The roots of Ekklesia Prison Ministry reach back to 1976, when volunteers began
conducting a three-day Short Course in Christianity inside Union Correctional Institution
in Raiford, Florida. Inspired by the Cursillo movement, the program was designed to
bring Christian fellowship, spiritual guidance, and hope to incarcerated men and
women.
As similar programs spread to other states, the ministry adopted the name Kairos in
1979, a Greek word meaning “God’s Special Time.” Kairos Prison Ministry continued
to expand throughout the United States and came to Colorado in 1982 when Bill Potter
and Bill Fay introduced the ministry at Fremont Correctional Facility in Cañon City. Over
time, Kairos was established in additional Colorado correctional facilities.
In 2002, Dick Evans introduced Kairos Prison Ministry to the Limon Correctional
Facility (LCF). For the next ten years, volunteers served alongside incarcerated men,
building a ministry centered on faith, fellowship, accountability, and the transforming
message of Jesus Christ.
In 2012, the Kairos ministry at LCF was discontinued because the program could not
fully follow the national Kairos guidelines within the security requirements of a Level 4
facility. However, Captain Rusher, who had witnessed the positive impact of the ministry,
encouraged Dick and the team to find a way for the ministry to continue under a
different name.
During a meeting with the volunteers and the incarcerated men who served on the
inside team, one of the men suggested the name Ekklesia. The biblical word ekklesia
refers to an assembly or congregation of God's people—a fitting description of the
community that had developed within Limon Correctional Facility.
With the support of facility leadership, the team developed a new ministry handbook and
established Ekklesia Prison Ministry in 2012.
Today, Ekklesia continues that original calling: to bring the hope of Jesus Christ,
Christian fellowship, spiritual growth, and God's transforming grace to those
behind prison walls.