Because we are… Better Together Presented by Craig Combs – Gina Brockmeyer – Kevin Resnover

Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. 1 Peter 3:8 (Message)

Current Situation – U.S. 1 in 2 adults in the U.S. has had an immediate family member incarcerated for one or more nights in jail or prison 2.2 million incarcerated in the U.S. 55% of men incarcerated have minor children 65% + of women incarcerated have minor children 2.7 million children have a parent in prison: 70% will follow the parents into incarceration 2.2 million incarcerated 55% of men incarcerated have minor children 65% + of women incarcerated have minor children

What is Better Together? Today we are going to talk about how collectively all three of our ministries programs impacts Family, Recidivism and reentry. I find it interesting that those things which impacts reentry and recidivism are often what drives incarceration Education- Jobs- Programs Family *Brookings Senior Fellow Adam Looney and Nicholas Turner use IRS data to examine the labor market outcomes and economic characteristics of the incarcerated population. They found that 3 years prior to incarceration, 49% of prime-age men are employed, and, when employed, their median earnings were only $6,250. In the first full calendar year after their release, only 55% have any reported earnings and the median earnings of those that do are just above $10,000. *life skill development and faith based programs *Many studies prove generational incarceration (3- 4 generations)

Why was Kairos Inside Created and was the family in mind? Most of us know that the founders of Kairos had done Cursillo, and after doing so they had a desire to take Cursillo to prison. In 1979 the national secretariat of the Cursillo movement asked those doing Cursillo in prison to change the name of the program and the terminology to better fit the prison environment. They suggested the program needed to be expanded beyond what Cursillo in prison was doing so that the needs of those in prison would be better served. I recently spoke with Cleve Bell, our only living founder, and I asked him if the founders ever talked about the impact Kairos might have on an inmate’s families. And if the founders ever talked about those things or considered them. Cleve told me that the found knew that the majority of the inmates were not alone – Cleve told me that family was always at the core of what they were doing as they developed the Kairos program. Cleve said “ we always knew that the majority of the inmates would be returning home – we knew they had to go home to somebody, and we knew the only people who would be willing to take them would be their immediate family.” He also told me that the founders knew that some, if not most, of those relationships were “messy”. The founders were hopeful that by doing a Kairos Weekend they would get the men and women to a place where they were ready to work on those relationships and, in doing so, were preparing them for re-entry into their families. Why was Kairos Inside Created and was the family in mind?

Why was Kairos Outside Created? The idea of Kairos Outside came from the Chaplain at San Quentin State Correctional Facility in California in 1989. After the first Kairos Inside Weekend at his facility, he and other volunteers, felt that the inmates who became involved with Kairos were open, after doing the program to reuniting with their families – more so than ever before. So, Jo Chapman and some other Kairos volunteers, took the Chaplain’s ideas and developed Kairos Outside. Kairos Outside addresses the pain of enduring separation from the one inside, the rejection, isolation, and all the issues that come with having someone in your life who is incarcerated. We all know, the families and friends do time right along with the incarcerated. Through Kairos Outside God’s grace and love are demonstrated through Christian support for the women who have loved ones/friends who are or have been incarcerated. Kairos Outside desires is to connect the inside with the outside through love – God’s love, and to restore broken family relationships. Why was Kairos Outside Created?

Why was Kairos Torch Created? Kairos Torch was started in 1997, and ministers to incarcerated Kairos Torch uses a holistic program strategy to introduce incarcerated youth to Christian mentoring, to the masks they wear, and to the process and the value of forgiving themselves and others. Kairos Torch was devised by Tom Johnson, one of our original founders, at the request of a federal prison chaplain in Miami, Florida. The Chaplain was looking for a retreat for single, male inmates thirty-five years old or younger, and asked for a model that would give the inmates a “positive” family experience. When the Chaplain came to Tom, Tom agree to put a program together. He had been concerned that Kairos needed to work with inmates while they were still young. Tom had noticed men who were coming to prison, especially the young men, were making great demands on the women in their lives who were supporting them. Tom said that is was apparent that the young men did not understand what the women in their lives were going through as a result of their family member or friend’s incarceration. Tom envisioned that the Torch program would give the men a better perspective on family – Tom desired to show the young men, by teaching them, that they were causing havoc in their lives, and in the lives of their families and friends by treating the women in that way. Why was Kairos Torch Created?

The mission of 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. The primary objective of Kairos Weekends and our continuing ministry is to prepare our Participants and Guests for life as a productive citizens in on-going Christian community… It begins with them – They take what they have learned, they make a choice to change, and as they change and grow in their Christian faith - those changes impact the people they are in relationship with and the people they come in contact with…. the people they live with their prayer and share group, the Kairos community in the prison, Inmates who are not a part of the Kairos community their family And, if and when, they get out of the facility we trust they will become loving and productive citizens of society.

What has happened since we started talking about better together?

Panel Discussion

Questions (and hopefully answers…)