Mission Oneonta, The Redemption Movement Church Oneonta NY 13820: A Sad Day for Oneonta: No More Shows at The Ol' Storefont

On the same day that we mailed a courtesy letter to our neighbors about the music at The Redemption Movement, the City of Oneonta Code Enforcement Office mailed us a letter ordering our church to "cease all use of the premises as a live music venue." This is highly disappointing news for us and the Oneonta arts scene. Friends, take heart. The Ol' Storefront may be closed for live performances, but this isn't the last song of our movement.

No More Shows? What Gives?

Code violations did us in. To again quote the letter, "Based upon complaints received by this office and advertisements for live music observed around the city, it appears that these activities exceed the use parameters set by the City of Oneonta Planning Commission." The letter goes on to mention violations regarding parking, use of the building as an unauthorized nightclub, building capacity, and the need for the building to be compliant with all codes pertaining to a public assembly.

Can The Redemption Movement Still Meet at The Ol' Storefront?

Yes. The church will continue to meet on Fridays at 148 River St. for our weekly gatherings, and we will use the building for other ministry activities.

What about the Upcoming Shows Scheduled on the RM Calendar?

We've found a home for all three of our scheduled shows on 6-4, 7-10, and 7-13. The generous folks at Susquehanna Trail and Campground have agreed to host these shows, along with other future events that we will want to do. Keep an eye on our blog's show page and Facebook page for the latest information as we confirm details with the bands and make arrangements with the Campground.

What's Next for Music at RM?

We've got several options before us, none of which are cheap or easy. For all the time, work, and expense it will take to have the building meet code requirements for public assembly, it may make more sense to move operations entirely out of the River St. location. There may also exist a route that will allow us to continue to host small shows at The Ol' Storefront without having to do additional work on the building. However, all options point to submitting plans to the city, which involves lots of paperwork, going before committees, and paying for the services of various certified professionals like engineers.

We clearly need a bigger space.

As much as I would like to invest more time and money into fixing up The Ol' Storefront, it feels like a lost cause because we've reached a place with our music where we're booking bands that are used to bigger shows, and after using the space for church ministry for the past year, it's obvious that the out-of-the-way location is negatively affecting the effectiveness of our church. Therefore, instead of putting extra effort into something that's ineffective, our next move may be to put the same amount of effort into fundraising in order to move operations to a downtown location.

A Blessing in Disguise?

In a way, it's a bummer because it feels like we're giving up on a space that we've worked so hard to create, but at the same time, moving to downtown has always been the next step of RM's plans--as evidenced from this 2009 YouTube video where Laura and I drove through downtown Oneonta for the very first time and I made the comment at 3:36 as saw the then-abandoned Bresee's building:

"There's an old department store building that's not being used. This downtown area, I don't know the town very well yet, but I would love to start a church in one these downtown storefronts."

For us, we've always seen The Old Storefront as a starter building. Our ambitions are much bigger than a 25x25 room. In 2009 Laura and I moved to NY; not knowing anybody in our new town, it would have been impossible for us to obtain a space downtown, seeing that the city didn't know us and nobody knew what kind of a church we would start. Now, after ministering to Oneonta for five years, I feel like we have many friends in both the arts and the faith community that would be happy to help us in supporting a move to a better location. Additionally, on 5-6 we had a positive meeting with the city council where we addressed the noise issue by informing officials about all the positives of our music and ministry. After that meeting, I feel like a move to downtown may be welcomed by the deciding powers that be. Basically, this one complaint against us has generated a lot of positive support about our mission, and it would be wise for us to take advantage of it to get us to where we want to go.

Regrets?

It's regrettable that these wonderfully-positive shows has to end on such a negative note. It's my hope that these zoning violations don't ruin the church's reputation and that the community will see the good that we were trying to accomplish. I wrongfully assumed that the shows we hosted was part of "church use" (which the building was approved for). I also had every intention to submit new parking plans, but that got pushed aside as I became busy with the responsibilities of pastoring, working a full-time job, running shows, and being a new parent. To help make amends with the zoning department, we immediately stopped doing music at our place as soon as we received the letter. And after talking with zoning, we scheduled a building inspection concerning the site plans we submitted from a few years back. Thankfully, we passed that inspection and our building is currently compliant for the purposes that we are using it for.


A worship service during the remodeling.

If I had to do it over again, I would have done things by the book and pushed back the grand opening to give us more time to get the zoning issues resolved. I think this ordeal serves as a trial-by-fire lesson about working with city government. This experience helps me to understand how to be more compliant with new projects going forward. It's regrettable that we violated codes, however, what's not regrettable is all the friendships we made and artists that we blessed over the course of 23 shows in our little storefront between 2012 and 2014.

The End of an Era

Artists and fans lucky enough to have enjoyed music hosted at The Ol' Storefront understand how special of a place it was. It was an all-ages venue that provided the community with more than just another stage for bands to sing their songs; the Ol' Storefront provided people with a positive, unique, and memorable experience.

The Ol' Storefront served as a place that would give new artists a chance to play their first show. For bands that were on tour and had shows in the region cancel on them, The Ol' Storefront was an easy show to book that kept their tour alive. And doing music helped our church connect with college students from SUNY Oneonta's Music Industry Club, some of the most respectful, responsible, and appreciative students that I've had the pleasure to work with.

MIC Students helping fix up the building.

The Ol' Storefront also served as a "Band and Breakfast." We enjoyed letting traveling musicians crash on our floor, serving them free meals after the show, and even playing board games with them. Showing musicians Christian hospitality has led to wonderful friendships that made bands want to come back, despite the low attendance at the shows.

The Takeaways, King Django, P-Dub, The Snails

At the shows, we would go out of our way to make them fun. Often times we would serve show goers free food like funnel cakes, baked potatoes, and BBQ, and then there was the time we boarded up the front of the building with old doors and pallets and invited the participants of the zombie walk to bust through. With one show we raised money for a local food bank, and it was always wonderful to see kids in attendance enjoying bands that typically play in age-restricted bars. It's my hope that these kids were inspired by the music to pick up a guitar and drumsticks, and that their passion would fuel an awkward high school band that would go on to do great things and make Oneonta proud.

Bray unplugged. RM's official house band.

Even though the shows only lasted a relatively short 2-year period, there are too many great memories to list. The music may be shut down at The Ol Storefront, but the memories will live on. And remember, this isn't the end of music hosted by The Redemption Movement. We will get back on our feet and put on bigger and better shows that will benefit the community we love. Keep an eye on our blog and Facebook page to find out how you can help with our upcoming plans, and remember that the building is still open for church use and you're always welcome to visit us on a Friday Gathering or participate in a Sunday Act of Kindness if you want to get involved with our little movement.