| Kairos 25 Weekend: Feb 16-19, 2007 | ||
"Do you love me? ... Feed my sheep." Jn 21:17 |
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| Reflections | Shield (English) | Shield (Spanish) |
Rector:
(allow blocked content) |
Observing Rector: Hank
Bowis |
Advising Rector: Rich Antles, Sr. |
Music: |
Notes from the Rector (Feb 21, 2007)
I’m sure you will believe me when I say that it was my intention that – when we returned home from Lompoc -- I was going to sleep for something like 12 to 24 hours straight. It now appears that God is saying to me, “So, that was your intention? Well, WHO CARES?”
He is reminding me that we -– you and I –- still have work to do!
In an e-mail I sent to you a few hours ago I passed along a truth that was pointed out to me that Kairos 25 has not, indeed will not, come to an end. In fact, you and I still have a very big and important job to do: Kairos Instructional Reunion on Saturday, March 10, 7:30 AM at Guard Tower 1.
We have been blessed by spending a short time with the inmates of a Federal Penitentiary. In that short time, each of us has been given his own small insight into life in a prison. And in the Monday Closura, we were given evidence that we have to some great degree been successful in meeting our goal for the weekend: bringing the message to many of the inmates that the GOOD NEWS of Christ Jesus is for them.
But the task appointed Kairos 25 has not been completed. We have planted a seed, and now we are to water it. The message that they are to GROW in that Good News, to REJOICE in that Good News, and PASS ON that Good News, has been only very lightly touched on. And that is what we are to work at during our Instructional Reunion.
In order to plan our time together, I need to know who will be in attendance.
I know that all of us will not be able to be there, and I have six talks to be given. Five of the talks are quite a bit shorter than those given over the weekend. The remaining talk is longer, but is perhaps more closely guided by the talk outlines than were those given over the weekend. Each talk will be followed by a weekend table family group discussion.
Two things become immediately obvious:
1. We need to have team members from each of the table families, and
2. I need to be able to assign the talks almost immediately.
I want you all to be aware that for these presentations, there is no distinction between lay and clergy: we will all be children of God.
It has been brought to my attention that several of our new Kairos team members (and a number of the older ones, too) will not be able to join us for this Reunion. This is doubly unfortunate: they will miss out on this important component of Kairos 25, and their absence will impact the table family groupings. You who will not be able to attend will be missed, and loved, and prayed for.
You can see that this underscores the need for the rest of us to, as has sometimes been said, “Just show up!” We will be encouraging and promoting community, and we will need an example of community to do it!I am asking EACH AND EVERY MEMBER of Kairos 25 to give me a response to this e-mail, ASAP. Please tell me whether or not you are currently able to be a part of our Instructional Reunion on Saturday, March 10.
And please be aware that if it looks right now as if you are not able to partake of this, but – even at the very last minute – circumstances change so that you are able to join us, you will be greeted joyfully.
Alleluia, and amen!
God bless you all.
Avery
Notes from the Rector (Feb 13, 2007)
ATTENTION ALL KAIROS BROTHERS, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS!
With just a few days before the Kairos #25 weekend begins, our PRAYER VIGIL list is suffering SEVERE MALNUTRITION. Let's all of us do everything we can to get those empty spaces filled before Friday. This is important not only for the impact on the weekend of the prayer itself, but even the list is powerful evidence that people on the "outside" care enough to spend this time praying for these men. (Webmaster's note: there were over 40 signups within 24 hours after Avery sent this request! 20 slots remain...)
This is truly free-for-all time!
Here's what we need to do:
1. Go to the Prayer Vigil Signup link at our Kairos website: http://www.kairoslompoc.org and see which half-hour time slots are still open. (The Signup link is along the left-hand side of the page.)
2. Do your best to find someone who'll commit to spending that half hour in prayer for our weekend.
3. Either have them, or do it for them if necessary, go to the website and follow the directions to sign up for that time slot.
4. Repeat as many times as possible BEFORE FRIDAY.
* * * * *
Here are some suggested points
for prayer:
1) Pray for God to open the hearts and the minds of the candidates.
2) Pray that the outside team will become instruments of God and that he will use us as he sees fit.
3) Pray for peace within the institution (United States Penitentiary at Lompoc).
4) Pray for the Holy Spirit to overwhelm the hearts of all the men involved.
5) Pray for the prison guards, who get very concerned when there are large groups of civilians inside the facility. Pray for a calm to come over the entire institution.
6) Pray for the softening of the candidates hearts toward Jesus, that they would be able to let go of any barriers or walls they may have built up around their hearts.
7) Pray that God's grace will be felt by the candidates.
8) Pray for the stamina of the team members. We typically rise at 5:30am and go to bed around midnight. Some of the men on our team are in their 70's and 80's and fatigue becomes a factor as the weekend goes on. Pray that the Holy Spirit will invigorate the team.
9) Pray that the candidates will be able to forgive themselves and others when
they are given the opportunity to do so. These men carry so much guilt and resentment
in their lives and they find forgiveness a difficult concept.
10) Pray that all the supplies that are required for the weekend are available
when they need to be.
11) Pray that lives would be forever changed. When we accept Jesus, we become "New Creatures in Christ". .. pray that this takes place.
12) Pray for the prison Chaplains, who have to do a lot of extra work to support Kairos weekends.
13) Pray for the families of the inmates. They are often as much a "victim" as anybody. Pray that they can restore any broken relationships that may have resulted from the incarceration.
14) Pray for the victims of the crimes these men committed. Pray that they can find peace and security in their lives. Pray that they might find forgiveness in their hearts for the men who committed the crimes against them.
God bless you all!
- Avery Galbraith
Notes from the Rector (Jan 17, 2007)
Dear Kairos brothers (and friends and family, too):
As the subject banner says, we have news, good news, great news, and no news
at all. Here it is:
* NEWS: The Lompoc Kairos #25 weekend will be here in a month, and we have
room for more outside visitors for the Monday, Feb. 19, Graduation and Closing
Ceremony. Having these folks present really helps close the weekend with a
bang, as they ALWAYS make a big hit with those who’ve just gone through
their Kairos weekend. If you haven’t done so already, get their Bureau
of Prisons NCIC forms in!
I want to make certain that everybody knows we’re on a different Monday schedule this year. The visitors coming for Graduation and Closing will need to be AT THE GUARD TOWER at 3:30 PM.
* GOOD NEWS: Yes, we CAN still add people: we’ve been given an extension on getting the NCIC forms turned in. The new deadline is Monday, Jan. 22. While that means that there’s still time to add people, it also means that the filled out and signed forms MUST be either FAXed to (805) 683-5625 or somehow put into my keeping by the end of that business day. A PDF copy of the NCIC form is attached to this e-mail.
GREAT NEWS: Not only is our outside team coming together nicely as usual, word from inside the prison is that we’re probably going to have a capacity crowd of participants. It’s looking like another exciting and fun weekend!
NO NEWS AT ALL: It’s all in His hands. Praise God.
* * * * *
And don’t forget: our third team meeting will be Saturday, January 27th
at
Christ the King Episcopal Church, 5073 Hollister Avenue, in Santa Barbara. We’
ll have a lot to do, so let’s be ready to start at 8:30 AM.
Please feel free to call or e-mail if you have questions.
God bless us all.,
Avery Galbraith
[Team Meeting Schedule as shown above]
Team Members: you need to fill out the NOTIFICATION TO VISITOR
Form (BOP #BP-A224.022): Each
TEAM MEMBER must submit FIVE of these forms:
• one dated 2/16/07
• one dated 2/17/07
• one dated 2/18/07
• one dated 2/19/07
• one not yet dated (for the Instructional Reunion). I am shooting for
March 3 as the date of the Instructional Reunion, but this has to be confirmed
by the Institution. If not March 3, it will be March 10.
BLANKS TO BE FILLED IN:
Date: See above.
Time: 7:30 AM.
Officer’s Name: Chaplain Tinajero.
Institution: USP Lompoc
Location: Lompoc, CA
Name of Inmate To Be Visited: Kairos
Please answer the following questions: all items must be marked “No.”
Printed Name and Signature: Your legal name.
Street Address and City and State: Your address.
Vehicle License Number: The license number of the car you came in.
Year, Make, etc., of Vehicle: Fill in as required.
If visiting with an inmate.. : Leave blank.
If not visiting with an inmate...
Name of Organization: Kairos
Purpose of Visit: Religious Services.
Printed Name/Signature of Staff Witness: Leave blank.
We want to get these done ahead of time. Please download the form, fill five of them in, and bring to the team meeting.
Each VISITOR TO CLOSURA must also submit one of these forms (BOP
#BP-A224.022), filled out as above EXCEPT:
Date: 2/19/07.
Time: 3:30 PM
The Closura visitors will turn these in at the Guard Station when they
come on Monday. They will save a LOT of time and confusion, and make
everybody’s life easier, if they have these filled out in advance. Please
encourage them to do so. A copy of a "Guidlines
For Visitors" document is also posted.
LIST OF MEDICATIONS. I will need a complete list, for each team member, of ALL MEDICATIONS that need to go into the prison. It may be that these medications will, in fact, be carried in for us by Institution staff. I MUST have these lists by the end of our second team meeting.
Whew! That’s a lot to remember, so I’ve probably forgotten something. Stay tuned for additions and/or corrections.
If you know someone who has an interest in Kairos, but who is not on the Kairos mailing list, please route this e-mail to them. REMEMBER: except for clergy, team members must have attended a three-day weekend such as Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, or similar.
If you know someone who is not an e-mail user, but who you know has an interest in the above, please assist him or her in getting any of the above information they need.
If you are planning to join us for the Kairos #25 weekend:
• WELCOME!
• and get that application in.
Thank you, and God bless you all!
, Rector, Kairos #25
(805) 451-2606
Dear Kairos brothers:
[As I was composing an email to you all,] Father Frank Tinajero at USP Lompoc said he was calling to tell me that KAIROS #25 IS ON FOR PRESIDENT’S DAY WEEKEND! That’s February 16-19, 2007. This would mean a tight schedule again, but would be a big plus for any hopes of keeping to a two-weekends-per-year schedule. I’ll begin working right away to get team meeting facilities lined up. I hope to be able to put together this schedule:
(proposed schedule...)
Yours in Christ,
, Rector, Kairos #25
Sample letter to a school principal asking for help in coloring shields (Word, 8K).
Revised 2/27/07