St. Luke Table Family

At some point Wednesday or Thursday, during the final Kairos team formation and preparations in Dilley's American Legion Hall, our director, Tom, insisted that HE did NOT choose who was on the team nor what ourr assignments were. It was the Holy Spirit! And I firmly believe the same to be true for the membership of each of the Table Families. God knew EXACTLY which three volunteers and which six Candidates and which one Steward would make the best mix to compose, not just a set of ten individual around a table, but rather a FAMILY of brothers in Christ who really opened up to and loved one another.

And what a family we were at St. Luke! The other two volunteers were our leader Dale Vickers and assistant Dale Miller. It was the latter's first Kairos, but he clearly related well to the inmates and they to him. Dale, Dale and Glen (Alan). . . Hmm-mm! Now don't you try to tell ME that THIS first-name match of us three -- in Celtic tongues Glen means "valley" or "dale" -- was mere coincidence or just Tom's random selection. No siree! This was a "God thing"!

Our Steward was Alex(ander) Alonso, a rather tall Hispanic with a ready smile and a true servant's heart, who had been transferred only a month or so ago to Briscoe, from the unit where he'd been a Candidate on a Kairos Weekend. To my right was Isreal, a Hispanic, and to my left another Hispanic, Eduardo, who is very active in chapel and the music program at Briscoe. To his left was C.J, a mulatto with a cheerful smile and sunshiny personality -- despite missing his lower left leg. Across from me sat Homero and Jeremy; the latter had the look of a "skinhead" but a gentle spirit. And next to Isreal -- he DOES spell his name that way, he's not the country but he "is real" in his faith -- sat Jimmy, an Afro-American who missed out on a little of the Weekend because his wife had come from Dallas for visitation and couldn't have postponed it, because her next opportunity will be next year.

Eduardo was ravenous for the salads at the lunches and dinners; he also craved the plentiful bananas. So we took to calling him "Banana Man"! He was also an Army veteran, who had been stationed in Germany (where he had picked up some Deutsch) and also at Fort Hood as a tank mechanic with the Second Armored Division -- at about the same time I was a Chaplain for the 62d Engineer battalion across the post! Small world!

There is an exercise the entire Team for a weekend does on Thursday before the inside team leaves for the prison. It's the Prayer Circle. One almost has to be there and do it understand the dynamics and the awe of a Prayer Circle! We sit in a circle of chairs, count off, and then half stand up and take positions behind the chairs that still have occupants. By an orderly system, we move around the entire circle of chairs, until each Team member has been prayed over by all the others and has prayed over all the others. The standing member bends down by the sitter's ear and softly prays thanksgiving for that person and affirmation and blessing on them. Then the standing one moves to the next sitter and prays. And so on. . . .

Folks, this Prayer Circle exercise is powerful! POWERFUL! We really ought to do it in our local congregations, Emmaus/Cursillo groups and other fellowships and ministries. I'm fully convinced that if we did prayer circles universally, that old evil adversary of ours wouldn't stand a chance!

I've confessed to being an emotive sort, so you can guess my head leaks frequently during the team's Prayer Circle. There were further tears falling on Saturday, when St. Luke Table Family went apart, into a corner of the dining area, to offer up prayers. Some of these brothers in white had deep remorse for broken relationships (especially for broken relationships with their sons), or other burdens. We were all -- volunteers and inmates -- limp, wet rags by the time we concluded our prayer time.

But the best was yet to come! Somehow I forgot, until we did it Sunday morning, that there is a second Prayer Circle exercise! In this one, each Table Family does the circle, and the other groups (e.g. kitchen-dining crew, music team) also form circles. Because these are multiple small prayer circles it takes much less time than did the first Prayer Circle involving only the Team (and one huge circle). It was not one whit less moving a time, dear reader. Most of us teared up again. A couple of St. Luke Family members didn't just put their hands on the shoulders of the one they were praying for, they slipped their arm around the sitter and gave him sort of a hug from the backside.

And if I could I'd form one huge bear-hug, embracing the entire Table Family at once! I love these brothers in Christ! May God be with and richly bless each and every one -- volunteers, candidates, steward -- of the St. Luke Table Family!