Kairos is a perfect forum for my topic of observation with and without judgement. I learned a lot from my experience on a team and I think it has further shaped me as a person.
Kairos Prison Ministry
Kairos Prison Ministry
Kairos is a Christian ministry that addresses the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women, and youths, as well as their families outside the prison walls. The primary objective of the 3-day retreat based on the Cursillo movement 1 is to prepare selected residents for life in an ongoing Christian community. A key part of the Kairos experience is to encourage residents to form a Christian community behind bars and to discourage dependence on the volunteers who run the program.
Before a Kairos weekend, volunteers complete a highly structured eight-week team formation period to build Christian community, practice group dynamics techniques, and learn about working in a prison environment including institution rules, local taboos, and how to handle potential problems. The ministry is governed by the national board of Kairos Prison Ministry, Inc. 2 and is conducted in cooperation with the chaplains of correctional institutions. Teams are generally comprised of 50 lay persons with 5-6 clergy members.
The program follows a very strict protocol in order to assure the predictability and security necessary for the prison setting. A manual3 is given to each team member and they are expected to follow the guidelines to the letter to keep the weekend orderly and avoid unwanted confrontations.
Through the structured program, the residents of correctional institutions are given the opportunity to experience God’s healing love, spiritual renewal, and the tools to share their experience with others and become a Christian witness while they are incarcerated and after they may be released. Several studies including one from the University of Alabama Birmingham “Religion Helps Reduce Negative Prison Behaviors” have indicated that prison ministries can reduce incidences of violence in institutions as well the number of repeat offenders.4
The program is supported by Christian volunteers including those from the Cursillo movement and other related renewal ministries such as Emmaus4, Chrysalis5, and Epiphany6. Although Christian in nature, the program is open to any faith and it is not unusual to see find participants who consider themselves to be Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or even Atheist. More than 170,000 men and women have been through the Kairos experience. Volunteers number more than 20,000 per year.
The Process
Prison chaplains identify individuals who they feel have the potential to benefit from the program. They are then invited to a three day “short course” on Christianity. The weekend consists of a series of talks by volunteers which are built from an outline. The speakers are encouraged to supplement the outline with personal witness and examples from their own lives on the ways in which support, love, encouragement and prayer from other members of their own small group has brought healing. The attraction of Christian community is made abundantly clear by one speaker after another.
The participants sit as “families” at tables. Three team members and six residents at each table are carefully chosen to be ethnically diverse. Through talking and listening, music, and food the family becomes comfortable enough with one another over the course of the weekend to become vulnerable. On the final day, they are led into sharing their personal histories and thereby learn they have much more in common than they had ever imagined. They begin to feel like family.
At the end of the weekend, residents graduate and are accepted into the Kairos community. The Team returns to the institution within three weeks for an Instructional Reunion which offers continuing support and teaches the newest members of the Inside Community how to form small groups
All Kairos graduates are encouraged to continue to participate in weekly small group sessions called “Prayer and Shares” where they share their lives on a deep spiritual level. They pray for each other, for other residents and staff, and are accountable to each other for their actions.
The Kairos monthly reunion is a two-three hour gathering of the institution’s resident Prayer and Share Groups with Kairos volunteers. There they participate in community worship, share in small groups, and hear witness talks. It is open to all residents of the institution who have attended a Kairos short course and may be open to their guests, if the institution allows.
History
The Kairos Prison Ministry grew out of early attempts to launch movements in prisons similar to the three-day movements in the sacramental churches of the free-world. A Cursillo movement event was held in Union Correctional Institution, a maximum security institution, at Raiford, Florida in 1976. Though successful, the event did not grow until the retreat became ecumenical rather than purely Catholic. As in the Cursillo, the general foundation is a program where lay persons can learn to minister to each other and become spiritual leaders. The retreat is based on Biblical reference found in the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35, especially verse 31, “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.”
There are two Greek words for time. Kronos pertains to linear time such as hours, days, and weeks. The Oxford Online Dictionary7 defines the other word, “kairos” as “a propitious moment for decision or action” or opportunity. It is often used in religious sense as time set by God for a particular occurrence. The word kairos was also found to carry special significance in correctional institutions where the word time carries so many different connotations. The Kairos weekend gives the inmates an opportunity to experience God’s healing love and the tools to share their experience with others.
Today chapters are located in 31 states in the U.S. and eight additional countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. Each state has its own board of directions and governing regulations8 based on the international organization.
Biblical reference
Luke 24:13-35 – details the story of the afternoon three days after the crucifixion when the risen Christ appears to two disciples walking along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Blinded by their grief and hopelessness, they do not recognize him. As he walked, Jesus explained the meaning of the scripture and when they arrived he held communion with them and then they recognized him.
Matthew 25:36 “I was in prison and you visited me.”
John 13:34-35 "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples."
References
3. UAB Study Finds Religion Helps Reduce Negative Prison Behaviors - Gail Short, UAB.edu, citing: Kent R. Kerley, Todd L. Matthews and Troy C.Blanchard. (2005) "Religiosity, Religious Participation, and Negative Prison Behaviors." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 44(4):443–457; Prison Religion: Faith-based Reform and the Constitution – Winnifred Faller-Sullivan (2009); Prison Ministry: Understanding Prison Culture Inside and Out, Lennie Spitale (2002)
8. Guidebook for Kairos Inside Team Members (2006)
A very detailed explanation of a worthy topic. On a personal note, I support any organization that reaches out to prisoners. They've committed a crime, but are still humans.
ReplyDeleteAs to the mechanics of your entry, I am impressed. You not only address the history of the organization but also introduce Kairos' unique process for outreach. I am not sure how common the use of scripture in Wikipedia entries is, which is unfortunate since I am a devout Christian, but as long as that doesn't deviate from Wiki norms I think it is a nice touch.
You've offered a nice mix of web and non-web sources and your writing is as strong as normal. Thanks for your consistently good work.
A very interesting and factual piece that you have put together. The pace of the article was great, and keep my attention from beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteYou really gave the background of the organization, then continued to give us information about the benefits. As Pleasantly Unpleasant stated, I to am not sure how often scriptures are used in the Wikipedia posting. It is refreshing to read it, so thank you for adding it to your post.
Your reference are also great, it is good to see that you used the enough to support your writing.
Mimi - What a thorough and educational entry. Your explanation of this ministry is both interesting and jam-packed with facts. Your writing on this topic shows your deep knowledge, not only of the group's work, but also of its origins.
ReplyDeleteThe sections of information are broken up well, and the pace keeps me interested. Great use of sources. I have to say, I find this your strongest entry yet. That's not to take away from any of your past entries, but you are definitely passionate about this topic and know it well.
This could be a fascinating project for you as a writer - a blog about the prison ministry. Could you, without giving away people's identities, share some of your stories with us? I would be very interested to hear some of the prisoners' experiences with this group. You could give them a voice. Just an idea :)
Again, just a great job.
I like that you list the different chapters.
ReplyDelete"Today chapters are located in 31 states in the U.S. and eight additional countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. Each state has its own board of directions and governing regulations8 based on the international organization."
Michelle, You are right, there are GREAT stories there, but unfortunately it would be against the rules of the organization to make anything that goes on public. Thanks for the idea. I am still searching for my "cause" so I appreciate any and all suggestons!
ReplyDeleteAnd PU and Gerrit - I think you are probably right about the scripture not being "kosher." I didn't even think about it -- it just seemed to belong there. I guess I'll have to read up on the rules again.
True, the scripture might not be kosher, but I do like the "History" section of your entry with the origins of the word "kairos." Wikipedia has entries on individual gospels, so if you couldn't quote them outright, you could link to those entries.
ReplyDeleteI'll assume you know that Kairos Prison Ministry already has a Wikipedia entry, but it's pretty short and basic. No history, no breakdown of what goes on at the retreat, no mention of its roots in the Cursillo movement. I encourage you to add to the entry, Mimi - your post here is clean, engaging and informative, and you could contribute some great information to "beef up" what exists on Wikipedia.
I loved how this entry relates to your theme of non-judgement. Again, you write not necessarily about yourself, but we still learn volumes about you just from the fact that you participate in this kind of retreat.
Some of the more subjective matter might not serve Wikipedia's purposes, but this would also make a great personal essay if you made a few adaptations. For example, I thought this section was particularly relevant to the emotional power of the movement: “Through talking and listening, music, and food the family becomes comfortable enough with one another over the course of the weekend to become vulnerable. On the final day, they are led into sharing their personal histories and thereby learn they have much more in common than they had ever imagined. They begin to feel like family.”
Some constructive notes: "The attraction of Christian community is made abundantly clear by one speaker after another."
Remember that pesky mantra, “show, don’t tell.” The attraction is abundantly clear? To whom is it clear? What is the attraction, exactly? From what you indicate in the rest of the paragraph, it seems like the Christian community breeds a sense of community among a group of people who may feel unwanted and literally “put away.” I love that idea. Show us that idea.
Be careful with your adverbs, as they tend to create clutter. You don't need "abundantly" in the example above, and the phrase "abundantly clear" is is a cliche in any case. Instead of saying that the families "are carefully chosen to be ethnically diverse" (a passive phrase) you could say that organizers choose the families with ethnic diversity in mind.
Great job with this assignment!