A Publication of the Oak Hill United Methodist Church
March 16, 2022

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Worship Service

8:30 Early Worship
9:45 Sunday School
11:00 Worship

Everyone is welcome.

Worship with us online at
facebook.com/OakHillUMC
or https://www.oakhillumc.org/live
The 11:00 service is livestreamed.

The Pastors' Corner

Each year during the season of Lent, Rethink Church (rethinkchurch.org) publishes a Photo-a-Day Challenge where participants are invited to think about a certain word and then snap a photo that captures the meaning for them. No explanation is needed. It’s simply a practice of paying attention to how God reveals something to us each day of our lives.

I participate in the challenge on occasion and have found it meaningful in the past, so I decided that I would take this practice on once again for this 2022 Lenten season. Although they say no explanation is needed, I’m a preacher… so I can’t help myself! I have lots of words to say! Therefore, I end up writing a brief reflection to go along with my picture to remember what God said to me that particular day.

Below is one of those reflections from last week that I wrote. The word for the day was “dazzling,” and I ended up being reminded of my beautiful grandmother, my Omie, Vivian Allen and the special relationship she had with Jesus. I’ve included here a picture of her so you can see her dazzling personality as well as the picture I posted for the day of her ring I was wearing:

I wore my Omie’s ring today. I think of her a lot when I wear it because it’s a piece of jewelry that I wouldn’t have picked out for myself in a store. But this is definitely an “Omie piece” that makes an “Omie statement.” Those of you who knew her know what I’m saying!

She was a stunning woman, and she loved her jewelry. I always thought she was so fancy. She had great posture, dressed nice, smelled good, and was so confident in the way she carried herself. Her voice was very proper and she sang like an angel. She was dazzling!

However, her life was far from perfect. She had more than her fair share of hardships. She owned her mistakes, stood up for herself, and held her head high as she provided for her family. She wasn’t afraid to get dirty - working on the family farm or digging in her garden. Even in these moments - maybe even more so with that sweat glistening on her brow - she was dazzling!

What made her dazzling? It wasn’t the jewelry or the posture. It wasn’t the hard-earned paychecks. It wasn’t the single-mom-badge. It wasn’t the spotless home or the well-tended yard. Friends, what made her dazzling was the love of God. She KNEW who she was and whose she was, and that knowledge allowed her to be a dazzling light wherever she went. Omie’s life was a brilliant reflection of the Light of the World.

If you want to read more of my daily reflections, feel free to find me on Facebook (Missy Allen Jenson) or on Instagram (misserjenson) - I would love to connect with you on social media!

Pastor Missy Jenson

Food Bank Service

Our next opportunity to serve will be tomorrow at noon. Yes, it's
St. Patrick's Day but I can't think of any better way to celebrate the Irish spirit than hanging out with some of you at the food bank. Here's the link to sign up. https://cafb.volunteerhub.com/lp/oakhillumc

Vicki Matustik

Theology on Tap

Pastor Stephen is leading two classes during Lent. The studies will be based on the same text, "Questions God Asks Us" by Trevor Hudson, and each study will be six sessions long.Theology on Tap will be held at the Waterloo Ice House on Sunday evenings at 5:15. A Zoom version will meet on Thursdays at noon. Please contact Pam for the Zoom link. Here's the group at Waterloo this past Sunday.

Messy Church

Heads up to our Messy Church Family! We won’t be having our March gathering, but

we look forward to seeing you April 23rd. Stay tuned for more information!

Esperanza Meal

We are continuing to serve meals to the residents of the Esperanza Community; our next opportunity will be on Friday, March 25. Please take a moment to support this important ministry by your financial contribution or by assisting with serving the meal. We have appreciated the opportunity to faithfully serve this community since August 2020; let's keep it going. Please click here to sign up.

The Listening Room - American Dreamer

Oak Hill United Methodist Church will transform its sanctuary into The Listening Room at Oak Hill for a performance by Black Fret Award winning American Dreamer. The concert is free with a suggested $25 donation at the door. Click here to reserve your ticket.

American Dreamer is a 'string quartet' with acoustic guitar. The group is led by multi-instrumentalist Sasha Klare-Ayvazian their primary songwriter and vocalist. The strings are: Sasha's wife Courtney Castaneda on Cello, Camille Schiess on Violin, and Dana Marie on Double Bass. The group plays what might be called "emo pop"--pop and folk songs with a uniquely beautiful string section vibe. Click here to check out a sampling of their music.

UMW Book Club March Selection

Our March selection from the United Methodist Women’s Reading Program (UMW) is Falling Into Place: A Memoir of Overcoming by Hattie Kauffman. Our meeting will be on Thursday morning, March 31, at 10:00. We will either meet in person in the Adult Education Building Room 101 and/or via Zoom. If you are new to the group, I will be happy to add you to our email list. Contact me if you have any questions, Diana Goodloe at dianagoodloe@gmail.com

Church Work Day on March 26

Our Church campus has re-opened!! But it needs some TLC that has been neglected over the past 2 years. In advance of Easter, the Board of Trustees has designated Saturday, March 26 as a Campus Work Day, running from 9AM-3PM. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers.

Please join your fellow members (and friends from BSA Troops 505 & 19) in some cleaning, minor repairs, and plantings to make the campus look beautiful.

Work projects will focus on the Sanctuary, the Main Building and the Mission Building.

Click here to sign up for the various projects

CROP Hybrid Hunger Walk

Last weekend folks around the country, including our prayer walkers, dedicated CROP Hunger walkers, and our youth helped fight hunger in our area and around the world by engaging in the annual CROP Hunger Walk. Thanks to all those who participated and donated!

Feed my Sheep at Sunrise

On Tuesday, March 29, we will once again be delivering our delicious casseroles, baked goods and fruit to our friends at Sunrise. They always look forward to the day that the Oak Hill ladies bring their gifts, and they know that this is the food that we fix for our loved ones. They feel like part of the family, too. Thank you all for your boundless generosity and continued loving support of this ministry! Click here to sign up.

Walk to Emmaus

Women’s Walk, May 12-15, 2022 at Eagle’s Nest Retreat (Burnet, TX)

Walk to Emmaus is a 3-Day Spiritual journey for Christians seeking to deepen or renew his/her relationship with Christ. God is truly present during these weekends, and He meets each person right where he or she is on his/her journey with Christ. Even though each Walk (Men’s or Women’s) has very similar components and activities, each individual has his or her own individual experience during the weekend. It is a weekend filled with Christian fellowship with other men or women on their own faith journey with Christ.

There is singing, inspirational and thought-provoking talks by Lay and Clergy speakers, fun-filled activities, deep spiritual times of worship, great food, and times of reflection. Occasionally someone may have an immensely moving spiritual experience after which they are a changed person. More often, each Pilgrim finds personal ways to deepen his/her relationship with Christ as he/she continues his or her Christian journey. Emmaus is not meant to be a secret society – there is no secret handshake!

As the Emmaus liaison for Oak Hill UMC, I am available to talk with you in more detail about the program. If you have ever considered going on a Walk to Emmaus, or have any questions about the weekend, please contact me. If you would like to be a guest at a Gathering of the Greater Austin Emmaus community, please let me know. May God’s blessings richly bless you wherever you are on your walk with Christ. For more information contact Diane Merwarth via email or mobile 512-560-2364.

The Men's Walk we be held November 3-6 at the Eagle's Nest Retreat.

Rada Cutlery for UMW

Thank you for supporting Oak Hill United Methodist Women. By clicking here when you shop, you’ll be purchasing high-quality Made in USA products, while helping our group raise money for our missions. Your support is appreciated!

Easter is on its Way!

COVID Update

We are excited things are looking up. Austin-Travis County is now at Stage 2 for Covid Community Risk!

The CDC has issued a new metric, Community Levels, for developing risk-based guidance. Travis County is currently in the lowest Community Level. With these updates, there are changes to mask guidance for our area.

In counties with a low transmission rate, wearing a mask is optional based on a person’s comfort level, preference, and level of risk. In response to the change in recommendations from local and national health professionals Oak Hill is now mask optional.

Let’s continue to act in Christian love and compassion for all of God’s children, being considerate and extending compassion to people who may have different levels of comfort with this change.

The Responsible Return Team continues to listen to public health officials. If conditions change, we will adjust our guidelines.

Job Opportunities

Oak Hill United Methodist Church is looking to fill the following position.
For full details and how to apply, please click on the job title.

Pianist / Organist / Accompanist - helps to lead Oak Hill UMC in its online, and in-person music ministries by supporting the Director of Music Ministries, playing hymns and other service music, and accompanying a variety of groups and soloists.

Sunday School Classes

Classes will meet in the Adult Education Building from 9:45 - 10:45 am each Sunday.

Children's Sunday School Gathering - Meet in the Great Room of the Children's Building - In Person - Contact Jennifer Barkis
Christian Fellowship - Room 202A - In Person - Contact Alice Wiley
Family Faith - Room 201A - In Person - Contact familyfaith
Friends in Faith (FIF) - Zoom - Contact Paul & Diana Nelson
Friendship Bible Class - Room 203 - In Person - Will Zoom simultaneously if requested. Contact Chuck Feuerbacher
Open Door - Room 206 - In Person - Will Zoom simultaneously if requested. Contact Vicki Matustik
Regenerates - Room 102 - In Person - Contact Susan Coffman

Zooming & In Person

Hillside Ringers - Handbell Choir - Contact Sarah Walton - Meets other Sunday at 4:00 pm
Women of Valor - Book Club - Contact womenofvalor@oakhillumc.org - Meets in person in members' backyards and porches every other Thursday at 7:30 pm
UMW Book Club - Book Club - Contact Diana Goodloe - In Person - Meets the last Thursday of the month at 10:00 am
Wednesday Morning Study Group - Contact Meryl Kettler.

Stephen Ministers care for people facing tough times through confidential, one-to-one Christian care. They provide the emotional and spiritual care needed when someone is faced with a crisis or difficulty such as grief, spiritual needs, health issues, relationship problems, job situations, or other life challenges. If you are in need of someone to share your concerns, or if you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister, please email Alana Oehler or call her at 512-289-1988. For more information click on:
www.oakhillumc.org/stephen-ministry