Kairos of Texas operates as a State Chapter and serves in prisons and jails through a contractual agreement with the Warden and Chaplain of each unit. At present, we are in 48 units (prisons & jails) across the State of Texas (we are opening more units from time to time). We are blessed to minister to family members with the 12 Kairos Outside Ministries and 4 Torch Ministries.
We form teams of Christians who become Texas Department of Criminal Justice Certified Volunteers to serve at TDCJ Units. When we serve we become guests of the Units and are given many privileges because we have such a positive impact on the inmates. We accept forty-two inmates per weekend, and put on two weekends per year, in each unit. The selection at each Unit of the residents who are to attend our weekends is made by the Warden and the Chaplain, with input from the Security.
Kairos encourages the selection of leader inmates, both positive and negative. Many times the forty-two participants will include those who are seemingly unlovable. Once God changes the hearts of the residents, we have found that they have a great influence in the environments of their Unit.
It is our privilege to have the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus and then show them the love he has shown us. With "God's Special Time" they have the opportunity to know the Kingdom of God.
VISION
A community spiritually freed from the effects of imprisonment reaching all impacted by incarceration,
through the love, hope and faith found in Jesus Christ.
MISSION
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.
CORE VALUES
Kairos Prison Ministry’s Core Values guide our behavior and actions as a board, staff, and volunteers:
Lay led, Christ Centered Ministry
We are Christians who believe in the Holy Trinity and honor and live the teachings of the Bible and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We conduct the ministry while inviting all to attend as Guests or Participants in Weekends and program-specific follow-on activities to build Christian Community.
Empowerment while Building Accountability
While we empower the local volunteers to conduct the ministry, we are accountable to excellence and performance at the highest standards and authority of the ministry. We empower Guests or Participants to be accountable for their lives and be transformed by Jesus Christ.
Continuing Ministry Model to Build Community
We believe in the importance of enabling relationships to build community, thus our model includes the Weekend experience followed by Guests or Participants gathering regularly for accountability, support, and prayer. The full complement of the well-defined returning model is necessary for the community to prosper.
Trustworthy
We believe that we must be honest and truthful in our personal conduct as we represent the ministry consistently and with integrity. We are obedient to God in everything we do and obedient to the guidelines of the Kairos ministry programs.
Respect and Love
We believe in respecting each person with dignity while modeling Christ’s love. We practice ‘Listen, Listen, Love, Love.’
Stewardship
We believe that we must be good stewards of our ministry’s programs, funds and resources, as well as our personal time, talent, and treasures.
Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. (Kairos) is a Christian faith based ministry which addresses the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women, youth, and their families. By sharing the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, Kairos hopes to change hearts, transform lives and impact the world. Kairos sprang from the Cursillo movement and is supported by volunteers from the 4th Day movements such as Cursillo, National Episcopal Cursillo, Presbyterian Cursillo, Lutheran Via de Cristo, The Upper Room's Walk To Emmaus, and independently ecumenical Tres Dias as well as volunteers from independent and non-denominational churches. As a ministry, Kairos embraces a diverse group of volunteers working together to fulfill Christ's call to action in Matthew 25:36.
Kairos is a ministry of the church ... a ministry of the apostles whom Jesus, the Christ, has called into community and sent forth into the environment of the correctional institution. Kairos has been called the best example of the early church in existence today.
The Kairos program incorporates curriculum designed to build and encourage pro-social character and behavior. Society spends over $60 billion/yr. to keep more than 2.1 million inmates incarcerated men and women with nearly 650,000 people released annually, whereas the Kairos program is offered at no cost to State and Federal Institutions. It's been said that it cost the government $1 million to keep "me" locked up and a $100 program from Kairos set "me" free.
Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit corporation chartered in the state of Florida.
The word, Kairos, is a Greek word meaning in God's Special Time or in the Fullness of Time indicating an opportunity for our participants and guests to re-consider their life choices - as hearts are changed, inmates begin to take responsibility for their actions - it's like a front row seat at a miracle - transforming lives and impacting the world.