The all-volunteer Athens Area Courtwatch Project is completing its fifth year of observing criminal proceedings in the Athens-Clarke County courts.
By the end of 2023, volunteers will have logged nearly 1,000 hours in courtrooms, observing hundreds of hearings, providing moral support to families of defendants and encouragement to defendants’ lawyers. More than 100 unique individuals have volunteered in 2023.
The … Read the rest
by John Vodicka
“First, it confirmed how inextricably interwoven the past is in the present, how heavily that past bears on the future; we cannot talk about Black lives mattering or police brutality without reckoning with the very foundation of this country. We must acknowledge the plantation, must unfold the white sheets, must recall the Black diaspora to understand what … Read the rest
Each year in every UMC, new leaders are elected from within the church to serve important roles and seasoned leaders leave their roles. This constant exchange of duties is a healthy pattern that keeps ministry rooted in the laity as a whole and not in any single person or small group.
This year, we are seeking three new Leadership Team … Read the rest
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
Luke chapter 10 tells the story of the sisters Mary and Martha of Bethany, who provided hospitality to Jesus and the disciples. At Oconee Street UMC, we had our very own Mary and Martha who embodied that spirit of hospitality through their work at Our Daily Bread: Mary Weisenburg, who coordinated Our Daily Bread for 14 years, and Martha Collins, … Read the rest
OSUMC will practice radical hospitality and intergenerational discipleship so that lives and the community are transformed by God’s love.
-Oconee Street UMC Vision Statement
What now?
You have the vision statement in front of you, so be in prayer for how we will inhabit it and be challenged by it. Aaron Farnham challenged the church to read Luke leading up … Read the rest
Dear Church,
This past Sunday I preached on “radical hospitality.” Radical hospitality is understanding that our belonging is tied up in the belonging of others; it is recognizing the call to give up our power or ownership in spaces we inhabit; it is welcome informed by the pursuit of justice. There are many ways that churches can practice radical hospitality, … Read the rest
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
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
Supporting U-Lead Athens is part of the immigrant justice mission of Oconee Street UMC. U-Lead Athens began in August 2014 to provide college mentoring, access, and scholarships to Athens-Clarke and adjacent county students who are un(der)documented immigrants (and thus banned from UGA and charged three to four times in-state tuition elsewhere) or children of immigrants.
U-Lead would not exist without the … Read the rest