KAIROS Cookie Challenge Spring

...And the winner is...

Matthew 25:43,45 "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.... I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

Sitting at my computer contemplating these verses in Matthew, I find myself re-visualizing the images of our spring KAIROS Cookie Challenge-and then, revisiting the images and voices of the KAIROS closing ceremony. There is a very strong thread that connects these two events-a thread I want you to see with me.

On our end, picture our youth and their advisors during the cookie mayhem in our gym-rolling balls of dough, shuffling trays of baked and unbaked cookies, setting up fans to speed the cooling process, and tallying hundreds of dozen-cookie bags.

We also see our children intent upon writing and illustrating over 100 letters, grounded in Scripture, to men they've never met. Hear their words: (with Romans 8:38-39) "In the modern world today, with all these doubts, it does seem Jesus' and God's love is very far away. Thankfully, their love can never be broken." (With Psalm 145:20) "Get in the circle. God loves you, you love Him, you love others. Love is in. Hate is out." (and with John 8:31-32) "Hope is a bird flying through a window. God loves you."

In our homes, more notes are written and prayers are lifted. We feel the heat of dozens of ovens; smell the aroma of chocolate chips and spices, peanut butter and molasses, and yes, an occasional burnt offering. At the office, Zip-lock bags and shoeboxes continue to arrive and the staff is challenged with, "Hands off."

As the deadline arrives, our Cookie Challenge winners emerge and the Youth have done it again!

The Youth made a total of 248 dozen (Middle school with 146 and High School with 142). The rest of the Congregation added 82 dozen for a total of 330 dozen cookies!

Now, venture to the Lieber end for the KAIROS closing ceremony. Enter through the multiple security check points behind razor-wired walls. Leave phones and purses in your car, remove your shoes and walk through the scanner, exchange your driver's license for a visitor badge. As you follow the group, one door closes and locks before the next one can open. You enter a large rectangular hall where rows of empty chairs are set up facing a center aisle. At one end of the aisle is a podium and at the other end is guest seating. Nervously we find our seats in this uncomfortable setting...and wait.

Then, with a hint of the familiar, a processional begins and the 'choir' enters. The voices of the KAIROS participants join in with the guests as we sing praises to the One who brings us here. Each group of men-named after apostles-takes their seats marked by signs for the "family" of St. Peter, St. Mark, St. Luke...

They're nervous too. You can feel the energy of it but it's laced with more than just anxiety. There's expectation too and a certainty of shared experience.

With only a small introduction, the KAIROS weekend leader in his "street clothes" welcomes all. He reminds the "candidates" that they will be coming forward to share "a summary of your group's impressions of this (four-day) weekend." They'll each introduce themselves and then a chosen representative will share the group's responses to 3 questions considered earlier in the day. These 3 questions frame the closing ceremony. They frame the weekend. Their responses reflect the miracle of God's Love. Listen to their voices....

In what spiritual condition did you arrive?

• "Poor, confused, lost, scared searching; full of pain, anger and 'unforgiveness'"
• "We were weighed down with burdens and hatred."
• "Rough, angry, telling the world, 'Look out, move aside, I'm coming through.'"
• "Battered, bruised, hurt and angry"
• "I was asking God, 'Where you at? Why'd you leave me?"
• "I've been in denial of God all my life. I've been locked up for 30 years. I thought if nothing, else, I'll get a belly-full. And I thought of that old Roy Clark song with the snakes. And I was just hoping He hadn't thrown me one."

What did you find?

• "I found solitude, peace, love, deliverance from things holding me down."
• "I found understanding that God walks with me in all my troubles... even the ones I made."
• "I was surprised to find God wearing a tan suit with SCDC (South Carolina Department of Corrections resident uniform) on it."
• "I found a mountain of respect, a type of Love I didn't know was there. I never had this many hugs in my life."
• "Unity, friendship, love and most of all, Jesus Christ."

What are you taking with you?

• "Love, knowledge, the humility to forgive and ask for forgiveness, a new outlook on life."
• "I AM my brother's keeper. If you see one of us fall, don't use that as a tool to knock him down. We have to help each other keep our armor on to keep the Holy Spirit with us. Now the door is open for me to do right."
• "About 15 more pounds... and Love, something I could never find anywhere else. I'm walking with God when I leave."
• "I'm taking away a flame that has been ignited, a flame of purpose."
• "I can reach out and grab His hand. He's been reaching down, but I didn't know to reach up until now."

Still sitting at my computer, I find on the KAIROS website a page about the role of KAIROS cookies. "Homemade cookies are a tangible expression of Christian love and an indication of God's concern for a group of people who seldom encounter either in the course of their daily lives. Your loving sacrifice will provide "bread" that shines the Light of God's Grace into the darkest corners of a prison unit." Any question about the impact of a 'few' good cookies was answered by the tumultuous applause and standing ovation given by the KAIROS participants at the closing for the meals and cookies we helped provide. As one SPC member remarked afterward, "It brought tears to my eyes and made me want to make even more cookies next time and help in the kitchen."

Thanks to our youth, the youth advisors, our staff, and all the Angels of Summerville Presbyterian Church who prayed, wrote, and baked as reflections of His Love and His Light. The thread of His Church is strengthened with the enfolding of every lost sheep.

...And the Winner is... you already knew, didn't you?