Last week, I received an email from a dedicated volunteer chaplain who posed a heartfelt question: “Why can’t I serve in Kairos Torch at the same facility where I volunteer as a chaplain?” As I read their message, I felt a gentle prompting—this wasn’t an exchange that could be resolved by email. I picked up the phone, expecting a brief five- to ten-minute conversation to explain the policy and its purpose. What unfolded instead was a rich, deeply moving conversation that lasted over an hour—one that left me not only informed, but truly inspired.

Within the first ten minutes, the chaplain understood the reasoning behind the practice. But as the conversation continued, something powerful began to happen. She shifted from seeking answers to sharing stories—stories that opened my eyes even wider to the long-term impact of Kairos Torch from a chaplain’s perspective. She spoke of how she interacts with the youth beyond the structured moments of the Weekend and Continuing Ministry—how she sees them in their everyday environments, offering spiritual counsel when it’s needed most.

Some of the youth reach out to her even after they’ve left the facility—just to check in, to say thank you, to keep that lifeline of hope alive. She told me of three young girls who entered the facility without faith, but who left transformed—walking with Christ because of what was sparked during their Kairos Torch Weekend and nurtured through the Mentoring Ministry. Her words, not mine: “It was because of the work done during Kairos Torch.”

Before we ended our call, she offered one final thought that has stayed with me ever since: “I just wish the Kairos Torch volunteers knew the impact they were making. I wish more people would step into this ministry that truly changes lives.”

And so I ask you: What about you?

I know you’re giving your all to the Kairos ministry you’ve been called to serve in. But have you shared this mission with the person sitting beside you at church? Have you gently challenged your friends in Christ to consider investing in the life of an incarcerated youth?

No, you won’t find the phrase “volunteer recruitment” in the Bible. But what you will find—over and over again—is the invitation to rise, to serve, to call others into the work of love and transformation. That, too, is our calling.

Let’s not just recognize the importance of speaking life into this generation—let’s actively participate in it. Let’s be the ones who bring others in, so they too can be part of the change that happens when God’s love enters even the darkest places.

Lives are being changed. And I wish—truly—I wish more people really knew.

Kevin Resnover