Changing Hearts, One Cookie at a Time
Twice each year, members of Ebenezer’s congregation bake dozens of cookies for Kairos Prison Ministry. But these cookies are more than just sweet treats. They’re an integral part of Kairos’ mission to bring the love and light of Jesus into the darkness of prison.
From its beginning in a Florida prison in 1976, Kairos has become an international ministry serving nearly 500 correctional facilities across 10 countries. Larry Anderson has seen its impact firsthand as a Kairos volunteer since 2007, first at the Greenville Correctional Center and later at Sussex State Prison.
The centerpiece of the ministry is the Kairos Inside Weekend. From Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon, the Kairos team enters the prison to lead daily talks, discussions, and meditations, designed to spark life change and build a Christian community behind bars. After the Weekend is over, participants join weekly Prayer-and-Share Groups, led by previous graduates and nurtured by Kairos volunteers.
“The outside team returns to the prison on a recurring basis for fellowship and encouragement,” Larry explained. “A month or so later, we have a two-day refresher event for recent grads. We also have monthly Kairos reunions, and at least one volunteer will meet weekly with the Prayer-and-Share Groups. Once an inmate goes through the Kairos program, they can come back to any Kairos event.”
So where do the cookies come in?
“People think of the cookies as bait, but it’s much deeper than that,” Larry said. “The cookies are a physical manifestation of God’s love.”
He estimates that about 2,500 dozen cookies are given away during a typical Kairos Inside Weekend. Cookies are piled in large bowls in the center of each table, and participants are invited to eat all they want. Kairos volunteers also share cookies with inmates who are not participating in the program, going cell to cell to give each one a dozen cookies and tell them God loves them. They also provide cookies for prison staff and guards.
On Saturday evening, Kairos volunteers lead a forgiveness ceremony. Afterward, inmates take bags of cookies back to their cells and give them to someone to whom they need to extend forgiveness.
“To be able to have something like that and give it away…that’s very impactful,” Larry said.
Even more impactful is witnessing the transformation that occurs when inmates allow Christ’s love to change their hearts.
“I’m starting to see some of the guys from Greenville getting out, and some are doing very well,” he said. “One moved to King George, and he’s gotten a job, gotten married, and joined a Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter. Another guy from one of my first Weekends in Greenville moved to Winchester and started his own trucking company. It’s very encouraging to see what God can do once they commit their lives to Him.”