Our $2,600.00 Outreach to Oneonta NY

By Kaler Carpenter
You can describe The Redemption Movement as a low-to-no budget church plant. Going against the advice of traditional church planting organizations, Laura and myself moved to Oneonta in 2009 with zero support, not knowing anybody in NY, and having just enough money saved up to put a down payment on a vacant storefront on River Street. Some may call it crazy, we call it faith, whatever you call it, this church has been a lot of hard work.

Our Taxing Situation

In the face of such hard work, like remodeling and working full time jobs instead of fundraising, we are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts. Having shortcuts placed before us causes conflict in our hearts. Jesus teaches that the easy way will often be in opposition to God's ways (that's why it's called the straight and narrow). One easy way we could have taken with the church is in regards to taxes.

Here's our taxing situation: back in 2009, we went before the Oneonta City Planning Committee to request that the River St. property purpose be changed for church use. By one vote and God's grace the measure passed, we then purchased the building and began working on our money pit. The agonizingly high New York property tax bills soon followed. Paying these tax bills took a lot of money away from the new church and made the work go much slower. Although, God has been very faithful in providing for our needs.

We are well aware that it's within the right of every church to seek exemption from property taxes. This thought crosses our minds with every check we write to pay our tax bill. We could have spent the last 4 years doing whatever it takes to get our property off the tax rolls; and in 4 years time, we surely could have figured it out. I mean, in the last 3 years we were able to write founding documents like articles of incorporation and church bylaws, and we put together a board of trustees and officers; therefore, achieving a tax exemption status for property tax is well within our capabilities, yet we chose not to. This is because of our values.

Taking People's Religious Objections Seriously

As a new church, one of our driving values is to strip away all the religious objections that people have against church, while remaining true to the Gospel. We believe that by taking this approach, it will make it easier for people to connect with God by discovering His love through His church. This is commanded in scripture; Acts 15:19, “We (the church) should not make it difficult (be dumb with our religion) for the Gentiles (non Jews, or modern application: irreligious people) who are turning to God (people who are genuinely seeking to know God).”

In this spirit, we have scrapped several objectionable religious practices, making it so that the only thing standing in the way of a seeker of truth turning their faith towards God is the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). For us, ministering in a postmodern Northeast American culture, this means getting rid of Sunday morning church services, allowing women to teach, happily letting people who believe differently than we do use our space, removing the formal and judgmental tone from our teachings, and much more.

Showing God's Love By Paying Taxes

One objection that keeps many people from stepping foot inside a church is the issue of religion and taxes. Churches do not have to pay local taxes and many people believe this is unfair or even downright criminal. We believe that if churches skipping out on taxes is keeping a person from discovering the grace, hope, freedom, peace, joy, and love found in the body of Christ (the church), then we will gladly shell out a few thousand dollars per year ($2,625.25 to be exact) if that is what it takes to remove a religious objection and open one heart to the Gospel.

Making the commitment to pay taxes is a sacrifice for us (but hey, making sacrifices is what it means to be a Christian). We know we can take that money and do a lot of good with it by blessing the community of Oneonta in ways that the government, with all of its red tape, simply cannot. Generations ago, the entire nation felt the same way, which is why these tax exempt laws were put into place; but, times have changed and the majority of the public now believe the church is a bunch of crooks whose lack of paying taxes contributes to people's ever-growing tax burden.

Finical Abuse in Churches

I can think of several good examples of churches that are using their tax-free dollars to bless their communities with noble charity works. But you know what? I can also think of more examples of churches that are only using the money to ornately decorate their buildings while giving their wealthy Pastor another raise. As Christians, we apologize for this abuse of your hard earned tax dollars at the hands of religious people. Please accept our tax dollars as a first step towards making amends. Also, we want to do more than just pay bills, we want to show love to our community by investing time and money into making Oneonta a better place.

The City of Oneonta's Unique Tax-Exemption Dilemma

Normally, I do not like to shine the spotlight on church fiances; but I feel like in light of how strongly many people feel on this issue, shining a light on our actions can help to mend church-community relations. If you do not think this is an issue, then read the online public comments of the local newspaper every time a tax problem is discussed. Half of the comments say something to the tune of, “Tax the churches!” In fact, the not-for-profit institutions within the Oneonta city limits owns 51% of the real property value in the city. Due to this reality, many local residents hold nonprofits and churches responsible for their high tax bills. 

I would like to illustrate this point further by telling two brief stories. The first one is when I encountered a local business owner in May. It was while I was inviting Oneonta 6th Ward businesses to participate in our neighborhood block party by competing in a chili cook off (I was purposely not soliciting funds). One hardened 6th Ward Oneonta business owner replied to my introduction by scowling, “Church huh? Must be nice to find a way out of paying taxes!”

Another encounter I had was with a lady who was walking on the sidewalk in front of our building. She looked at our Redemption Movement sign and, not knowing that I was within earshot, said out loud to herself, "Oh great, this place doesn't have to pay taxes." As she continued walking, I called out to her about wanting to talk about our tax situation but she ignored me.

We Pay Taxes Because we Care for Our Community

Therefore, instead of morning the loss of $2,600, and pouting about how the money could have gone towards opening up our building earlier or reaching more people with God's love, I have decided to pay our taxes and make the amount public knowledge. We pray for our government and hope that these tax dollars will go to genuinely help people in need. The mission of The Redemption Movement is to bless our community, therefore we view our taxes as a $2,600 community outreach expense, and we will happily find ways to bless our town with what little we have. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”--Jesus.

Good Friday 2013 Public Launch Planned for The Redemption Movement!

We are happy to announce that we are on track for a Good Friday public launch for March 29, 2013! This will also be day number 30 of our 30 Days of Kindness project. Good Friday will be huge day for The Redemption Movement because it will mark the beginning of a weekly Friday night ministry for our Oneonta community. Up until this point, we have been active with an Acts of Kindness ministry, and discipled a small group of people with a home Bible study, but we have always lacked an entry point to our church where people from the public can plan a visit around. Starting March 29, you will be able to visit The Redemption Movement any Friday night in our remodeled storefront at 148 River St., Oneonta, N.Y.

A Friday evening is an unconventional time to launch a church service, but as a new church, we have the freedom to be unconventional in order to better connect with our culture. To help you know what to expect on a Friday visit to The Redemption Movement, we are going to answer a few frequently asked questions.

Isn't church supposed to be on a Sunday? Why is the RM launching on a Friday?

Church can be any day. The early church actually met every day, and even met in each other's homes. Sunday is an important day in the tradition of the church, but it is not the only day church is allowed to meet. We would also like to point at that Sunday morning services are a part of our long term plan; we hoping that a Friday ministry will build a solid group of people who can lead quality Sunday morning church services in the future.
As a new church, we have a strong focus on inviting new people to church. People who are attending a church on Sunday morning, already belong to a community of believers; and as a new church, we do not want to break up existing faith communities by "stealing" people away from other local churches. We have also noticed that it is difficult to invite people who are not in the habit of attending church, to come to a Sunday morning church service. We have also noticed that most people in our culture have Friday evenings off, and they are open to trying new activities while "going out," especially in a small town.

What will Friday evenings at The Redemption Movement look like? 

Our Friday evening ministry is an exciting attempt to try a new format of ministry designed to maximize all five ministries that we see the early church doing (unconventionally) in Acts 2:42-47. These five ministries include Worship, Prayer, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Evangelism.
Our Friday night ministry can be described as a coffee shop/living room/church service hybrid. We are trying to make church a full and rich experience where you come and connect with people and God, instead of simply watching a performance.

Click Here to Watch a Short Video About What Kind of Church We Are

What time does it start?

Tentatively, we are looking at starting at 6pm. Unlike a traditional church service, there will not be a start time and a stop time, instead there will be an open and close time, and we will close late into the night. This approach will give you the freedom to come and go at your convenience, stay for 30 minutes or even stay for 5 hours if you like. You can now plan on attending church around your previously made Friday commitments, and never again be late to church!

Do I have to participate? 

You will not be forced to sing or pray or do anything that you are uncomfortable with. You can even hang out in the lobby and eat snacks and play games all night, the choice is up to you. On the other hand, there is also room to participate in everything, to be prayed for and pray for others, to participate in group discussions, and worship for an extended period of time.
We want people's experiences to be authentic, and although we do no pressure people to participate, we do encourage it. This is because the Friday night model is an attempt to break away from the church service model where you attend, sit and consume preaching and music and then go home without being challenged. Friday nights at The Redemption Movement will provide people lots of opportunities to participate and even ask tough questions to help people grow in their faith.  

Do I need to dress up?

Come as you are. The staff will be wearing jeans and you can wear what you want to. We want to make it possible to visit us after work on Friday, without having to go home get "all prettied up."

Will I be preached at?

Instead of a preacher talking at you for 45 minutes, there will be 3 sessions where a Pastor will teach for 15-20 minutes each. After each teaching session, there will be a time set aside for group discussion, prayer, worship, or anything else that may be appropriate based on the theme of the night. Between these sessions we will take breaks to encourage fellowship and build relationships. Get to know everybody over a cup of coffee, snacks, or even make a friend while playing a board game.
As a Bible based church, the topic will always be teachings from the Bible, applied practically to your life. The teaching style of the Pastor will be casual, similar to a college lecture, and will often incorporate illustrations with both props and media.    

What kind of music will there be?

There will be a variety of music. Before each teaching session, we will play a few songs with the words on a screen for you to follow along with. Many of the songs will be modern, but we are also very open to trying out different styles and different genres of music. In fact, some nights we will try out different art-forms to worship with besides music. Looking at creation, we know God enjoys variety. 

Will you be asking me for money?

We will not pass a collection plate with an Usher watching over you. But we will have a giving box where you can drop off a donation. We may talk about money from time-to-time during the lessons, but it is not our intention to manipulate people into giving.

What about Communion (Lord's supper/Eucharist)? 

We will be offering communion most Friday nights. Typically, it will be sometime during the second half of the night. Anybody who considers themselves a follower of Christ is free to take Communion with us. Instructions will be provided during the Lord's Supper, and we will be serving grape juice with bread. 

What about children?

We will have educational activities provided for kids. If a child is mature enough to participate, then we encourage them to learn and worship alongside their parents.
  
Good Friday 2013 is a very appropriate day for The Redemption Movement to begin public ministry, this is because we are a Gospel-centered church, and everything we do is because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ sacrificing himself on the cross. This will be the topic of our grand opening, as well as the topic every time we meet.

The Redemption Movement on Facebook!

This October we are launching our Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheRedemptionMovement in order to better connect with people. We plan for The Facebook page to be our most frequently updated media, so we encourage you "Like" us if you wish to stay current with news and announcements.

We will still use this blog, and it will continue to be our primary webpage until we get a real website. We hope to keep updating the blog with articles a few times a month, while the Facebook page will have multiple updates per week and act as a networking tool for church events.

Whichever medium you prefer, all of our digital efforts are one big attempt to connect with you! See you on the book of faces!

Seasons of Ministry, Spring & Summer 2012 Recap

The pace of this Oneonta mission seems to be like waves of activity that change with the seasons.

• In the spring of 2012 we had a big push with our outreach ministry: doing funnel cake giveaways, throwing a neighborhood block party, and hosting a free rock show.
•  Summer and fall of 2012 we shifted gears and focused on the remodeling of our building, working mostly on the ceiling: new lights, new insulation, and stabilizing the structure. 
• During these seasons, we also cleared some major administrative hurdles, electing a board of officers and filing 501c3 paperwork for the IRS in order to achieve nonprofit status with the Federal Government.

We have found one of the challenges of church planting as tent-makers (ministers who support themselves with an outside job) is that it forces us to pick one ministry to focus on per season. This means it is hard to accomplish ministries like outreach, worship services, administrative duties, dynamic Bible studies, and remodeling work all at the same time. Ministering part time forces you to pick one area, give it lots of love and attention, and then move on to the next area that has the biggest need.

This fall and winter we plan to get back into doing more community outreach ministry (this is really where our hearts are at), but there is still a lot of work on the building yet to do. We have plans to launch for Good Friday 2013, hopefully as the building becomes more ready for people, it will become easier to find time to ramp up outreach efforts and promotional activities for the 2013 launch.

         

May Weather Rock Show!

We would like to thank the rock band May Weather for stopping by The Redemption Movement and playing their hearts out in the summer heat for over 1.5 hours!

June 21 Free Rock Show!

The Redemption Movement is pleased to welcome, for the first time to Oneonta NY, May Weather! May Weather will be playing a free show on Thursday, June 21 at 6pm. The band is from Hagersville MD, and is including Oneonta on the first leg of their summer tour.
May Weather is a 7 piece rock/ska/swing/swag band, they bring lots of energy and variety to their shows, and it is almost impossible not to dance along to their catchy tunes. They have released two EP's, and most importantly, they are just some of the nicest young men you will meet.
This is the second show hosted by The Redemption Movement, and we look forward to more shows as we develop a heart for the arts (God is an artist) as well as using our space as a community center that brings people together for good times and good music.

June 17 Meet & Greet!

Sunday, June 17, 6pm, we will be hosting the last information meeting of the season. This will be held at the Pastor's apartment at 148 River St, or downstairs in the storefront if more space is needed. A free meal will be provided, followed by a presentation on the church. Please RSVP by either calling Kaler @ (607) 434-2564, or emailing: kalerandlaura@yahoo.com

If you are checking out The Redemption Movement for the first time because of a newspaper advertisement then welcome! We are a new church in Oneonta and we are in the early stages of doing the work it takes to open our doors for services, and because we currently lack public church services, we prefer to introduce ourselves with information meetings-where we fellowship around a meal and lay out the vision and needs of the church with a multimedia presentation.
We are currently trying to build a team of helpers to assist in the work of the church. Our current plan is to prepare people with regular discipleship and ministry for the next year so we can publicly launch as a church on Easter 2013.
If you have any interest or curiosity about our church and how you might fit in, then I highly encourage you to attend the information meeting where all of your questions can be answered, you can also meet the Pastors, and at the very least you will get a free meal out of the deal!