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Criminal Justice & Mercy Ministries

Jesus called his followers to take salvation to all people in all nations. Kansas West's Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries is building networks of support both inside and outside prison walls in Kansas.

Through Kairos experiences and Disciple Studies, inmates can experience Christ's love and grace. As inmates are released, they experience another supportive network through the AfterCare Action Initiative.

If you are interested in joining the committee, having a speaker for your local church or starting a ministry with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated persons at your church, the committee needs you!

For information, contact Nancy Jackson, chairperson of the Kansas West Conference's Criminal Justice & Mercy Ministries task force, can be contacted at 316-260-9448.

Bible Study

The second annual Children Having Incarcerated Parents (CHIP) camp was held in July at Camp Horizon near Arkansas City.  The Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries committee provided the funding for the event in partnership with St. Mark United Methodist Church.  St. Mark provided the leadership, volunteers, buses and support for this event.

One example of God's blessings, was how a lifeguard was provided at the last minute through a notice he saw posted at the YMCA. This young man has volunteered to be the lifeguard as long as he can for each camp session.

Fifteen children attended the all day camp, ages eight to thirteen.   

The children were allowed to participate in numerous activities.  Basketball, tetherball, sand volleyball, arts/crafts, food, a movie, splashing in the sprinklers, an egg toss, water balloon throw, a outdoor worship experience and lots of interaction with positive adults who demonstrated the love of Jesus by being with the children for the day.  The children were allowed to choose their activity and to do fun things.  The children did not know each other that morning when they left the church parking lot and by the end of the d ay were acting like they were all family.   And they were all one family, God’s family.

Why do we do this work and pool our money together for the children?  Two thirds of the children did not have a church home.  The parents did not know there were churches out there who would accept them and their children.  The children did not realize that there were other children in their community with a parent (or both parents) in prison.  The children did not realize that there were a group of people who cared about them and their parent who was in prison.  It is amazing how the church can reach people in the simplest of ways.

Topkea Women's Kairos