A Call for Unity Among Churches

On Sunday, August 14, Pastor Ryan Alsheimer of Community Gospel Church invited me to share with his congregation, Anchor Oneonta, and continue their teaching series "This I Believe," by going over church unity, as expressed in the line of the Apostles' Creed "I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of the saints." What follows is the sermon preached that night to the good folks of CGC. Enjoy!  

Here’s the deal, when you become a Christian by giving your life to Christ, you’re uniting yourself to the body of Christ, i.e., the church, and you automatically become a part of something much bigger than yourself: “the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.”

Now, don’t get confused by the word “catholic,” in this creed, it actually means “universal,” so you're saying, “I believe in the universal church.” Therefore, when you confess this creed, you’re affirming the scope and size of the church that you’re a part of (or you're in communion with), which essentially includes every Christian from around the world.

This large fellowship is what is meant by “communion of the saints."

Again, don’t get confused by the word “saints.” This is not referring exclusively to the official saints of the Roman Catholic Church, instead, this is referring to every follower of Christ. Meaning that, if your identity lies in the righteousness of Jesus Christ instead of your own merits, then, going by the Bible’s definition of a saint, you are one. I am a saint. Those who are confessing Christians are all saints, and when the saints come together, there’s union with each other and with God--which is a great picture of what "communion" is.

Now, this communion extends to all the saints from all around the world. And it gets bigger and better: the communion of the saints extends to the “church universal," which is a church that includes all of the saints who have gone before us.

The application here is profound. Did you know that the Bible paints a picture of Christians in Heaven as cheering on the saints here on earth as they push forward with the mission of the church and do God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven?” For your part, viewing Heaven as a continual communion with the body of Christ on Earth has incredible ramifications as to how you live out your faith today.

Therefore, Heaven isn’t some place of harps, clouds, mansions, family pets, and soft lighting. No, in Heaven you see clearly the eternal ramifications of the mission of the church on present day earth. Consequently, now that you finally get it and see the big picture (or have the blinders removed), you watch intently from Heaven the mission of the church on earth and cheer on the saints and missionaries from around the world in a display of passion that far surpasses the excitement, unity, and diversity of even the Rio Olympics.

Let that eternal reality sink in for a moment and think of the ramifications this means for your finite actions that equate to only a sliver of your existence, yet these actions will help determine the eternal destinies of so many souls.

How is this connection to such a massive church even possible?

The creed alludes to this answer in line number 1; “I believe in God the Father, almighty.”

You see, the church universal isn’t some organization that’s determined by participants having a membership card issued by a single denomination. Instead, the church universal is one giant spiritual family where the saints are brothers and sisters who have God as a Father. A saint is grafted into this family tree that dates back to Abraham, allowing for adoption by God himself, all thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit (the previous line in the creed). This happens upon one’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ--who is our brother in this family, the true and only son of God. And, because of Jesus’ victory on the cross, we can be adopted sons and daughters of God with full family rights and privileges, including communion with this awesomely-large and loving family.

Practically speaking, this means that you, me, and every believer in this community and planet, are connected in a deeper way than each of us probably realize. Herein lies a major obstacle to the mission of the church that the enemy loves to use against us: for us to be sooo distracted with our own affairs (like our day-to-day routines, and even the agenda of our own local church or denomination), that we totally lose sight of this spiritual reality. Or worse, we understand the concept that we’re all one big family of God, but we don’t really think anything of it other than, “Oh, that’s a nice thought.”

Guys, communion with the saints of the church universal, means that you’re completely overjoyed when meeting someone new and finding out that they too are a Christian! It’s like finding out that you have a long lost brother (only it’s not because of some weird adulterous affair your parents had back in the day). Or, better example, it’s like when you travel out of state and you meet someone from your hometown. You instantly hit it off and you're excited to run into each other and you spend time chatting about what you have in common. Yet, while living in your hometown, you may see this person routinely and take them for granted.

God, forgive us for not viewing our brothers and sisters in this light, as one body. Forgive us for taking for granted being surrounded by so many Christians, and not celebrating this reality or doing enough to unite for the sake of the mission of the church and to work together in the ripe harvest fields.

Ask yourself, if every Christian is united by the Holy Spirit and made into one big spiritual family with God as the Father, then what is God’s will for how different Christians from different churches treat each other? It's that we be united, that we get along, that we love each other, and that we work together.

For an example of this I can look to my own family. I am a new dad and the experience has changed me immensely in how I relate to God the Father, by giving me a father’s perspective with my two sons. Currently, my boys are 2.5 and 7 months, and do you know what brings my heart more joy than most anything? It's seeing my two sons interact with each other. To see them laugh and play and enjoy each other’s company--and, I’m sure I have years ahead of being saddened to see the two brothers fight and not get along. 

Similarly, this is God the Father’s perspective as he watches all of his beloved children interacting with one another. He’s smiling big when Christians (from all different backgrounds and churches) get along and fellowship together and work together to advance the Kingdom of God, and he’s saddened and disappointed when churches avoid each other and fight with each other.

How do we know that this kind of unity is what God longs for?

It’s because these were the very words that Jesus prayed to God the Father before he gave himself up to the authorities to be crucified in John 17. Which, you’d think the final recorded prayer of Jesus before his arrest would be about himself and his unthinkable sacrifice, but instead, he was praying for the unity of the future church--the very thing he was willfully about to die for!

I do not pray for these alone (the apostles), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us.  -Jesus, John 17:20-21a, NKJV

Truly, an incredible prayer that also serves as a challenge for every person who considers themselves to be part of the body of Christ.

Sadly, from the very moment this prayer left Jesus’ lips, the challenge to live in the reality of unity has only grown harder over time.

• As Jesus prayed, with his divine perspective, he could have had in mind 2,000 year’s worth of Christians and you and me when he said, “but for all those who will believe in Me.” But I think that when he said, “through their word,” he was praying primarily for the 1st generation of Christians that will grow out of the apostles’ testimony. Because, if this first generation can’t get along, then the Jesus movement dissipates and the impending sacrifice is all for naught.
• Fast forward a year or so: If the Apostles really did get together to pen this creed before they all went on seperate missionary journeys (as the tradition goes), then the “holy catholic church universal” at this time is nothing more than themselves and their homies. Unity is an easy task for such a small group. 
• If the 4th Century church authored and finalized this creed, then they did so to try and unite the various churches scattered throughout different cities full of house churches being overseen by one bishop in each city. Again, not a terribly difficult situation to bring unity to.
• No, today is the most difficult time in church history to unite with the Christian church splintered off into thousands of denominations (many because of hostile or petty reasons). This, is an incredibly sad reality because the world stands to gain a powerful witness that would change civilization as we know it for the better if all the Christians united under one purpose and one mission.

Kaler and Ryan are serious about church unity.

This is why unity is so important to Jesus. It’s not for the sake of unity that Jesus wants God's children to unify. No, this mission, this harvest of souls for an eternal Kingdom and an eternal family is the primary reason why Jesus prayed that his brothers and sisters would "be one." Jesus himself gives this as the very reason for unity in John 17:21b when he says that the church should be one, “that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Do you realize how much the world mocks religion and the claims of Christ when they see thousands of different denominations and nobody seems to be getting along? However, there’s hope. Whereas hundreds of churches fighting with each other draws mocking from the world, all it takes is few churches to unite to create a powerful witness and change a community. This unity then spreads to more churches in more communities, and, before you know it, it steamrolls into a powerful movement and a revival that the world clearly sees--and believes!

#OneontaRides @Anchor!

As the pastor of a different church here in town, I want you to know that this is my heart. I planted The Redemption Movement not to divide other churches or to show that we got it right and others got it wrong. No, RM is on a mission to reach this community for Christ. My wife and I moved to New York from Missouri as missionaries because God laid the vast needs of this area on our hearts--particularly in regards to the huge opportunity to reach the town’s “active” nightlife. 

Now, as missionaries and as ambassadors for Christ, uniting God’s people and the universal church is a major part of this mission, which is why I stand before you today. Brothers, sisters, we share the same calling, to reach these same people (your neighbors). Oneonta’s mission field is ripe with so many people who have nothing to hope for and do not believe that Jesus is the risen Lord. If the local churches united in a clear way and shared in the missionary work of spreading the Good News of the Gospel, the community would take notice of our witness and more lives would be changed than we could ever dream of seeing if one church was doing it on their own.

• Related: "Local Churches Unite Outreach Efforts for Saint Patrick's Day 2015." 

How Our Church Connects With Pokemon Go Players

From the July-August Newsletter

Okay, before you judge our church for trying to capitalize on the Pokemon Go craze, or even for being fans of a game invented for kids, first listen to how we caught Pokemon fever.
 

In July, we were doing Mobile Church on Sunday morning at Neawha Park, like we normally do. While at the park, it became apparent that something was different. Namely, swarms of young people seemingly-milling around while on their phones. It turns out that they were playing Pokemon Go, a mobile game that utilizes real-life landmarks in conjunction with the device's map and GPS so that players can find and catch digital Pokemon characters. You've likely heard about this game, seeing as it's garnered more than 75 million downloads in just one month.

Well, as it turned out, the spot where we pitched our Mobile Church tent (Neawha Park's statue of liberty), just happened to be a "Pokestop," i.e., a location in the game where a player must physically go to in order to obtain in-game items. So, as we were meeting for Mobile Church, many Pokemon Go players would come close enough to the tent that we could say hi.

Now, keep in mind that one of the major reasons we do Mobile Church is so we can meet new people by showing them God's love with an act of kindness. Therefore, we first tried to take advantage of this new opportunity by offering Pokemon Go players cold lemonade and bottled water. You would think that the hot summer weather would cause players to flock to this offer, but we quickly discovered that many of these gamers weren't in the mood to be social. No, they were at the park for one reason; to catch Pokemon. We were just a stop along the way, nothing more; grabbing a cold lemonade would just slow them down. However, one special Pokemon Go player did stop and say hi, our friend JP Lambiase, a filmmaker with Hellthy Junkfood--someone we've met in the past through giving away funnel cakes and the free ride service.

We met JP and Julia in 2014

Later that week, I was brainstorming outreach ideas on how we can better interact with these Pokemon players, and that's when JP contacted me about turning our Mobile Church act of kindness into a Pokemon Go party, and he wanted to film the event for his YouTube channel. I jumped at the chance. Plus, seeing as literally everyone attending our church is hardcore into the game, I knew our church people would be on board.

JP and I met and came up with an activity that was to become the centerpiece of the party; a real-life Pokestop, to be meticulously modeled after the game. JP had a friend create a spinning Pokestop logo, and I bought prizes that resembled in-game items. I'm pretty proud of what we came up with:

Click here for video.

Suffice to say, the Pokemon Go party was a huge hit. We had no problem connecting with the gaming hoard in the park, and HellthyJunk Food made the party fun for everyone--and tasty, thanks to JP's signature, Rochester-style chili dogs.

The video turned out awesome, and 40k views ain't too shabby either: 

A big thanks to JP and Julia and the rest of the Hellthy Junkfood crew. One way you can show your appreciation for their kindness is to visit and subscribe to their YouTube channel. It just goes to show that you never know who you'll meet and what kind of an adventure you'll go on when you step out and show kindness to your community!

Acts of Kindness Continues to Grow in our Community (Oneonta, NY)

A special report by Kindness Team member, Nickcole Hunt

The Oneonta bar crawl for students has become a long time tradition, and last night wasn’t any different. Many students participated in the bar crawl and found their way to The Redemption Movement’s Kindness Station at some point during the night.

#OneontaRides #seniorcrawl #oneonta #ActOfKindness pic.twitter.com/hZ3pf5J2xJ

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 12, 2016

When The Redemption Movement had the Grand Opening in Oneonta back in March 2013, they started with 30 Days of Kindness, along with church services, but they’re not the normal church program, since they find ways to go out in the community to help others.

They have offered services to families by providing parents with a night out by providing free child care and a free meal at Ruffino’s restaurant, they offer mobile church services, free food on the first Sunday of every month, groceries to those in need, money to holiday workers, and much more.





They have become famous here in Oneonta by students and the community by providing a Kindness Station throughout the year, usually of Fridays or during events like OH-Fest and the bar crawl. The Kindness Station provides free drinks, snacks, breathalyzer testing, and even a safe ride home, all free of charge. 

9 people lined up for the @BACtrack Breathalyzer. Definitely given over 100 tests tonight #OneontaRides #seniorcrawl pic.twitter.com/0EMmFxKZhF

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 13, 2016

The safe ride program was established due to a need that The Redemption Movement saw in the community; students and community members can’t always afford a taxi home or they may not have the abilities to make it safely to a bus stop after a night of drinking. The safe ride program has given 2,771 rides in total since they started, and 1,741 rides during the 2015-2016 year alone. 

But finances can be tight at times for them to operate this service. On average, it costs The Redemption Movement between $485-$1,000 to operate the safe ride program, which doesn’t include the cost of water, snacks, and other services provided at the Kindness Station. However, without regular sponsors The Redemption Movement always finds a way to keep going through donations (not accepted during the rides), volunteers, and fundraisers. 

Students always rave about The Redemption Movement with positive remarks such as "amazing," "wonderful," "kind," and, "we love you guys, you’re the best!" With remarks like these, who wouldn’t want to keep this program available to our community?

@RedemptionNY thank you so much for all of the rides this semester! Love getting to know the kindness team. What you do is inspiring ☺️☺️

— sara d (@BiggieSquals) May 17, 2016

Kaler Carpenter from The Redemption Movement states the goals for next year are:

Buy a van and/or raise enough money to be able to regularly rent extra vehicles, be able organize enough volunteers that we can go out both Fridays and Saturdays (without me having to do both nights), get more student/community groups and churches involved, and have first aid available at the Kindness Station. 

With a program that has helped our community in many ways and has goals to continue helping our community to change it for the better, who wouldn’t be willing to help? If you’re looking to provide an act of kindness, contact The Redemption Movement to find out how you to can help our community.

2,771 Safe Rides Given Caps Off 3-Year Volunteer Effort for #OneontaRides

At the end of the annual Senior Bar Crawl, we wrapped up our 3rd season of ‪#‎OneontaRides‬, bringing our ride total to 2,771--that's 1,741 safe rides given during the 2015-16 school year alone! What's even more amazing is the fact that 49 people have volunteered to stay up late and serve their community in this unique capacity! A big shout-out to the Kindness Team for all of their hard work and support!

This was the second year providing rides during the crawl. Last year's crawl was special because it was when we gave our 1,000th ride. This year's crawl was also a special day, thanks to a team of 10 volunteers who kept the Kindness Station running for 8 hours! To give you an idea of how the day went, check out our report:    

Thursday was a special night of serving Oneonta with 75 safe rides home and many acts of kindness. It was the annual Senior Bar Crawl (an event where hundreds of students go from bar-to-bar in matching T-shirts), and it was the last ‪#‎OneontaRides‬ outing of the semester--which means we’ve got a 3 month break!

It was another big volunteer effort from the Kindness Team. The outing possible thanks to 10 people helping out, including 3 newcomers and 5 students from Campus Ambassadors Oneonta! And, due to the Bar Crawl beginning at 4:30pm, we actually got started at 6pm (4 hours earlier than normal). It felt odd having the Kindness Station up and running during the daylight hours. Since the sun was out and the weather was nice, I brought along a bubble machine and bubble wands. The students loved the bubbles and they danced around the machine and skipped around the plaza while blowing bubbles. It was fun to watch them having fun.

The biggest hit of the evening was by far the breathalyzer. For most of outing, there was a line 3-10 deep of people waiting to get their BAC tested. We easily gave more than 100 tests, perhaps as many as 150+. It’s always an educational/eye-opening experience for someone to learn what their BAC is, and for those who were intoxicated, I made sure to offer crackers, granola bars, and water to help absorb the alcohol.

9 people lined up for the @BACtrack Breathalyzer. Definitely given over 100 tests tonight #OneontaRides #seniorcrawl pic.twitter.com/0EMmFxKZhF

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 13, 2016

The Kindness Station hospitality table was completely cleared out--twice! From 6-9pm, we had given away $100 worth of snacks and drinks. I then made a quick run to the store to restock everything ($50), and everything I bought from the second trip was gone by 12:30! We even had 2 friends stop by to drop off a box of juice and boxes of crackers, both items were quickly devoured.

In total, we passed out; 250 bottles of water, 100 juice packets, 75 granola bars, 50 pop tarts, 5 big bags of chocolate, 100 pieces of Orbit gum, 1 pot of coffee, 100 packs of sandwich crackers, and 20+ glow necklaces. Talk about ending the semester with a party! We even had enough volunteers that we were able to fill up a basket with goodies and have a team of 2 walk around downtown passing out some kindness.

On the ride side of things, we took one young man to the Emergency Room after he injured his face, Garland gave a ride as far as East Worcester, and we got to take the second vehicle and patrol the neighborhood to look for people needing help.

My 2 favorite rides of the night: 1) To a young woman who was walking by herself at 2am on West Street between Hartwick and SUCO. We offered her a ride and she gladly took it because she was feeling scared having to walk in the dark by herself. She told us “thank you” a couple dozen times, and she was delighted to recall that I had given her a ride before.

Then there was a student who I have given regular rides to over the past 3 years. Every time I would see him I would shout his name, and we’ve had many conversations over the years about life and faith. He’s graduating this weekend and he knew this might be one of the last times he would see me--so he requested one last ride with just me and him so he could thank me, offer me some pizza, and let me know that I have literally saved his life with all of the rides given him.

I just gave an emotional #saferide to Julio, a senior I've been giving rides to for 3 years. He said I saved his life. Humbled #OneontaRides

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 13, 2016

I was touched by the gesture and humbled by the compliment. Before dropping him off, he requested a picture of us together, and we later connected on Facebook. I hope to keep in touch with him after he graduates and moves away from O-Town.

Fully stocked again & ready to serve #oneonta with #Kindness!#OneontaRides #seniorcrawl #oneonta pic.twitter.com/Bavt1uQutE

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) May 13, 2016

We now enter the summer season where we'll fundraise to keep the free ride service going, and make plans to return in the Fall, bigger and better than ever! You can help us jumpstart the fundraiser by making an online donation. 

And you can schedule Pastor Kaler to give a presentation about #OneontaRides to your community group, business, or church, just call 607.434.2564. 

And if you've not yet joined the Facebook Group, Oneonta Kindness Team, do so to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to organize this community service, as well as to volunteer when we start up again in the Fall.

And to learn more about what we do and hear exciting stories about giving rides, you're invited to attend the monthly Kindness Team Brunch, Sunday, June 5th, 10am at 148 River St.! Come hungry, leave inspired!

Is There Hope for Upstate New York's Dying Communities?

The Carpenters celebrate adding +1 to Otsego County's population in 2014.

Otsego County's most recent population numbers are in. We've experienced a 1.76% population loss since the 2010 census (-1,094 people). This trend is consistent with population changes in the surrounding counties, and upstate NY in general.

• Read more from AllOtsego.com, "Otsego County Loses 1,094 People, 1.76% Since Census."
• Read more from The Daily Star, "Census shows local counties are dwindling."

When Laura and I moved to Oneonta in 2009 to start The Redemption Movement, Otsego County's population change since 2000 was +0.9%, with Oneonta down 0.4%. This statistic is one of a handful that drew us to Oneonta--a move which most modern church planting organizations would have advised against. 

• Read more from The Redemption Movement, "Why Oneonta, New York?"

You see, when it comes to starting a new church, denominations will almost exclusively invest resources into growing communities. Unfortunately, such a focus comes at the cost of overlooking the dying communities. As commonsense as this strategy appears, there's actually one huge aspect of ministry that it neglects: hope, or to be more specific, the lack thereof.

The perspective I bring to this conversation is of someone who grew up in a dying rural community. My experience has taught me that communities struggling with population loss also struggle with hopelessness. And since moving to upstate New York, I can confirm that this attitude of hopelessness is prevalent in the local population. 

• Read more from Prntly, "Study shows Upstate NY is the worst place in US to live."

In fact, I would say that I know WAY more people living here who are only still living here because they can't scrape together enough money to move out of state. Plus, in my almost 7 years here, I've had an unusually high number of New York friends move to states with better economies and job opportunities. By far, these disenfranchised NY citizens far outnumber the people I've encountered who love living here and are committed to making the best of it.

Also in my background is time spent living in cities which possessed a growing population and a growing economy. The dichotomy between these two environments is stark, with the growing communities generally being a more positive place to live. 

Suffice to say, the dynamics of how one would conduct a church ministry in a growing community verses in a dying one are equally drastic. For example, cities that have found economic success are filled with people without want. Sadly, this can turn "going to church" into a consumeristic endeavor where the church with the best (fill in the blank) is sought after by the devout. Whereas people living in a dying community don't much care for the trappings of the mega church model with its light shows, big screens, and programs. Instead, these people are first and foremost, looking for hope.

I know that, statistically speaking, it doesn't make sense to start a new church in upstate NY, much less Otsego County. Although, when it comes to understanding that the church has been given a mission to spread hope to people that are lost, hurting, and hungry for hope, that's when starting The Redemption Movement in such an unlikely place begins to actually make sense.

Now, I'm not advocating that starting a new church in a dying community is a silver bullet that will turn everything around. However, it's my belief that, if a church movement successfully spreads hope to the hopeless, then good things will begin to happen and positive changes will take place in the surrounding community. Consider the following benefits of how a church can positively influence a community lacking hope, by giving it something to hope for.

• When people have hope, drug abuse and addiction loses its grip on lives, and drug epidemics are curtailed (drugs being a well-known problem for Otsego County).
• When people have hope, they believe enough in their future to invest in it.
• When people have hope, they believe enough in their future to fix their past mistakes.
• When people have hope, they have a purpose and a desire to share their hope with others.
• When people have hope, they long to participate in a spiritual community with those who share their hope (instead of believing the church to be irrelevant). 
• When people have hope, instead of looking for the first opportunity to escape the problems in their community by moving away, they become intentional about sticking around and looking for ways to remedy them. 
• When people have hope, instead of looking for the first opportunity to escape a tough family situation by divorcing or leaving, they stick to their wedding vows and do the work it takes to repair a broken marriage.
• When people have hope, people have babies and they stick around to raise families. This in turn ensures that a community will have a future. 

At The Redemption Movement, Jesus is our hope and we're on a mission to proclaim this Good News to all who are lost, hurting, and in need of hope.  

Another Safe Ride Milestone: 2,000 Rides Given!

Believe it or not, it was just last May when we celebrated giving our 1,000th safe ride home. Nine months later and we doubled what originally took us more than 2 years to accomplish! And technically, we gave our next 1,000 rides in only 6 months if you count taking off for summer break. 

The Story of How We Reached 2,000

What's crazy about this accomplishment is just how fast the safe ride service has grown. In fact, on Feb. 7th, we had our first Kindness Team Brunch and I got in front of the church and told everybody, "It looks like we're on track to give our 2,000th ride in the middle of March." Amazingly, we hit this goal the very next weekend!

The suddenness of giving ride #2,000 actually caught me off guard. As we did with ride #1,000, I wanted to celebrate this milestone by honoring the special passenger with a gift, as well as contact local media outlets about the milestone ahead of time. However, in typical upstate New York winter fashion, the weather all but destroyed these plans. Only this time, it was for the better.

The Coldest Weekend of Winter 2015-16

For Oneonta, Valentine's Day weekend 2016 ended up being the coldest weekend of the Winter, dropping down to below zero on Friday night, and a ridiculously cold -19° on Saturday night (real feel: Ice Planet Hoth). Usually, we only provide rides on Friday nights. However, when presented with the brutal forecast, I made the call to offer rides on both nights. 

The result: we gave 135 rides in 2 days--our biggest weekend yet! An unknown rider on early Sunday morning was ride #2,000. Tracking a live ride count while operating 2 vehicles is a bit challenging, so unfortunately, we'll never know who it was.

To take on the subzero weekend, we took advantage of the flexibility afforded us by our downtown Kindness Station. During the week prior, we got the idea to offer free winter clothes at the station, and within days of posting the idea to the Oneonta Kindness Team Facebook Group, a respectable amount of winter clothes was donated; plenty of hats, scarves, gloves, coats, jackets, and sweaters for everybody who needed one.

Friday: -2°, 67 Rides

Come Friday, and we felt pretty good about all of the amenities we had lined up for the station, most of which were meant to warm people up:

After we posted this picture to Facebook, we later found out that the local radio station picked it up and announced our service over the airways. How cool is that!?

#OneontaRides is braving the cold for you! Free coats & gloves going fast!#saferides #ActOfKindness pic.twitter.com/4xQX4AQiqo

— Redemption Movement (@RedemptionNY) February 13, 2016

How to Take a Church For All Its Worth! (Hint: It's Easy)

I've got two very different money-related experiences from last Sunday on my mind, and they're related in a powerful way.

"I'm Sorry, Did You Say Cash Voucher?"

I want to share the second experience first. A random guy called me, wanting to know if our church takes cash vouchers? I didn't know what he meant by this question, but after prying a bit, I discovered that he was looking for a cash handout.

He told me that he's called all the other churches in town and they all have policies about not giving out cash.

I told him that we're a new church with a small number of members and not a lot of resources, and that we don't have policies about giving or not giving cash, but we also don't have any funds designated specifically for people who call asking for help.

I then asked him, "Is there any other way that we can be of service?" I was thinking that he would then ask for gas for his car, shelter for the night, a meal, a ride, or help with moving furniture (all ways in which our church has helped strangers who have called looking for help). Unfortunately, he declined any other form of assistance besides cash and that was that. Phone call over.

Help That Goes Beyond Cash

I get desperate phone calls like this fairly often, but what makes this experience memorable isn't the call itself, but rather, it's how the stranger's request corresponds to something our church did less than an hour before he called. You see, I just got done collecting cash to give to a family in need.  
    
What gives? What made one family worthy of a cash gift from my church, and why did I feel uneasy and even irresponsible about just giving money to a random stranger calling for assistance?

Answer: The family goes to our church, while the stranger does not.

"But Kaler, isn't that showing favoritism? Aren't you supposed to help everybody that asks for help?"

Yes to both questions. You see, for people who make up our church community, their needs take priority and we have no qualms about providing them with cash if they need it. And in regards to the second question, I did offer to assist the man in a way that would practically meet his needs, but he was only interested in getting cash.

Another important aspect to these two stories is that the family from our church didn't even ask for money. Instead, my wife heard about their need by way of hanging out with them. When our church gathered on the following Sunday, she presented the need before the group, which lead to an offering being taken up for them.

When You're Here, You're Family

Herein lies the power of community; when relationships within a community reach a certain depth, a person won't have to even ask for help because the community will already know about it and its people will respond accordingly. 

You know what other social group offers this kind of support for unspoken needs? That's right, a family, and for people who make up the congregation of a church, they're supposed to see each other as a family. Spiritually speaking, this is a reality that's at the core of what we believe a church is--one big family.

With this in mind, I began to think about the stranger who called me for cash and I had a sobering thought, "What if, instead of looking for assistance by calling every single church in town (and it was obvious that our poorly financed church was at the bottom of his list), what if he actually visited these churches?"

And I'm talking more than a one-time Sunday morning visit, "What if this man would become a regular at a church? What if this man were to become known on a first-name basis with the congregation, join a committee, become an usher, help serve the city's poor, or even just show up regularly at the weekly gatherings?" 

I know exactly what would happen if this stranger-in-need attempted this approach. He would be welcomed into the life of the church community, he would cease being a stranger, and in a very short time, he would be treated like family.

This would be the best thing that could happen to a man in need, because once you've genuinely joined a Christian community, it's like you've gained a whole new family that has your back along with your best interests in mind. And as part of such a family, the church will stop at nothing and move mountains to take care of you and meet your needs, even if it means asking other members of the church family to give sacrificially in order to make it happen. 

Why? Because this is what any family who loves one another does for each other. In fact, if the church is doing what it's supposed to, and deep friendships and relationships are being fostered, then the man in need wouldn't even have to ask for assistance because the church body would be quick to respond to the need and meet it as soon as it's found out by another church member (like with the family we took up an offering for). 

Concluding Thoughts

A stranger looking for assistance from a church will often find it, but it will usually be in a small way that's limited by budgets and policies. However, for someone the church considers to be family, why, that person will essentially be able to "take the church for all its worth;" thanks to every resource of the church being made available to meet the needs of one of their own.

And how does one become a part of such a loving, supportive family? For starters, it's as easy as physically visiting a church and spending time with its people. If they show you love and accept you for "coming just as you are," then you've found the right church and it's just a matter of time until its people work tirelessly and give sacrificially in order to meet your needs. 

Granted, due to the disregard for the financial future of the church organization, this approach makes for an absolutely lousy business model, and it's a poor way to provide a social service. But a church is not a business, a church is not a social service; instead, a church is a family--a family that prioritizes in taking care of one another.