Kairos Volunteers News and Updates.
Sent to all Kairos emails plus personal emails of volunteers active from 2022 - current. |
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Greetings Kairos volunteers.
May was an extremely busy month. Congratulations to all the Regional Committees who ran programs during the month. Your commitment and trust in the Lord is amazing. The Holy Spirit was evident to all team members and participants. Many leaders have remarked that the engagement of the participants and their openness to committing their lives to Christ was evident from day one. I had the privilege of travelling up to Tamworth to attend the Closing Ceremony of the first Short Course run in twelve years. It was a truly joyous occasion.
On 30 May I travelled up to Sydney to attend the closing ceremony at Dillwynia and to speak with community members attending the closing and to the prison Chaplains. Community members were touched by the sharing of the graduates. The prison Chaplains were very pleased with the Short Course and that the 18 women had stayed for the full Short Course. After a very busy May, June is a little quieter with only one program being run in Mobilong South Australia. Please join with me in praying for the Mobilong team and all other teams participating in team formation activities this month.
Our 30th Anniversary webpage has been active for a month and registrations are starting to build. The organising committee have been very busy collecting history on our Regional Committees. Thank you to everyone for your assistance and cooperation in compiling this valuable data. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
We have three celebration events, and I hope that many of you can attend at least one of these. Please RSVP so we know you are coming. We are in the process of organising regional hubs to ensure that volunteers in regional areas do not miss out. Celebrations will be live streamed to the hubs. It is a time for celebrating 30 remarkable years of service to our Lord in sharing the love and forgiveness of our Lord and Saviour. I look forward to catching up with many of you at one of the three events. kairos.org.au/30-years
Thank you all for your commitment to our mission. It is a pleasure to work with you and for you. Blessings |
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Deb Poulton
Chief Operating Officer Kairos Prison Ministry Australia coo@kairos.org.au |
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Advanced Kairos Training
I would encourage all Regional Committees to check that all volunteers who need to attend the upcoming Advanced Kairos Training (AKT) programs to satisfy their leadership ratification requirements, or volunteers and Regional Committee members who wish to enhance their understanding of the Program Manual requirements are registered to attend.
Ken and Coraine need to finalise participant numbers.
Kairos Inside Advanced Kairos Training – Brisbane - Contact Ken Moore – aktki@kairos.org.au
Kairos Outside Advanced Kairos Training – Perth - Contact Coraine Sopru – aktko@kairos.org.au |
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Prayer Points
Let us celebrate the successful completion of the Sydney and Adelaide Guest Weekends and the Mid North Coast, Tamworth (pictured), St Heliers and Dillwynia Short Courses last month.
Let us pray for the Mobilong Short Course which will be held 17 to 21 June and support upcoming programs by going to the Events page on the website for details of upcoming Programs and sign up to the Prayer vigils.
Please pray for the success of a community meeting at All Saints Anglican church in Nowra on 28 June and that volunteers will come forward to form a team for the inaugural Short Course at South Coast Correctional Centre on 13 to 17 October. |
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Delegation Authority and Treasurer's Handbook |
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Our KPMA Treasurer Chris Firbank has recently updated the Delegation authorities regarding State Council and Regional Committee expenditure. I have attached a graph which summarises the process. Click here or on the image to open a PDF version. There have been updates to the KPMA Treasurer's Handbook to incorporate the changes in delegations. Ensure you get the most up to date version via the MKO page on the website.
It is important to note that Regional Committees and State Councils are not able to apply for grants (these must be approved by either the COO if under $5000 or by the KPMA Board if it is in excess of $5000).
Asset purchases in excess of $1000 must be authorised by the KPMA Treasurer and the COO and the COO must report such purchases to the Board.
The Treasurer's Handbook is available on the MKO page of the website and is a "Members Only" document - make sure you log in with your Kairos email to access. |
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Remember - MyKairosOz is the only location for the most up to date policies and forms. Any forms linked in the newsletter may be out of date or the links may not work so check MKO at all times. |
Acknowledgement of Country |
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Acknowledgement of Country – It is KPMA policy that we acknowledge the traditional owners of our lands at the beginning of each Board meeting, State Council meeting and Regional Committee meeting Attached is a Board policy paper which provides guidelines for non-program meetings. The guidelines for use of Acknowledgment of Country in Programs can be found in the Program Manuals.
As a general guide, an Acknowledgement of Country should be given at the start of each Team Formation and at the start of each Program. |
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Awareness Policy |
It is important that we respect each other as volunteers. A paper was prepared to raise the awareness of our volunteers of the ethnic diversity of people who are our guests and participants in our programs and especially those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. Attached is a copy for your information.
Please remember that only Indigenous people can give a Welcome to Country. |
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Last month we signed a contract with Vision Christian Radio (a national radio station) to produce three advertisements - General awareness advertisement to be run twice per day;
Kairos Outside Awareness advertisement to be run once a day; Kairos 30th Anniversary advertisement to be run twice a day from late July until mid-September.
These advertisements are aimed at raising the awareness of the Kairos ministry in our community. My prayer is that these advertisements will touch the hearts of potential volunteers and potential guests as well as opening doors for us when we approach churches to request permission to share information about our ministry. |
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KO Canberra Success Story
The Agape coordinator for the KO Canberra Regional Committee worked with KSO Office Manager Bruce Bond to identify programs being run worldwide and sent Agape to each Regional Committee running a program. Within the space of a couple of months over 90 pieces of agape have been received!
You can also identify Programs being run by going to the Kairos Prison Ministry International (KPMI) website. https://www.mykairos.org/ - Kairos Kalendar - Agape Contacts (see screenshot). I have linked the contacts in the button below but this is updated regularly as new Programs are confirmed so ensure you check it closer to your Program date. |
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Agape on Google Drive! Bruce has now set up Agape folders for each Region in the Google drive to enable regions to store Agape until they are ready to print them out for display on walls during either the Guest weekend or the Short Course. Access is available to the Regional Committee Chair and the Agape Coordinator for the Region via their Kairos email.
Bruce is happy to assist regions wishing to use this facility for storing their Agape. Contact Bruce at operations@kairos.org.au |
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Email
Kairos Prison Ministry Australia (KPMA) is required by law to comply with Federal Privacy legislation. It is important that we respect the privacy of people we communicate with both Kairos volunteers and external organisations and people.
KPMA email policies have been updated as part of a significant project to review and document our Technology, Information and Record Keeping Policies with a view to ensuring that they meet our legislative obligations.
Below is an extract of the email policy for volunteers using Kairos email addresses and the email policy document for volunteers using private email addresses for correspondence with fellow volunteers and the wider community. Please take the time to carefully read these guidelines and ensure that you comply with them. The formal document will be available on MKO in the coming weeks.
In summary best practice requires that we use bcc wherever possible to protect the privacy of recipients and where a distribution list includes both Kairos and non-Kairos email addresses.
If we are using automatic signatures, we need to ensure that the senders name, role and contact information are displayed.
Please remember that email is a communication tool to advance KPMA's mission and daily operations. Volunteers and staff are representatives of KPMA and are required to securely store emails by password protecting them. We should never share these passwords.
Protecting KPMA data and complying with privacy requirements is the responsibility of all of us. Please work with me to minimise any risks to our organisation. |
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Extract
Email Acceptable Use Policy Group A (Role-Based Email Address Holders) eg: @kairos.org.au This policy applies to all users of role-based email addresses/accounts, including but not limited to: - Members of the Board, Kairos Support Office, State Councils, Regional Committees.
- Course leaders, participants, and other groups functioning under the KPMA umbrella with role-based email addresses.
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There are currently 281 such email address holders.
- Emails must align with KPMA's goals and mission and adhere to designated standards.
Security: -
KPMA email account content belongs to KPMA and must remain secure.
- All email accounts must be password-protected. Passwords must not be shared.
- Devices accessing KPMA emails must be secure with:
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Biometric or password protection on phones/tablets.
- Shared Computer Use: Always sign out manually after use and do not leave device unattended.
Email Best Practices - Use "To" for recipients requiring mutual visibility/action.
- Use "CC" for keeping others informed (without required action).
- Use "BCC" to:
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Conceal email addresses to protect privacy especially for private and non-Kairos email addresses.
- Distribute to groups including non-KPMA addresses.
- Only use 'Reply all' if your response is important for all those addressed. Otherwise just reply to the sender.
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Respond promptly, avoiding excessive email chains.
- Update distribution lists.
Legal Restrictions -
No sharing of KPMA information via social media unless approved.
- Avoid harassment, offensive communication, or political promotion.
- Restrict sending sensitive materials to unauthorized recipients.
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Follow Australian Copyright Laws.
Automatic Signatures - Ensure auto-signatures include:
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Sender's name and role.
- Contact information for proper identification.
Email Acceptable Use Policy Group B – General Use for all email users
This policy is designed for volunteers who do not hold role-based email addresses. It aims to safeguard KPMA's information and protect staff and volunteers from cyber security threats. The Policy applies to email communication within KPMA.
General Email Use - Email is a communication tool to advance KPMA's mission and daily operations. Volunteers and staff are representatives of KPMA and should follow these practices:
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Emails sent from KPMA accounts are KPMA's property and must be securely stored (e.g., password-protected).
- Passwords must not be shared.
Legal:
Please do not: - Use social media to share KPMA information.
- Exchange messages containing offensive, obscene, threatening, or illegal content or political promotion.
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Share confidential or sensitive information outside authorized channels.
- Email confidential business or commercial files to unauthorized recipients.
- Create or exchange information violating copyright laws.
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Engage in unsolicited or bulk emailing unrelated to KPMA.
- Use KPMA email for personal or unrelated commercial purposes.
- Open email attachments or links which could possibly be untrustworthy. If you are unsure, text or call the person who sent the email to make sure they have not been hacked.
Social Behaviour: - Use carefully chosen language, as emails are permanent records.
- Ensure internal and external information sharing aligns with privacy and reputation standards.
- Reply to emails promptly. If full replies are delayed, send an acknowledgment within 24 hours.
- Answer questions fully and clearly to avoid unnecessary exchanges.
- Review all related replies before responding to maintain logical email chains.
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Adhere to email etiquette:
- Write clear, professional, and accurate messages with no typographical errors.
- Address emails to the correct recipients.
- Use concise and meaningful subject headers.
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Avoid aggressive or offensive tones.
- Avoid excessive use of capitalisation and large fonts (perceived as shouting).
- Include all attachments and verify that any links work.
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Sign off with your name, KPMA email, and phone number (if needed)
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30th Celebration Events - REGISTER NOW!
Brisbane on Saturday 20 September – Redeemer Lutheran College. 745 Rochedale Rd, Rochedale 4123.
Sydney on Saturday 27 September – Stanhope Anglican Church. 1 View St, Stanhope Gardens 2768.
Adelaide on Saturday 25 October – Burnside City Uniting Church. 384 Portrush Road, Tusmore 5065.
All events will be from 12.45pm - 4.30pm. Go to kairos.org.au/30-years for more information, to download the poster and to RSVP.
Invite your friends, family, church members - everyone is welcome! RSVP NOW! Note - all Kairos events are for those aged 18 years and over. Kairos Outside Perth AKT 11 to 13 July - Venue to be advised
Registration Details - Events Page
Kairos Inside AKT Brisbane 25 to 27 July - Qld Conference and Camping Centre Brookfield.
Registration Details - Events Page. |
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Vision
A Community Spiritually Freed from the Effects of Imprisonment. Reaching all Impacted by Incarceration, through the Love, Hope and Faith found in Jesus Christ.
Mission
The mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.
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Donate today! Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
www.kairos.org.au | info@kairos.org.au | PO Box 388, Seven Hills NSW 1730 ABN: 55 081 496 175
You are receiving this email because you are a current Kairos Prision Ministry Australia Volunteer. This newsletter is a vital communication tool to keep our Volunteers updated and will be sent to kairos.org.au email addresses.
If you are receiving this email to your personal email address and wish to unsubscribe, please email the Kairos Support Office with your details and ask to be removed from the mailing list by using the link below or emailing info@kairos.org.au
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