Giving Back to Kairos
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Winter 2019 News from Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. Vol. 45 No.4 Giving Back to Kairos On Monday, October 7, 2019 representatives from Kairos Prison Ministry along with staff from SCCW in North Carolina including Warden Denise Jackson met with a very special young man named Oliver Lytle, in order to accept a sizable donation to the Kairos program. Kairos volunteers had just completed their third Kairos Weekend at SCCW on Sunday, October 6, and were thrilled with the effort and support shown to the program from this selfless young man who demonstrated what community truly is. Oliver Lytle, who is twelve years old, attends St. Eugene’s Catholic Church in North Carolina. In August, the Kairos of Swannanoa Women’s Inside team setup an outreach table at the church, and Oliver stopped by as he was unfamiliar with Kairos. He wanted to help and was given a medicine bottle with a Kairos label to fill with quarters. When the Swannanoa team returned to the church a month later, Oliver had filled the medicine bottle, but he wasn’t ready to stop there. He decided to raise funds for Kairos by fundraising at his church, school, karate class, and physical therapist’s office. As part of his black belt test, Oliver had to write a paper and do a service project and chose to do it on Kairos. With these combined efforts he was able to raise almost three hundred dollars for the Kairos Weekend! In addition to the funds raised, Oliver asked members of the St. Eugene congregation to sign agape, sign up for prayer coverage, and gave out applications to attend the closing ceremony. As Oliver presented the funds to the Kairos treasurer, accompanied by his parents Rich and Kelly Lytle, he was thanked for the generous gift on behalf of Kairos and the SCCW residents. He was also presented with a Kairos t-shirt and a small cross commemorating the day, and had several photos taken with the group. While Oliver could not enter the prison, Warden Jackson told the Kairos Participants of Oliver’s efforts and they were so touched that after the Weekend they made him a thank you poster. We look forward to Oliver’s support and generosity for Kairos throughout the year. Page 1 God’s Special Time, Winter 2019 FROM THE CEO God’s Special Time Merry Christmas and Happy through the Kairos program is published quarterly for Kairos New Year! approach. We can’t share His Prison Ministry International, Inc. love and forgiveness if we don’t know Him. We can’t encourage If you are like me you find yourself asking ‘where others to live the teachings of the Evelyn Lemly Bible and of Jesus CEO did the year go?’ I recall when I was a child the Christ, if we are not Becky Dotson living it ourselves. COO years seemed to go so slowly and adults would Craig Combs Therefore, the Kairos Men’s Ministry Coordinator say you just wait until you’re older and they fly ministry is only as Gina Brockmeyer by. How silly I thought, spiritually healthy as the Women’s Ministry Coordinator but now I am that older people who serve in the Kevin Resnover person saying it! ministry. Thank you for Youth Ministry Coordinator being leaders for Jesus Christ and serving in Julie Collins It once again has been an Evelyn Lemly, CEO Controller amazing year of ministry Kairos Prison Ministry! for Kairos Prison Ministry Thank you for focusing Kimberly Bloom on our Lord, for praying Administrative Assistant International across the world. I am looking forward to doing the diligently, and for seeking His Andy Perry guidance in the celebrations and Executive Administrative Assistant full review of the year soon – that will be in the next newsletter. in the struggles. Bill McVay Marketing & Communications As we enter the time of Christmas, Kairos also focuses on excellence Kris Buchanan I pray that all Kairos volunteers in all we do. We want to be giving Bookkeeper take a pause to reflect and focus our best to Jesus and sharing the Monika Hesse on our Lord and Savior, Jesus absolute best experience we can Programs Administrative Assistant Christ. He is the reason for the with the Guests/Participants every time and all the time. As one of season! our Advance Kairos Trainers Steve Smith At Kairos, our mission states we says, ‘If you don’t give your best Board Chair share the love and forgiveness of for God then to whom will you Susan Dyer Jesus Christ. In order to share give it?’ Vice Chair these we must ensure we Benjy Cook Ken Perduyn understand His love and Excellence in the ministry Secretary Treasurer forgiveness personally. That’s includes the programs being why one of our core values is: conducted by the program Lay led, Christ centered Ministry - manual, being good stewards of financial and people resources, Lisa Trahan We are Christians who believe in International Council President the Holy Trinity and honor and honoring the rules of Kairos and the laws of the land, using the Connie Klipsch Judy Watson live the teachings of the Bible and Vice President Secretary our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. tools and systems to aid the We conduct the ministry while person as well as the ministry, and honoring one another with His To submit stories and photos or to inviting all to attend as Guests or Participants in Weekends and love. Thank you for serving with contact Kairos leadership and staff: excellence! 407-629-4948 program-specific follow-on [email protected] activities to build Christian community. Meaning while all are As we know the programs of www.kairosprisonministry.org Kairos work – they make a welcome to attend, those leading the programs are Christians and difference in roughly 28,000 focused on sharing who He is graduate’s lives each year. We do Page 2 God’s Special Time, Winter 2019 FROM THE CEO our preparation well and show up as the hands and feet of Jesus, Kairos Mission Statement and the Lord uses us to impact others. Normally it’s all the The mission of Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love little details and pieces that come and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of together to make an impact incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to during a Weekend and all through the Continuing Ministry. become loving and productive citizens of their communities. We also know for Kairos to work we need people to be those hands and feet. God has given Kairos Bible Testimony us many opportunities to grow into new locations for Kairos Inside, Kairos Outside and If you have ordered the Kairos “God’s Word” Bibles Kairos Torch. In order to grow and got them for free under the grant from Bible we must have current volunteers League, you should know that you owe us doing their role and new testimonies! As part of getting them for free, Bible volunteers entering at all times. League asked for testimonies so they can go out and Therefore, recruitment remains promote the use and impact of the Bibles. We need to our greatest need. We need every person involved in Kairos know how they have impacted the recipients, their replicating themselves so we family members, how they were used, any personal have more people working with testimony where their use created a God moment, or excellence to serve our Lord in even simple stories that are interesting. It doesn’t have to be a short this great ministry of Kairos. novel… a few lines is all that is needed. If you haven’t done that remember that it was part of the requirements and submissions can be I ask you to pray about who you emailed to [email protected]. can ask to join and let’s see if we can walk through the numerous new doors God is opening for Kairos in 2020. Also please send me your recruitment success stories as we know when Supply Ordering Around the Holidays we focus on this, God will provide us success and we want Please submit your supply orders earlier than usual during this to celebrate. Christmas season. Due to the unpredictable delivery timeframes due to We praise God for the ministry the holiday increase in shipments, we cannot guarantee the arrival and programs of Kairos and for dates of supply orders. To ensure you receive all of your ordered items the excellent volunteers we have prior to your Weekend, please send in your orders as early as possible. today and will have in the future. Merry Christmas! I am looking forward to 2020 and all God has in store for Kairos Prison New Kairos Conference Call Email Ministry. Kairos has created a new email address, [email protected] to be used for all requests for conference call lines. Please use this email address instead of sending your request to a specific Kairos staff member. Page 3 God’s Special Time, Winter 2019 RECRUITMENT SUCCESS STORIES Wende Advisory Council’s Billboard It all started with a phone call from Roseann Parisi who lives in the Buffalo area. She saw a billboard on the side of the road advertising Kairos, and called to find out how she could get involved with and support the Ministry. Since she lives near Wende Correctional Facility and she was put in contact with the Wende Advisory Council Chair, Ernie Curto. Roseann was also very interested in attending a closing to hear more about the impact of the ministry.