What is the Origin of Kairos Outside?

Kairos Outside began in 1989 as an idea from Chaplain Earl Smith at San Quentin State Correctional Facility in California. After the first Kairos Prison Ministry weekend, he felt, along with others involved in this ministry, those who became involved in the Kairos Program were now open to family unity, more so than ever before.

James Rowland, then Director for the Department of Corrections for California, often said, "Three things will keep an inmate from coming back to prison: The first is some type of spiritual awakening while in prison, the second is support by their family during and after incarceration, and the third is a skill to find a job on the outside after release." Jo Chapman, a Kairos volunteer from California, took his idea and developed Kairos Outside.

The Kairos Prison Ministry is an excellent vehicle to provide for a spiritual experience on the inside, while Kairos Outside is designed to bolster the relatives/friends who are supporting those incarcerated persons. The women on the outside, in many ways, have to be stronger than those on the inside to survive in today's world.

Kairos Outside is a blend of the movement on the street, Cursillo, which years ago spawned the Kairos Prison Ministry that has spread into many of our nation's correctional institutions. The presenting members are all involved in either Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Tres Dias, Via de Cristo, etc., also known as "Street Weekends" and / or the Kairos Prison Ministry International. More importantly, they are concerned and committed Christians who believe in these women and want to encourage them on their life journey.

There are two Greek words for time. One of them, which we are all familiar with, is "kronos" meaning linear time: hours, days, weeks, etc. The other is "kairos" used in the sense of a time set by God for a particular occurrence. "Kairos" was found to be a word of very special significance in the correctional institution environment where the word "time" carries many special connotations. We have found the word "Kairos" also has some very special meaning for relatives/friends of those inside.