Local News
Bringing God’s word to the incarcerated
Kairos ministry offers hope to Valdosta State Prison’s inmates
VALDOSTA — Inmates at Valdosta State Prison gave testimony Sunday about how their lives were affected by the Kairos Prison Ministry. Kairos volunteers from the Valdosta community spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in “intensive interaction” with the inmates that consisted of “a structured presentation of Christ’s love for them,” said Kairos volunteer Jimmy Whatley.
“The attitude in prison is to put a shell around yourself,” Whatley said.
Whatley’s nickname at the prison is the “Turkey Man,” because he gives a presentation using a turkey call or “mouth yupper.” Whatley uses the metaphor of the turkey, an animal with extremely keen senses, to show what happens when people deviate from what God intended, he said.
Sunday’s fourth day closing ceremony in the prison gym was the culmination of the weekend-long spiritual retreat. Forty-two inmates were selected to participate based on questionnaires filled out earlier. During the retreat, Kairos volunteers and inmates are divided into “families” named after Biblical figures, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, etc. The presentation includes 14 talks, Whatley said. Kairos members also bring in three meals a day during that time.
“On about Saturday morning,” Whatley said, “they’ll ask, ‘What’s in this for you?’ And we say we love you.”
That’s the moment when many of the inmates present will have an “Ahhh moment,” he said, when they feel God’s unconditional love.
Inmates were given three questions to answer during the retreat, i.e. what was their spiritual condition when they entered the prison, what did they experience during the retreat, and what would they take away from the weekend.
Some of the inmates who shared their answers to the three questions said they were angry, lost, confused, lonely, depressed, and spiritually broken when they first came to Valdosta State Prison.
Regarding what they had experienced, one inmate said “”I realized I got to love because God loves me and so I got to love others.”
Another inmate said the interaction with Kairos volunteers had taught him to recognize and honor the humanity in others. His statement drew applause from the other inmates.
“It really is a blessing to see God work on the hearts of those men,” Whatley said.
One goal of the prison ministry is that those inmates who participate will take the spiritual message to others in the institution, thereby improving the overall culture at the prison, Whatley said.
Kairos has significantly improved the recidivism rate in U.S. prisons. Approximately four out of five prison inmates generally return to prison, said Jim Miller, state chairman of Kairos of Georgia. Of the inmates who participate in Kairos, only one or two return, he said. Miller and others at Sunday’s gathering encouraged participants to maintain the spiritual gains made during the retreat.
One of those in Whatley’s group, called the family or table of Saint Luke, handed him a letter on Sunday morning that read, “I have been to all kind of religious programs and churches and Bible studies, but none of them convinced me to let my guard down,” until Kairos.
There are more than 30,000 Kairos volunteers working in 321 prisons in the U.S., Miller said.
For more information, visit www.kairosprisonministry.org, or call Jimmy Whatley at 229-740-0057.
- Local News
-
-
Festival in Bloom
Has this week’s warmer weather come soon enough for azalea blooms for this weekend’s 10th Annual Azalea Festival? Usually, the azaleas are in full bloom by mid-March. On a few occasions, azalea bushes have even seen their blooms start to fade by the time of the Azalea Festival. But not this year. This year, South Georgia has experienced a real winter, with freezing temperatures, frosty mornings, even an evening of snow flurries. So, few to almost no azalea blooms so far.
-
In Friday's edition of The Valdosta Daily Times
6 P.M. UPDATE: Here is a list of some of the stories and photos that will be featured in Friday's edition of The Valdosta Daily Times:
• Valdosta City Council discusses the rezoning of Gornto Road.
• Sebastian Pinera is hurriedly sworn in as Chile's first elected right-wing president in 50 years.
• Georgia's public defender system is still trying to recover its financial footing.
• Hahira prepares for Green Day activities on Saturday.
-
Flood watch in effect through tonight
NOON UPDATE: According to The National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., Lowndes County remains under a flood watch until 7 p.m. tonight. The same is true for the counties of Berrien, Brooks, Cook and Lanier.
-
Obama pushing on health care end game
President Barack Obama is pushing a new anti-fraud plan and his top health official is challenging the nation’s insurers as the administration cranks up the pressure for a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s medical system.
-
State must hand over $18 million
Georgia’s top lawyer says the state must hand over $18 million in disputed sales tax revenue to local governments in the midst of a crippling state budget crunch.
-
GREAT Program
Sixth graders within the Lowndes County School System are learning how to better resist the influence of gangs.
- Night Moves for Thursday March 11, 2010
-
John Page running for Board of Commissioners seat
John Page, 47, announced Tuesday his plans to run for the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners seat soon to be vacated by Richard Lee.
-
‘Classroom Connections’
Area schools will have a chance to enhance technology in their classrooms through a regional competition.
-
Checking out 2010 with Friends of the Library
What they have done to help the South Georgia Regional Library system is almost impossible to list.
- More Local News Headlines
-
