Understanding Kairos Riverbanks: Boundaries, Love, and Unity
Kairos Riverbanks symbolize the boundaries and guiding principles of the Kairos Prison Ministry, emphasizing love, ecumenism, and community building. The ministry aims to transform lives through the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, fostering unity across Christian denominations while maintaining a focus on common ground.
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Living within the Riverbanks Dottie Stanfill Jim Dvorsky Kairos 2022 Conference 1
Kairos Riverbanks Are Policies and Practices Are Words of Wisdom Emerged from Experience and Prayer Are Time-Tested and Proven Are Complete The riverbanks define the boundaries of the ministry that must be honored. Only by honoring the boundaries is the framework and integrity of the ministry securely maintained as Kairos! 2
How do you view Kairos Riverbanks? Defining --or-- Confining Guiding --or-- Chiding Unifying --or-- Dividing Rewarding --or-- Thwarting 3
Kairos Mission Statement The mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities. These communities include the institutions of imprisonment. 4
Kairos Core Values Core Values entail inviting all to attend as Guests or Participants in Weekends and program specific follow-on activities to build Christian Community. We believe in the importance of enabling relationship to build community. For the community to prosper, participants must gather regularly for accountability, support, and prayer. 5
Kairos Riverbanks Define Us Who we are as ministry Expectations of us as volunteers We are on a waterway that flows towards Christ s gifts 6
Kairos Riverbanks are Defining Kairos is Love If you had to condense the essence of the Kairos ministry down to its fundamental core, it would be Love. Not just any love but the love of Christ, delivered in wave after wave by His family. Do everything in a spirit of Love! Everything we do is in and with Love! 7
Kairos Riverbanks are Defining Kairos is Ecumenical Kairos is an interdenominational Christian ministry commonly referred to as ecumenical. All Christian denominations and Churches that believe in the Holy Trinity are welcome to share in the ministry. We refrain from our denominational traditions and focus on the unity of the love and hope of Jesus Christ. We call this staying on common ground. Note that this riverbank applies to Kairos and its volunteers, but not necessarily to participants. 8
Kairos Riverbanks are Defining Kairos is a Ministry of Sacrifice You are called upon to make many personal sacrifices to serve in the Kairos ministry. It is a sacrifice to travel to and attend team meeting. It is a sacrifice to spend days away from your family to be with prisoners. You sacrifice your time and other resources and sometimes even your pride. Be assured that God honors your sacrifice in a very special way. Sacrifice Your Agenda Christ calls us to be servants. That means we are to give up our control. The servant s agenda is not important; the Master s agenda is! Give up your self-focus so that you can truly be His servant. 9
Kairos Riverbanks are Defining Advocates for Christ The power of the ministry comes from being focused as advocates for Christ. When we are focused on Christ, the Spirit magnifies our efforts. Don t lose your focus and become an advocate for prisoners. The cornerstone of our ministry is Christ. We represent Christ to the residents. Remain neutral in residents affairs You can be compassionate Remember, Let s pray 10
Kairos Riverbanks Guide Us How to achieve the vision and mission and maintain core values Stay within program boundaries Avoid straying Keep the journey smooth Help us to steer clear of hazards 11
Kairos Riverbanks are Guiding Listen and Love The theme of Kairos is Listen, Listen, Love, Love. That is our guide to our behavior on the Weekend listen and love. We are to do more listening and less preaching. We are to love the Participants, the team, the administration, and the officers all on behalf of Christ. When we Listen, Listen, Love, Love, our focus moves from within ourselves to others. 12
Kairos Riverbanks are Guiding Encourage Relating to Others Help the Participants understand that when we walk in the love of God, we become vehicles to pass that love on to others. Encourage them to relate to others in constructive ways, and to commit to God s control. This is basis of forming Christian Community. Others include the Participants, the team, the administration, and the officers 13
Kairos Riverbanks are Guiding Behave as Anonymous Servants Team members should become living agape to other team members and especially to residents by serving humbly, selflessly, and invisibly. Your name tag and your actions should convey who you are When others see you, let them see Christ in you! 14
Kairos Riverbanks are Guiding Nothing Added There is great temptation to add our thumbprint to the Weekend. Avoid this temptation, which may be almost institutionalized in the Kairos program at your institution. Nothing Substituted The Weekend program is a gift from the Spirit. There is no reason to tamper with its proven power. We are asked to be obedient, not creative. The Kairos program is not about us. Better is the enemy of good! 15
Kairos Riverbanks are Guiding Don t Manipulate We are to be honest in all we do. We don t manipulate the situation to achieve a special effect. For example, we don t put red dye in the water used in the forgiveness ceremony to symbolize the spilling of Christ s blood or use spotlights to a create a special effect. The Holy Spirit will use our honesty and humility in much more significant ways. There is no need to make it better. 16
Kairos Riverbanks Unify Us One with God and his purpose One with the Kairos team One with those that we serve One with our communities Keep us all close together 17
Kairos Riverbanks Are Unifying Unify in Christ Rather than focus on our differences in theological traditions, we focus on the one thing that unifies us the love and mercy of God poured out on us by the sacrifice of Jesus. The riverbanks associated with team formation are intended to create a oneness in Christ among the members. Participants witness the unity in Christ that volunteers display and are encouraged to emulate that in their communities. 18
Kairos Riverbanks Are Unifying Be Obedient to Talk Outlines Speakers must be willing to be obedient to the talk outline. This is not the place to get it off my chest. You are asked to sacrifice any desire to use the role of a speaker as an opportunity to say what you want. The outline and its role in the larger outline is a gift of the Holy Spirit and is sufficient. Be wary of God put it on my heart There is one talk with many parts. Stick to the time allotted 19
Kairos Riverbanks Are Unifying Be Ready with Personal Witness It is one thing to talk about the grace of God, but it is a different thing to give personal witness to the grace of God evidenced in your own life. Be ready at any time to share how God s grace for YOU has occurred. This is not boasting but a revelation that God is close to each of us and active in our lives. Being Kairos volunteer is a calling from God. 20
Kairos Riverbanks Are Unifying Involve Others in God s Ministry Kairos is God s ministry; Jesus called people to visit Him in prison. Don t prevent someone from following Christ s instruction because you failed to offer them a path to supporting the Kairos Weekend. Invite all you can, and the harvest will be plentiful. Presenting agape from the greater, outside community has a tremendous impact on Participants. 21
Kairos Riverbanks Reward Us Creation of community Holy ground Gifts of the Holy Spirit Blessings 22
Kairos Riverbanks Are Rewarding Prepare Team Spiritually Perhaps the most important purpose of team formation is the spiritual preparation of the team. We come as needy individuals and become transformed into God s agents powered by the Holy Spirit. Team meetings are blessings! The team becomes one body that is much greater than the sum of each us. We become commissioned to do to the work of Christ. 23
Kairos Riverbanks Are Rewarding Chapel is a Sacred Place The team and Participants must understand that the space we have set aside as the chapel is a special place. It is reserved as a special place to be focused on God. It is to be held as a holy place. Treat it as if God Himself were standing there because He is! The chapel is for Participants and team members alike. Miracles occur on a Weekend, and often they are in the chapel. 24
Kairos Riverbanks Are Rewarding Evaluate Your Motivations Why are you on a Kairos team? Are you here to receive blessings, or are you here to be a servant for God s purposes? Be sincere in sacrificing your purposes and glorify God, not yourself, the team, or the leaders. Do you have love for God and others? You can t give what you don t have. When we give blessings, we are promised blessings many times over. 25
How do you view Kairos Riverbanks? Defining --or-- Confining Guiding --or-- Chiding Unifying --or-- Dividing Rewarding --or-- Thwarting How you view the riverbanks often depends on where your personal focus is: others or yourself. 26
Getting Back with the Kairos Riverbanks Where did we get off track? Who can help? KPMI and Advisory Councils What resources are available? Program manuals and training materials Advanced Kairos Training (AKT) Advisory Council Training (ACT) On-line training at MyKairos.org Can I make a difference? ABSOLUTELY! 27
Kairos Riverbanks Staying within the Kairos Riverbanks is staying within the Kairos Program! And when you stay within the Kairos Program, it can THRIVE! 28
