Why This Month is "Make it or Break it" for Our Downtown Dream

Last March, we laid out a plan to move The Redemption Movement downtown, a ministry dream that was literally 14 years in the making. Thanks entirely to generous supporters, this dream became a reality and 80 Water Street has been our new home since Good Friday. Since then, we've made the most of the new space and seen it enhance how we reach people (more on that later).

The challenge we're faced with today involves securing enough resources and support that we can stay in the space for the foreseeable future, and to do so by the end of June. You see, the arrangement with the landlord was that the first 3 months (April, May, & June) were to be month-to-month as a sort of trial period, and we are to decide if we want to sign a lease by the end of June, which would include a security deposit (so $3,000 is due by the end of June)... Read More >>

Oh What a Difference an Open Sign Makes

Since moving our church to a downtown storefront in April, we’ve been paying attention to the rhythms of Oneonta’s culture happening right outside our door, and adjusting our strategy accordingly to meet its needs and better connect with its people. One success comes from an idea so simple it’s a wonder why more churches don’t try it--powering on an open sign!

What an Open Sign Communicates

Traditionally used exclusively by businesses, opens signs, as it turns out, communicate a message that’s exactly what churches are working oh-so hard to communicate to the public, “You’re welcome here. Come on in!”

Without such a sign displayed for all to see, it’s easy for a skeptical public to pass by a house of worship and perhaps see a bustle of activity, or even read an explicit welcoming message spelled out on its marquee, and then respond with a shrug and general disinterest. Or, maybe feel like they can’t come inside because the worship service has already started and they don’t want to be disruptive. This was the experience we had while ministering out of a River Street storefront for five years.

It Took a Sign to Befriend a Skateboarder

Then one Thursday evening in April while our church family was working together on various building and outreach projects for the new space, Patrick went to the store and purchased a light-up open sign. He found a generic, LED sign and as he was hanging it in the window something remarkable happened.

Patrick turned on the sign and I stepped outside to eyeball the best spot to place it. It was then that a man on a skateboard, Wayne, stopped and began to chat with me. I had seen him skateboarding nearby for the previous hour or so, and I even made eye contact and said hi a few times. For whatever reason, none of those friendly interactions persuaded Wayne to stop skateboarding and engage me in conversation. Instead, it took something extra to achieve this feat; something brighter than my smile and more trusting than my persona, like a light-up open sign. 

Wayne and I then spent the next 10-15 minutes standing outside, talking to each other, getting to know one another. It turns out that he’s heard of the work we do with the designated driving program, and, as a local bartender, he appreciates it. We also discussed several other topics with each other and I found myself really liking the guy. Therefore, I invited him to join me inside the building so I could show him around and introduce him to our church family. He agreed to this and followed me inside. Once he entered our space he was warmly greeted and he spent the next 15-20 minutes chatting with everyone.
  
On the surface, this doesn’t seem like much of a story worth telling, or even celebrating for that matter. However, considering the countless times I tried connecting with someone passing by on River Street during a church gathering, only to be ignored, why, I was both stunned and encouraged by Wayne’s willingness to just come inside and “check us out.”

How an Open Sign is Changing the Way We Do Ministry

From then on out, we continued to turn on the new open sign for church gatherings and community outreaches at the Water Street building, and we continued to see new faces come through our door.

In fact, this simple, just-flip-on-the-open-sign approach has even led to successful outreaches on Saturday nights where we saw groups of people come in off the street all throughout the night--without us having to go through the great expense and work of setting up the Kindness Station tent and hospitality table! This sets a precedent of making it possible to utilize the space for outreach much more often (but rest assured that the Kindness Station certainly still has a role). 

Another way of how we’ve seen the open sign affect ministry is that it actually changes the tone and posture of a worship gathering.

This is seen by the fact that, once the open sign is powered on, there’s now a good chance that a random stranger will walk through the doors in the middle of what you’re doing, whether it be singing worship songs or teaching a Bible study.

Personally, I prefer this dynamic because of what it means.

• As the preacher, it means that as I prepare a message, I must keep this possibility in mind and have a contingent plan in place to address any questions from someone walking in mid-lesson.
• It means thinking less about writing a well-constructed, lengthy sermon where each point builds off previous points, and more about proclaiming Gospel truths that don’t require a whole lot of explanation, yet are still impactful enough to challenge worldviews and set captives free. This is actually the teaching method we see Jesus utilize while preaching in public spaces, with parables being a tool that Jesus seemed to favor the most.
• Then there’s the intriguing possibility that, with the open sign on, someone can walk into the worship gathering at any time--someone who may not believe like I do. Keeping this possibility in mind means doing more work to explain a truth claim than what it takes to “preach to the choir” by simply stating, “This is true because the Bible says it is.” This also means taking the time to address doubts and common objections to a truth claim. 

Yet, it’s Not About the Sign...

At the end of the day, it’s not about an LED open sign or even having a downtown storefront. These are just tools that we’re able to leverage for the sake of achieving our true mission: to be a people that’s with the neighborhood we’re called to, connecting those around us with the love and hope found in Jesus Christ. To that end, we’ll continually try new ways to be on mission and reach new people. Buildings, signage, tents, designated driving, free snacks, acts of kindness, and more, all of these are nothing more than tools that God gives us so we can be his hands and feet to reach people for His glory.    

The Redemption Movement’s ability to continue ministering to people with a great resource like a downtown storefront is totally dependent upon donations from the community. To assist with paying for rent so we can stay in our space, you can give online at: donate.theredemptionmovement.org/movedowntown

Fundraising progress at the time this blog was published.

Or, to learn about additional ways that you can help, reach out to Kaler @ (607) 434-2564.

Updates From the First Month in Our New, Downtown Home

Update #1:We're Moved in for the Month of April!

On March 30th, 2018 we were given the chance to use 80 Water Street as a space to both celebrate Good Friday and The Redemption Movement’s 5-year anniversary. This service also served as a way for our supporters to preview the space we’d like to move into. It was a special time, celebrated by more than 25 friends that represented as many as five local churches... Read More >>

Update #2: 3 Stories of Hope from the First 3 Weeks in Our New Home

This April, we’ve opened the doors to our new building on Water Street (made possible by the generosity of our friends) on five separate occasions and invited Oneonta’s nightlife inside in order to serve the community’s needs. What follows are three of the most memorable stories from the first three weeks in our new home... Read More >>

Click to see a tour of the new pad.

2018 Marks 5 Years of The Redemption Movement and #OneontaRides

This upcoming Spring, The Redemption Movement will celebrate our 5-year anniversary of the public launch of our church, as well as the #OneontaRides ministry. The growth of these two ministries actually parallel each other in such a unique way that it’s impossible to tell the story of one without telling the story of the other. In fact, when I’m out giving rides on Friday nights and I’m asked, “How did this free ride service get started?” This is what I tell people:

When my wife Laura and I started the church in 2013, we were looking for a way that our new church could serve the community. In particular, we wanted to meet a need that wasn’t already being met, as well as have it be something that our small church with its limited resources could actually do. During this time, we took an assessment of the community’s needs and prayed about ways we could help.

We came up with a list of 30 different outreach activities we could do. Giving free rides home from the bar was one of them. We then organized the different activities into a community service campaign called “30 Days of Kindness.” 

For the campaign, a night of designated driving was scheduled for Saint Patrick’s Day, and the public launch of the church was to be held on Day #30, Good Friday, 2013.

Out of all 30 service projects performed, the night of designated driving was the biggest hit. Giving the public free rides home made the biggest impact as far making a difference and connecting with people. Therefore, a few months later we scheduled a second designated driving outing, and then a few more outings a month or so after that. It didn’t take long before we found ourselves downtown offering free rides every weekend, thus making it a full-blown service.

#OneontaRides continued to grow in some exciting ways, like the addition of multiple vehicles, and adding a Kindness Station in 2015. Today, it’s a ministry that’s credited with providing more than 6,000 safe rides home to the local community, and it’s super exciting to see new people volunteer and more community groups get involved.

It all makes for an exciting story that we’ve documented extensively with our Ride Reports blog articles.

All the while, The Redemption Movement continues to host weekly worship gatherings. It’s here where a community of servants gather and where the vision, co-mission, and passion for the free ride outreach comes from.

Five years in and #OneontaRides is such a big part of The Redemption Movement that it’s what our little church is known for. Subsequently, it’s grown into such a major activity that it literally takes more resources to operate than what our little church can come up with, requiring us to regularly seek out help and funding from outside of our congregation. But no worries, the impact of this exciting outreach continues to be worth the work, and we’ll continue to expand it in ways that the Lord allows for. 

As we think about the next five years of The Redemption Movement, the continuation of #OneontaRides is a given. That said, the vision for the future is for us to be a church that does much, much more than just take people home from the bars, especially when it comes to discipleship. What other ministries and services will come out of The Redemption Movement in the next 5 years? Why, that depends on the gifts and talents of the people that grace our doors!

If you’re looking to grow in the Lord and have your passion for helping people get plugged into a movement that’s changing lives and giving people hope, then volunteer with Kindness Team and check out the next Thursday evening gathering at 148 River Street. It’s never too late to get plugged into our “loving community, that loves the community.” 

4 SUNY Oneonta Students Receive an Inspiring Ride Home in the Kindness Car [Transcript]

Transcript of a ride home that I gave to four female SUNY Oneonta students from downtown through The Redemption Movement’s #OneontaRides free ride service, around midnight on 12-15. For this ride, the Kindness Car was at capacity and all four passengers were encouraged by the following conversation. Making the ride extra special, is the fact that I broke my ankle just an hour prior (I didn’t know that it was broken). Instead of going to the E.R., I decided to finish the night and take people home. After having this conversation, I’m glad I did.    

Girl 1: I honestly can’t thank you enough. It’s really nice. Thank you so much.

Kaler: We’re happy to serve your needs.

Now what church are you guys with?

It’s a church called The Redemption Movement. I’m the pastor of it. 

Can you please redeem me? In all seriousness...

Girl 2: This is a really stupid question, like, what kind of a religion is this?

It’s Christian.

Christian. Not Catholic, but Christian?

Right, but I think Catholics are Christian, you know? 

Catholics are Christian, of course. 

Pastor, like, I’m serious, I made some stupid choices. 

Like, we all have. I’ve made stupid choices.

Like, in all seriousness, can you please like, help me. I’m sad now. I’ve had a lot to drink tonight.  

Tell ya what, at the end of the ride how about I pray for ya? 

Thank you so much!

I was talking to my friend the other day about this. I was confirmed Roman Catholic or whatever, and you know how you have to do that interview thingy with the priest? I remember in 7th or 8th grade confessional, they told me that I wasn’t going to go to Heaven because I don’t go to church every Sunday. Is that true?

That is not true.

Alight, well the priest was a liar.

Well this is one of the differences between Protestants and Catholics.

I’m literally like old now and I remember that from 7th or 8th grade. Like, it still scars me every time I think about it.  

Salvation and Heaven, that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. 

I literally have so much faith and I literally think about God so much.

If you put your trust and hope in Jesus...

I do. That priest was like trying to mess with me. 

I hate to say that it’s all about making it to Heaven because it’s about so much more than that.

No, I know. But he was trying to scare me. He was like, “Why don’t you go to church?” And I was like, “Ohhh yikes!”

I really am trying to be a good person, but I feel like people just take advantage of that. 

Yep. You know, that’s part of the package. 

No, literally, she was trying the other day and people literally take advantage so much. I try so hard not to. 

I do this ride thing and I get people that take advantage sometimes and ask me to go to house parties. 

No seriously, please don’t think I’m doing that. This is my first ride and it is amazing.

Like, I’m also really cold. I’m not going to lie. I don’t want to be a liar. It’s really cold and I didn’t want to wait for the bus. 

That’s what it’s about. 

Like, I’m not here to lie and all.

Sometimes we give rides to people that just don’t want to be cold, and sometimes people are just…

I’m also ssslighty drunk.

Whether you’re slightly, severely, or completely sober...

Exactly.

 ...we give anybody and everybody a ride home.

(All 4 girls) Thank you!

Like, I honestly I can’t thank you enough. Do you want money?

No. Not while we give rides. This is free. 

Does the church take donations?

Yeah, we do online and we have a little gift box at the tent, so we do it like that. But we’re not fundraising and this isn’t about money. So hold onto your money tonight. 

Girl 3: You know what you should do to give back? Go in your purse and get some money...

You know what, if I get to pray for ya, that’s going to make my night. I’ll be happy to pray for you. That’s why we’re going out and doing this.

Oh my God. Thank you so much.

What’s your name sir?

My name is Kaler.

Kaler, I’m going to pray for you.

Oh, you know what, I’ve been doing this for years and no one’s ever prayed for me.

No, I’m going to pray for you. Like, I pray every night and I’m going to pray for you. 

Genuinely know that, before I fall asleep tonight, I’m going to think of you and and your family. Like, I don’t know who you are but I’m going to think of you. 

Ahhh.

I literally sound like a lying piece of shit, but I am literally going to think of you.

Girl 4: This is great. This is so positive. I’m loving it.

We call it the Kindness Car. 

This is a lot of kindness. I’m loving it.

Okay, I sound very drunk and stupid right now, but I genuinely think of people and pray for people at night. 

I’m (name given). Nice to meet you.

My grandma is Christian, she’s very, very religious. But I feel like, you know, she preaches all this Christianity, but she doesn’t give back or be kind to people. And that’s one thing, I’m not resentful, but I think, you know, it’s very hypocritical. I think, you know, to be Christian you need to give back. You know, that’s part of the thing is being a good person, and not always is she. And I think what you’re doing is exemplary. It’s wonderful!  

Yeah. I’m trying to show what Jesus’ love is like.

Exactly! Jesus’ love is giving back to people, it’s being kind and showing others love and help, and that’s what you’re doing.

So I’m crying because this is, no no no, because I literally stress over the stupidest stuff, and I get so mad and upset over the stupidest things. 

And I don’t think of little things like this.

And then, yeah yeah, in retrospect, like this, stuff like this is real.

You know, especially with the season of Christmas, this is so exemplary, you know. This is the key!

I wouldn’t be too down on your grandma. Because, when it comes down to it, we’re all hypocrites on some level. So, I think that’s what’s cool about Jesus and the Gospel, is that the Gospel redeems even hypocrites. So, the point of it I think is, the longer you follow the Christ, you look less hypocritical, more and more. 

Can I please, like, I’m being so serious, I am coming to your mass on Sunday, because I believe this.

Sure! I’ll give ya’ll cards.

A card would be wonderful!

I sound so bad, but I genuinely miss religion. I went to private school like all my life, elementary school through high school, I went to Catholic school, and I kinda miss it.

You guys going to be around this Sunday at all? 

Yes we are!

This Sunday is like big Christmas production.

I would love to go!

That would be awesome!  

I went to Catholic school but I never went to mass with my family because we just didn’t do it. But like, I miss praying in Catholic school. I never thought I would say that because I hated the uniforms, I hated it. I went to an all-girls privatized high school. I don’t know, I just miss it now, now that I think about it. 

See I used to go to church every Sunday when I was little with my parents, but you know, I kinda got away from it. But you know, my mom, this past year getting chemo and everything, that really affects your faith, you know?

That’s rough.

If you don’t have something to get you through that, you got nothing. 

Yes.

So, I mean, maybe I’ll start going to church because I am very faithful, you know? I would love to go to this church!

I’ll hook you up, yeah. Actually, I’ll give you the card, I’ll write some info on there. My phone number is actually on the card. If you see me, it’d be awesome if you sat with me and my family. 

That would be wonderful!

I’ll introduce you guys.

Yeah so, seriously, like this ride, obviously I was so upset about something so small and this made my night.

Yeah. That’s why we go out. You know, when people serve you and show you kindness when you don’t expect it, it changes everything.

Oh my God, this is so meaningful.

I do this every Friday. I love meeting people.

Like, I hope that you get the appreciation that you deserve. 

Thank you so much.

Well, I mean, that’s not why. We’re not doing it for ourselves, but there’s a lot of good vibes.

Yes, but coming from an outsider, I really hope that you’ll keep doing this. Like, this is really, really good. 

Why thank you. I appreciate hearing that. (Pulls up to dorm) Okay well, you know what, if I saw you at church that would be huge. That would make me so tickled pink. So I’m going to write it right here.

Yes, can I please have. I’ll take it.

So this is a church called Anchor. It’s 6pm, Sunday, at 12 Grove. Do you want me to write that for each of you? (gives invite card to Girl #1)

Yes, I would love one.

6pm, 12 Grove, Sunday, Anchor. There’s like multiple churches represented here. (hands invite card to Girl #3)

And if we go we just walk in, and it’s just like, it’s okay?

Yeah, like I said, this is actually my phone number, my cell. So if I know you’re coming I’ll introduce you to my family and we can hang out.

That would be amazing actually.

That’d be wonderful. That would be so nice.

(hands invite card to Girl #2) Thank you so much. (door opens)

Wait (Girl #1) I got to pray for ya, remember? What do you need prayer for?

Wait, I’m getting blessed (sorts out who’s who now that the car dome light is on).

We can all use some prayer.

I’ll do a group prayer. Any special requests?

Umm, my mom, and my life, and yeah.

Mine’s umm, my parents’ health.

Yeah, my parents and my family.

Alright, so kind of a common theme here. (Asking Girl #4) You wanna get in on this?

Yeah sure, we’ll do family. 

We’ll do family, alright.

Family and, I’m going to be selfish, and just that I find happiness.

I agree with that, happiness.

Alright, I'll do this short and sweet. Lord God, I come before you with joy that we can take this random moment and just focus on you, and your goodness can be reflected in this car ride. I pray that the love and joy experienced here will spread to each one of these young girls’ families, and that you’ll fill their hearts and lives with happiness when they go home and see their families, and that happiness will spread, and it will even affect their health. I pray for your miraculous touch on the health of their loved ones. And I pray ultimately God that these young ladies, that tonight when they pray and they think about this ride, that they will feel your love, in a real and tangible way. God, just bless them, bless them I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thank you so much.

Thank you that was so nice.

Happy to serve. So we do this every Friday so let’s stay in touch.

Okay, we’ll see you Sunday hopefully!

Hopefully, that’d be so awesome.

I will pray for you. For all good things. Thank you.

That’s awesome. You’re welcome. Have a good one. (3 girls exit the car, leaving Girl #4 to be taken home).

That’s so nice.

Yeah.

I bet that doesn’t happen often does it?

It does actually.

Really!? 

Yeah, I mean, the prayer thing I probably only get to do that like once or twice a night.

That’s actually surprisingly more than I expected. I just feel like, some kids aren’t as appreciative. 

Yeah well, I mean like, if I was driving a taxi cab, I would hate it. Because if you’re doing something and people are paying you to do it, you know, they have an expectation. Like, a “you work for me” kind of a thing, and that would be absolutely miserable.

Yeah yeah.

Because like, you flip it on its head and you’re like serving them, it’s like, “What? What? No no. Ahhh.”

Yeah yeah, they’re like, “No money? This is free!?”

Yeah, so if you take like, the person in the worst mood possible, and they might even be angry or belligerent when they get in, but after it all kind of connects…

Uh huh. I was in a pretty bad mood before this, but after hearing all of that I was like, “I can’t even be angry anymore.”

Exactly.

Like, they’re all just happy to be here.

Yep. We call this the Kindness Car. With the volunteers we call it the Kindness Team, we got a Kindness Station and Kindness Baskets. I’m basically Kindnessman. I mean, like Batman has like a Batarang and a Bat Car and all of this stuff.

Yeah really! That’s amazing. That’s just so nice that people do that selflessly.

Well, it’s like the name of our church is The Redemption Movement, and I threw that word Movement in there intentionally because I believe that things like redemption and kindness can be like a movement where it spreads and grows, like the card says “Scatter Kindness.” So, the cool thing is that I started this whole thing years ago with just like, me, a friend, and a car, and it’s blown up into multiple cars, and we got that tent, and we got this giant team of like dozens of volunteers. And so it’s just like, for all of the crap going on in the world that gets you depressed, it’s like, the thing that you don’t hear about is the steady movement of kindness and love.

It’s just so necessary though. I feel like this world is just depleted of it and everyone is just so unhappy and going on with their lives. And this is just such a great thing.

I mean like, I work really hard to write about this and put it up on social media and spread the word, and ultimately that’s not because I’m trying to brag about what we’re doing.

Right.

But I know that people read it and they’re like, “Ahhh,” and their day changes. So that to me, is worth all of the work, if someone is blessed by it. (pulls up to her dorm)

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

You’re welcome. Have a wonderful night.

Thanks. You too. Have a great night.

You too. God bless.

Have Your Group Sponsor a Night at the Kindness Station

If you’ve ever visited the downtown Kindness Station or received a free ride home in one of the “Kindness Cars,” you may have noticed something unique about the Kindness Team volunteers serving you. That being, the makeup of the Kindness Team itself. Why, the team is a hodgepodge of people representing different groups from the community, and many volunteer for a variety of reasons.

While this weekly outreach effort is organized and overseen by a single local church, The Redemption Movement, its support in recent years has come from a coalition of community groups that are all united by one thing, showing kindness. These organizations include; multiple local churches, student groups, local businesses, local nonprofits, and more. In fact, this message of community unity is communicated to every person we serve by having each group displayed on the back of the “Kindness Cards” that we pass out to the public. 

Also, another demographic at the Kindness Station are individuals that don’t necessarily represent any group. They just like showing up and serving up some kindness. And that’s cool too!

The best part about making this a community activity instead of just a Redemption Movement ministry is that it’s allowed us to accomplish so much more. And it’s in this spirit of "doing the most good" that we open up the Kindness Station to the community in new way: Have your group sponsor a night of the Kindness Station!

An Example of How Sponsoring the Station Allows Us to Do More

This is an idea that we tried for the first time last November after SUNY Oneonta sorority Pi Delta Chi reached out to us about volunteering at the Kindness Station. After realizing the size of the group that we had to work with, I proposed the idea of having the sorority sisters volunteer on a Saturday night--a night when our current group of volunteers aren’t typically able to serve. Pi Delta Chi was able to commit to a Saturday, which made it possible to do the Kindness Station for two nights in the row for the first time since starting the station in 2015!

The outing went so well that we’d like to extend the invitation to other community groups to come and sponsor a night of the Kindness Station. It’s a great way to gain exposure for your group, get credit for community service hours, and of course, make a difference in your community.

Click here to learn about more benefits to volunteering.

What’s it Look Like to Have Your Group Sponsor the Kindness Station?

Officially sponsoring the station as a group is a little different than having an individual volunteer on their own, inasmuch as the arrangements will have to be made with Pastor Kaler beforehand. This way, we can make sure that there’s enough volunteers to pull it off. Planning ahead like this will also ensure that every volunteer will know what the Kindness Station is all about and end up with a job to do.

As a minimum, a group sponsoring the Kindness Station will want to provide coverage of five volunteers throughout the night. A typical night of service lasts from 10pm-3am. This can be broken down in a few ways: a team of five from your organization can commit to serving all night long, or arrangements can be made so that a larger group can take individual shifts at the station, or a group larger than five can serve all night long at the station and additional volunteer responsibilities will be added accordingly.  

Some of the ways you or your group can volunteer:

• Running/restocking the hospitality table.
• Welcoming people to the Kindness Station.
• Providing breathalyzer testing.
• Distributing free winter clothes.
• Canvassing downtown with “Kindness Baskets.” 
• Riding along in the cars and assisting with the rides.
• Driving people home (for trained volunteers only).
• Setup and teardown.
• And more jobs/acts of kindness can be created for larger groups. 

Currently, Friday or Saturday nights during the school year are available for having a group sponsor the Kindness Station, as well as nights when there’s a special occasion that calls for the service, like Saint Patrick’s Day, OH-Fest, etc.

To make arrangements for your community group, student group, church group, business, or any other group to sponsor a night at the Kindness Station, call Kaler at (607) 434-2564, or email rm.gigs@gmail.com. 

55 Retail Workers Shown Kindness During Thanksgiving Sales

For families across the country, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate traditions. For The Redemption Movement, our Thanksgiving tradition takes us to Oneonta’s Southside Mall for a special act of kindness: blessing retail workers with care packages that includes a $2 bill and a bag of candy. 

For 2017’s Thanksgiving AoK, the Carpenter family and Kindness Team member Pat Raczkowski visited JCPenney, Southside Cinema, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Within an hour, 55 care packages were delivered, bringing cheer and thankfulness to many workers unable to spend the holiday with their families.

Over the past five Thanksgivings, this makes a total of 330 care packages that our little church has given away. Each care package includes a thank-you card and a $2 bill, meaning that we’ve passed out $660 in cash to retail workers since 2013 (along with a whole lotta chocolate)!

Read more about previous Thanksgivings: 2013, 2014, 2015, & 2016.

This year, we assembled the care packages right after the family Thanksgiving meal, an enjoyable task thanks to the help of a friend. We then piled in the car with the kiddos and headed to the mall. But, unlike most at the store, we weren’t on a mission to shop.

Highlights from the outing include:

• The first young lady we encountered literally cried after I gave her the care package. She was overwhelmed with emotion and told us how happy the simple AoK made her.
• One woman from JCPenney remembered us from previous years and commented on how much our kids have grown (our youngest son was in a baby in a stroller during last year’s Thanksgiving outing).
• We gave a care package to a mother who was sad because she didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving with her kids. I suggested that she give the candy to her kids. She replied with a laugh and said, “Yeah, we’ll see how the night goes.” 
• One young man was so excited about receiving a care package that he had a difficult time gathering his words to say thank you. I was able to leave him with five cards to pass out to busy cashiers nearby and he vowed to “carry on the message.” 
• Many workers told us how much they were in need of an act of kindness like this, and many more asked about our church.
• We even encountered workers that we already knew and are friends with through the ministries of our church. It was so cool to be there to support our friends in such a special way. 

Giving away all 55 care packages went by really fast. The stores we visited were super busy and things were, unfortunately, too hectic to allow for deep conversations with the people we ministered to. But, each worker now has our contact information and the seeds of relationships have been sown. At the end of the day, spending this much money is way more fun/meaningful than dropping $100+ on discounted merchandise, and I look forward to doing it all again next year!

Bonus Act of Kindness: Helping Out My Cashier With a Free Ride Home 

While shopping the day before for supplies pertaining to this Thanksgiving outreach, I overheard a cashier complain about the OPT buses not operating their late bus like usual. She didn’t find this out until it was too late, meaning that she would have to walk home in the cold weather. During checkout, I introduced myself and gave her my #OneontaRides Kindness Card so she could call me after her shift was over for a ride home. Thankfully, the woman took up my offer and called me an hour later for a ride. It was an enjoyable ride and we got to talk about church most of the way.

Typically, we only offer free rides home like this on the weekends, but every once in awhile I’ll encounter a need like this that’s too compelling to ignore. It’s all about being open to the needs around you when you’re going through your routine. Often times, we may only view cashiers, clerks, customer service specialist, merchandise stockers, etc., as there to serve our needs (and not really “see” them at all). But, whenever we take a moment to slow down and view the world through God’s eyes, it’s my belief that purchasing stuff will take a back seat to the needs of others--and, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?   

Going All Out to Celebrate Our 5,000th Ride!

A Special #OneontaRides Ride Report
9-15-17
72 people were given safe rides home the night of September 15th. But for dozen or so Kindness Team members on hand, and even more who contributed behind the scenes, last Friday was all about celebrating the night’s first ride, #OneontaRides’ 5,000th!

For past milestone rides (like 1K, 3K, & 4K), we celebrated by blessing the rider with a fun gift. But this is 5,000. A big milestone like this calls for a celebration on a larger scale--and that’s exactly what we did by treating one lucky rider, SUNY Oneonta freshman Julia Lombardi, to a giant party at the Kindness Station.

72 #SafeRides given tonight, including a special ride to Julia, #OneontaRides 5000th ride! Threw her a big surprise party. Story/video soon! pic.twitter.com/9XAEQzLghF

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) September 16, 2017

Operation Ride #5K

Sometimes, it’s difficult to know exactly when we’ll give a milestone ride. But, seeing as we ended the previous week at 4,999 rides, we had a pretty good idea of when the big ride would happen. This allowed me set the Kindness Team into motion for what would be the biggest act of kindness we’ve ever done!

Live music @ the #OneontaRides Kindness Station tonight? Wha the whaaaat!? & safe rides home tonight starting at 10 pm 📞 6074342564 pic.twitter.com/pujKZBLuEC

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) September 15, 2017

The plan (Operation Ride #5K) was as follows:

• Casually pick up the rider like normal (while keeping a tight lid on the party plans so the person we give a ride to would be genuinely surprised).
• Then, notify every participating Kindness Team Member via group chat that we got the rider, along with what their name is. 
• Then have everyone move into position.
• Next, I would leave with the lucky rider, drive for a couple of blocks, make up an excuse to go back to the Kindness Station, and circle back.  
• Upon arrival, a live band would welcome the rider with a song and the team would be celebrating with sparklers, glow sticks, a confetti canon, and signs with the rider’s name on it.
• The rider would then receive a gift bag, and a representative from Domino’s would be on hand with a free pizza and a gift card for a free pizza party. 
• Then we pile back into the car and take the happy rider home.

Here’s how everything turned out!

The Long Wait

The biggest challenge of the plan is that we didn’t know exactly when the first ride request was going to come in. This meant having everything ready to go and everybody in place as early as 10pm--for a ride that didn’t take place until midnight! The team of anxious volunteers made the most of their time in limbo by serving at the station. Plus, having such a large team on hand made for an enjoyable time of getting to know one another.   

Mark Henke filled in like a pro.

For awhile there, it was looking like the biggest part of the festivities, the live band, wasn’t going to happen, due to scheduling conflicts with their show that was taking place at The Black Oak Tavern (one block away). No sooner did I get bummed out about this and random musicians started showing up at the Kindness Station. It only took a little convincing to talk them into grabbing an instrument and filling in.

Thankfully, the musicians had no problem learning the song we had lined up, “Slow Ride” by Foghat, and changing the lyrics to “Free Ride.”

Having the extra help at the station also allowed for some great conversations to take place. Plus, even though we didn’t tell the downtown crowds exactly what we were up to with the instruments at the Kindness Station, it nevertheless drew a curious crowd that made sure to stick around to see the big surprise.
  
We also had an bonus band show up at the Kindness Station and play a song for the crowd that remained after we took the 5,000th rider home. Our old friends in Lila Ignite just completed their set at the Black Oak Tavern and stopped by the station to hang out and witness the 5,000th ride. Lila Ignite joined in the festivities with a tambourine and singing background vocals, and when “The Free Ride Band” was done, they took over and treated the crowd to a song.

All in all, the 5,000th ride celebration was a lot of fun, but the night of service for the Kindness Team didn’t end there: 

Highlights from the rest of the night include:

Garland dressed up and wore a tie for the big occasion.

We got to premiere some new signage for the Kindness Station from our friend Mel of Ones-Self Design.

In addition to Domino’s giving the 5,000th rider a free pizza party and a gift certificate, they provided another pizza party for the downtown bar crowd at closing time.

Having two Kindness Team members volunteer to babysit my kids so that my wife Laura could be on hand for the 5,000th ride. When it was time for Laura to go home and relieve the babysitters, we had another group wanting a ride so we took the kids’ car seats out and gave them on ride too.  

We had enough volunteers that we could take out a third car, which allowed for Tammy Miller to drive the Kindness Wagon so I could take my personal car (with the kids’ car seats now removed). Tammy is a mom extraordinaire/teacher at Lighthouse Christian Academy, and she was serving that night with her teenage daughter, Montanna. Tammy turned out to be a pro at driving, and I think that having a compassionate mother serve in this capacity was a treat for the students she took home.

One couple that we’ve consistently given rides to all last year, Mike and Jill, approached the station for a ride. Although, there was some tension between the two and they weren’t their happy selves. Jill was wearing a sash and celebrating her 19th birthday and she mentioned to me how her and Mike were having a fight. I gave Jill a bag of candy I had at the station and wished her a happy birthday, and I did my best to talk with her and Mike about their relationship on the ride home and help them out. There wasn’t anything I could say to erase the hurt feelings between them, but I did get some smiles out of them and encouraged them to focus on the happier times.

Not soon after, I had two male students in the car with me and we all spotted a young female student stumbling pretty badly at the corner of Main and Chestnut. I asked if the students would be so kind as to ask from their car window if the girl could use a ride home. One of them, unaware of the nuances involved in such a proposition, did so by yelling to the girl, “Hey, you’re f**ked up! Get a ride.” Understandably, the girl replied with “f***k you.” I immediately remedied the situation by pulling over, getting out, and approaching the girl on foot.

She was with her friend who turned out to be her sister. They were both very intoxicated. The girl who was stumbling the worse was wearing Red Jug Pub devil horns from celebrating her birthday. I introduced myself to the sister and she immediately took me up on the ride offer. We both helped her sister into the car and gave her a window seat, just in case. Since I was close to the Kindness Station and the Domino’s pizza party just took place, I managed to swing by for some pizza which I gave to all four passengers. They couldn’t believe their luck, getting a free ride and free pizza. Everybody in the car was overwhelmed with kindness. 

During the whole ride, both sisters were having a difficult time. Eventually, I had to pull over so the one girl could lean out the car and vomit. I tended to her by holding her hair, patting her on the back, and reassuring her that she’ll be okay. Her sister was unable to provide this kind comfort because she was about ready to vomit herself.

As I was comforting the intoxicated birthday girl, I looked down to see that my new shoes were covered in vomit. I was certainly annoyed, but that’s the price one pays for helping people in their time of desperate need. While the the girl was vomiting, two SUNY Oneonta police officers stopped and checked in on us. They both seemed appreciative of what I was trying to do. Eventually, the girl had nothing left in her stomach to throw up so I helped clean her up with some paper towels, shut the car door, and rushed up to Hillside Commons. I then dropped off the two sisters before the other one could lose her dinner. The girl who threw up told me how embarrassed she was, so I assured her that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and how the important thing is that we got her home safe. 

Later that night after the Kindness Station was all packed away, I dropped off Rakesh and, as he was getting out of the car, he paused, looked back at me, and said, “I want you to know that I’m praying for that girl from last week (the one who Rakesh tried to keep from taking drugs). She’s on my heart and I have compassion for her.” I then went on my way and, sure enough, ten minutes later this same girl called me for a ride. I picked her up and, while taking her home, even told her about the cool coincidence of Rakesh praying for her. She was taken aback and kept asking me, “Why do you guys care for me?” I was able to tell her about God’s love for her, as well as address misconceptions about God that her guilt-driven religious background taught her. This was the 3rd week in a row we’ve ministered to this girl who we consider a good friend.

How long will it take for us to give another 5,000 rides? At the pace we’re going, it’ll happen much quicker than the 4 years it took to give the first 5,000 rides!