Off to Prison Again

Now that I have your attention...    :)

As many of you know, I have been on an interesting and wonderful journey over the past four years related to Prison Ministry.  I have been richly blessed by spending time with inmates at Hamilton County Jail and Hamilton County Community Corrections (a.k.a. Work Release) through an organization called "Jehoshua House".  Both of these groups focus on capturing hearts for God, building up men's spirits with love and helping them successfully reenter the "outside word" after serving their sentences.  Lastly, many of you supported me financially, by baking cookies or by praying for me and my team during my previous Kairos weekends in October of 2011 and 2012 at Pendleton Correctional Industrial Facility (PCIF).

For those of you not familiar, Kairos is a weekend-long ministry event where a group of us go into the prison and spend time in prayer, praise and thanksgiving with the inmates.  Our sole goal is to bring the Good News to them and love them; we let the Holy Spirit do the rest.  If you are familiar with programs such as Great Banquet, Cursillo or Walk to Emmaus, it is very similar to these intensive, faith-building weekends.

Once again, I have been asked to serve on a Kairos team at PCIF over the weekend of October 16-19.  I am writing to you today to ask for your support.  Some ways you can help:

Prayer Chart: 
Here is a link (http://www.3dayol.org/Vigil/GetVigil.phtml?pvid=10008&commid=1394) where you can sign up to pray at a specific time over the weekend.  Once it is filled, we actually post this chart on the wall in our meeting room at Pendleton.  The men look at this chart all weekend are amazed that so many people would be praying for them and our Kairos team.  It is sometimes the one thing that pushes them over edge and softens their heart to hear the Good News.  Each section of the chart is only 30 mins.  You can sign up for one or for as many as you like.  On my previous two Kairos weekends, it was so awesome to see your names on the chart and show the offenders that my own friends and family were praying for them!  Sign up quick because the "good times" go fast and you might be stuck praying at 230 a.m.  :-)

Cookies: 
Over the course of the weekend, we feed the men...A LOT...with food from the "outside".  We also walk the halls and take a dozen cookies to each inmate at Pendleton, regardless of whether they are participating in the Kairos weekend or not.  To do this, each member of our Kairos team (about 40 of us) will bring 60 dozen cookies for the weekend.  That is not a typo...yes, 60...6-0...sixty...6 x 10...sesenta.  For those doing the math, that's 720 cookies I am responsible for!  Here is a link for the recipe that we use which will make about 3 dozen cookies (http://www.mykairos.org/docs/kpmi/cookies.pdf **PLEASE NOTE** we use the CHOCOLATE CHIP recipe for our weekends; we can't bring in any other kind).  The recipe must be followed EXACTLY and the cookies must be packaged EXACTLY as described in correct type of zip lock bags.  The specificity of this is important to make sure one inmate does not feel like he got something more or less than another (more chocolate chips...less...bigger cookie...smaller...etc).  The dynamics of the prison setting require us to make sure we don't show favor in any way, hence, the specific nature of the preparation.  If you are interested in baking a batch and washing them in prayer during the preparation and packaging, let me know.

Placemats:
At all meals over the course of the weekend, we put placemats at each table. The placemats we bring in have been decorated by children with pictures, sayings, Bible verses or just words of love and support.  You can get bulk packages of plain, white placemats at GFS, Sam's or other party stores.  If your family or Sunday School class would like to buy a package of these and color them with pictures, it is another great way to show love to the men at Pendleton.  It is a dark place and anything which brings light and love into the facility is a good thing.  Children who decorate placemats can put their first name (ONLY) and age on the placemat.  Many of the men have children and when they see a name on the placemat which is the same of their own child, it truly touches them.

Financial Support:
Each weekend costs about $4,000 to host.  I am personally responsible for contributing $320 as a member of the Kairos team.  My first year, I just wrote a check, but many people expressed interest in financial support.  If you feel called in this way, you can send me a check made out to Kairos of Indiana in any amount.  The donation is tax deductible as Kairos is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Closing Ceremony:
From 2p to 5p on Sunday October 19th, we will wrap up the weekend with a ceremony/worship service where the inmates who participated in the weekend will have the opportunity to give testimony to what they have experienced.  This is open to the public.  For anyone on this email, I would welcome you joining me on that day.  If you are interested, let me know (I'll only ask this one time) and I can give you more details as the date approaches. Those who have attended with me previously can speak to the power of this event.  The Holy Spirit moves big time on these days!

BUT, if you do not feel called to support with cookies, specific prayer time or observing the closing ceremony, that is TOTALLY OK as we are all called to serve and use our gifts in different ways and this may not be where your heart is.  I will not be hurt or offended in the least.  If you would like to forward this email along to friends of yours who may want to support, feel free.

If nothing else, simply, I ask your prayers for me that God will use me as an instrument to do His work.  As you consider supporting this effort, please read and pray on Matthew 25:34-40 and James 2:1-13.  Both of these scriptures have become foundational concepts to me in supporting this path God has laid out for me.

God's blessings and all of my love to each of you!

Scott
Scott D. Wilson
scottdwil@yahoo.com
317.473.0020 mobile