On #GivingTuesday 2022, you could give to many local organizations that help people today and work toward lasting change for tomorrow. We have found several local organizations that align with our vision of a more inclusive city. Here are a few of the efforts that Oconee Street UMC invests in with time and money. We invite you to learn more … Read the rest
Author: Allison Floyd
Where to from here? A letter from Pastor Laura
Dear Church,
As promised, here are some of the “too technical to include in a sermon” details of what to expect the next few weeks as we learn about our vision. As was mentioned at the vision day, this is a short term vision; it will guide us for the next couple of years in setting measurable goals but is … Read the rest
Come see work on racial justice at GMOA
OSUMC Racial Justice Task Force invites you to an Evening at the Museum on Thursday, July 28, 2022 at the Georgia Museum of Art. We will be viewing, experiencing and reflecting on two specific exhibits at the museum, “Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects” and “Call and Response,” a collection of works by African American artists. After, we’ll gather for … Read the rest
Lenten Devotion: March 11
I Did Not Question
— By JoBeth Allen —
I didn’t know this biblical history, recounted in Ezra 6:1-12. “Jerusalem receives reparations when the people return after exile: King Darius uses the royal treasury to fulfill the reparations even though he was not the king who forced them to abandon their homeland. It was not King Darius’ personal wrongdoing that caused … Read the rest
Lenten Devotional: March 4
Giving Up Giving Up
— By Robin Whetstone —
Lent is my very favorite season of the Christian calendar. It could be because the focus on Christ’s impending crucifixion appeals to my goth sensibilities, or it could be because I know how necessary the darkness is in order to truly appreciate the light.
But I think the real reason I … Read the rest
Lenten Devotional: March 2
Break Every Yoke
By Alys Willman
The great Saint Reverend Beth Long likes to say “Scripture is dangerous, if you read all of it.” These days, I am reading Isaiah 58. All of it. I read those lines of what promises God has in store for me and my soul leaps: your light shall rise in the darkness, and your … Read the rest
A few ideas on Giving Tuesday
Today is the day when we give to causes that work toward mercy and justice. While good causes abound, here are a few of the efforts that Oconee Street UMC invests in with time and money. We invite you to learn more about them and donate as you are able.
WHAT THEY DO: ARK is an Athens-based organization … Read the rest
Two letters unsent … one to Nancy G.
“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.”
-Assata Shakur
…
By John Cole Vodicka
One of the public defenders we observe in our courtrooms told me not long ago that he believed “the legal system is broken beyond repair.” He said this … Read the rest
Locked up for throwing shoes and riding a bus
By John Cole Vodicka
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“Your honor, it was all a misunderstanding. I love John. We’ve been together 30 years. We can live together peaceably.” The woman spoke these words in Magistrate Court this past Wednesday morning. Her husband, John T., was appearing remotely from the jail at his first appearance bond hearing. He’d been jailed 24 hours before, charged with one … Read the rest
Free on $33 bond, Nancy G. is dead at 54
By John Cole Vodicka
…
Tonight, I write with a very heavy heart.
Nancy G. – Nancy Little Gallagher – is dead. She died a horrible death sometime this past week, most likely between Tuesday and Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, her body was discovered at the Walton County (Monroe), Ga., transfer station. That is, the landfill. That is, the garbage … Read the rest