Twenty-seven years ago, Gill first got involved with Kairos Prison Ministry Australia after a close friend asked her to bring her musical skills as a singer and guitarist to the newly emerging Kairos programs for women. Despite initial uncertainties about her own readiness to serve in this way, when Gill learned that ‘Kairos’ means ‘appointed time’ or in ministry terms, ‘God’s appointed time’, she felt the pressure on her lift and the focus on God increase. Today, in 2026, she’s still involved and remains passionate about the ministry, having held a variety of volunteer roles over the years.
Gill’s primary focus is on Kairos Outside, a program for women impacted by having had a family member or friend in prison at some time in their lives. The introductory event of the ministry is a weekend away. These Kairos Outside weekends are designed to create a safe and understanding environment in which participants can share with other women who have been through similar experiences. It’s a ministry born out of sharing God’s love with women who ‘share the time’ that their friend or relative serves in prison.
These women carry a heavy load, one that involves caring not just for the incarcerated person, but also taking on additional family, financial, emotional or work responsibilities. For most of them, there is no safe or supportive environment they can turn to, and it’s challenging to find anyone who understands. Through Kairos Outside, they are offered support and encouragement from volunteers whose role is to show them God’s love in action and listen without judgement.
From early volunteer to ministry leader
Knowing God and being known by Him drew Gill into service with Kairos. She describes her upbringing as “being steeped in the Christian faith”, but she only came to her own faith decision in early adulthood. Even then, it was a journey, one that God worked through to forge her for His good. She reflects, “It became clear to me that if God was to do His work personally and effectively through me, I’d first need to be freed from any baggage I’d been carrying.”
So in 1999 when Gill’s friend Deanne returned from a trip to America armed with the information and determination to start Kairos women’s programs in Australia, Gill was ready to respond to her invitation to get involved. She explains, “Deanne approached me to join the team for the first Kairos Outside weekend. She needed a musician. I was green as green back then, but I soon came to love this amazing outreach.”
Gill has worn many ‘hats’ over her years volunteering with Kairos. The peak of her involvement was leading Kairos Outside nationally. This involved supporting all the communities around Australia. Then, for many years she moved on to training upcoming leaders for the ministry but is now focused on her local Kairos Outside community in Sydney and supporting the leadership there.
Loving women who are isolated and suffering
For the women who attend, even deciding to come to a Kairos Outside weekend takes huge courage. They may be nervous and concerned about whether they will feel safe, or if what they choose to share will remain confidential. All the team involved in Kairos Outside weekends around the country understand this and put a lot of time into being prepared to best care for their guests.
Gill says, “I’ll be leading the music on the next Kairos Outside Sydney weekend and I’m also the talk facilitator. This means that I support those team members who will be giving a talk on the weekend, ensuring that it follows the program guidelines and will communicate well with women from a range of backgrounds. I always say to team members, ‘If your talk reaches that one guest who may have very little formal education or no experience of faith at any level, then you’re going to give the perfect talk.’”
Another important way the team cares for guests is in how they navigate their vulnerability and need for privacy. Women can attend under a pseudonym where needed, and much care is taken to create a space that is comfortable, even though it is vulnerable. Gill says, “As team members we can promise that we will hold their story respectfully and confidentially”.
In her decades of experience with Kairos, Gill has seen how life-changing this outreach can be. She shares about one particular guest who attended a weekend, “This woman was completely isolated because she was afraid to reveal what had happened in her family. So, she pretended that all was well. Even within her inner circle, there was a difference of opinion about whether the person in gaol deserved support or not, and that was difficult for her to navigate. Very reluctantly, she agreed to come on a weekend…and it turned out to be a watershed moment for her as she learned new ways to cope with such a horrible situation.”
Following their weekend experience women are invited to access ongoing support, something some guests eagerly take up. Gill says, “If they want to continue connecting with the Kairos Outside community, there’s wonderful support available for them by phone, through reunion dinners, through coffee groups, and more.”
Kairos Outside is a pastoral ministry. This means Gill and all team members are motivated by the love of God to care for these women, in the hope that they see Jesus through them. She shares, “The giving of the love that Jesus modelled is so powerful that mostly the guests can’t help but be touched by it and so choose to continue connection with their new community.”
Reaching out with God’s love
The support of Kairos Outside is available to all women impacted by another person’s imprisonment, but finding women to invite isn’t easy. Gill explains, “Our greatest challenge is getting the word out that we exist, that it’s a free program with no cost at all to guests. We pick them up, we drop them home, we care for them, we protect their identity – we do all of this. Even so, it’s really hard to make that all important initial contact, as many hide themselves away because of shame or fear of rejection, while others are reluctant to face the true impact their traumatic situation has had on them.”
Kairos Outside aims to help women grapple with these big feelings and experiences, including emotions like guilt, self-loathing, anger and depression. The women who attend the residential weekends include mothers, partners, sisters and friends. They all deserve to feel loved and supported during an unbelievably challenging time. The aim of Gill and others in Kairos Outside teams is to do just that for them.
Gill reflects, “Through Kairos, I’ve become a lot less judgmental. I’ve learned to be a better listener. Team members are just there to listen, to love, and to let God do the rest in His ‘Kairos’ time.”
Want to support Kairos Outside, get involved as a volunteer, or attend a weekend as a guest? Learn more here
Kairos Outside is a ministry of Kairos Prison Ministry Australia.
