So, what would you say to a Bible character you’ve read about all your life? Especially one with a history like the woman from the well. Would you ask her a question or tell her your story? Would you have anything in common?

Three United Methodist Women meet the Samaritan woman at the well and learn they have some things in common, most importantly, the transformative power of the gift of living water.

United Methodist Women provide the opportunity for women to know God through Bible study, prayer, social action outreach to our neighbors, and leadership development. Just as the Samaritan woman, an outcast or “other” from her own community, compelled to tell her neighbors about Jesus and bring them to meet Him, UMW works to bring women, children, and youth to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ.

We seek justice through social action for the “others” around the world—those with less power and fewer resources treated unjustly through no fault of their own. 

We study about mission and contribute financially to mission through participation in the global ministries of the church. United Methodist Women strive to develop creative, supportive fellowships within our Oak Hill community. In fact, this has been the UMW legacy for the past 150 years.

So, how much has changed since the Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well? Come find out on Sunday.

On September 9, Pastor Jim preaches on Mark 7:24-37.

What the heck is going on in this passage? Is this the Jesus we know and love? Read the text again. A woman is desperate to help her little daughter who had “an unclean spirit.” Though not a Jew, her desperation leads her to seek out the rabbi Jesus. He takes one look at her and knows she’s not a member of his tribe. She was in every sense an “other.”

Though she begs, he refuses, saying that helping her would be like taking food from the children of God and throwing it to the dogs. Yikes! Try saying or tweeting that another human being is a “dog” and see what happens. The Greek word Mark uses is “κυναρίοις,” pronounced “kunariois.” There’s only one translation for this word and it’s “dogs,” specifically the kind that run wild in the streets, rooting through garbage: feral, flea-bitten, purple-gummed, orange-toothed mongrels.

The woman is quick. She points out to the rabbi that even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs. It’s interesting. She uses the word “κυνάρια /kunaria,” which sometimes is translated “puppies” or “little dogs.”

Prompted by her response he tells the woman to go and that the demon had left her daughter. What gives?

One of the most fascinating things about Scripture is its ability to shake us. It’s not all nice stories about sheep and sowers and rainbow-framed arks with giraffe heads sticking out the top. The Bible is filled with stories and sayings that can surprise and sometimes bewilder us. How is God’s Spirit moving in Mark 7:24-29?

We’ll think together about this on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Last week in Pathways we talked about the condition of our hearts and how Jesus cares far more about our hearts than the appearance we project to the world. This week we’re learning from James about how our words often reflect what’s on our hearts. We’ve all said things we regret, things that have hurt people we love and damaged or ruined relationships. We’ve all been hurt by the words of others and know the pain a carefully placed comment can cause. James compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship, the bit in a horse’s mouth, and a fire blazing out of control… sound familiar? So much power in such a tiny package, so how do we even begin to tame the untamable?

On September 2, Pastor Katy preaches on March 7:1-8, 14-15.

I’ve always been amused by pieces of clothing that have a label instructing to turn the garment inside out before washing. It makes sense to protect the visible part of the shirt or pants from the wear and tear of the washing machine, but what about the inside? As long as the outside appears clean and tidy, we don’t typically give much thought to the inside because no one sees it. In Mark 7, Jesus addresses a similar dilemma with our own insides, our own hearts. Far too often we take extreme care of our visible lives, but it can come with a cost for our hearts.

On September 2, Pastor Jim preaches on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Friends, words cannot express how grateful I will be to be back with you this coming Sunday. These past weeks have helped me focus and ask some basic questions about the meaning of our faith and purpose of the church.

I remember my first Sunday, June 15, 1986. I was a fledgling pastor preaching to folks old enough to be my grandparents, and in some cases great-grandparents. I knew I was green. What could I possibly have to offer these seasoned saints?

Then I remembered a painting by Kenneth Wyatt which portrayed John Wesley saying farewell to the first Methodist missionaries to sail to America. In the picture he leans down to Thomas Coke and says, “Offer them Christ.”

I decided then and there that Christ was the one thing I could and should offer.

Our culture is a complex and often confusing one. The old rules of church and membership and perfect attendance are gone. The church is no longer in the mainstream, but on the sidelines. Sometimes it’s hard to understand our place in society. Yet one thing we know: We can share Christ. He is the one that we need, that the Oak Hill community, that our city and world need. Without apology, we must joyfully and faithfully offer them Christ!

This Sunday we will gather around his table as he offers himself to us. I’m looking forward to seeing your faces as Christ fills us all with grace and hope. We will all rise from the table, forgiven, loved, and free!

On August 26, three of our youth—Sydney Fontenot, Lily Marquez, and Drew Wilson—speak on Matthew 18:1-5.

Ancient moralists regularly trotted forth models of heroes and statesmen for their students to imitate; Jesus instead points to a child. More so then than today, children were powerless, without status, and utterly dependent on their parents. Yet we are called to imitate such people of no status, people who recognize our dependence on our Heavenly Father.

Jesus sends out 70 followers with some rather strange instructions. “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’” It sounds like a bad reality TV show where the players have to survive in hostile territory with no provisions. Rather than taking something material to offer a host, they are to remain in whichever house receives them, to eat their food and drink whatever they provide. What could be the harm in having just a bit of money for a rainy day or an extra tunic in case you get muddy? Maybe Jesus’ point is that it’s hard to fully rely on someone else, especially a stranger. It forces us to let go of our preferences and creature comforts and to trust in God’s provision in a whole new way. This Sunday we will bless the backpacks of our children and school teachers and workers as a way of blessing the journey ahead during this school year. What provisions do we carry with us every day, and what could we learn from Jesus’ 70 about letting go of some of our own baggage?

Jesus sends out 70 followers with some rather strange instructions. “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’” It sounds like a bad reality TV show where the players have to survive in hostile territory with no provisions. Rather than taking something material to offer a host, they are to remain in whichever house receives them, to eat their food and drink whatever they provide. What could be the harm in having just a bit of money for a rainy day or an extra tunic in case you get muddy? Maybe Jesus’ point is that it’s hard to fully rely on someone else, especially a stranger. It forces us to let go of our preferences and creature comforts and to trust in God’s provision in a whole new way. This Sunday we will bless the backpacks of our children and school teachers and workers as a way of blessing the journey ahead during this school year. What provisions do we carry with us every day, and what could we learn from Jesus’ 70 about letting go of some of our own baggage?

This Sunday, we focus on the shortest of Jesus’ “short stories” recorded in the New Testament. The “Parable of the Leaven (or Yeast)” is only one sentence long! Typical of Jesus’ parables, this one uses daily activities and ordinary ingredients from normal life. A baker woman makes bread. It’s a straightforward image that Jesus’ listeners—and we—would recognize. But packed into this one sentence are curious details—details that take us beyond the simplicity of making bread. It seems that the Kingdom of Heaven is present as the baker woman’s mixture of yeast and flour grows mysteriously into nourishing loaves of crusty, homemade bread. “Come … taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)

On Aug. 5, Pastor Katy preaches on Matthew 20:1-8.

A landowner hires people to help in the vineyard, then a while later he hires more people, a couple hours later even more, and two more times he hires people that day. The parable opens that the kingdom of heaven is like this landowner, and we settle into a warm-fuzzy understanding of Jesus’ words. We grasp that God is going to pursue us, to gather us together, and God isn’t going to give up on us. Then, when we receive our rewards it won’t matter to God if we worked our entire lives for God, or came at the final call, we will all receive the same. Thinking of this parable as an allegory teaches us about God’s nature, but is that all it teaches us? What if we didn’t read this story as an allegory, what would it teach us then?