Kairos Center

08/17/2026

We are marching in to history!!! This song was written by the incomparable Arnaé Batson of the Arnaé for the Fierce Urgency of Now March.

08/11/2026

On Friday, our first season of Survival Revivals culminated at Deliverance Temple in Alton, Illinois. From group discussions on faith, community, and belonging to a taillight clinic and resource fair, Alton demonstrated what it means to build beloved community.

A highlight of this gathering was building the longest community table in Alton’s history. Churches and community members brought salads, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, pot roast, fried chicken, corn, brownies, drinks and more to share with one another. The table symbolized the revival’s commitment: neighbors showing up for neighbors, building power by meeting needs and connecting with new people, to be stronger together in these times. The day culminated with a screening of a documentary featuring Jes, a formerly unhoused resident who is now leading recovery efforts among the unhoused community.

When this community was asked, “Why are you hosting a survival revival in a church? This is clearly political,” Pastor Charles Burton replied, “Because this work is sacred. Feeding the hungry is sacred. Healing the sick is sacred. Welcoming the stranger is sacred. Buiding the beloved community sacred.”

It is also the way forward.

08/06/2026

Join us, TOMORROW!

Learn more here: https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/community-empowered-to-connect-and-resist-at-upcoming-alton-beloved-community-peoples-fair-95639.cfm

The People's Fair, hosted by Alton Beloved Community, brings together local resources, opportunities to learn, meaningful conversations, a community meal, and a celebration of belonging. It aligns closely with our own mission to connect people not only to shelter, but to community. We hope to see you there on August 7!

To register for the survival simulation or sign up to host a table at the community meal, use the links provided below:
👉 Survival Simulation signup: bit.ly/AltonSimReg
👉 Host a table: bit.ly/AltonTableReg

08/04/2026

On August 1, Bethany Park in Kansas City, Kansas, was taken over by the city’s first Survival Revival. Hundreds of people gathered under the tent and in the shade. Lunch, fresh produce and non-perishable goods were available for all, as were toys, clothing, books and bubbles. Tail lights were repaired in the parking lot. Health checks and massages healed bodies, while song, scripture and spoken word healed our souls.

Organization, abolition, faith, and the struggle for community survival have always been central to the story of Kansas City. On Saturday, it became clear that this tradition lives on.

The following day, organizers discussed the necessity of continuing to build on this moment, finding new opportunities to work together and fight for each other - and against all the crises of our times.

In Kansas City and beyond, we will protect each other.

08/03/2026

In August 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Chicago Freedom Movement marched into Marquette Park to confront entrenched segregation, redlining, and organized racial violence.

Sixty years later, we face renewed attacks on voting rights, expanding systems of criminalization and detention, and deepening economic inequality.

Yesterday, we retraced their steps. Dozens of multi faith organizations and hundreds of marchers from across Chicago and the nation converged on Marquette Park for a new commitment to continue the struggle. This commitment is powered by our collective moral and faith traditions, and it is built on decades of history of righteous struggle in Chicago and across the country.

We were joined by legacy marchers who participated in the original march along with powerful civil rights leaders like Bernice A. King , Rami Nashishibi, Pastor Michael McBride, Dianne Garcia . Our spirits were buoyed by the artistic offerings of Common , Maimouna Youssef, Speech from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT , Ronnie Malley & the Summoud Collective.

We want to extend an emphatic thank you to our hosts at IMAN - Chicago & ATL for their leadership, faith, and unrelenting commitment to fight the triple evils of racism, poverty, and militarism; as well as to our local partners at Faith Over Fear and our national partners at Powered by Faith.

08/02/2026

Remember, Prepare, and Resist with Freedom Church of the Poor.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/FCOPSIGNUP

Black August was born inside California prisons in the 1970s after the assassinations of George Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, and other incarcerated freedom fighters. This radical season calls us to honor those targeted by systems of state violence while recommitting ourselves to the unfinished work of liberation.

As we gather in worship, study, cultural expression, testimony, and collective reflection, we lift up the legacy of those who came before us and prepare ourselves for the struggles ahead. We come together not only to remember, but to build. Not only to mourn, but to organize. Not only to resist, but to imagine and create a society rooted in dignity, justice, beloved community, and liberation for all people.

08/02/2026

Remember, Prepare, and Resist with Freedom Church of the Poor.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/FCOPSIGNUP

Black August was born inside California prisons in the 1970s after the assassinations of George Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, and other incarcerated freedom fighters. This radical season calls us to honor those targeted by systems of state violence while recommitting ourselves to the unfinished work of liberation.

As we gather in worship, study, cultural expression, testimony, and collective reflection, we lift up the legacy of those who came before us and prepare ourselves for the struggles ahead. We come together not only to remember, but to build. Not only to mourn, but to organize. Not only to resist, but to imagine and create a society rooted in dignity, justice, beloved community, and liberation for all people.

Sunday Service 6pm ET/3pm PT
Bible Study (Wednesdays) 6pm ET/3pm PT

07/31/2026

You could feel the walls trembling today outside Miami Correctional Facility. A multi faith bus caravan from 11 states on the way to Chicago for an historic march on Marquette Park joined local Indiana organizers and faith leaders to hold a vigil outside a maximum security prison. Miami Correctional now holds over 600 of our immigrant neighbors and more than 3000 people total. Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian leaders from across the country spoke, prayed, and sang clearly on the inhumanity of this criminalization of our communities and called, in one voice, to free families. None of us are free until all of us are free.

07/29/2026

Being in Birmingham means revisiting a long history of resistance and hope in dangerous times and applying the lessons of past movements to our current context. It means remembering that we are not alone. It means using our time together to build community, often in the most ordinary ways - sharing what we have, singing, playing, talking to one another - so we can do extraordinary things.

The day before Birmingham’s survival revival, we visited the historic Birmingham jail, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his infamous letter: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy...”


Photos by Zach Adams

07/26/2026

In this season of Disability Pride Month, we honor the struggle, resistance, wisdom, and joy of disabled people living in systems that were not built for disabled people to survive, thrive, or fully belong. We celebrate the sacred truth that disabled people are not burdens to fix, but beloved image bearers of God whose lives reveal creativity, interdependence, resilience, and joy.

Throughout this month, we will reflect on four healing narratives from scripture. Too often, these stories have been used to blame disabled people for their conditions or to suggest that disability is something shameful or in need of erasure. Instead, we will approach these passages as invitations to reimagine healing as inclusion, accessibility, liberation, and restored community in a world shaped by exclusion.

During this season, we proclaim that disabled lives are holy, disabled joy is sacred, and the work of justice calls us to build communities where all people can flourish.