Ways to Serve as a Kairos Volunteer
Thinking of volunteering for Kairos? We would LOVE to have you join the 30,000 volunteers who are already passionate about our mission!
There are many opportunities for you to serve in Kairos Prison Ministry. All we ask is that you have a willing heart and a spirit of obedience and you can play a crucial role in God's ministry of Changing Hearts, Transforming Lives and Impacting the World. Here's some basic information to help you "get involved."
Be a Team Member
Kairos Prison Ministry volunteers come from all walks and strata of life. They all share a desire to follow Christ's admonition of Matthew 25:36, "I was in prison and you visited me."
Be a Prayer Partner on Tuesdays
All Kairos Ministry activities are covered with prayer. You can volunteer to be a part of that prayer effort every Tuesday at 1:30 pm EST.
Be a Ministry Financial Donor
All Kairos activities are funded by donations. If you would like to support this ministry by your donation, make your check payable (any amount is appreciated!) to Kairos Prison Ministry of Missouri.
Attend a Kairos Closing
Experiencing a closing is an experience like no other; all Kairos Weekends have one. The impact of a Weekend on Inmates or Guests is made abundantly clear during the closing ceremony, where Inmates or Guests have the opportunity to tell how God has worked in their hearts and lives.
Provide Weekend Support
Each Kairos Retreat Weekend has opportunities for outside support, such as writing letters of support, preparing meals, bringing Kairos Outside Guests to the Weekend location, or running errands. Get your church’s Sunday school classes to color placemats for mealtime at the Weekend.
Create Agape
Visible Agape is artwork which is posted on the walls of the community room for the participants to read throughout the Weekend. Signed placemats and posters made by children (first name and age only) are also especially treasured by prisoners. If you would like to send agape to an upcoming Weekend, please contact one of the representative that volunteer as a Kairos servant.
Posters
Posters can be made by Sunday School classes or groups or individuals. A poster can be on 8½" x 11" paper or larger and provide loving, Christ-like encouragement to the inmates. Again, your groups are already getting together but now your gatherings and efforts can have a missionary purpose for truly, this is a mission field.
Wall Agape and Placemats
During a Kairos weekend the second talk, “You are not alone”, one of the clergy explains to the residents that God has never abandoned or forgotten them. They are told that many men, women and children are praying for them and have taken time to create posters (wall agape) and placemats to remind them that we are all children of God and saved by the King. During the talk a Prayer Wheel (indicating all the prayer warriors’ names and time slots) and posters are placed on the wall. Many of the residents’ start the weekend feeling like society has given up on them and thrown the keys away. These acts of love go a long way to build the message that God loves them. Placemats and posters can be in the form of any message that the Spirit touches one who would be so inclined to bless this ministry with wall agape or placemats. Most posters are done on conventional poster boards with colored markers and signed by the Body of Christ (name, and age (if you are a youth or senior citizen). The wall agape is always much more meaningful if it is personal. That means it needs to be signed and addressed to a specific Kairos Weekend.
Placemats
Placemats are normally created on plain white placemats that are available at almost all food service stores. It is recommended that placemats be only signed as noted above for wall agape, so that they maybe able to be used on another weekend if excess placemats are received on any one weekend. Many of the Kairos graduates take the placemats back to their cells and hang them on the walls. It is not uncommon to see one of the hardest offenders break down and cry over the gift of a placemat, particularly those created by an innocent, precious child with a message telling them that God loves them.
Banners
A banner is simply a larger version of a poster and provides all the same blessed encouragement for the inmates, correctional officers, team members, administration, etc.