Summer 2019 News from Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. Vol. 45 No. 2 2019 Annual Conference The 2019 Kairos Annual Conference will provide an excellent opportunity for education, networking, inspiration, and worship for all in attendance. This year’s conference will be held in Orlando, FL at The Florida Hotel and Conference Center from July 23 - 27. There will be new workshops with new presenters, compelling speakers with powerful testimonies, and a wonderful time for teaching, worship, and fellowship. The first part of the week (Tuesday and Wednesday) is focused on business meetings for the Board of Directors and International Council. Thursday is designated for State Chair meetings, and a variety of committee meetings. The conference officially kicks off Thursday evening with a General Session and then continues with workshops on Friday and Saturday. Don’t forget to attend the morning worship sessions to start the day off right! This year there are many new workshop topics to give you the tools and inspiration to take back home and use in both Kairos Weekends and in the Continuing Ministry. There will be informational ministry booths which will be open Thursday afternoon as well as during breaks and lunch. For more information about the 2019 Kairos Annual Conference, please refer to these webpages: Conference Registration Form Conference Schedule Workshop Descriptions Page 1 God’s Special Time, Summer 2019 FROM THE CEO God’s Special Time It’s an exciting time for Kairos is no guidance the people fall, but is published quarterly for Kairos Prison Ministry! Overall, we are in abundance of counselors there is Prison Ministry International, Inc. healthy and growing with new victory.’ communities for the three programs Evelyn Lemly taking place, with growth We also have exciting CEO in the existing things happening in Becky Dotson communities, and new KairosMessenger that is COO people joining us creating a database for Craig Combs continually as volunteers. each local Advisory Men’s Ministry Coordinator Council and State to use. Gina Brockmeyer Often, I share – Kairos We find when EZRA is Women’s Ministry Coordinator has great programs, great used well and the data is Kevin Resnover people, and Jesus Christ – present, we have many Youth Ministry Coordinator what else could we want! past volunteers that can Julie Collins Evelyn Lemly, CEO be regained to help us Controller We know our three stabilize current ministry Daisy Nazario programs working individually are and to grow into new locations. Administrative Assistant impacting people. We also know What a recruitment opportunity! Kimberly Bloom that as they work together to impact We also have dozens of future tools Administrative Assistant different individuals, the family is that can help automate information, Andy Perry positively influenced. By sharing reduce redundancy and Executive Administrative Assistant the transforming love and repetitiveness of work, provide a Bill McVay Marketing & Communications forgiveness of Jesus Christ with the one source information site for the man, woman, or youth on the inside local leaders, provide reports and Kris Buchanan Bookkeeper along with the women family trends, track Continuing Ministry, members outside, the programs track training, and provide a Monika Hesse Programs Administrative Assistant together positively change communication tool locally. individuals, family, communities, and society. As the programs The biggest need continues to be Terry Crockett working together can help improve and probably will always be Board Chair the family connections which can volunteers. As we need to keep Kathleen Cabraja enhance the reentry and reduce each local community whole and Vice Chair recidivism of the returning citizens. vibrant with new additional people Susan Dyer Ken Perduyn Secretary Treasurer If in any way we can help reunify and as we expand to new locations, the family the positive impact on we need people. As everyone the person and the family is knows telling our story and Tom McCarty exponential as the programs are personally sharing of the impact International Council President Better Together. while asking someone to become Lisa Trahan Dave Hess involved is the key to recruitment. Vice President Secretary In 2019, as we work our strategic Please ensure that we are working plan nationally we are encouraging to replicate ourselves by asking To submit stories and photos or to the states to work their local plan others to be involved, visiting new contact Kairos leadership and staff: for enhancing the current churches to gain new members, and 407-629-4948 [email protected] communities, launching new sharing the wonderful story of what programs in new locations, Jesus Christ is doing through www.kairosprisonministry.org fundraising, and recruitment. As Kairos. Proverbs 11:14 says ‘Where there Page 2 God’s Special Time, Summer 2019 A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR People God Uses lives. Who would Continuing Ministry of you select as a each program by: The year of 2019 is almost half person in the Bible Provide new tools over with many success stories God has used? and resources to enhance during the Kairos weekends. The participants Continuing Ministry Many lives have been and guests may Develop tracking transformed and hearts impacted see you as that Mechanism for by the love and forgiveness of person, because attendance and impact Jesus Christ (sound familiar you represent using KairosMessenger because it is our Mission Jesus to them. Ensure the full Statement). Each of you had a Thank you! Terry Crockett, program (Weekend + role in the programs of Kairos, Board Chair Continuing Ministry) is as a servant first, and a volunteer The next five years (2019 to being conducted at each second, by answering God’s call. 2023), Kairos has numerous facility/community Thank you! opportunities to sustain and grow for the ministry. The As we are the “People God The Board of Directors met in Kairos Five Year Strategic Plan Uses”, please review Vision April in the Kairos office with a has seven Vision Priorities to Priority 2 of the Kairos Strategic theme of “People God Uses”. accomplish this including: Plan where you serve. Each Board member selected a Continuing Ministry is the person in the Bible (named or Vision Priority 2: Sustain and “Heart of Kairos”, which helps unnamed) and told the story with strategically grow the ministry in carrying out the Kairos the way God used them. Each of reach and impact through the Mission and Vision Statements. us are these stories of how “God three core programs and Uses People” to demonstrate the inclusive with strong focus on “I was in prison and you visited love of Jesus Christ. God Continuing Ministry. me.” Matthew 25:36 equips, empowers and guides us A Segment of Vision Priority 2 as a body and as an individual is the continual focus of Blessings, Terry throughout Kairos and our daily First Annual Legacy Luncheon Friday, July 26 12:00 - 1:15 pm The Florida Hotel in Orlando, Florida Kairos First Annual Legacy Luncheon will be held during the Annual Conference on Friday, July 26 and is invitation only. This special luncheon is held to recognize those who have chosen to leave a lasting legacy with Kairos by making a bequest or other planned gift. If would like to include Kairos in your estate planning, please contact [email protected] to learn more about your options. If you have already included Kairos in your estate planning, please contact [email protected] to receive an invitation to this wonderful event. Page 3 God’s Special Time, Summer 2019 KAIROS MEN’S MINISTRY Jacob Moment By Craig Combs, Men’s Ministry Coordinator Have you ever had a Jacob moment? I hope so… I really do. Jacob was a conniver and his style of relating to others was to manipulate them to get what he wanted. He was a user. He controlled his life and depended on himself and not on God. Interestingly, he found someone just as conniving as he was when his mom sent him away to live with his Uncle Laban as Jacob had kind of messed up the family dynamics, to say the least! I am sure God used Laban to show Jacob what he was really made of since they were very similar. I’ll bet when Laban switched Jacob’s bride from Rachael to Leah, Jacob was reminded of his own deception with his brother. Fortunately, God loved him enough to break him of his natural self and changed him into someone dependent upon God. That is why I hope you have had a Jacob moment… or two or three or hundreds perhaps. That is why we provide a Jacob moment at a Kairos Inside Weekend - so God can wrestle with the participants, so God can show Himself to them and so they can see that it is more important to trust and rely on God than on themselves, even in prison. God did that for Jacob by bringing him to the end of his rope and allowing him to be scared. He was to meet up with his older brother, who by all accounts should have hated him since Jacob had stolen the birthright from him. They had not talked or seen each other in years to resolve their issues and allow for any forgiveness. In the void of communication, everyone thinks the worst, so Jacob was probably very paranoid about this family reunion! What did God do to Jacob when He wanted to get hold of him? He revealed Himself to Jacob. As soon as Jacob was alone, it says that a ‘man wrestled with him.’ That man was God. We know that Jacob gets a new name out of the wrestling match that means ‘he fights with God’ or Israel.