Jaime Ramirez | Kairos Prison Ministry

How to Engage and Inspire Your Organization’s Volunteers, Featuring Evelyn Lemly on The Nonprofit MBA Podcast

How to Engage and Inspire Your Organization’s Volunteers, Featuring Evelyn Lemly on The Nonprofit MBA Podcast

In episode 4.5 of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Evelyn Lemly from Kairos Prison Ministry International and Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions, the leading provider of business loans to nonprofits in the form of a line of credit, discuss the need to engage and inspire volunteers. These solutions are helping nonprofits cut through the challenges of staff dearth while ensuring the efficient execution of projects, especially the fundraising campaigns. Read an Executive Summary or Listen to the Podcast HERE: How to Engage and Inspire Your Organization’s Volunteers About Evelyn Lemly from Kairos Prison Ministry International Bio: Evelyn Lemly is the CEO of Kairos Prison Ministry International, where she has been a catalyst for positive change since January 2013. Evelyn embraces a vision and makes it reality through her sound decision making. She is an inspirational leader respected for her incredible work ethic and integrity. Under her leadership the ministry currently serves in more than 500 institutions and communities throughout the world sharing God’s love and forgiveness to those affected by incarceration About Stephen Halasnik, The Nonprofit MBA Podcast, and Financing Solutions Stephen Halasnik is the Cofounder of Financing Solutions which is the leading provider of lines of credit for nonprofits and church financing. The credit line program for nonprofits & churches is fast, easy, inexpensive, and costs nothing to set up making it great when cash flow is temporarily down. Mr. Halasnik is also the host of the popular, The Nonprofit MBA Podcast. The podcast brings on experts to talk about fundraising, nonprofit grants, executive director leadership, nonprofit boards, and other important topics. You can learn more about the nonprofit line of credit program here or call 862-207-4118.

By Jaime Ramirez|March 23rd, 2022|Newsroom, Prison Ministry|0 Comments

Kairos Inside to Hold #1 Weekend at Florida’s Columbia Main Unit Correctional Institution

Kairos Inside to Hold #1 Weekend at Florida’s Columbia Main Unit Correctional Institution

Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. (“Kairos”), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, announces the start of a Kairos Inside program at Columbia Main Unit Correctional Institution located in Lake City Florida, beginning Thursday, March 24th. The 3 ½ day Weekend event will be the first Kairos Inside Weekend at this facility and is another step forward in helping inmates transform their lives. Kairos Inside is a ministry program whose mission is to develop a Christian community inside the prison. The program results in an improved prison living environment, reduced recidivism after leaving prison, safer communities, and healed families based on personal transformations. Recent studies have shown that recidivism rates can be reduced by up to 50%. Up to 42 inmates participate in the 3 ½ day Weekend program, which includes a series of talks, discussions, prayer, and chapel meditations with the aim of creating or continuing a desire for spiritual growth. The Weekend will then be followed up with Continuing Ministry of monthly Reunions and weekly Prayer and Share groups, which provides an authentic and vital Christian community for accountability and encouragement. Kairos is in need of volunteers for future Weekends. Opportunities include making cookies, creating artwork, prayer, team support, financial support, and participating in a team. For more, please visit kairosprisonministry.org/volunteer-opportunies.

By Jaime Ramirez|March 17th, 2022|Kairos Inside|0 Comments

Yes Virginia, There is a Blessing

Yes Virginia, There is a Blessing

The Kairos of Virginia team was able to find the blessing on January 11 as the Kairos team held an awards ceremony within the state capital in Richmond to honor: Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia Brian J. Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Harold Clarke, Director, Department of Corrections David Robinson, Chief of Corrections, Department of Corrections The ceremony created an atmosphere of energy, joy, and thanksgiving as Kairos of Virginia found the blessing in the spectacular work these individuals had performed during this unprecedented pandemic. These men and their staff worked relentlessly to partner with our mission and vision without compromise. They stood firmly on the principle that even those who have made a mistake have human value and deserve to be treated humanely and with dignity. Kairos VA State Chair Lindell Tinsley with VA Governor Ralph Northam The work of these men and their staffs, along with their accomplishments are often under the radar and unnoticed. Kairos believes these efforts should not go unnoticed but should be celebrated. The event at the state capital was full of jokes, laughs, and warm friendships. It was attended by Kairos Graduates who are living testimonies of the value and impact of the Kairos Programs, both inside state institutions and the loving and productive Graduates in their communities. A Kairos Graduate shed tears of joy after he was given the opportunity to shake the hand of the governor who had pardoned him. “If it wasn’t for this governor, I would still be serving.” God answers prayers! The event reminds us that God’s people can find His blessing and celebrate even during the storm of this pandemic.

By Jaime Ramirez|January 25th, 2022|Awards, Newsroom, Prison Ministry|0 Comments

When Death Row is a Good Option

When Death Row is a Good Option

The Kairos team at the Polunsky Unit in Texas had the issue many places are having, trying to minister to inmates without being able to hold a Kairos Weekend due to volunteer access limitations. The Kairos team thought of what could be done and approached the chaplain (who is a former Kairos volunteer) and the warden and the idea of a Kairos Weekend for the death row inmates was born. These inmates were not able to leave their cells, which made for some logistical issues such as each inmate being at his own Kairos table. This creative solution was fully supported by the warden and chaplain so much that they both attended the Weekend. The 14 men who participated were overjoyed that people cared for and loved them. By having the Weekend in the middle of three pods, and with the audio equipment being used, the other 28 men on death row were also able to hear the Weekend. The Kairos team provided all 42 men on death row with lunch both days, so the Kairos team also made a difference to them. The volunteers described the Weekend as a celebration with inmates singing and dancing to the music and enjoying the presence of God. The warden even got a standing ovation from the inmates, an act that is practically unheard of in prisons! One of the inmates even asked the warden to pray over them, which he did. When the chaplain returned the morning after the Weekend, he discovered that the inmates had already arranged for a Bible study! The Kairos team will be able to conduct Continuing Ministry with the death row inmates, both Prayer and Share and Reunions. The Weekend was so well received that the Polunsky team has been asked to do a Kairos Weekend for the

By Jaime Ramirez|November 19th, 2021|Kairos Inside, Kairos Programs, Newsroom, Prison Ministry, Volunteering|0 Comments

Ministering From Beyond the Fence

It had rained all week, it was raining the morning of, then just hours before, the rain stopped, the sky opened up, and the sun came out to allow the Kairos team at Craggy Prison in North Carolina to hold an outside the fence retreat. With North Carolina correctional facilities still not allowing volunteers to enter, the Craggy team was anxious to find a way to minister to those on the inside. The warden and prison chaplain also recognized the need for Kairos and invited the Kairos team to participate in this way, as the morale of the prison was extremely low and many inmates felt even more isolated and forgotten than usual. The Craggy volunteers jumped at the opportunity and the warden invited all inmates and staff in both the medium and minimum security camps to attend. Kairos Volunteers speaking to the inmates with the medium security yard in the foreground and the minimum security inmates behind the photographer. The program included Kairos speakers, praise and worship music, singing, and the reading of letters and agape notes! Each inmate in both the medium and minimum security facilities as well as the prison staff was given a bag of Kairos cookies with a personal agape note of encouragement along that included a scripture quote. To allow the inmates to sing along, the team brought hundreds of song sheets that were passed out and they were even able to broadcast on the prison’s radio system with announcements through the PA system so everyone knew when to tune in! The team held the entire program twice! A group of inmates was brought out to the yard in each facility and the Kairos team held the hour and 45 minute program. Then those inmates were taken inside and a second group was

By Jaime Ramirez|October 27th, 2021|Continuing Ministry, Events, Newsroom, Prison Ministry, Volunteering|0 Comments

First Kairos Torch Weekend Since March 2020 Held in Oklahoma!

First Kairos Torch Weekend Since March 2020 Held in Oklahoma!

On October 22, 2021, a two-year pause in one to one youth ministry was ended by Kairos Torch #28 at Southwest Oklahoma Juvenile Center (SWOJC). We did our best to continue the ministry long-distance and without any personal interaction during that pause, but this Weekend was so much better! The main difference from prior Weekends is that masks had to be worn at all times except during meals when indoors. It is difficult to gauge some emotion and the Weekend’s impact without seeing the other person’s facial expressions, but we worked through that. All of the Conference Room Team and Participants had to sanitize/hand wash regularly, before snacks and meals, after Lite and Livelies (which were mostly done outside because of good weather), and whenever returning to the Family Tables, which were spaced sufficiently to allow for social distancing, that was maintained when lining up for snacks and meals. One of our new volunteers summed up the Weekend very well by writing personal reflections, a practice we have never done before, but will continue into the future as a tool for volunteer recruiting and to illustrate the effectiveness of the Weekend. Here is what was written: “As I reflect over the past three days with Kairos Torch #28, I am filled with emotions. I will say when I arrived at the church this Monday morning I went and poured my tears out at the alter for what I had witnessed. I will continue to lift each young man and volunteer in prayer, but especially the Family Table I was part of and the young man that I was the Guide to. Friday afternoon when I first met the young man that I would be a Guide to, I was worried. I may be a pastor, but I don’t even pretend to be good at

By Jaime Ramirez|October 21st, 2021|Kairos Programs, Kairos Torch, Testimonials|0 Comments

Kairos Outside Lubbock Continuing Ministry

Kairos Outside Lubbock Continuing Ministry

Every Kairos Advisory Council has had to face many obstacles in the past year and a half, one of which is engaging volunteers when there may not be much that can be done in-person and with no Kairos Weekend on the horizon. Another important part of the ministry that has been very difficult to achieve has been to continue serving our Graduates and Guests. The ladies at Kairos Outside Lubbock have been doing an amazing job in safely solving these issues, no matter the restrictions they have to work around. Along with the rest of Kairos, they were stopped in their tracks in March 2020, but it wasn’t long before plans were formulated to get monthly Reunions going again. By June of that year, the Kairos Outside ladies had come up with Praise, Pizza & Prayer. This version of the monthly Reunion was initially held in the parking lot of the church that was used for meetings. The Guest would drive up and be greeted by a team member, provide any prayer requests that they had, were given pizza and bottled water to everyone in the car including children, and popsicles to then young ones. While staying in the cars, the group would pray together for each prayer request and then everyone would go home. The Praise, Pizza & Prayer were successfully held through September with about 15-20 Guests attending each month, it was only put on hiatus due to a colder than usual winter. They have since found a new indoor meeting place, are holding Reunions with over 40 Guests each month, regularly scheduled S.W.A.P Groups are being held, and their next Weekend begins October 1! This story of success is based on a few simple key concepts that any Advisory Council can employ. Communication is needed to

By Jaime Ramirez|September 28th, 2021|Inspiration, Kairos Outside, Kairos Programs, Volunteering|0 Comments

Better Together – When Two Kairos Programs Work Together

Imagine a normal day such as this one. You receive a phone call telling you that your child has been arrested for murder! Your life would be irrevocably changed in ways you could never imagine. This is what happened with Renaldi when her 18 year old son Wes, was arrested for capital murder. Renaldi was a stay-at-home mother who gave her children a good upbringing with love, education, and exposure to God through Bible vacation school and by going to church. Wes was going through a rebellious teenager phase and was getting into some trouble, but nothing violent and had never been arrested. Seemingly out of the blue her son was arrested for murder. Renaldi felt like she was dying because as a mother he was a part of her. She did everything she could to help him. Wes claimed his innocence and she knew she had to fight for her son because she believed in him. She hired an attorney, learned about the judicial system, prayed every day, visited him every week in jail, and then every two weeks in prison. She also wrote many letters and cards as part of her promise never to keep anything from him. She prayed so often for help for her son. Wes was in jail for about 3.5 years before being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. While visiting her son on death row at Holman Prison, she met Kairos Inside Volunteers who were visiting another inmate who was due to be executed in a couple of weeks. While there, the Kairos Volunteers introduced themselves to her and to the inmate they were visiting who was due to be executed imminently. This experience caused the full weight and impact of her son being on death row to come over her all

By Jaime Ramirez|August 30th, 2021|Inspiration, Kairos Inside, Kairos Outside, Kairos Programs, Testimonials|0 Comments

What Happens Inside Prison when Kairos Leaves?

What Happens Inside Prison when Kairos Leaves?

As with every prison, Martin Correctional Institute in Florida was shutdown to visitors and volunteers for over a year, reopening in April. While the Kairos team was kept out, something very special was happening on the inside of Martin CI. A group of inmates, consisting mostly of Kairos Graduates, was grouping as a daily prayer circle since the prison chapel was closed and official Kairos activities had ceased. The prayer circle was eventually not enough, so this group of 10 decided to create a Dorm Community Church that now meets twice a day and even created a document detailing how to start such this church in other dormitories and prisons! Now at least 20 inmates attend each meeting, as many as possible attend each Prayer & Share, and about 100 attend every Kairos Reunion. It is very clear that while Kairos left the prison for a short time, Jesus did not! The prison administration was so impressed with this, that Kairos was one of the few volunteer organizations immediately invited back inside as soon as was permissible. In addition to the prayer groups and church creation, many of those involved are now seeking to take online college courses with a Bible college, and also volunteering to be transferred to a higher security wing of the prison or another prison altogether, to act as missionaries! It really shows that a true Christian community has developed inside of Martin CI, which is what Kairos, as a ministry, strives for as one of our core values. The shutdown created an unexpected test to see if each Kairos Inside program had successfully supported the growth of a Christian community in their facility. If you are a Volunteer for Kairos Inside, when your Advisory Council is able to return to your facility, find out if

By Jaime Ramirez|June 30th, 2021|Kairos Programs, Prison Ministry|0 Comments

Kairos Outside Restores Lost Faith and Breaks Down Walls of Hate

Kairos Outside Restores Lost Faith and Breaks Down Walls of Hate

Mona has been incredibly involved with Kairos and close to God, but it hasn’t always been that way. The bumpy road began in around 1999, when her twin brother was incarcerated. The two were incredibly close and this roadblock was a driving factor in Mona losing her faith altogether. A few years later, after having built up walls of anger, her sister approached her to attend a Kairos Outside Weekend as she had just attended, but Mona had no interest in it. After her sister kept insisting, Mona finally relented and agreed to go. Mona’s sister didn’t share many details about her Kairos experience so Mona wasn’t sure what to expect and was not looking forward to her Kairos Weekend, thinking she didn’t have much that she wanted to share with God. “God saved me first, then Kairos saved me.” The Kairos Outside experience was a watershed moment in her life! With all of the walls Mona had built up through the past few years, she thought she would never be accepted by others, but the testimonies from the other Guests began breaking down those walls. The testimonies were so impactful because the stories were so similar to her own. She saw women from other races, creeds, and economic classes who all had the same issues as she did, something Mona never imagined. Mona was able to make connections with these women and it allowed her to know she wasn’t alone and to break free of the anger and guilt that had been controlling her life. She is still friends with many of the women who provided this life changing testimony. After the Weekend, Mona was so inspired that she asked to Volunteer and did not miss a Weekend for Kairos Outside Southern California for years, and now observes

By Jaime Ramirez|May 24th, 2021|Inspiration, Kairos Outside, Testimonials, Volunteering|0 Comments

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