Originally developed in the Philippines, Kairos seeks to educate people all over the world about the realities of God’s global mission by focusing on the biblical foundation for missions, strategies to reach people, and specific cultural studies. This three-week class is taught in 30 different countries by trained Kairos teachers.

Encompass Mobilizers Skip and Kerry Jefferies recently taught the Kairos course at their home church, Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church in Pennsylvania. Martinsburg is a relatively monocultural town of a few thousand people. It’s several hours away from the closest major city. The Jefferies hoped the Kairos course could help MGBC be more culturally informed and more on mission, and they were very pleased in the outcome.

The nine sessions of the course drew students of all ages from the church, all wanting to learn more about what God is doing in the world and how they could be a part of it. One young girl who came had already set her heart on vocational missions, and she found the course to be a great first step in her preparation.

One of the central focuses of the course is prayer, and the Jeffries’ class was impacted by the prayer time more than anything else. Every student is encouraged to pray for a specific unreached people group. By going online to the Joshua Project, they were able to see the faces of the people they were praying for. The goal is for this to become a habit of prayer in the students’ lives.

The Jeffries are excited to teach the class again. They are hoping to make the Kairos course a yearly opportunity for their community. This time they taught under the supervision of their Filipino friend Beng Bicaldo, but Kerry Jefferies is currently taking steps to become a Head Facilitator so that they can teach the class completely on their own. Their hope is to see more interest in Kairos from their community and neighboring churches.

Are you interested in becoming more informed about global missions or in equipping your community to be better senders and goers? Check out more about Kairos Course or Encounter Trips. Contact the Jefferies to hear more about their experience (Skip & Kerry Jeffries) skjeffries@encompassworld.org