Successfully Starting a New Kairos Community: Steps and Advice

Successfully Starting a New Kairos Successfully Starting a New Kairos Community Community 2021 Annual Conference

DEFINE INTEREST DEFINE INTEREST 2021 Annual Conference SAGE ADVICE STEP 1 SAGE ADVICE Notify State Chapter Committee in writing of Interest in starting a Kairos Program. Establish Communication with Kairos International Program Coordinator. Establish Continuing Ministry Schedule with Chaplain/Volunteer Coordinator. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Bathe the New Start process in prayer and invite God to guide every step. Screen the Targeted Community for its ability to accommodate Kairos: Is security higher than minimum? (Kairos Inside) Does the Chaplain/Spiritual Director/ Volunteer Coordinator have Kairos experience and where? Does the Warden/Facility Manager support the concept? (Inside & Torch) Are Clergy and a Host Church/Facility available? Are adequate facilities available for Weekends and Continuing Ministry? Can Kairos scheduling needs be accommodated? (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Prepare a timeline for Weekend #1. Identify sufficient Prayer and Share Volunteers (Kairos Inside) Prepare Summary Report to State Chapter to solicit New Start approval. Identify Kairos graduates in Unit with the Chaplain approval. (Kairos Inside) Help Chaplain/Volunteer Coordinator develop a Program Request (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) 2

RECRUITING AND TEAM FORMATION RECRUITING AND TEAM FORMATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 2 SAGE ADVICE Pray for Advisory Council Leaders who are called by God to do His work. Consider recruiting an experienced Institutional Liaison as it is a key New Starts role. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Recruit New Start Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Donor Coordinator (Financial Secretary) & State Representative. Note that these Volunteers can serve on this Advisory Council and another through the first year of the New Start. With Community and Prayer & Share Volunteers identified, and Warden, Chaplain and State Chapter authorization, commence weekly Prayer & Share. (Kairos Inside) Ensure working knowledge of Advisory Council Operating Procedures (ACOP) for all Advisory Council members. Form a diverse Inside Council through the Institutional Liaison and Chaplain. (Kairos Inside) Consider adding a Clergy member to spiritually guide the New Start Advisory Council. Plan to build the Inside Community for at least 6-12 months before conducting a first Weekend. Since you cannot yet raise funds, have the State Chapter Committee donate essential Prayer and Share items. Meet with Inside Council on a regular basis. (Kairos Inside) 3

RECRUITING AND TEAM FORMATION RECRUITING AND TEAM FORMATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 3 SAGE ADVICE Select an Advisory Council for the New Start to serve through Weekends #1 and #2, not to exceed 2 years, when a formal Advisory Council is elected. Understand which New Start Volunteers may be moving back to their former Advisory Councils after Weekend #1 and Weekend #2 to avoid surprise. Pray for experienced Leaders and Volunteers. Seek God s wisdom in recruiting Godly men & women who are willing to work under the authority of Jesus and within Kairos Prison Ministry International and State Chapter Guidelines. Conduct Advisory Council Training (ACT) via Zoom. Ensure the New Start Advisory Council Secretary submits the Affiliation Agreement to the State Chapter Committee and works with Kairos Prison Ministry International to record the New Start Advisory Council in Messenger. Have the New Start Advisory Council sign an Affiliation Agreement with the State Chapter Committee. 4

PRE PRE- -WEEKEND MECHANICS WEEKEND MECHANICS 2021 Annual Conference STEP 4 SAGE ADVICE Sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with facility before setting a start date. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Build a relationship of trust with the Unit Leadership. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Remember that a Memorandum of Understanding is NOT a Contract. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) A Memorandum of Understanding must cover permission for all Kairos Continuing Ministry and Closing activities. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch ) Be prepared to address all security issues and concerns. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Pray for God to provide Christian men and women in Warden/Administrator positions to facilitate and nurture Christian relationships. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) Memorandum of Understanding must be signed by, and on file with, Kairos Prison Ministry International. (Kairos Inside & Kairos Torch) 5

PRE PRE- -WEEKEND MECHANICS WEEKEND MECHANICS 2021 Annual Conference STEP 5 SAGE ADVICE Order KairosDonor and train the Donor Coordinator. Attend training for Fundraising and aggressively begin raising funds. Ordering KairosDonor will trigger the Advisory Council being recognized as New , officially named, and all Kairos Prison Ministry International systems updated. When you Fundraise, remember that you are offering donors an opportunity to Find the Blessing . Ensure compliance with Kairos Financial Policies and Practices (FPP). 6

2021 Annual Conference PRE PRE- -WEEKEND MECHANICS WEEKEND MECHANICS What is the Key to a Thriving and Successful Kairos Program? 7

PRE PRE- -WEEKEND MECHANICS WEEKEND MECHANICS 2021 Annual Conference STEP 6 SAGE ADVICE Pray for workers because Jesus said, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field Luke 10:2 New Start Advisory Council needs to recruit sufficient volunteers per the Program Manual for a first Program/Weekend. Do not dwell on numbers as God will provide what we need if we do our part in Prayer. Recruit and network with churches and other 4th Day groups. Volunteer to speak to their group and share how they can Find the Blessing . For Torch Only: Experienced Volunteers for Weekend #1 are very valuable. Utilize them for support, mentoring and training, rather than as Table or Kitchen Leaders. They may not be around for Weekend #2 when you will need a seasoned Team. Generally, Weekend #2 is more challenging to staff than Weekend #1. Schedule Torch 101 Info meeting through the Kairos Prison Ministry International Program Coordinator. 8

WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 7 SAGE ADVICE Establish a date and Leader for Weekend #1 for State Chapter Committee Approval. To thrive, try to identify and have at least the next 3 Weekend Leaders trained. The benefits are multi-faceted: It ensures better stability in case 1 has to drop out. It builds camaraderie The shared training and knowledge puts the 3 on the same page and allows them to be more unified which is a critical component for a New Start. Advise Kairos Prison Ministry International of the date for Weekend #1. Select an Advanced Kairos Training (AKT) site and date from the Kairos Kalendar and send at least 2 Leaders for Training, 12 to 24 months in advance of Weekend #1. Check the calendar for conflicting events like Spring break, Graduations and holidays when scheduling Weekends, Continuing Ministry and Team Formation meetings. 9

2021 Annual Conference WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION STEP 8 SAGE ADVICE For better results, seek a Variance from Kairos Prison Ministry International for assignment of an experienced Kairos Weekend Leader to lead Weekend #1 and potentially Weekend #2. (Note that Advanced Kairos Training will be required again before a past Leader can lead a New Start Weekend.) If the potential Weekend and Observing Leaders have not been on a Kairos Weekend, have them attend and observe a Weekend with a designated person explaining the finer points. Any Weekend Leadership who have not previously worked a Weekend should observe a Weekend beforehand. (Kairos Outside) Note that the current Advisory Council Chair cannot also serve as the New Start Weekend Leader. 10

2021 Annual Conference WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION STEP 9 SAGE ADVICE Observing Leaders must attend Advanced Kairos Training within 12 to 24 months of the Weekend they will observe. For Kairos Outside, the training should be completed before the volunteer serves as Observing Leader 2 (OL2). Ensure that the Advisory Council elections are recorded in Messenger, or Ezra will not be made available to the Weekend Leader. Weekend Leader #1 must promptly order and use Ezra to prepare for their Weekend as soon as they complete Advanced Kairos Training. Order and utilize Ezra as soon as possible to provide maximum confidence, value, familiarity and planning. 11

2021 Annual Conference WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION WEEKEND LEADER SELECTION AND PREPARATION STEP 10 SAGE ADVICE Purchase from Kairos Prison Ministry International all required items such as Program Manuals, Crosses, Freedom Guides, Grouping Cards, Songbooks and recruiting materials. Order supplies early to ensure availability. Order supplies generously to accommodate late changes or loss. Always pray for wisdom and integrity in handling the Lord s resources. 12

TEAM PREPARATION TEAM PREPARATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 12 SAGE ADVICE Ezra is a powerful organizer and time saver. Failure to utilize Ezra is a mistake! Ezra is your Friend! The Leader must lead the Team through 34-40 hours of Team formation and training depending on the Program. Weekend Leaders for a New Start must recognize that first- time volunteers need more tools to help prepare for a first Weekend. Ezra is a key tool to aid training, Weekend scheduling, Team spiritual formation, explanation of roles, and role rehearsals. Agape needs to be introduced, and its impact stressed, at every Team Formation Meeting. For Weekend #1, a 7-table Kairos Inside Weekend is not necessary. Three tables are fine and compliant. And 3 will allow the Team to mature. The same logic applies to Kairos Outside & Kairos Torch. Team formation meetings serve to both Teach and Build the Team. So, all Team members, should attend all Team Formation meetings. 13

TEAM PREPARATION TEAM PREPARATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 13 SAGE ADVICE Raise funds for at least 2 to attend Advanced Kairos Training, 2 to observe a Weekend, plus sufficient funds to cover the first Weekend. Utilize the great Fundraising ideas and tools presented on mykairos.org. Try to raise enough funds to train 3 Weekend Leaders and to fund 3 Observers attendance at other Weekends to strengthen the Leadership and the Team. Plan for continuous Fundraising. Review current Fundraising plans and collections status at every monthly Advisory Council Meeting. Engage the whole Team in Fundraising, not just the Advisory Council. Advise the Team how all can assist. Utilize skits for optimal instruction. For Kairos Outside, remember that your Advisory Council and many of your Team members are wounded women. 14

TEAM PREPARATION TEAM PREPARATION 2021 Annual Conference STEP 14 SAGE ADVICE The #1 Weekend Leader is to invite the Kairos Prison Ministry International Program Coordinator to be Advising Leader for Weekend #1. If not available, select a past Weekend Leader to serve as the Advising Leader and seek a Variance from Kairos Prison Ministry International. Kairos Prison Ministry International will send a Program Coordinator to provide 8-12 hours of training during Team Formation meetings. This Kairos Prison Ministry International Program Coordinator, or designee, will be the Advising Leader for Weekend #1 at the Advisory Council's expense. Have the Advising Leader prepare the Excellence Initiative Report. They will have maximum exposure to the Weekend formation process. When planning the New Start Weekend job assignments, strive to utilize experienced people for key mentoring roles to strengthen and grow the New Starts Team. Encourage the Team members and Guests/Residents to call upon the Spiritual Leader/Volunteer Coordinator or Clergy for prayer, guidance, counsel and comfort. 15

2021 Annual Conference QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS? Spiritual underpinnings, including our Mission, Vision, Core Values, and Statement of Faith, are foundational to our success within the ministry. Christ is the head of this ministry. It is His and we serve as His hands, feet and heart to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. From that perspective, grace will flow ensuring the success of the ministry. 16

Thank You Thank You