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Our Mission

The mission of the Trinity Church website is to:

(1) Glorify God;

(2) Encourage people from all walks of life to worship, fellowship, heal, serve, and grow with us in our faith relationship with Jesus Christ; and

Kairos Prison Ministry

     Dozens of Trinity United Methodist Church people have been involved with Kairos Prison Ministry over the past decade, serving male and female inmates in a broad range of ways.

     The ministry's mission, as noted in its national website, is "to bring Christ's love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families, and those who work with them, and to assist in the transition of becoming a productive citizen." That effort is under way throughout South Carolina, as well as in many other states and several other countries.

     While some people may not be comfortable or feel God's leading actually to go into prison, Kairos also relies heavily on the contributions of people who are willing to serve in other ways. Some people bake cookies. Some volunteer to pray for the ministry at a particular hour of the day, during a weekend of fellowship. Some give money, or write notes of encouragement to inmates. Some go behind bars. Some do all these, and more.

     This behind-bars, interdenominational outreach is loosely associated with Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo and other ministries that emphasize an intense focus on the basics of Christianity, via what some have called a "renewal weekend." It thrives on prayer, as well as big and small gifts of money, talent and time.

     Some inmates know Kairos volunteers as "the cookie people," because in many instances the volunteers work to provide a small bag of cookies to the inmates -- in some cases, the entire prison population. Each sack of cookies also contains a simple scripture verse, with the goal being to encourage the recipient -- whether Christian, Moslem, agnostic, atheist or otherwise -- to consider the love of God and the claims of Christ.

     During such weekends, inmates are reminded -- via words and actions -- that they are loved, regardless of the huge mistakes they may have made. Volunteers reach out to the inmates during the weekend and surround them with expressions of love, and try to share the love of Jesus Christ with the inmates, making it clear that all people (not just those who are behind bars) need to step out in faith and establish a right relationship with God, through the saving power of Christ.

     The "big weekends" include contact with the inmates during Thursday evening, as well as all the daylight hours of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Inmates hear a series of talks on such vital topics as forgiveness, love, repentance and listening. They have the chance to sing, laugh, talk, relax, pray and eat together, in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. All enjoy home-style meals, and all have the chance to talk frankly -- one-to-one or in small groups -- about God, the Bible, Christianity, forgiveness and more.

     The word "Kairos" is Greek, and is sometimes interpreted as meaning "God's special time," reflecting on some passages in the Bible where God is described as moving in an especially significant way at an appointed moment in time, to accomplish something. These prison weekends are often a time in which God moves to accomplish something, and that sometimes includes radically changing lives.

     Inmates react in many, many different ways. Some accept Christ during the weekend, and have their lives radically changed on a long-term basis -- an ETERNAL basis, as the Bible teaches. Others simply sit through the weekend and stuff themselves with cookies, fried chicken, banana pudding and the like. God is in charge, as always, and volunteers who go behind bars are reminded to adhere to a simple motto: "Listen, listen, love, love."

     The CORE of Kairos, however, largely consists of what happens after the big weekend. Inmates who have gone through a weekend are strongly encouraged to meet together in small groups on a regular basis to pray together, discuss their struggles and be honest about their concerns and questions about following Christ from day to day.

     Trinity's volunteers often attend Kairos "reunions. These also occur throughout the year -- once a month, in some prisons. At these two- or three-hour events, a team of volunteers goes into the prison to enjoy fellowship with the inmates and share encouragement, snacks or a simple home-style meal (another welcome relief from the prison routine), music, conversation and basic Christian fellowship.

     Research has shown that inmates who go through Kairos and follow these guidelines -- similar to those of the Promise Keepers ministry -- are much, much less likely to commit another crime upon their release. In the case of inmates whose sentences call for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the impact of God's work through Kairos can still result in such things as healed family relationships and a major reduction in the violence, bitterness and perversion that plague prisons in America and around the world.

     Many chaplains and wardens (not to mention past and present inmates) will eagerly attest to the powerful, awesome changes that God has enacted via Kairos. The ministry was established in the late 1970s, and has touched millions of lives -- those of volunteers, inmates and their families, churches and communities alike.

     Several Trinity people are currently involved in Kairos activities around South Carolina, serving in men's and women's prisons alike. Most of the activity for Trinity's volunteers is based in the S.C. Department of Corrections facilities in McCormick (for men) and Greenwood (women) and Columbia (women). Opportunities for service exist in every month, and involvement can be as simple as baking a dozen cookies or donating $5, or as deep as leading a group in baking a truckload of cookies and serving on a team inside of a prison.

     Information about the ministry's activities in South Carolina is available via the Internet, at www.kairosofsc.org. The international Kairos office, based in Winter Park, Florida, also has a useful website: www.kairosprisonministry.org.

This page was made possible by the General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.