St. Paul’s Daphne well represented at Kairos #50

The Kairos #50 team was an ecumenical group of lay and ordained volunteers representing the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Southern Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, and Anglican traditions.  There were several non-denominational volunteers as well.  Many of the volunteers were former inmates of the G. K. Fountain Correctional Center. Those representing the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast were divided into an “inside” team that actually went into the the prison Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon, and an “outside” support team that cooked all the meals consumed during the weekend and did most of the logistic work connected with the retreat.  St. Paulians Columbus Posey and Thack Dyson were part of the “inside” team in the prison, and Linda Barnett, Jerry Barnett and Phyllis Bruce were a part of the “outside” team that prepared the meals.

Kairos is an ecumenical evangelical movement that reaches out to those incarcerated in prisons. It is modeled on Cursillo, but adapted to the needs and requirements of those in prison.  The mission of the Kairos movement is to christianize the prison environment.  It is hoped that by bringing Christ’s love into the prison, the prison experience for those participating in the weekend will be transformed such that they have a sense of hope and the knowledge they aren’t forgotten by society. The format of the weekend includes prayer, instruction, penitence, fellowship and celebration.

The Kairos #50 retreat began on the evening of Thursday, April 15, and concluded on the afternoon of Sunday, April 18.  Like Cursillo, the weekend retreat is just the beginning of the Kairos experience in that the volunteers return to the prison on Thursday evenings and the second Friday of the month for group reunion with the Kairos graduates.  This follow up helps to insure that the effects of the weekend are not lost and the graduates know they are truly a part of the Body of Christ.