time Who are We? is published quarterly for Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. While working in service through attending this first step of the Kairos, have you ever been asked Kairos program. In many states, Kairos International Staff: to describe Kairos and what we we have facilities asking us Evelyn Lemly do? Often while I travel, I get this when we can start in their CEO question and it is fun to try to pull facility. In a few states, we are Becky Dotson the person into our story when I struggling with various issues COO answer them. It’s a great time to outside our control that have us Craig Combs share about the positive on hold for a while. Men’s Ministry Coordinator impact on the person Gina Brockmeyer attending, on the We need to focus on Women’s Ministry Coordinator facility, on the family, and praying for the ministry, Kevin Resnover on us. It is also exciting to holding each other up Youth Ministry Coordinator watch their interest peak and supporting one Julie Collins when we tell a story of another. For the past Controller someone we met and their couple of years, we’ve Mark Simonson transformation, or to been specifically praying Communications & Mktg Specialist explain the change in for each Weekend, the Ann Kreller ourselves by volunteering. team, the team leader, Executive Administrative Assistant This is what we do to Evelyn Lemly, CEO and those who attend. Janet Santiago recruit – tell the story of how we We may not always know the Administrative Assistant see God at work and impacting a specific needs but we can pray. Terri Wheeler person’s life, including our own. We have added to the weekly Bookkeeper prayer list five states or Jan Hunter Sometimes as I share. I find countries to cover in prayer. We Administrative Assistant myself telling about the Weekend will continue to pray for the Monika Hesse event and impact and forget to scheduled trainings each week. Programs Administrative Assistant share the most important part – the Continuing Ministry – the ‘we As we continue to strive to Vicki Spurgeon come back’ part that teaches them always do the ministry with Board Chair how to live it out and enables excellence, we need to Von Brister Vice Chair for Planning them to form their own remember to tell our story and Don Setterlof community, the learning the walk invite others in, to do the full Vice Chair for Operations part. It is the full program of program not just Weekends, and Barb Jensen Terry Crockett Weekend + Continuing Ministry to cover the ministry in prayer. Secretary Treasurer that makes the difference and truly changes the behavior and helps a Thanks for your hard work and John Miller person change with Christ. If we dedication to Kairos and to International Council President forget to focus on the Continuing sharing the love and forgiveness Tom McCarty Paul Jensen Ministry we have left off the true of Jesus Christ with those Vice President Secretary impact of our program. impacted by incarceration. Keep on praying! To submit stories and photos or to Let’s remember to not only do the contact Kairos leadership and staff: complete program, Weekend + Colossians 1:9-12 “For this Kairos Prison Ministry International Continuing Ministry, but to also reason, since the day we heard 100 DeBary Plantation Boulevard talk about it and why it is so about you, we have not stopped DeBary, FL 32713 important. At Kairos, we are in the praying for you and asking God 407-629-4948 Fax: 407-629-2668 Email: [email protected] midst of our spring Weekend to fill you with the knowledge of www.kairosprisonministry.org cycle with thousands of volunteers his will through all spiritual serving and thousands more wisdom and understanding. And Page 2/ Spring 2017 God’s Special Time Continued on Page 4 A Message From the Board Chair In late March, I had the conduct the ministry while We believe we must be good opportunity to visit with some inviting all to attend as guests or stewards of our ministry's folks in a civic group setting and participants in programs, funds and one asked me about Kairos Prison Weekends and resources, as well as our Ministry, volunteers, and who we program-specific personal time, talent and are as a group and ministry. I follow-up activities treasures. explained that we are a group of to build Christian Christians, diverse in our personal community. Thank you to the many worship traditions, brought volunteers who take the together in our desire to serve our While we empower light of Christ into places Lord, Jesus Christ. They asked the local volunteers that others will not how that worked and I shared that to conduct the go. Thank you for the way as volunteers from across the ministry, we are that you encourage one country, we are brought together accountable to Vicki Spurgeon, another to do more and do by a mission that we believe in, a excellence and Board Chair better whenever and Statement of Faith that tells all performance at the highest wherever you can. who we are, and core values that standards and authority of the guide our actions and decisions. ministry. We empower guests or As we go forward forming and participants to be accountable for building teams, experiencing When I mentioned how many their lives and be transformed by Weekends, making decisions, volunteers served across the Jesus Christ. being good stewards, building country, there was an incredulous relationships and participating in response that "no way could that We believe in the importance of Continuing Ministry, let us many get along." Their experience enabling relationships to build always do that with integrity, in a non-ministry (and even in community, thus our model compassion, and humility. some ministry) settings was quite includes the Weekend different. experience, followed by guests or participants gathering regularly Let us always remember to So how does a group as diverse for accountability, support and ‘Listen, Listen, Love, Love' and widespread as those in Kairos prayer. The full complement of those we serve and those with Prison Ministry bear witness to the well-defined returning model whom we serve. Christ and see transformations time is necessary for the community to and time again in Weekends and prosper. Continuing Ministry? I go back to “Do nothing out of selfish those core documents that guide us We believe that we must be ambition or vain conceit, but in in our individual decisions, as well honest and truthful in our humility consider others better as the larger ones made at each personal conduct as we represent than yourselves.