{"id":4782,"date":"2022-12-02T09:55:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T14:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=4782"},"modified":"2022-12-02T09:55:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T14:55:28","slug":"two-lyft-drivers-use-their-ride-sharing-ministries-to-spread-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2022\/12\/two-lyft-drivers-use-their-ride-sharing-ministries-to-spread-the-gospel.html","title":{"rendered":"Two Lyft Drivers Use Their Ride-Sharing Ministries to Spread the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ride
Oleksandr Pidvalnyi\/Pexels.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One is an ordained pastor in Brooklyn, the other a single mother and children\u2019s book author in New Jersey. Both drive for Lyft. Both share the word of God as roving preachers. Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid try to inspire passengers through spiritual guidance on the road as part of what they see as mobile Christian ministries.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t always have to go to a church or sanctuary to experience the restoration and the power of God,\u201d said Drayton, 61, a minister who also preaches at Mantels of Promise Ministries in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

He began to drive for Uber in 2015 after retiring from a career in the insurance industry. Listening to passengers who shared their stories on the road, he understood that his car could become an extension of the church. \u201cThe car is such an ideal place to do this because it\u2019s personal,\u201d said Drayton, who now drives for Lyft. \u201cI can share my faith, and it\u2019s so important because that\u2019s what I live for.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a recent day, he began by praying in his impeccably clean 2017 Toyota Camry and reciting Psalm 23 (\u201cThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want\u2026\u201d). On a break from driving in Manhattan, he reflected on how he reaches out to passengers.<\/p>\n

He always plays classical music on his car stereo (his favorite is Mozart) to encourage a calm, pleasant mood. He begins with a greeting and a kind word. He says his priority is introducing passengers to Christ, but he\u2019s respectful if they\u2019re not receptive. They\u2019re often Christian, but he has also spoken to atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. Instead of trying to preach, he says he focuses his message on the love of God and tends to avoid doctrine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s been the conflict, the repellent for healing and transformation,\u201d said Drayton. \u201cIt\u2019s discussion and debates that have caused holy wars.\u201d Reid also stays away from doctrine and focuses on sharing her personal story, hoping it can help others deal with their challenges. Like Drayton, she feels that the church goes beyond brick and mortar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that God put me in a position to do,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I love it because I just love inspiring people and encouraging them to never give up.\u201d Losses have marked her life, including the death of her mother, sister and the fathers of her two daughters. She often retells her story to passengers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to give up, but because of my faith in God, I\u2019m still here standing,\u201d said the 40-year-old single mother. \u201cAnd I just want to use my story to encourage others never to give up, no matter what you go through.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, she began driving for Lyft to support her daughters, who are now 14 and 20. In the backseat pocket of her 2019 Nissan Altima, she keeps the five books she has written, including one for children on how to cope with the loss of a loved one. Passengers often buy her books or tip her generously, and she proudly keeps a five-out-of-five-star rating. She usually plays George Michael on weekdays and gospel music on Sundays when she\u2019s working and can\u2019t make it to church.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear people say, \u2018You made my day,\u2019 I know I can make an impact on people\u2019s life,\u201d Reid said. \u201cIt brings joy to me. It\u2019s like I\u2019ve turned my pain into a purpose to inspire others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evangelism experts say ride-hailing can be conducive to talking about faith. Lyft\u2019s guidelines do not expressly prohibit evangelism or conversations about religion, but they promote inclusion and forbid discrimination on race, gender, and religious grounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One is an ordained pastor in Brooklyn, the other a single mother and children\u2019s book author in New Jersey. Both drive for Lyft. Both share the word of God as roving preachers. Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid try to inspire passengers through spiritual guidance on the road as part of what they see as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":4788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[414,1527],"class_list":["post-4782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prayer","tag-gospel","tag-lyft"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Lyft Drivers Use Their Ride-Sharing Ministries to Spread the Gospel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid have a lot in common. Both drive for Lyft and use their time to spiritually guide and inspire riders.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Lyft Drivers Use Their Ride-Sharing Ministries to Spread the Gospel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid have a lot in common. Both drive for Lyft and use their time to spiritually guide and inspire riders.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2022\/12\/two-lyft-drivers-use-their-ride-sharing-ministries-to-spread-the-gospel.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Christ News Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T14:55:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/409\/2022\/12\/rideshare-credit-pexels-oleksandr-pidvalnyi-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lauren McKeithen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Two Lyft Drivers Use Their Ride-Sharing Ministries to Spread the Gospel","description":"Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid have a lot in common. 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