“Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place; I have seen His mighty power and His grace ...”
These words are part of the chorus from Surely the Presence, the theme song for the Kairos Prison Ministry program. The song rang out loud and clear a few Sundays ago, during the Kairos #54 closing ceremony. All former participants of Kairos are invited to attend, and as having gone through Kairos #3, I was there to welcome the newest members.
Kairos is based on Matthew 25:36, “I was in prison and you visited me.” The program centers around outside volunteers showing inmates how to build a community of brothers and sisters in Christ within the prison fences. Kairos is in 21 prisons in Ohio and in every state and several countries throughout the world.
It is a 3 ½-day retreat, called a “walk,” in which 30, 36 or 42 prayerfully selected inmates listen to talks, have small group discussions, sing, eat and pray together while learning about the unconditional love of God.
The walks are held twice a year at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW), and word travels fast that “the cookie people are here!” Kairos volunteers are affectionately referred to as “the cookie people” because they bring cookies to show God’s love for everyone.
From the woman on death row to the moms in the nursery and all 2,300 women in between, every single inmate receives a dozen chocolate chip cookies.
The cookies used to be honest-to-goodness homemade. Kairos volunteers would reach out to their churches and neighbors who would bake all varieties – oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, brownies, snickerdoodles, butterscotch chip (my favorite) – you name it, they made ’em.
The extra-special aspect is that these bakers would pray for us as they made the cookies, even though they didn’t know us, and the cookies became like little gifts from heaven.
I will never forget sitting on my bunk, in my cell, in the Admissions Unit, utterly bewildered, anguished and all alone in 1994. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, said, “God loves you” and gave me a bag of cookies.
I burst into tears. That person was a volunteer from Kairos #1, which was happening that weekend. They were the best cookies I ever had.
In 2019, ORW’s policy changed, and homemade cookies were prohibited. Now the dough is purchased from the Otis Spunkmeyer company and baked in the prison kitchen by volunteers. But do you know what? The cookies are still delicious, they are still given out with the words “God loves you,” and everyone is grateful. Cookie distribution day is one of the of the most anticipated days of the year!
When we begin our Kairos walk, we are assigned to tables with the names of women from the Bible (six inmates and four volunteers per table). At my Kairos, I sat at the table of Mary.
We don’t know the volunteers and may or may not know the inmates at our table. Yet, over the next few days, we become a family of sisters in Christ. The connections can become deep and long lasting; one of my dearest friends today is the volunteer who sat next to me 28 years ago.
The talks are given by volunteers, and the newly forming families discuss each talk (while snacking on cookies). Topics include how the choices we make affect the rest of our lives, who is the church (answer: We are the church!), the Prodigal Daughter and how Jesus can break down the walls of our defenses and isolation.
An entire day is dedicated to two topics: love and forgiveness. Many of us have struggled with both, so this is the most emotional day of the weekend. We learn about God’s immense capacity to love in that He sent Jesus to live among us and die for us. We also learn about agape love, which is the unconditional, unselfish love shown through the volunteers.
Tangible proof of agape love is in the hundreds of cards, letters and posters from inmates in other prisons as well as people in society with the words “God loves you!” or “I’m praying for you!”
Even more proof is a half-mile-long paper chain, in which every link has the name of a person who is praying for us during our weekend. That chain is the most beautiful sight as it is draped around and around the meeting room in a kaleidoscope of color. It is overwhelming to realize we really, truly are loved, in spite of ourselves.
The forgiveness part of the day is equally emotional, but in a different way. After a long discussion and much prayer, we are given a piece of paper and told to write down the names of people we need to forgive.
I remember writing my own name at the top of the list and wondering if I could actually forgive myself. Then eventually, one by one, we approached the altar, which is next to the crucifix with Jesus looking upon us, and dropped our paper into a bowl of water where it dissolved took all the names and offenses with it!
The symbolism was profoundly moving. God’s presence and comfort were palpable, and everyone cried their eyes out.
At the closing, all the participants receive a Bible and a small cross strung on rainbow-colored yarn. For some, it’s the first Bible they’ve ever owned. Outside guests and inmates alike welcome their new sisters with a standing ovation.
I remember feeling like the dark cloud that had enveloped my existence lifted somewhat, and I could experience peace for the first time since setting a shackled foot inside the prison. And I wasn’t the only one feeling something special; there was new hope, new friends, renewed faith, forgiveness, love and more cookies spilling out into the aisles!
Kairos is a life-changing ministry. I’m grateful for my walk because it made my life more fulfilling. While there have been plenty of ups and downs in the years since, I’ve been able to share them with my sisters in Christ and am always reminded that surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!
Michele Williams is an inmate at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
