Kairos and Kairos Outside

Kairos is an interdenominational ministry devoted to bringing God's grace and love to incarcerated men, women and youth, and to establish ongoing Christian Communities within correctional facilities.  An affiliated ministry, Kairos Outside, has the purpose of demonstrating God's grace and love through Christian support for women who have friends or loved ones who are or who have been incarcerated.  Locally, Kairos volunteers serve the David Wade Correctional Center near Homer, LA, and West Louisiana Kairos Outside carries out retreat weekends at Camp Hardtner, with volunteers and support for both ministries regularly coming from our St. James Parish family.  The Kairos and Kairos outside weekends are lay-led and patterned after three-day weekends such as Cursillo or Walk to Emmaus, but are designed to address the spiritual needs and concerns of the incarcerated or their loved ones affected by their incarceration and to provide meaningful support.  Obviously the men incarcerated at David Wade suffer isolation, rejection by family, and are often seen as outcasts from society.  Many are not aware that women in their lives - while still on the outside - serve time right along with them.

It takes the work of many hands and feet to carry out a Kairos or Kairos Outside weekend to make this special time what God would have it to be. Kairos and Kairos Outside weekends are brought to David Wade and to Camp Hardtner, respectively, two times per year, in early fall and early spring.  The Kairos weekend is typically staffed by 30 to 40 men who actually go inside the prison and a support team of 8-12 men and women who cook and provide prayer support.  Similarly, a Kairos Outside team consists of 24 women and 6 to 8 men, with the men serving as the prayer and cook team and truly show the spirit of service to the female guests. Both the Kairos and Kairos Outside weekends are presented without cost to any participant, so financial support is always an opportunity.  However, the greatest opportunity for support is to actually serve on a weekend and doing so will truly enrich your life in more ways that you can imagine.

For more information about Kairos Outside, please contact Karen McDonald at kcmcdonald920@yahoo.com or 318-207-2505.

For more information about Kairos, please contact Curtis Shelton at curtisshelton@awsw-law.com or 318-470-91010