All the Kings Men
Being a man of character with Christian values is a challenge in world that has lost its way. All the Kings Men is a podcast for men who want to leave a Godly legacy. Weekly guests share their stories of how God made them victorious over life's struggles. All the Kings Men is a ministry podcast of Restoration Place. Join our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090682981273!
All the Kings Men
Transforming Lives Behind Bars: The Kairos Prison Ministry Story
Join us as we shine a spotlight on our guest, Tim McGill, an inspiring volunteer with Kairos Prison Ministry. Tim's heartwarming stories and experiences help peel back the layers of this extraordinary organization that brings the transformative power of Christ's love to those incarcerated. Journey with us as we dig deep into the core of Kairos - their mission, their methods, and their music - illuminating how they build bridges and break down walls with the Gospel. It's a beacon of hope in an unlikely setting, and a testament to the power of divine love.
In our enlightening chat with Tim, we get down to the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be part of the Kairos team. The dedication, the retreats, the preparation - it's all part of a journey of faith that extends far beyond the prison walls. Discover how the power of the written word and the simplicity of shared meals can become profound act of love, bringing the truth of the Bible to life in tangible ways. This isn't just an episode, it's a revelation - shedding light on the profound impact that Kairos has on the lives of those they reach. Tune in and be inspired.
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Welcome to All the King's Men, a ministry podcast of the Men's Ministry of Restoration Place, tallahassee. Warning listeners to this podcast will hear authentic, life-changing stories from men who know Jesus and have experienced His work in their life. Be prepared to be impacted by their stories and relationship with Jesus.
Speaker 2:Here is your host, pastor Tony Tolson Good afternoon, good day and welcome again to All the King's Men. We're glad that you've chosen to join us today and we look forward to an amazing time together. Today I've got Tim McGill with me. Tim is one of the men in our group who is highly involved not only in the church but in ministries around the community. He leads quite a few initiatives with men in our church. He also serves, as I believe, an occupational therapist, physical therapist, Physical therapy assistant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, physical therapy assistant in a facility, so he stays pretty busy in his work life, but he always finds time for things of the Lord, so we're thankful that you're here, tim Welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, today I wanted to take some time with Tim to really talk about something that Tim had on his heart. We were having a ministry fair a couple of weeks ago a few weeks ago and we were talking under the tent and he got to talking with Nick, our co-host, who's running a little late today, so he'll probably be joining us in a little bit maybe. But we were talking about prison ministry and we have a couple of arms of ministry already in the prisons Gavin's doing some work in prisons and we also have Tori Sapp who's doing juvenile justice. But there's a lot of work to do in prison ministry and the Bible's pretty clear that we are to minister to the least of these and to those that are in prison, those who are widows, those who are orphans, those who have great needs, whether or not they seem worthy of it or not. We're to reach out to those in need, right.
Speaker 2:And so there was a ministry established a long, long time ago and I believe it's worldwide now. It's Kairos. So Tim's gotten involved in that a little bit and he's come to understand a little bit more about it. So I thought he'd bring some awareness to the listeners here and tell us a little bit about Kairos, a little bit of how he's involved or how he's getting involved. So, tim, will you just introduce the ministry of Kairos and all of that to us right now?
Speaker 3:Okay Kairos is. It's a prison ministry, it's a great ministry. It's an often overlooked ministry. I actually got involved with Kairos through a co-worker who just asked me to come to a meeting and said you know, just meet the guys and hear about what they have to say, and if it's something for you, great. If not, then you just met some other men of God and it's an awesome ministry, kairos. I'm just going to give you a little bit of background on Kairos, and I had to look a lot of this stuff up. I'm learning it too. Kairos is a Greek word meaning God's special time or in the fullness of time.
Speaker 3:Kairos ministry international. It's a nonprofit Christian ministry which men and women both volunteer and give Christ's love and forgiveness to prisoners and their families. It was founded in 1976. It operates in more than 500 correctional institutions and 86 communities and 37 states and nine countries, including Australia, canada, costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, nicaragua, honduras, peru, south Africa and the United Kingdom. There's a serving Kairos do over 600 weekends in prisons and communities worldwide. There are actually 100 prisons that want Kairos, but there aren't enough volunteers or resources at this time. That goes to show you how many more people we actually need to do this kind of ministry because there are people that want this that can't get it because there's not enough of us to do it. Kairos has more than 30,000 volunteers that donate 3 million hours of service every year, which has an annual dollar value of 36 million. Through the work of Kairos volunteers, the ministry brings love, light and fellowship to Jesus Christ to the prisoners in their lives. They know they're forgiven, they know they're loved, and it is truly a life-changing experience.
Speaker 2:So, tim, years ago I had a member of the church I pastured attend one of these and he was amazed at how different it was than what he thought it would be. So we don't go in there and sing worship songs. We go in there, kairos goes in there, and they play music they're familiar with to gather them, to grab their attention. And I remember that church leader of mine coming back and being in awe that God could use secular music to draw people to him. It tickled me a little bit, honestly, because I don't know why we as church people think that church music is what draws people to God alone.
Speaker 2:Now, I'm not saying it doesn't have a piece for some, but for someone who's completely unchurched, let's face it, much of our music is really foreign, right? It's different. So in that prison yard I remember this was many years ago, 20 years ago, I don't know if they do it the same way today, but I remember him telling me the story about how they played the music and it was drawing men from all over the place to come out to see what was going on Until and just continue.
Speaker 2:I just I want people to understand that this is not a churchy event that we take in and we're going to preach it. People, this is something that is this is relationship building. This is breaking down barriers.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, so it's when we go in there. A lot of these guys have never had any kind of relationship whatsoever with God and so they've never felt his love and they've never felt the love of other men. A lot of these guys, they have tough facades. The first day everybody, I mean, they barely give you a fist bump, a head nod, don't even want to acknowledge you. When we're talking, when we're singing, guys are looking down, they're not looking up, they're not engaging you.
Speaker 3:But through God, you know working through us, we're just. We're just the tools that he's using to get to these guys. You can see the walls that they put up around them being chipped away by the last day. They're crying, they're singing songs, they're hugging you. It's awesome because you get to see God work like in front of you. You get to see him working on these people right in front of you. It's a beautiful, beautiful experience, and I honestly feel like I probably got more out of that weekend than those guys did.
Speaker 3:And the great thing about Cairo says it doesn't just end there. They go. We go back once a month, we do prayer and shares, or we're encouraging these guys to continue praying, fellowshiping with other guys and trying to bring in other guys that are at the prison and get them involved, so that it's not supposed to be just once or twice a year where Cairo comes in, does this thing and then it's all forgotten. It's supposed to be something they continue and can build upon and further their walk with God throughout the year, you know, throughout their lives.
Speaker 2:So again it goes back to relationship building you know, I think for far too long the church was all about events. You know, we just have an event, kind of a one and done kind of thing, and look at the numbers, look at the good stuff and what we see with that is people might make a decision, but there's no discipleship, there's no follow through, there's no instruction, there's no help when you hit the wall, and I don't think that's pleasing to the Lord. He didn't call the disciples to you know, out of their boats and say, okay, now you're my disciples, and then leave them. He walked with them, you know. You know three years of ministry together and correction and help and arms around each other, moments, yeah right, seeing each other, the worst. And I think that model is the model, should be the model.
Speaker 2:The church is definitely the model that we want to have in our men's group, where we can carry each other's burdens a little bit. But I'll tell you that that's the, that's the idea of Cairo's is. It's you create brotherhood amongst you and the men who may need to be nothing like you. But let me ask you a question now. You probably have more to share, but can men who have any criminal background participate in Cairo's?
Speaker 3:Yes, we actually have a prison that we go to. Well, the one I've gone to is Jefferson Correctional in Monticello. One of the guys that actually serves with us actually helped build one of the newer units in the prison. There's a delay period where I think they have to wait a certain amount of time, but they can go back in. We actually have another guy that did 22 years for something he didn't do. That fully vindicated, and he actually goes back in and out. That's how he gives his, gives his time back to doing that kind of ministry after doing 22 years for something he didn't do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and there's a lot, a lot of people that are in that ballpark. You know, I think when we think of people in prison those of us who've never been in prison or been around prison ministry we really have an ideal like view of the justice system, Like if you're in prison or, even better yet, if you've been arrested, you've surely done something wrong. But when you really look at the data, that's not true. We don't get it right. We just don't get it right all the time. Yeah, People are arrested. There's pressure on the justice system to deliver suspects, to deliver on quickly. From a public safety perspective, you want to know that someone was arrested so you can sleep at night. So they deliver on that. And I'm not saying they're fudging the books, but they don't get it right every time. But it that way. But they continue to push once they arrest someone, Even in cases where I had a situation with a young man that I worked with in Gadsden County.
Speaker 2:He actually worked for me for I don't know, a couple of years after he got out of jail and his situation was he was arrested, African American young man at I think he was 17 or 18, tried as an adult. I think he was 17, but tried as an adult from molesting his cousin at his grandmother's house. The rest of the story is his mother and his aunt were in a family feud and they were mad at each other. So the sister, his aunt, the mother of the little girl accused him and the little girl said all along it didn't happen, but accused him. The public defender did not follow through. The, you know, the state attorney continued to push because the mother said it did happen, kept the little girl in a room till the point she said it did happen and ultimately went back and told them it did not happen, even as an adult, and they will not expunge his record. Today he's a he's a sex offender for the rest of his life and the victim said it never happened.
Speaker 2:No one will take the case, no one will help him because it's the icky, nasty crime of sex offense. So therefore they won't touch it. And it's so sad because this young man I mean he's not as young as he used to be, but he's still a pretty young guy in his 30s now is trying to live above that and it's hard, so he's dragging this baggage along. So I know for a fact, through individuals, lives that I've come in contact with and who've impacted me, that we don't get it right in the US all the time. We've got innocent guys sitting in jail and we've got innocent guys released into community after many years of being imprisoned, guilty or not guilty, who then are expected to be able to live in society that has changed, that has morphed, and have the stigma of being an ex-feline and an offender in some way, whether that's sexual offender or otherwise, and it doesn't matter if they did it or not. If they serve the time, they're going to serve the time, the rest of their life.
Speaker 3:Well, on that, you're talking about the going back out into the community. That's one thing that Kairos really tries to champion. Graduates from the Kairos program in prison. The recidivism rates are reduced by 50%. So those guys are more likely to get out and get jobs, get out and better themselves rather than getting out and getting back into the same kind of stuff that maybe got them into the prison in the first place.
Speaker 2:And what most people may not know is our governor and legislature. I don't know if it was our governor alone, but they defunded the reentry programs in Florida. So there's all these reentry programs that are functioning basically just as halfway houses now, but all the services that we're being paid for to help them make sure they could succeed have been removed in the state. So the one right here in Midway was defunded. So it's still there. It's just serving as a halfway house and that's not what it was intended to do it was intended.
Speaker 2:I mean people wanted to go because it was going to help them be successful. All those services are gone, so it's back to the church again. It's back to the church, but let me challenge you and say this it was never meant to not be on the church.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The church was supposed to be the center of society, not the dictator of society, but the center of society where Jesus is the answer. And so keep telling us about what Chairos has to offer here.
Speaker 3:I mean, I encourage guys. If it's something that you're even remotely interested in, you can reach out to me. My email address is tmm2121 at Comcastnet. That's the letters TMM, the numbers 2121 at Comcastnet. I can get you in touch with somebody, get an application done. You have to do a background check, there's some other things, but it's a rather easy, flowing process and if it's something you want to get involved in, we need guys, we need more guys. I'm sure if God puts it on your heart, it's something that will benefit you and I'm sure you'll be a blessing to somebody that's in the prison.
Speaker 2:What's the commitment?
Speaker 3:So the way that it works is there's meetings. They'll usually have five to six meetings before a weekend retreat. There's two big retreats a year, one in the fall, one in the spring. Now there are other prisons, the one that the one, that correctional institution I'm going to is JCI. It's in Monticello, but Madison has a Kairos program. There's two, there's others that I'm not privy to, but those are the two main ones. I know this close to our area. So the commitment is it's basically a four day retreat Thursday you're in for, I think, about three or four hours, and then Friday, saturday, sunday is usually seven to three, 30 or so. It's a pretty full day, but it's a powerful weekend. I mean, it's something you have to experience it. I could tell you about it, I could try to break it down, but it's just something. Until you actually go and experience it you won't be able to fully. I can just tell you it's an intense encounter with God, with men that are dressed differently than you.
Speaker 2:I love that. So there's going to be about five prep meetings, as they're evening meetings once a week or something like this leading up to it to get you ready. So you're not going to go in there cold. You're going to know what's going on. You're going to know what you can, what you can't do. So that way you're not not concerned where you can go where you can't go those kind of things.
Speaker 2:And then that weekend again a few hours on Thursday, and then full day Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So you're talking about, you know, two days off work probably, and then a couple of week, a couple of days on that weekend, and then whatever follow-up you can be involved with. But here's the key, guys. If you just plug in and try it once, you're not contracted for life. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:I mean I think sometimes we're afraid if we get into something, ooh, we're going to be stuck in it. No, no, you can try it once and say it's not for me and that's okay. But if you go into it saying you know God's going to show me something this weekend about me and going to show somebody else something about himself, you know, I think that makes it a win, right, and you get to watch God at work.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's usually 30, 30 to 32, they call them men in blue you don't like to call them inmates or prisoners, men in blue and they have tables, six tables. They'll be different guys in the table, so many guys per boy and blue or men in blue, and they do talks and we sing. I mean it's just a great fellowship. You get to meet guys. One of the things we do is you write letters for the guys before you go in there.
Speaker 3:And I was like how am I going to write a letter for a guy I've never met before? And my buddy said he said just pick some scripture and start that at the top of your letter and let God do the rest. And they were right. Like I was writing eight to nine letters a day and the words are just flowing through me. God was just putting so much. You know, actually, one of the letters that I wrote for a guy, he had a little book that he carried around with him. It wasn't a Bible, it was like a like a note pad, like his daily pad he was taking notes on and he had I want to say he had Jeremiah 2911 on there on the front of it, and that was actually the scripture I had on the top of his letter. It's just like that, you know. It's funny how God works things out, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. When there's those commonalities, people feel connected already and it's amazing how many people know something about God but they don't know God. And so what we get to do, get to do when we serve the Lord, whether it's in prison ministry or in church ministry or on the streets or wherever we are, we get to bring the God of the Bible that they've heard about to life, in a sense, that we get to show them who he is, not through our words, but through our actions and through our acceptance and through our love and our non-judgmental. Just not being judgmental is breaking down barriers already, because people really believe Christians are hypocritical, judgmental jerks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's what somebody once told me preach always and use words when necessary.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:We are often the. We are the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet of God, and we might be the only God that anybody ever sees and the only Bible anyone ever reads. There you go.
Speaker 2:So you got to be careful.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but you know people are watching, that you know, and but you're, you should. You should know that someone's a Christian without them ever saying a word.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, absolutely. There's a, there should be a sense about us. And are you looking for, like people who've read the Bible like six, eight times in their life and they've got to be, they've got to be mature believers?
Speaker 3:No, you know the guys that are in there. There's some, we have some. There's some some pastoral staff in there. There's some guys that are kind of new to the face. Some guys have been doing it for a while and that's that. It's just a microcosm of society, you know it's of the world. You're going to have some guys, some people that are really really deep in their walk with God, and some not so much. You know, I, every time I think that I'm I'm deep enough, I found out there's deeper. I can go yeah right?
Speaker 2:So there's no. The only credential is that you know Jesus. That's it.
Speaker 3:That's it.
Speaker 2:You don't need to be a Christian for so many years, you don't need to read your Bible so many times, you don't need to have memorized certain number of scriptures. The key is with ministry and with serving God. It's get in where you can. It's get in where you can try it out, see how God uses that and uses you and shapes you from those experiences. So I would encourage anybody to give this a shot. Is there any other information that you have that you'd like to share before we wrap up today, because I want to make sure that people get a good picture of it?
Speaker 3:That you know. Like I said before about the prayer and share, they're really encouraging the guys to come back and do prayer and share and it happens once a month and they want the guys to gather and pray and the goal is to create like a safe space for the graduates. They can continue to pray and strengthen the relationship with God. And the guys that go through the chairo's program actually a lot of them come back and serve. They'll do the kitchen for another retreat, come back and give their testimonies and it's really powerful when you hear those guys speak.
Speaker 2:And these are prisoners, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:When you hear their stories, I mean you know it's amazing how some of these guys, how much God touched them on that weekend, like they never felt loved, like they thought they were useless, that there was no meeting in their life and through getting in that word they were able to find that God has a purpose for them. You know, if you're still here, you have a pulse, you got a purpose.
Speaker 2:There you go, there you go, and God's not finished with any of us yet. Yeah, so I would encourage you to consider this If you've never tried something like this. This is a great way to do it in a group where you don't have to shine, you don't have to be upfront, you don't have to be the guy that's doing all the speaking or have all the answers. You can be surrounded by other people who know what they're doing.
Speaker 2:And you can do a piece of it that you're comfortable with, that you've been trained in you can give it a shot.
Speaker 2:You don't need to lead it, you just need to be there. You know, it's just like when you're building a house you don't have to be the contractor, you just maybe sling a hammer, right. So we just need some people who can carry some wood. Some people can sling a hammer, maybe somebody carries the nails. It's the same way here in this prison ministry. So if you've never done something like this, I would encourage you to do it. I think we all should try something once in our lives that is completely out of the ordinary for us, just to see what God does with it. So if you've never engaged at all with something like this maybe you've never been around prisoners and that scares you a little bit that's a good opportunity for you to get a whole different perspective on what that really is.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, these are people who need love, who need acceptance, and will never be able to find that without someone reaching out first and saying here it is.
Speaker 3:You know, judge not, you shall not be judged. I mean, it's right there in the Bible, you know.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:But we're quick to look at those guys, regardless of the situation, and think, well, I'm better than them, or they're in there for a reason. They need to be fixed and we're all broken.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 3:We're all broken to different levels, but we're all broken and, um, you know, I'm sure we've all been through situations where we needed somebody to come and Love on us and let us know that we're important and they care about us. And those those guys are in the same situation.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and maybe you didn't get it before. This all happened to them and that's how they got in the situation. And begin with, they didn't have guidance, they didn't have love, it didn't have all this. You know, guilty or not, they just didn't have a good shot at the beginning. Yeah, and they're not going to have a good shot after they come out if they don't have a place to go in a community but to belong to. So that's what this is about. It's about giving guys a second chance. We've all needed it. So again, as we kind of wrap up here, if you want to get involved, just reach out to to tim. Tim, give us your email.
Speaker 3:Okay, it's a t m m 2, 1, 2, 1 at comcastnet. So that's the letter, t m m, then the number 2 1, 2, 1 at comcastnet. You reach out to me, I'll give you what information I have, and I can also get you in touch with Guys that know way more than me that can give you the proper steps and avenues to learn more and also find out. If this is something that you want to do, we'd love to have you on the team. We we need some new guys, need some fresh guys, and if it's something for you, I'm sure you have something to contribute to the group.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and if you're in a situation where you physically cannot do this, I'm sure there's opportunities to give, and if you're interested in that as well, reach out to tim. I'm sure there's a way that we can give towards a particular weekend.
Speaker 2:To help fund that weekend and you can make a difference in the lives of some individuals as well. So, again, I want to thank you today for participating and being part of our podcast, tim, I'm thankful for your passion for the Lord, I'm thankful for your passion for, for men and for the least, those that have been struggling, those who have had problems, but I'm glad that we do know the, the one who knows all the answers. And so, guys, as we wrap today, just take these things under advisement. Think about how God could use you and how you could be of service to another gentleman. Uh, that's just in need of a, of a loving hand and a and a warm heart. So Today, I want to thank you again for joining us here on all the kings, men, and we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us today on all the kings men. Please share, subscribe and like the podcast anytime you can. To contact faster tony, email tony at my rptorg. He would love to connect with you on behalf of pastor tony and all of us at restoration place. Have a great week and we will see you next time.
