The three different ministries of Kairos Prison Ministry each have their own core requirements for Christians who serve in them. People interested in serving as a volunteer on a weekend team are encouraged to submit a written or oral request to leaders in the ministries. Team members for the special weekends and retreats are discerned and decided by the leader for each event. So, requesting to serve as a volunteer does not guarantee acceptance. All teams for Kairos weekends, etc. are obtained by the event leader through prayer and discernment.
Kairos Ministry
Kairos is the main ministry of the Ohio Kairos organization. The complete Kairos ministry is operating in five state prisons. A couple of the ministry continuation activities of Kairos are operating in two state pre-release prisons, because women have been moved there who were in the Kairos program at Ohio Reformatory for Women.
Christian men and women are considered for service in the Kairos ministry if they have completed one of the following Christian renewal weekends:
o Catholic Cursillo
o Christ Renews His Parish
o Cum Christo
o Episcopal Cursillo (or Happening Youth Weekend)
o High School Catholic Kairos
o Koinonia
o Lutheran Via De Cristo
o The Great Banquet
o Tres Dias
o Walk to Emmaus ( or Chrysalis Youth Weekend)
The responsibilities and activities of Kairos team members are very extensive, so prospective volunteers are encouraged to pray about, and plan for, the many hours that are involved:
o 8 team meetings to prepare for the 3-day "short course in Christianity" that the team will conduct in prison (meetings are Friday evenings or Saturday mornings).
o Provide 200 dozen home-baked cookies for the Kairos Weekend (ask church members, family and friends to bake). Each weekend needs 10,000 dozen cookies.
o 3-day Kairos Weekend inside prison.
o Attend monthly reunions of Kairos "graduates" at the institution for one year. Reunions are held Sunday afternoons or evenings or weekday evenings.
If you want to apply to be considered as a volunteer team member for a Kairos Weekend contact Ohio’s Kairos Volunteer Recruiting Leader by emailing Kairos of Ohio.
Also, go to the Publications and Forms page, download and complete the Information Sheet for Prospective Kairos Volunteer (PKV) and mail it to the address at the top of the form. Also download the Kairos Volunteer Recruiting Brochure for more information about the ministry. NOTE: The "Information Sheet for Prospective Kairos Volunteer" is not an informational resource about Kairos, but instead a form for Kairos to obtain information about you - the prospective volunteer. See Kairos Volunteer Brochure
Kairos Outside Ministry
The Kairos Outside Ministry is active throughout the state, where the weekend guests (the participants) are female loved ones of men and women who are incarcerated in Ohio Correctional Institutions. In order to qualify as a team member for a Kairos Outside weekend (a Saturday and Sunday) a woman must:
o Have participated in one of the 8 Christian renewal weekends listed above for the Kairos ministry. Alternatively, a women can be a Kairos Outside weekend team member if she has previously been a participant in a Kairos Outside weekend.
o Be regularly involved in a Christian church community.
o Commit to attending all the team formation meetings prior to the weekend.
If you want to apply to be considered as a volunteer team member for a Kairos Outside weekend, contact Louise Columber, Kairos Outside Area Committee Chairperson.
Torch Ministry
The Torch ministry is for younger inmates, and it is operating at Marion Correctional Institution. The requirements for being a team member on a Torch 2-day weekend are not as extensive as for Kairos and Kairos Outside. Basically, the Torch ministry requires that volunteers be Christians who are mature in their faith, have a heart for ministering to 18-24 year old men and will commit time. To request to be considered for serving on a Torch weekend, contact Dave Foster.
