Volunteer News and Updates from the COO |
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| December 2024 | Issue 001 |
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Greetings everyone.
Wow what a year we have had both on a program delivery front and on an awareness and promotion front. We delivered ten Guest Weekends and fourteen Short Courses, sharing our testimonies and love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with three hundred and twenty-four men and women! Along the way we were privileged to witness miracles in abundance. 2025 promises to be even busier and recruitment will be key to our being able to deliver all the thirty-three planned programs.
On the awareness and promotion front we started the year with a presentation to seven thousand people at the Parkes Elvis Festival and ended with an awareness event in Sydney on 30 November. In both instances we were privileged to be able to hear from graduates of the programs about the impact that participation in our programs had on their lives and their relationship with our Saviour Jesus Christ. In between this we held numerous other awareness events and participated in radio interviews all aimed at enhancing people's awareness about Kairos and our precious ministry. It was a privilege to meet with representatives from most regional committees in early August at our National Conference in Sydney.
None of this would have been possible without all of you. Each and every role that each of you plays in our ministry is valued and critical to our mission 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. Thank you one and all for your dedication and commitment to the ministry. All of us together make an awesome team of warriors for Christ. I wish all of you a blessed and holy Christmas with family and loved ones. Take some time to remember the coming of Jesus Christ and give thanks to God for sending his Son. "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Luke 2:14 |
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First Edition of Volunteer News! |
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Welcome to the first edition of the Volunteer Newsletter! This replaces the "Occasional Newsletter" also known as "Occ News" which was created during the time of lockdown to keep the Kairos community updated and connected. This resource will come out regularly as needed. Each issue will be numbered so you can keep a record.
This new design and layout has been created to be a resource and a centralised way to keep you current on what has been happening, updates, policies and general reminders. This is essential reading for all our volunteers!
We will send this to Kairos email addresses but please, share with your Kairos Community Members to make sure every volunteer who is active in your State and Region is updated. Add this as a discussion item to your next Regional Committee meeting agenda. |
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Lets Talk About Culture - What is the Culture of Kairos Prison Ministry Australia?
- Do you know who is the head of the Ministry?
- Do you know the Vision and Mission Statement?
At Kairos Prison Ministry Australia, we are united by our common beliefs. We unite under our Statement of Faith and by our commitment to our mission. We leave everything that divides us at the door.
Jesus Christ is the HEAD of our Ministry! This changes the dynamic of why we do what we do and WHO we are doing it for. Jesus Christ deserves and demands our best. We – all of us – no matter what role we are in from the Board of Directors to the Teams working in Kairos Outside and Kairos Inside to the Kairos Support Office – all of us need to strive to be the best we can be. As Christians, we represent Christ! Our Team Members are Christians who regularly attend a local church and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Christians working for Kairos, we are the body of Christ – His Church – called to fulfil and be committed to our Mission.
Our Vision and Mission Statement must be front and centre of all that we do. These statements help us to maintain our Christian focus.
So, how do we do this? Firstly, ensure you and the team around you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and are working to be the best they can be as a Christian. (Philippians 2:12). Start and finish your meetings in prayer and always, give thanks to God. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We need to always pray for discernment, harmony in teams and conflict resolution.
Get to know the Vision and Mission statement of Kairos Prison Ministry Australia. It is on our website here but I have also produced a printable version for you here. What Does Respectfulness Look Like? I would like to outline how respectfulness is demonstrated in Kairos. It might surprise you. - Respect for our fellow Team Members. This starts with doing the work that has been allocated to us and not doing someone else's work for them – especially when they haven't asked you to! Do your work to the best of your ability.
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Advising Leaders. The key here is "advise". It can be hard not to step in and take over the leadership. You have an amazing privilege to be able to support and mentor a new Leader! Show them how to do it and let them learn through your wisdom and past knowledge – don't take over.
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Leaders – Rely on our Lord. Ensure that your team stays within the Riverbanks. Follow the Manual without omission or addition – the work has been done already! Trust your Team Members with their assigned tasks.
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Observing Leaders – The key here is "observe". Watch, learn and take notes. Don't take on the jobs of others but only what is assigned to you by the Leader.
- Team Members – Follow the instructions of the Leader and support them. Take on your assigned tasks and let other Team Members do their roles so that they can grow and learn.
- Indigenous brothers and sisters – The Acknowledgement of Country is a sign of respect and an invitation for them to be fully involved.
What is the motto of Kairos that sets us apart? LISTEN LISTEN LOVE LOVE. Treat each other with the same love and respect we show our Guests and Graduates. What a wonderful ministry this will be if everyone really takes this on! |
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Authority to Approve Variations
Kairos Prison Ministry Australia operates under licence from Kairos Prison Ministry International. A requirement of that licence agreement is that we must adhere to the requirements set out in the Kairos Inside Silver Manual and the Kairos Outside Rose Manual.
I am committed to working with all of you to help you comply with these requirements. The contents of the program manuals are prescriptive documents - not simply suggestions which you can choose to comply with. Situations can arise in the course of us preparing to deliver our programs which threaten to impede our ability to run our programs. My responsibility and desire is to work with you to find solutions which do not compromise our licencing agreement but enable the program to be delivered to participants. There is a however a process which needs to be followed.
There is a new document on MyKairosOz called "Approval to Implement a Variation to a Program". This document outlines the process for approval of all proposed variations to the Program by Leaders and or Regional Committee Chairs. Please go to MyKairosOz on the website and log in to see this document. An extract is below: |
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Authority To Approve Variations (extract from MyKairosOz): Authority is delegated by the Kairos Prison Ministry Australia Board to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) only. What Requires Approval: - Repeat leadership
- Leadership ratification where required conditions are not met
- Departure from leadership progression
- Fast tracking someone through the leadership
- Omission of, or changes to activities as set out in the program manuals
Process For Approval to Vary:
- Regional Committee (RC) members and Program Leadership team must immediately notify the RC -
- Chair of any situation not able to be complied with that is set out in the Program manuals.
- This is a variance.
- Regional Committee Chair is to contact Advanced Kairos Training (AKT) Coordinator and their State Council Chair to discuss the variance requiring approval.
- State Council Chair to notify the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and AKT Coordinator about a variance.
- The COO will confer with AKT Coordinator, State Council Chair and if necessary, the Leader of the Program.
-The COO will inform the State Council Chair and the RC Chair of the decision to permit / decline the request to vary and advise the Chair of the Board as to the decision.
Please go the Kairos website - www.kairos.org.au/mykairosoz to view the full document. |
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Treasurers Handbook At the December 2024 Board meeting the KPMA Treasurer tabled updates to the Treasurers Handbook which were approved. The changes covered: -
Clarification of cheque signatories;
- Asset acquisition requirements;
- Guidelines for Regional Committee donations to external parties;
These updates will impact all States and Regions so please ensure you are familiar with the Handbook.
Below is a link to the document. As always, check the website for the most updated version as this link will not be available when further updates are made. www.kairos.org.au/mykairosoz
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Media Interviews Policy and Guidelines
From time to time, Regions are approached for media interviews. When this happens, it is essential that the Chair of Kairos is made aware prior to any interview. An email to chair@kairos.org.au outlining the details should be done in the first instance. To assist with content, a policy and guideline has been published on MyKairosOz.
An extract of the document is below: |
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Media Interviews Policy and Guidelines (extract from MyKairosOz):
Policy
It is Kairos Prison Ministry Australia policy that all interactions with the media can take place only with the explicit approval of the Chair of the Board. Email chair@kairos.org.au
Definition Media includes media outlets including radio, television, online and print. Guidelines Your Objective
When doing an interview or presentation, the person doing the interview will have their idea as to what they wish to get out of the interview. Be led by the interviewer, however, we also have a purpose in accepting to do the interview as well as meeting their needs. Our primary purpose is to build awareness of Kairos and what we do and make them excited and curious enough to go to our website to get more information or interact with us. If you can get as many references to our website "www.kairos.org.au" as is reasonable, that will be a fruitful outcome.
Listed below are a number of speaking points which can be used as appropriate within the interview. None of them are mandatory and you don't have to use them all. When speaking, try to highlight the importance and impact of Kairos. Some general tips for your interview are: -
Focus on the outcome or transformation from the ministry, so stories of That can include participants or guests but don't give real names or anything that could identify a person. Focus on impact on those in prison and their loved ones and friends. Also, the impact on Volunteers like you is very powerful.
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Do share your personal testimony about how being involved with Kairos has enriched your life and faith! How has being involved in Kairos changed you, grown you or allowed you to see the Holy Spirit at work?
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Do mention our Programs include extensive training in the Kairos methodology as well as prepare volunteers to work in unusual environments. Where confidentiality is very important.
- Some testimonies are attached from a range of people. If appropriate, read some of them out.
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Thank the interviewer for the opportunity to speak about Kairos.
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Be clear about where people can find more information – kairos.org.au They can ask for more information via the contact us section - include where they heard/read about us.
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Remember, those listening or reading may be from anywhere around Australia so it is important to remember that the Kairos website is a central contact point to allow people to be referred to their nearest Region.
Speaking Points Kairos Prison Ministry Australia has two key ministries: Kairos Inside: - Now running in 17 prisons around Australia. (as at January 2025)
- Inside prisons in conjunction with the Prison Chaplain.
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Kairos Inside runs in the prison for 3 to 5 days inside the prison. During this course participants are introduced to the love and sacrifice given by Jesus Christ.
- It is open to any inmate to attend.
- Programs take place in both men's and women's prisons.
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Ongoing "Journey" program depending on institution.
- The aim of the Kairos Short Course is to build self-sustaining Christian communities within the prisons.
Kairos Outside: - Running in12 different locations around Australia. (as at January 2025)
- A program for women 20 years and over who have had or currently have a loved one or friend on prison.
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A Kairos Outside weekend gives an opportunity to meet, listen to and talk with women who have struggled with similar issues resulting from having a relative or friend in prison.
- They will find an open and supportive environment, and the freedom to be themselves – no strings attached, no judgement and with no financial cost to them.
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After the weekend, there is an opportunity to continue to meet and to grow from what they learnt on the weekend.
Other Points: -
We celebrate our 30th Anniversary in 2025.
- Kairos has over 1200 Christian volunteers who ran programs in 2024 for both Kairos Inside and Kairos Outside around Australia.
- Kairos is an interdenominational Christian Ministry.
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Our motto is Listen Listen Love Love.
How can you support Kairos? -
Signing up to pray
- Subscribing to our quarterly newsletter
- Financial giving.
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Some roles are face to face and others are behind the scenes. We have a guide you can download at www.kairos.org.au/learnMore
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Remind them we have a Facebook page – search for "Kairos Prison Ministry Australia" on Facebook.
- If churches would like more information or to have someone speak to the congregation, please contact us via the website.
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Anyone interested in volunteering locally can make contact via the website. In the comments area, mention where you heard about us (radio station name, magazine etc). kairos.org.au
The above is an extract only. The Policy can be viewed in its entirety on MyKairosOz in a printable version. If you would like to see the Get Involved Guide, click here to view an online copy. |
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2024 Policy Updates
This section will help you to know what Policies, Procedures and documents have been updated on the MyKairosOz (MKO) section of the website. Remember, to ensure you have the most up to date document, check the website. Do not rely on printed copies as they may be out of date or no longer approved.
All the above documents are available on MyKairosOz - www.kairos.org.au/mykairosoz or click the button below. |
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Website - MyKairosOz As a reminder, I will outline how to access the MyKairosOz or "MKO" for short, section of the Kairos website if you are not familiar. What is MKO? This is a section of the Kairos website where we provide access to various Kairos documents. The website is www.kairos.org.au/mykairosoz
Many documents are available to view for anyone who visits our website. There are, however, some Kairos Only member documents that are for internal use by our Volunteers only that are secured under a log in. All "kairos.org.au" emails should be able to log in and have full access.
Do I need to Log In? If the document you require isn't showing, you may need to log in. If you have a "kairos.org.au" email address, you can check to see if you are registered by clicking on "Lost Password" on the MKO section of the website and enter your email address. Check your mailbox for a link to reset your password. If you do not receive an email to reset your password, please contact Sarah at the Kairos Support Office – projects@kairos.org.au who will assist you with access.
Remember, if you have just taken on a new Committee Role and have been allocated an existing Kairos email address, click on "Lost Password" to set up a new password. |
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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 emailing info@kairos.org.au or reply to this email.
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