KAIROS-ALLRED
PRISON MINISTRY

PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIES FROM PREVIOUS KAIROS ALLRED WEEKENDS

INTRODUCTORY NOTE:  When attending as a guest for a Kairos-Allred Closing Ceremony, you are checked into the unit as a group, along with all of the outside attendees. The group consists mostly of the outside support volunteer team, but there are always several others who are there as invited guests strictly to attend the closing ceremony. Kairos encourages such invitations as a way for anyone to check out the weekend program and experience the always moving ceremony first-hand. Spouses and family of the weekend volunteer team are also there to experience the results of the labor of love put in by the weekend volunteers. It is a truly marvelous occasion and perhaps the best way imaginable to spend part of a Sunday afternoon. Of course, to say that it is quite unlike any other “graduation” ceremony would be the understatement of the century!!

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During the Closing, every table-family group of inmates is asked for a consensus of their answers to the same three questions. Here's a brief sampling of the answers given at the Closing Ceremony.

1. In what spiritual state did you arrive for this Kairos Weekend?
Wanted change, broken, hurt, needing love, mad, was looking for Jesus, looking for family, mercy, wanted bigger prayer life, needed forgiveness, expecting something from God, curious, wanted new experience, lost, weak.

2. What did you find here this weekend?
Was able to cry, found love, pleasantness, found God, gained 3 pounds, lots of love, found Jesus, found a new passion for my brothers, peace, true freedom, spiritual connection with other brothers, found a savior, direction, unconditional love, everlasting forgiveness, family, hope, friendship, learned how to pray.

3. What are you taking with you from this Kairos experience?
Strength, clear conscience, Jesus, hope, compassion, understanding what love is really and what real love means, forgiveness from our Lord, compassion, kindness, God’s love, love of Jesus, let go and let God, stay on my brother’s side.

Some of the individual participant comments:
• I’ve never experienced so much love and generosity from people I don’t even know and they don’t know me.

• Kairos allowed me to have an encounter. Wanted something that would stick. I was a blind man but I found the message – be an expression of God to others. Above all else – hold on.We all support each other. We can’t be quiet because of the love of Jesus. Expect and believe on a moment by moment basis.

The Fourth Day Speaker (an inmate currently involved with the ongoing weekly Kairos meetings):
Didn’t know what love was. Kairos showed me a little piece of love Don’t spend 8 years looking for something that’s right here, right now I would be willing to trip over someone to get to Prayer and Share Jesus’ love passes through me to you. Jesus’ love should pass through you to others.