There will be a KAIROS OUTSIDE TEAM REUNION on SATURDAY JUNE 18, 2011, from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, at Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic Church, 1190 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt, CA (flyer) (map).
This Team Reunion will include an informational presentation on the Kairos Prison ministry at the Federal Correctional Complex Lompoc. You are invited to attend for a time of worship, fellowship and to find out more information about prison ministry. Our goal is to restart the Lompoc Kairos program in 2012 at FCC Lompoc.
Morning snacks and Lunch will be provided.
For reservations and directions please contact either (805) 708-2518 or (310) 569-5900.
1/23-24/10 (by Avery Galbraith, Kairos Lompoc Council Chair)
With the recent departures of of Fr. Frank Tinajero (Head Chaplain) and Chaplain Sutton, the manpower of the Religious Services Department has dropped from the five chaplains of just a few years ago down to the present number of two.
Fortunately the two who are left, Chaplains Jamaal Abdul-Rahim and Greg Nelson, have been very supportive of the Kairos ministry. BUT . . . two are just not enough! As things stand now, Chaplains Jamaal and Nelson are at maximum load trying to provide just the most basic functions of the Religious Services Department.
In December, Chaplain Jamaal, who is Acting Head Chaplain, informed me that we would not be able to meet with our inside Kairos brothers for our scheduled January reunion.
In order to ascertain the status of our scheduled February Reunion, I have been in contact with both Chaplain Jamaal and with Ms. Jackie Williams, Lompoc's Volunteer Coordinator. Here is what Chaplain Jamaal has had to tell me:
At this time, all extra programming is on hold. This would include Kairos. I will contact you when it is feasible to hold the monthly meeting. As for the proposed retreat of Memorial Day weekend, it has been canceled.
Currently, we are actively engaged in trying to get a priest and a deacon to come to the Complex to offer Catholic services at the two FCI's and the Camp. About 25% of our inmate population is listed as Catholic. Obviously, the need for leadership of Catholic services is quite acute. When our staffing levels return to normal, we anticipate a return to previously sponsored programs. How these will be configured, and to what extent, I cannot say at this time.
This is not at all the news we wanted to hear, but it is the news that we have heard. Kairos at USP Lompoc is on hold.
Or, perhaps it isn't!
Perhaps this is a chance to drop back and take a fresh look at things, and to do some deep thinking about who we are, what we do, and how we go about doing it.
I believe all of us have been called to this ministry. We've responded to those words in Matthew 25, "I was in prison and you visited me," and, "Whatever you do for the least of these you do for me." Perhaps this is an opportunity, not to abandon or draw away from USP Lompoc, but to pay more attention than we sometimes have to other prisons in other places. We do know one thing for sure: wherever these places are, so, too, is Jesus there.
We have all learned the wisdom of "Listen, listen, love, love." Let us talk to the Lord about this, and listen to what He says. And let us never forget what Paul wrote: "Without love, we have nothing."
In the meantime, I do know that each of us can support the men at Lompoc through prayer. We can and must pray that they not feel abandoned. We can and must pray that the Bureau of Prisons bring adequate staffing to Religious Services. We can and must pray for guidance and wisdom and patience for all us connected in any way to USP Lompoc.
We will explore to see what other ways we can find to support our brothers inside. (Please remember that we are not allowed to write them. Either sending or receiving mail to or from an inmate will jeopardize our Kairos Ministry.)
It is a good idea, I think, to keep on with any scheduled badge training. Please proceed, always remembering whose side we are on.
There is a related item I would like to bring to your attention. Kairos #31 that has now been cancelled was not the Kairos of Hank Bowis, it was the Kairos of the Lord Jesus. All of us know that very well. Yet Hank had -- for the second time -- stepped to the front when called, and picked up the banner. I can't speak for Hank's feelings about this cancellation, but I do have certain knowledge that he has been applying himself to the tasks at hand, even while knowing his effort was to some degree at risk. As I've indicated, this is the second time this kind of thing has happened to him, and I want to say on behalf of all of us, "Be of good cheer, Hank. You are very much appreciated!"
Stay tuned for further developments. In the meantime, may God guide your hearts and your feet.
Peace and love,
Avery Galbraith
Chair
USP Lompoc Advisory Council
11/28/2010 (by Hank Bowis)
As of now, USP Lompoc is still short staffed by one chaplain. Thus, they are not able to accommodate Kairos reunions or weekends at this time. The new head chaplain, Mary Tye-Williams, has experience with Kairos and wants us to know that Kairos is “still on the table” as a potential volunteer program at USP Lompoc.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is directing religious services to focus on programs that are “evidence based” and oriented towards re-entry. Kairos International is aware of this. In February, Chaplain Tye-Williams will implement "Threshold-Re-Entry" at USP Lompoc, a new program developed by the BOP. You can learn more about this program by visiting the following link and watching the video.
http://www.bop.gov/sec_webroot/Faith_Based_Re-Entry_sm.wmv
The Advisory Council is in the process of putting together a retreat for the Kairos team members to be held after the upcoming holidays. We feel that there is a need to come together, to pray, to worship, to reflect, and to seek God’s will for our lives and for this ministry.
Reunions normally occur on the first Saturday of each month. Badged team members meet at Tower 1 at 12:15 PM. Notify (451-2606) the week before. (Non-badged members need to give 4 weeks notice, to get on the memo.) Musicians, bring your instruments!
However, due to the staffing shortage, no reunions are scheduled.
Revised 5/15/11