Seeing Sacrifice in Salvation. Philippians 1:6

From the Anchor sermon series "Rejoice." Message "Joy from Grace" preached by Pastor Ryan Alsheimer. Communion message by Pastor Kaler Carpenter.

Growing up in church, I’ve seen this verse often shared when someone's discouraged, like if plans don't work out or if ministry is difficult. And while this Bible verse certainly encourages during a hard time, for the fellow saints Paul was writing to in the church of Philippi, they understood this promise to be mean more.

For Paul's original Roman audience (and for us today), this promise is about salvation and sacrifice.

You see, Paul is a master missionary, and as such, he regularly borrows from the customs and rituals of the culture he’s ministering to, in order to teach truths about the Gospel.

In this passage, the language used by Paul points to a religious sacrifice commonly performed in ceremonies across the Roman empire, like the Roman colony of Philippi. And when Paul uses the Greek words for “to begin” (enarchesthai) and for “to complete” (epitelein), he is pointing to the technical terms denoting the beginning and the ending of this well-known sacrifice.

NT commentator William Barclay explains this ritual. He says that the following sacrificial actions were called “the beginning”, or enarchesthai: 

A torch was lit from the fire on the altar and then dipped into a bowl of water to cleanse the water with its sacred flame; and with the purified water the victim and the people were sprinkled to make them holy and clean. Then followed what was known as the sacred silence, in which the worshiper was meant to make his prayers to his god. Finally, a basket of barley was brought, and some grains were scattered on the victim, and on the ground.

And the word used by the Greeks for completing this entire ritual is the same Greek word used by Paul, epitelein, “to complete.” 

Therefore, Paul is communicating that the life of every Christian is a prepared sacrifice to be offered to Jesus Christ. 

And, it’s a sacrificial work that’s God’s already begun. It’s the same imagery Paul uses in Rom. 12:1 when he instructs the Roman Christians to “present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” 

For followers of Christ, the completion of this sacrifice and our salvation happens on the day of Jesus Christ, i.e., when the King of Kings physically returns and we stand before him, face to face.

On this day, we will be duty bound to present to the King a mark of our love and loyalty.

And on this day, the only gift that Jesus Christ will desire from us, is ourselves.

So then, we are called to live lives that are worthy to be offered to King Jesus. This is such a high calling that it can’t be achieved by our good works. Only the grace of God can enable you to be a living sacrifice that’s holy and acceptable to God, and this grace can only be obtained through the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf, by having is body broken and his feet and hands nailed to a wooden cross.

Therefore, when we come to this table, we are remembering what Jesus did, and we are presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice before the living God.

And as we partake in the bread and the juice, we’re reminded that, us being found acceptable before a holy God, is only possible because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

It’s not about how good we are, or what we do or don’t do.

Instead, it’s all about Jesus Christ and what he did.

That’s the Gospel, and that’s the Good News we declare when we come forward. So, stand, and if this describes the good work that God has begun in you, then come to this table.

Evil is in the World, But We Know He Who is Greater

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

This promise in 1 John that gives us incredible peace (blessed assurance) in the midst of anything that we’ll ever encounter in this world.

And, as we’re all keenly aware, the world is broken. It is a jacked up, messed up place.

Evil is very real, and Satan preys upon the innocent--seeking to kill and destroy every human that bears the image of God.

But, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

In America’s most recent mass shooting, evil showed itself by taking innocent life at a small church in Texas.

It’s a horrific tragedy that doesn’t make any sense. It’s tempting to react with fear, and even be angry at God. This past week, the world’s reaction to this particular tragedy has been anger--and this anger has been directed to those who have faith in God. To those who respond to tragedy, with prayer.

They mock the promise “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” saying that it can’t possibly be true as long as there is evil in the world.

You know what, there are a lot of promises in the Bible, and tomorrow isn’t one of them.

As long as we live in a fallen world, we are vulnerable to evil. Tragedy can befall this little church just like anywhere else. But, despite the reality of evil, we believe that God is greater, and therefore, we’re free from anger and fear, and we can take refuge in God by communing with Him, in prayer.    

Admittedly, the innocent dying at the hands of evil is painful and can’t be easily explained and. 

Yet, God identifies with our sorrows because He experienced the full brunt of this evil when his innocent Son, Jesus Christ, was murdered on a cross.

For the sake of our sins and BECAUSE the world has a problem with evil, God sent Jesus to redeem the world by subjecting him to the worst that Satan and evil could do.

Nails pierced his hands and feet. Thorns were pushed into his head. He was severely beaten and mocked, and he died a slow, agonizing death hanging from a cross. All this done to a man that was on a mission to heal a broken world.     

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

This is not an empty promise.

Jesus overcame evil for all of us when he rose victoriously from the dead.

And now, the same power that raised Christ literally dwells “inside of us,” so that we too can overcome the world and all of its evil.

So tonight, if the world has made you angry, or sad, or if you’re hurting or offended, then come to the table, identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tonight, seek out the powerful prayers of the saints, and find healing in a power that is greater “than he who is in the world.”

From the Anchor sermon series "Blessed Assurance," Message: "Test the Spirits."

What Does Christian Love Look Like?

An Anchor sermon preached by Kaler Carpenter of The Redemption Movement, October 8th, 2017.

Podcast on AnchorOneonta.com:

Facebook Live video:

Jesus Christ is considered a revolutionary, the founder of a great religious movement. Yet, his message wasn’t one of government reform or a code of ethics on how to live your life. Instead, at the heart of Jesus’ message is a simple command that I believe is impossible to live out apart from having one’s life first transformed by Christ: the command to love one another.

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:33-34 

Now, the idea of love itself isn’t revolutionary. In fact, it’s commonly preached everywhere and valued by everybody. Modern examples are everywhere: “All you need is love,” #LoveIsLove, #LoveWins, Valentine's Day, etc.

But, what makes Jesus’ take on love so revolutionary is that, for the Christian, love is more than a feeling. Expressing the love of Christ can only come from having one’s own life first transformed by Christ, as well as being at a place of complete dependency on Jesus Christ. In 1 John, this kind of life is referred to as “abiding in the light,” or having one’s “life in Christ.”

In the letter of 1John, we get incredible insight as to what this love looks like, and what makes the love of Christ unique. 

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” 1 John 2:7-9

John begins this passage by putting into context exactly who this “one another” is in v.7, “Brethren;” i.e., the love of Jesus Christ is most clearly seen in the family of God, i.e, we who are brothers and sisters in, due to our common life IN Christ Jesus.

Now to be sure, every human is capable of expressing love in some capacity. But John is saying that the love expressed by the Christian is of a completely different nature than whatever form of love the rest of the world can show, apart from Christ. The difference between these two loves, John says, is as drastic as the differences between light and dark.

“The metaphor is rather involved, but to put it simply John is saying that people who are not Christians are walking in the dark; yes, but not only that, there is a darkness within them also. The trouble with sinners and unbelievers is not simply that they have darkness around and about them and cannot see where they are going; the darkness has blinded their own eyes--they are blind as well as being in the dark… so that, in a sense, even if you put them into the light they would not be able to see. So when people become Christians, two things happen to them: their own eyes are opened, and they are enabled to see; and they are also in an entirely new realm.” -Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ  

This “new realm of light” is a new life, or “born again,” that is now a life marked by love. It includes:

• A changed life.
• You are a new creation in Christ Jesus
• Citizenship of a different kingdom.
• You are found (last time I preached about what it means to be lost).
• You are made righteousness, or right standing before God (through no effort of our own).
• And a new family.

Family love: In the human experience, the love seen in a nuclear family (parents and children) is one of the strongest bonds there is. In God’s family, those whose eyes are opened and have been transformed from darkness to light, there is family love that now exist between every person abiding in the light.

This is good news for those who, unfortunately, never experienced this kind of deep, unconditional love from their biological families. And this is good news for all of us, because it means that this family love can now be given to/experienced by way more people than just mom, dad, brother and sister. John is saying that every person who considers themselves a part of the Christian family should be both giving and receiving this kind of family love. John is also saying that showing this love is what makes a Christian a Christian, and, those who fail to do so by harboring hate, why, these people aren’t really Christians. By failing to show love to one’s family = a person is still in darkness.

“But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:11

John is addressing Gnosticism, a heretical group that was trying to pull people away from the church by 1. denying the Trinity, and 2., claiming that salvation only comes from a personal experience of receiving “secret knowledge about God,” or, “a new command.”

So John says that that the test of salvation, isn’t based on religious experience and personal knowledge, but it’s based on how a person shows the love of Christ to their brothers and sisters.

Anybody ever been burnt by religion before? If you have, consider verse 10:

Religion done without love or relationship = hypocrisy. Back then, hypocrisy was seen in Gnosticism and its false claims made people stumble. Can you think of modern examples of how unloving and hurtful deeds done in the name of religion still cause people to stumble today? Of course you can.

John is addressing the problem of Gnosticism in his letter by:
Asking his people, “How much love do you see coming from these ‘enlightened religious teachers?’”
Combating the fact that Gnostics are so concerned about “special knowledge,” “religious experience”, and “a new revelation,” with an old truth: all you really need is an old commandment that Jesus made new, v.7-8.

To summarize v.7-8’s “old vs. new commands”:

"In other words, from the moment you first heard the gospel, you heard this particular doctrine emphasized (to love one another). I (John) shall not add to the gospel which you have already believed (like the Gnostics were doing). I am simply reminding you of what you already know.”-Lloyd-Jones

Living this out this truth practically for today’s Christians: There’s a lot of temptation in today’s postmodern culture to add to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; diversity, new teachings, spiritual principles, exciting experiences, etc.. Friends, family members, we don’t have to reach for new things. The love that’s available in the life of Jesus Christ is more than enough to meet all of our needs.

So how are you doing with this super simple command to love your brethren? How’s it going with “walking just as Jesus walked”? (v.6). Now, walking in the light like this can be seen in variety of ways, from simply showing kindness to one another, to having meaningful fellowship, to serving each other’s needs. But, the true test of Christ’s love is seen when we express love in the most powerful way that Jesus showed love: when we forgive one another.

For the world and all of its definitions of love, forgiveness is a nice option, but not a command. But for the Christian, extending grace and forgiveness is at the heart of what it means to show the love of Jesus Christ. Also, showing forgiveness is fundamentally what it means to be family. Take for example a parent who is refereeing a fight between siblings. It’s common for them to say, “I know you’re mad at your brother, but he’ll always be your brother.”

Think for a moment how strong a church would be or how beautiful the movement of Christianity would look like if everybody who claimed to be Christian actually lived this out and forgave one another in this way? It would be a powerful witness of church unity that would testify to the world that, “Hey, there’s a different way to love!”

Admittedly, when it comes to forgiveness, this is where Christianity gets tough, but it gets easier to live out as you grow and when you’re plugged into a church community that’s committed to loving like Jesus loved.

All that said, I feel the need to make a distinction between loving and forgiving those in your Christian family, vs. loving and forgiving those in the world (outside your spiritual family, or those in the world and in darkness). I have a personal example from just yesterday of forgiving a young man like this who wronged me:

“What this means is that you and I can only be happy about the fact that we are Christians if we find this loving, forgiving spirit within ourselves. It is idle for us to say that we know that God has forgiven us if we are not loving and forgiving ourselves. People who say they are in the light but who hate and do not forgive their brother, are in darkness even now. Men and women who have seen the truth, those who are in the light, have seen themselves and others all under the law of the love of God. And having realized this love which has pardoned them in spite of their unworthiness, they are prepared to do the same to others.” -Lloyd-Jones

Lastly, I want to close by looking at a picture that John paints for us of what the Christian family looks like. He does this in the following verses, 12-14, and what we see here is a beautiful snapshot of the Christian family, one that’s marked by love and discipleship.

We see John give practical advice to children, fathers, and young men for victorious Christian living. But I don’t believe that John meant for us to take these titles literally in the biological sense. Look around you, the reality of this Christian family means that, spiritually speaking, this room is full of fathers/mothers, young men/young women, and little children. And your designation at the family table, isn’t based on your age, but on your maturity in Christ Jesus.

Example 1: How long have you been a Christian?

• A couple of years = a little child.
• Decades = a father/mother.

Example 2: How easy is it for you to forgive?

• If forgiveness is hard = hating someone a little less = a little child.
• If you’re so aware of how Christ forgave you that extending forgiveness to others is easy/natural = a father/mother. 

Now, with that in mind, let’s read v.12-14 and take to heart the verse where John addresses you, father/mother, young man or young woman, or little child.

“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:12-14

What’s really genius about how Jesus setup this spiritual family/love movement, is that we are each called to grow and mature in our faith, with the help of those who are more mature, for the purpose of raising up the little children in the faith. This is what it looks like when a church is a family of disciples that make disciples.

In the family snapshot John gives us, we see that John is the spiritual father, as seen in v.1 when he addresses his audience as “my little children.” Yet, there was a time when John, and all 12 of the mighty disciples, where each little children in their faith, and Jesus was teaching them like a father.

Going back to John 13, we actually see this on the night when Jesus was betrayed.

“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.” -John 13:33 

That night at the family table, Jesus passed the all-important commandment on to John, “in the beginning” of his faith journey, while he was still new to salvation. Now, lets fast forward beyond 1 John to 2 John 1:5-6 and listen to John as an older man, a father in the faith, as he echoes Jesus once again:

“Not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”

Tonight:

• If you are a little child in the faith, then who is a father figure that’s mentoring you?
• If you are a father in the faith, then who is the child that you're pouring into?
• If you are a young man/woman, then how are you using your strength to overcome the wicked one and be on mission for God? 
• Also, if you don’t consider yourself a part of the Christian family, then what stumbling blocks can we talk with you about so you can “see the light”? 

Answering these questions starts by participating in Christian community. For Jesus, he expressed community in John 13 by sitting with his children at the family table. At this table, Jesus broke bread and ate and drank, he served his children’s needs by washing their feet (including Judas), and he taught his children “new” commandments to pass on others.

So tonight, let’s come to this table remembering what Jesus did for us, as well as asking the question, “Because of what Jesus did on the cross, how can I better love my brother and sister?”

Town & Gown Gala 2: 11-14 @ Foothills Performing Arts Center

This year’s Gala lineup has something for everyone. Featuring local favorites Whiskey Honey Pie (Folk/Bluegrass) and SUCO Jazz Octet, 2 rock bands;The Holy Thunderheads and Kardia (a favorite of TGG1), and Long Island ska legends, The Scofflaws (who will also be headlining an after-party @ B-Side Ballroom & Supper Club).

The purpose of TGG2 is to bring together the Oneonta community. This will be achieved with live music, hearing from local leaders (like Mayor Herzig and more), and games for the kids.

This year’s TGG fundraising efforts will go to the ‪#‎OneontaRides‬ Designated Driving Service--a free ride program of The Redemption Movement, dedicated to making Oneonta a safer place for everyone: http://ow.ly/RsWCy

Bigger/better than last year?: http://ow.ly/TEx3h

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1617328565196949/ 
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Milestone: Giving Our 1,000th Free Ride!

We've just given our 1000th free ride! #OneontaRides #seniorcrawl #ActOfKindness #milestone pic.twitter.com/WFwhxzYAQG

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 15, 201

Serving the Seniors

Oneonta’s Senior Bar Crawl was a perfect occasion to give our 1,000th free ride.

The SUNY Oneonta class of 2015 has played a big part in The Redemption Movement’s short history. Many of these seniors were sophomores when our church launched in the Spring of 2013. For half of their college careers, they've been shown God’s love on numerous occasions by our church outreach efforts. With this class, we've developed many meaningful relationships and taking 57 of them home during the crawl felt like an appropriate way to say our goodbyes.

Literally.

This was the first time that we've offered rides during the crawl, so I didn’t know quite what to expect. After learning about how busy of a yearly event it is, we committed to arriving much earlier than normal and parked in front of Choice Ultra Lounge around 6:30pm. Arriving early like this ensured that we would give our 1,000th ride during the crawl--our total going into the evening was 973. << Click here to read stories about the previous rides >>

What we didn’t know is that the bar crawl officially started at 6pm, so nobody needed a ride home that early. However, our time wasn't wasted. Parking in such a visible spot (outside of 3 bars), gave us a chance to interact with many of the crawl’s participants.

This was a very positive experience. We had a steady stream of students stop and talk with us (many of whom we've served and worked with in the past for various reasons), as well as pause to thank and high-five us. In all honesty, we felt like rock stars. This is amazing because we’re not seeking popularity, instead, our goal is to serve others in a dinigified manner. I think that us being shown honor in a setting like this gives merit to Jesus’ Golden Rule, “Treat others as you want to be treated.”

The Breathalyzer Was a Hit

We didn’t give very many rides during those first couple of hours, but we did get to provide another helpful service, breathalyzer tests. We bought a breathalyzer in March for such a reason as this. Up until now, we've only given a few tests for each outing, but for the Senior Pub Crawl, we had a constant crowd of people awaiting their turn to take the test. I feel like our new full-sized breathalyzer sign had something to do with it.

By the end of the night, we had administered 31 breathalyzer tests. 

Wow! We gave 31 breathalyzer tests for #barcrawl2015 #OneontaRides pic.twitter.com/IDHg3tL1F0

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 15, 2015

 It was a learning experience for many of the participants. As the device calculated each test result, I would point to the sign and explain what the BAC levels are for getting a DUI. Granted, few of these students were planning on driving that night, but, for future reference, these test takers now have a better idea of how much alcohol it takes (and what it feels like) to be beyond the legal limit for when they will drive.

The most dramatic test came from a petite young woman who blew a 0.2 (the highest BAC level of the night). Her jaw hit the sidewalk when she saw the result because she felt fine. I had the opportunity to explain to her how her small stature meant that she gets intoxicated quicker than her friends. I could tell that the test made her want to slow down (or even stop) her drinking for the evening.

Giving Our 1,000th Ride

Come 9pm and we had given only 7 rides and parked in front of multiple bars. This is when the “second shift” started and I swapped one helper for another (in keeping with our two-person volunteer policy). By now, the students were thinking pizza and Tino’s was filling up. Therefore, we made Tino’s our HQ from 10pm on. All the while, we had the magic number of 27 in mind--that’s when we would hit the big 1-triple-zero.

We gave our 1,000th ride before midnight. The ride was extra special because it was to two Music Industry Club students. The MIC students have been a huge help to our church when we tried our hand at booking shows. Our 999th rider (Mike), is the drummer in the student band “Living Proof,” a band that we booked for November’s Town & Gown Gala (their first show). Earlier that evening, other Living Proof band members made sure to find our car for a picture. 

#SeniorCrawl: 57 free rides given. Goodbye seniors & @Living_Proof_NY Lots of good friends graduating 😔 #OneontaRides pic.twitter.com/u3jZUn1gbf

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 15, 2015

It was neat to see how the 1,000th ride worked out. Knowing that the next carload would contain the special rider, I happened to get simultaneously flagged down on Main Street by two different groups. I parked the car at equal distance from the two groups and they both begin to approach. My MIC friends were in group #1, and some rowdy bros that I didn’t know where in group #2. Thankfully, my friends made it to the car first and hopped in the backseat. I told the bros that my car was full and I’d be back to get them. They requested that I instead pick them up at a house a few blocks away (which I attempted to a little later and they weren't to be found). 

I refrained from telling my riders the good news until I was a half mile from their apartment. Upon arriving, I gave them a “1,000th Rider” crown and gift bag with some chocolate and sparkling grape juice. They were excited to receive the prize and were good sports about letting us take their picture.

It was a fun experience that was enhanced by social media. After we gave the ride we posted the picture to Twitter. Throughout the course of the night we would tell other passengers about giving the 1,000th ride and they would reply that they saw it on their friend’s timeline. It’s reasons like this why we live tweet the night using #OneontaRides.

Keeping the Rides Free and Thinking about the Next 1,000 Rides

By the end of the night we had given 57 free rides to a variety of people (bringing the all-time ride total to 1,030). All the riders appreciated the act of kindness and many asked about how they could support the service.

That night, we did our best to turn down people’s money, insisting that the ride is free because we believe God’s love is free. Though we refused people’s money, we did plant a fundraising seed, telling them how we want to fundraise over the summer so we can expand the service and make an even bigger impact when the students come back next Fall. I asked the passengers to keep an eye on The Redemption Movement’s blog and social media pages for when we launch the fundraiser, which will be a good opportunity to give.

The best way to get the latest on our fundraising plans is to join The Oneonta Designated Driving Crew on Facebook. With what we've got planned, 1,000 rides is just the beginning!

Local Churches Unite Outreach Efforts for Saint Patrick’s Day 2015

It’s well known that Saint Patrick’s Day is a popular holiday in Oneonta, New York. Every year, green-wearing revelers flock to the city’s downtown bars, many beginning their day of corn beef and Guinness before noon. Following in the footsteps of Saint Patrick himself, Oneonta churches are celebrating the day by being missionaries to their own town, and even Ireland too.

Three is an important number for Saint Patrick’s Day. Patrick used a three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity to the Irish, and now three local churches are teaming up to reach Oneonta with God’s love on the annual day celebrating the 5th Century missionary. In a display of church unity, two student groups, BASIC from Community Gospel Church and Campus Ambassadors from Main Street Baptist Church, will team up with a third church, The RedemptionMovement, to share the good news of the Gospel.

Campus Ambassadors & BASIC to Share God’s Love and Hot Cocoa

Beginning in the early part of the evening, a team from CA will set up tables in front of their church at the corner of Main and Maple Streets. A team from BASIC will join them to give away hot cocoa, bottled water, and if needed, blankets. This church corner happens to be a busy OPT bus stop that’s a popular pick up spot for college students on the weekends.

CA students prepping some cocoa.

Last semester, CA leader Peter Eklund launched this cocoa outreach ministry and his group has been doing it regularly on Friday nights. Peter is encouraged by how well the act of kindness has been received, especially, “When people who we’ve served before come around the corner, see us, and shout, ‘You’re here!’ It’s become a great way to introduce ourselves and build relationships with the students.” With the large amount of students expected to be out on St. Patrick’s Day, Peter plans on keeping the tables open until the buses quit running after 2am.

The Redemption Movement to Offer Free Rides Home

St. Pat's Day 2013, Ride #1

For bargoers living off the bus route, or for those who might be too out of it to make it to the bus stop, another church, The Redemption Movement, will be giving free rides home to anybody who needs it or wants it. Pastor Kaler Carpenter has been using his car to shuttle Oneonta’s bargoers home as a church act of kindness for nearly two years now, giving 650 people rides home to date. Saint Patrick’s Day marks a special day for his church’s free ride outreach; it was on Saint Patrick’s Day 2013 when Kaler and his wife Laura first parked their car on Water Street to do the AoK. Two years later and the free ride service has become one of The Redemption Movement’s most well-known ministries, with plenty of “stories from the road” which Carpenter posts on the church blog.

For St. Patrick’s day, The Redemption Movement’s free ride car (affectionately referred to by students as "The Jesus Cab"), will be hitting the streets at 8pm (2 hours earlier than normal), and, as is their custom, they will provide rides until there’s no longer a need for one. To find The Redemption Movement’s car for a ride, keep your eyes peeled in front of Tino’sPizza and The Red Jug Pub on Main St. in order to spot Carpenter and a volunteer standing outside, holding signs promoting the free service. Or, be on the lookout for their car while you’re out and about and flag it down for a ride. You can also find the car’s current location and contact them for a ride using #OneontaRides on Twitter.

BASIC's van giving free rides, Fall 2013.

For the past two years Carpenter has labored to improve the free ride service, and he’s particularly excited about the potentially-high number of rides that could be given and people blessed on the busy holiday. “There will definitely be a need for the free ride service on Saint Patrick’s Day,” Carpenter says, “And it’s my hope that, by now, word has gotten out about who we are and what we do so that someone who really needs the ride will trust us enough to take us up on our offer.” 
*Update 3-17
Good News. We just got word that Campus Ambassadors gave the green light to lend a van and driver to assist with giving free rides tonight! This means we'll have two vehicles on the road getting people home safe!

St. James Youth Goes to Ireland

Susquehanna Deanery Youth

Yet another church, St. James Episcopal Church, is participating in Saint Patrick’s Day missionary efforts, only on a completely different level as they host a dinner at their parish hall in order to fundraise for a youth missions trip, to, of all places, Ireland.

The dinner will take place on the Sunday before Saint Patrick’s Day (March 15th) in the church’s Parish Hall at 305 Main Street. A traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal will be served consisting of corn beef and cabbage, along with live Irish music. The price of the meal will be $8 for adults, $5 for children 3-5, and free for children under three. The church plans on serving dinner from 4pm-to-7pm, with take-outs starting at 3:30.

With a total of 4 Oneonta churches participating in Saint Patrick’s Day missionary activities, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day promises to be a compassionate, safe, generous, and love-filled holiday for Oneonta. Bishop Patrick would be proud.

Would you like to help with any of these outreach activities to bless Oneonta on this big day? Is your Oneonta church doing any Saint Patrick’s Day activities that you would like to see added to this article? Feel free to contact us.

Taking an Honest Look at Oneonta's Culture...

...With a Wall Full of Observations
(From our Newsletter)
Since ending our Friday Evening Gatherings last December, our Missional Community Group has been intentionally doing the work of contextualizing the Gospel to better reach our city with whatever it is we do next. This means taking an honest look at our city's culture so we can better meet its needs. It's been quite the cultural exercise for our faith community, and we've gone about it by adding dozens of cultural observations to a wall, as well as rethinking our 10 Connection Intentions (a revised list will be published soon).

Post by The Redemption Movement.

While we're not quite ready to fully announce what our next move is, I can share one big realization that's rocked our paradigm for ministry, "Why are we trying so hard to invite our city to a church event they're not asking for? Instead of struggling with an invitation-based ministry, wouldn't it be better to be radically obedient to Jesus' Great Commission and 'go' to where the people are?" What we're currently discussing on Sunday mornings is a kind of mold-breaking ministry that might best be described as "Mobile Church."

It's too early to fully explain Mobile Church, but we're all really excited about it, and if this is something that peaks your interest, then you're welcome to join us on Sunday mornings to prayerfully develop this idea in a friendly community setting.

                          

Taking a Break From Friday Evening Gatherings at The Redemption Movement

After 21 months of hosting Friday Evening Church Gatherings out of our old storefront on River Street, we've made the decision to put a stop to our Friday event while we seek the Lord's guidance for a new direction. The Redemption Movement will continue as a church; we just need some time to determine what our next steps will be. In a way, it's like we're hitting the church reset button.    

We've come to the conclusion that the Friday gatherings at our River Street location are not furthering the goals and mission of The Redemption Movement, as evidenced by the low attendance and the disappointing lack of visitors. One purpose of our weekly gatherings is to grow the church, which requires support and participation from people--after all, the church is people.

What's Next for the Church?

Kaler preaching 1 of nearly 80 RM sermons.

While the church plant is blessed to have found favor within our community, this favor has not translated into church attendance on the level we need it to in order to sustain the activities of the church, like public fellowship meetings put on every week. It's our hope that the new direction will be able to contextualize the Gospel in such a way that people in our Oneonta mission field will feel compelled to visit and even support the church.

Fridays Feel Beyond Repair

We don't know what the future looks like for The Redemption Movement, but one thing we do know: Friday Evening Gatherings at 148 River Street aren't working, and to quote Albert Einstein, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results."

To be sure, in the span of 21 months we tried several different things with the Friday Evening Gatherings in the hopes of seeing different results; only to arrive at the conclusion that, "There is absolutely no changes we can make to the meeting format or to the building that will cause a new person to want to visit." As you can image, this is a rather discouraging place to lead from. Therefore, we feel like it's the responsible move to cease hosting Friday Evening Gatherings while we determine what the next step is.

Advent 2014: Laura leading one of the last Friday worship services.

Our Sunday Morning MCG Will Continue

During this transitional time, Sundays will be the only day of the week when our church regularly meets. Since last Spring we've been holding a Missional Community Group every Sunday morning at 10am. Our MCG is like a Sunday School class, but with more of a focus on the specific mission of The Redemption Movement, as well as a time of personal discipleship. Lunch and a group act of kindness done for our community typically follows.

We use our Missional Community Group to develop leadership for the church, which means that the content is very specific in regards to the Christian faith. Therefore, we encourage newcomers to first contact us before coming to our Sunday morning MCG so that we can first talk with you about what to expect. 

Full of Optimism: Launch 2013

As soon as we come up with a new time, format, and perhaps even a different location for our weekly public gatherings (i.e., a weekly event that a non-Christian seeking truth will be comfortable attending), we will post the information to our website, blog, eNewsletter, and Facebook page. Decisions about this next step will prayerfully be made by our Missional Community Group. 

You are welcome to join this group and give input regarding our plans if you would like to commit to the mission of The Redemption Movement, and you're welcome to visit on Sunday mornings if you're interested in learning more about the mission of this church before committing to be a part of it. Feel free to contact Pastor Kaler for more information.  

Oneonta Comes Together for Town & Gown Gala

On November 9th at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, a very special community event took place that helped bring healing and unity to the City of Oneonta. The Town & Gown Gala  was organized to bring together Oneonta's student and resident population after a rough start to the semester. The gala also aimed to bring comfort to both students and residents after a SUNY Oneonta student was critically-injured in an altercation last September, and the city faced a tragedy of their own after losing a beloved mayor in October. For the few hundred people in attendance representing both the town and the gown, virtually everybody walked away feeling a stronger sense of community--making the TGG a success!

What Made the Town & Gown Gala So Special?

There were multiple aspects about TGG that made it special for our city. First off, few events in Oneonta are like the TGG, which was alcohol-free and designed for the expressed purpose of bringing the two groups together while raising money for a community member in need.

Second, events of this size and scope where 7 bands perform and both colleges and multiple community groups participate, typically take months of planning. In the case of the TGG, the event was organized in one month because it was determined that, in light of the divisions the city was experiencing and the need of the injured student, if something was to be done, then the sooner the better.

Thirdly, the funding of the event made it unique. Since no one had the time to solicit donations and sponsorships, the event was made possible thanks to people, organizations, and artists stepping up and helping out because they were passionate about such an event taking place.

Oneonta is a Caring Community

Oneonta is a compassionate community that was saddened to learn about a student becoming injured last September. Therefore, when people heard about the fundraising effort, they were quick to support it. The support that Oneonta showed for student Tyler Gianacola is heartwarming and impressive. Over $800 was raised to help Tyler's family, and when it came time for the candlelight ceremony to talk about both Tyler and Mayor Miller, more than 150 people gathered in front of Foothills. At the ceremony, it was announced that over $500 was raised for Tyler and the crowd cheered. By the end of the following rock concert, the crowd cheered again when the donations grew to $800.

A Fun and Educational Social Mixer

The first two hours of the event was a social mixer that sought to bring together the community with education and entertainment. Various groups from both the colleges and the community were represented at tables, and several of the tables provided carnival-style games for kids. The games used tickets that could be redeemed for prizes like candy and toys, and even live goldfish were given away by OnMark, the SUNY Oneonta marketing club, as well as face painting provided by the SUNY Oneonta Student Advisory Council. Additionally, there was a drawing for a new television. To enter the contest, all one had to do was get twelve initials from the various tables. And to encourage people to socialize, the itinerary contained suggested icebreaker questions for people to ask one another.

As people got to know each other, there was live music featuring artists from both the town and the gown. Folk duet KJ Carney and Sky Miritello kicked off the gala with their sweet harmonies, followed by a set of acoustic blues from Heaven's Back Door. Closing out the social mixer portion of the gala was the upbeat and contemporary sounds of the student band Summer Symphony.

In between the performances from the bands were speakers from organizations raising awareness for social issues relating to the recent tragedies experienced by the community. Rebbecca Harrington from the Know Violence committee of SUNY Oneonta spoke about how violence affects everyone. Julie Dostal from LEAF spoke about the value of doing alcohol-free activities like the gala, and Donna Lange from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention educated the room about suicide.

The tone of the mixer was friendly and warm, and a big part of that was due to Abbey Koutnik in full clown apparel working the room with props and jokes. She even contributed wonderful balloon sculptures! 

A Warm Candlelight Ceremony 

The candlelight ceremony was the climax of the gala, with a large crowd showing up right before the candles were lit, almost doubling the crowd from the previous social mixer. The SUNY Oneonta Inter-Greek Council went above and beyond by organizing and running the fundraiser. Even though the wind and city code didn't allow for the use of paper lanterns like originally planned, they still managed to light enough candles during the ceremony to make it beautiful and memorable.

At the candlelight ceremony, Pastor Kaler Carpenter of The Redemption Movement spoke about how Tyler's injury personally impacted him and related the community's response to that of the Good Samaritan. SUNY Oneonta student and friend of Tyler, Nicole Jones, then read a prepared statement from Tyler's mother thanking the community for their support (Tyler was unable to attend the event due to his injuries).

Next up was Council Member Mike Lynch who reminded the crowd of both students and residents how much his friend Mayor Miller would have liked to have seen the community brought together like this. After a moment of silence was observed for Miller, Carpenter then invited everybody to file inside for a free rock show, and it wasn't long before the production room at Foothills was full of people waiting to hear the opening band Kardia.

The Foothills was Filled with Music

For the rock show, all of the bands played their hearts out and a sizable crowd stayed throughout the duration of the event. The room was full of positive energy as a crowd gathered around the front of the stage and clapped and cheered. During the music, people were having a good time as glow sticks were waived and people danced with balloon animal sculptures.  

Before Kardia played, G Winnard got the crowd warmed up with an upbeat selection of electronic music mixed with some sweet dance moves. Kardia then took the stage, opening their set with an intense drum-corps-style performance that teased the crowd with what they were about to experience.

Post by Kardia.

With the exception a cool Journey cover, Kardia played original songs that synched to an impressive light show.

There were three bands after Kardia, and two of them were student bands from SUNY Oneonta representing Red Dragon Records--Bray and Living Proof. Both bands were full of energy and had a harder sound that the audience responded well to. For Living Proof, the night was extra special; it was their first show and the message from lead singer Danny Cohen about not allowing substances to control one's life fit perfectly with the night's theme.

Post by Living.Proof.

In between the two Red Dragon bands was El Dred, a guitar and drum rock duo made up of Walton natives Ryan Eldred and Ben Ray. For El Dred's set, the crowd smiled got into it as Ryan's upbeat and catchy tunes commanded the attention of the room and got people dancing.

When the rock show was finished and the lights were flipped on, many from the crowd stayed afterwards to help with clean up, including students from the SUNY Oneonta service club Alpha Phi Omega who stayed until everything was put away. Overall, the gala was truly a remarkable event that was made possible because so many people were involved and helped out.


Click here to see Living Proof's First Set at TGG!      

TGG was a Turning Point for The Redemption Movement

For The Redemption Movement, the Town & Gown Gala was the biggest of many community events organized in the organization's brief history. An event like TGG was a natural progression of what a movement of kindness looks like. Pastor Kaler's approach to RM's outreaches has always been, "See a need, meet a need;" and after seeing the alcohol-fueled problems and risks associated with the city's downtown party scene, the strain that these problems were causing on community relations, and seeing tragedies like what happened with Tyler and Mayor Miller, stepping up to the microphone and attempting to meet such daunting community needs by organizing an event like TGG is a natural course of action for a church experienced in kindness and rock n' roll.

During Kardia's performance, guitar player Justin Wisner mentioned that this was the second time the Pittsfield-based band played Oneonta. Their first time was last December at The Redemption Movement to a much smaller crowd of 7 people. Throughout the evening, other artists shared similar stories about playing at the Ol' Storefront on River St. and working with Kaler to put on all-ages community rock shows. Many of these shows weren't well attended, and many community outreach efforts by RM have been done on a very small scale. Albeit, with each small show and small AoK, artists and people from the community walked away feeling loved and like they participated in something special. Therefore, when these artists, students, and community members who were reached with kindness by RM in the past were called upon to participate in a large-scale event like TGG, they did so without hesitation. In turn, hundreds of people were touched, which will lead to hundreds more being blessed--this is what a movement looks like.

Thank You

Raising $800 for Tyler is worth celebrating. It was cool to see Bray play to a large crowd after watching them grow as musicians and gel as band at small rock shows on River Street, and it was equally special to be able to provide Living Proof with such a special first show. KJ and Sky played one of the first shows at our church while it was still under construction and they're forever welcome at RM. Ryan and Ben are always such a joy to work with, and it was wonderful to make connections with new artists like Summer Symphony and Heaven's Back Door. I'm sure that we'll do more events together with our new friends in the future. 

A big thank you is in order to Bill, Sue, and Geoffrey at The Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center for donating the space, to Council Member Mike Lynch for taking a chance on a young church planter, to Steve Perry, Vice President of Student Development at SUCO for his valuable input, to the SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick student senates and the City of Oneonta Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations for supporting and attending the event. Thanks to Chris at EveningWith Designs for his amazing graphic work, to OnMark for their above and beyond promotional efforts, Libby and Ian from AllOtsego.com for the excellent write up. Thanks to all the community groups that participated with a table, and last but certainly not least, thank you to the helpers from the Redemption Movement (Laura, Michael, Keith, Jeremy, Greg, Angel, Katy, and Garland), who's help made the entire event possible.

Because of the efforts of everyone mentioned in this blog article, along with others that didn't get mentioned (you know who you are), it truly feels like Onoenta is a stronger and more united community.

"Cheers to the Town & Gown Gala on Nov. 9. The event, which included activities and entertainment, aimed to help improve relationships between the city resident sand college students ....While the Gala won’t solve all the town-gown issues, we applaud the effort in trying to bring residents and college students together and encourage more opportunities like that." --The Daily Star, 11-18-14

More pics from TGG!

Post by The Redemption Movement.