Family and Friends -
Now that I got your attention in the subject line... :)
As many of you know, I have been on an interesting and wonderful
journey over the past two years related to Prison Ministry. By heeding
this call from God, I have been richly blessed by spending time with
inmates at Marion County Jail through an organization called "Down But Not
Out" as well as 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 first Kairos weekend in
October of 2011 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 goals are 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.
After my Kairos weekend, over the past year, I have been back at
least once every month to PCIF for Prayer and Share on Mondays. During
these sessions, I am able to encourage my new Brothers in Christ as well as be
encouraged and blessed by them. Once again, I have been asked to serve on
a Kairos team at PCIF over the weekend of November 1-4.
I am writing to you today to ask for your support. Some ways
you can help:
Prayer Chart:
Here is a link ( Prayer
Vigil - Prayer Vigil Sign-up Sheet ) 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. It was so awesome last year 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!
I can forward a recipe that we use which will make 5 dozen cookies.
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 specifc 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 $3,500 to host. I am personally
responsible for contributing $250 as a member of the Kairos team. Last
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. I will also have meal tickets
available for $10 each with me at church for the next few Sundays. The
donation is tax deductible as Kairos is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Closing Ceremony:
From 2p to 5p on Sunday November 4th, 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 attended with me last year can speak to the
power of this event. The Holy Spirit was moving big time that day!
BUT, if you do not feel called to support with cookies, specifc
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
