Kairos Prison Ministry Marks 50 Years of Helping Inmates
Karl Schlenker seemed to have the perfect life — married to his childhood sweetheart, a father of three and a successful businessman. But his world was shattered when he committed a crime and was sentenced to prison, bringing embarrassment and shame on his family. “I knew I needed God’s forgiveness,” he said. Kairos Prison Ministry volunteers would later help him find the spiritual answers he needed.
Volunteers with Kairos Prison Ministry International came to the prison and held a weekend of faith-centered talks and discussions, a program known as Kairos Inside.
The need for that work reaches far beyond Kairos’ programs. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that 1.25 million people were held in state and federal prisons at the end of 2023, while local jails held 664,200 people at midyear. Worldwide, an estimated 11.5 million people were in prison in 2022, the latest figures, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
For Kairos, those are not just numbers; they represent people whose lives can be changed through the compassion and personal commitment of volunteers around the world.
“They were so gracious and kind,” Schlenker said. “By the end of the weekend, I had cried, I had opened up about my struggles. I forgave myself for the things I had done wrong and the times I had hurt people, the damage I had done to my family, the embarrassment to my wife, who was a first-grade teacher, and to my children. I found healing. My life was transformed from the inside out.”
READ: Prison Fellowship celebrates 50 years
Now Schlenker has come full circle, and he is one of those committed Kairos volunteers going into prisons with a message of hope. “I’m so fortunate to have become a part of the Kairos ministry,” he said, “to be able to walk back through those prison gates and help other men.”
In October, Kairos will mark 50 years of ministry to prisoners and their families. The ministry’s work in prisons, youth facilities and among prisoners’ families has never been as needed as it is now, said Evelyn Lemly, the organization’s CEO. During the past half-century, the ministry’s volunteers have helped thousands of prisoners such as Schlenker turn their lives around, breaking the cycle of incarceration and restoring them to their families and communities.
“This is all because of the dedication of our volunteers and the love of Christ that shines out of them,” Lemly said. “Without them and their practical display of God’s love, none of this could happen.”
Kairos has grown into an international ministry, serving more than 500 prisons and communities across the United States and in several nations across four continents. Check out their website for more information.
–Alan Goforth
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