On the eastern edge of downtown Athens, just past where Oconee Street climbs over the North Oconee River, sits Oconee Street United Methodist Church. The stone-and-brick building marks the top of the hill, easy to spot from across the river and just down the road from Mama's Boy restaurant. Its members and friends describe it with a single sentence: "Loving God. Serving Community." That motto is more than a tagline; it is the framework around which the entire congregation organizes itself, from its 11 a.m. Sunday worship to its five named justice and outreach ministries.
A Welcome Without Exceptions
The church's Welcome Statement reads like a creed of inclusion. It affirms "all persons of every age, race, ethnicity, color, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, physical and mental ability, educational level, and economic status, regardless of struggles with faith, addiction, or involvement with the legal system." It goes on to support marriage and ordination equality, names "the pain of exclusion and discrimination," and commits to "working together to change systems of oppression."
That welcome is not theoretical. On September 15, 2019, the congregation voted unanimously to join Reconciling Ministries Network, taking its place among United Methodist churches advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in church life and the removal of discriminatory language from the United Methodist Church's Book of Discipline. After the denomination removed its same-sex wedding ban in May 2024, the church affirmed the change publicly and now celebrates and hosts Christian marriages for any couple wishing to unite, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sunday Morning at 595 Oconee Street
Worship at Oconee Street is traditional and participatory, held every Sunday at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary at 595 Oconee St. The order of service centers on music, prayer and learning, and the format is consistent enough that newcomers can follow along comfortably. Seating is open, both on the main floor and in the balcony, and people move around week to week; there are no assigned pews.
Dress is what the church calls "eclectic," ranging from shorts and sandals to suit and tie, with everything between. Service dogs are welcome, and the building itself is designed with visitors in mind: the main building has an elevator, and the sanctuary is equipped with hearing assistance gear. The service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.
Children are present in worship throughout the service. They serve as acolytes, share music, and spend a moment with the pastor each week, because, as the church puts it, children are an important part of the worship service. For parents with infants through five-year-olds, a paid staff of professional childcare providers runs the nursery during worship and most other church events.
Holy days and seasons follow the liturgical year: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and a Christmas Music festival of readings and carols - "Kneeling in Bethlehem" - presented by the choir with strings and soloists. Each service has its own character, and the nursery is provided for the Christmas event.
Coming by Car, Bike, or Bus
The church is just east of downtown Athens and less than a mile from the heart of the University of Georgia campus. The Plan Your Visit directions are characteristically local: "Leave downtown like you are headed to Mama's Boy, or the eastside Walmart, or the Clarke County Jail. Just after you cross the North Oconee River on Oconee Street, you see the church at the top of the hill on the right." Walkers and cyclists can use the sidewalk from downtown or campus; the Athens-Clarke County Transit Routes 25 and 27 stop nearby, running from UGA and downtown to the Eastside seven days a week.
For those driving, the church has its own parking lot at 717 Oconee St., which sits across from the sanctuary. Permit parking is also available to UGA students during the academic year ($150 per semester, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and to UGA football fans on gamedays. All proceeds benefit church programs and ministries, including the U-Lead scholarships for local immigrant students.
Adult Small Groups for Every Schedule
Spiritual formation for adults happens as much in small groups as in the sanctuary. Several long-standing groups meet each week.
S.A.L.T. (Sharing and Learning Together) gathers every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in the downstairs Conference Room, with an online option for those who cannot attend in person. The group reads a chapter of scripture together, with commentary and discussion aimed at discerning how the text applies to everyday thinking and action. Open Table also meets at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays in a downstairs classroom, exploring lectionary readings, faith journeys, and the intersection of Gospel living and social justice. Both are drop-in and participant-led.
For college-age people - undergrads, graduate students and recent graduates - the Young Adult Bible Study meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. The group gathers for dinner (meat and vegetarian options), a study topic, and conversation about faith and life. Midday Renewal is a "bring your own lunch" gathering that meets from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in Fellowship Hall, with time for prayer, Bible study, devotion and fellowship.
A separate Spiritual Formation small group practices a simple discipline: each member picks a spiritual practice (prayer, service, study, or something else) to carry out between meetings, then the group reflects together on the experience and chooses the next practice.
Children, Youth, and Nursery
The spiritual formation of children is treated as a partnership between families and the church. Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m. each week, with classes organized by age and designed to introduce children to Jesus and God's love, study God's word, and explore how God wants us to live.
Youth in grades 6 through 12 meet most Sunday evenings for Youth Group, which combines dinner, games and the practice of faith in action. Once a month, the group heads out for an adventure or to serve neighbors. Youth and Young Adult Coordinator Faith Rocchio brings a background in forest schools, summer camps and alternative education; her approach centers on "trust, curiosity, and care" and creates space for questions rather than just answers.
Special events throughout the year include Vacation Bible School, holiday gatherings around Christmas and Easter, and other seasonal moments meant to create faith memories that last. Nursery Coordinator Alayna Jackson oversees paid professional childcare providers who care for children from infancy through age five. The Safe Sanctuaries policy requires every staff member and volunteer who works with children to be vetted and trained.
Music Across the Liturgical Year
Music is woven into nearly everything at Oconee Street. The choir rehearses most Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the downstairs Choir Room and sings regularly in worship under the direction of Music Director Matt Turbeville. The choir is open to anyone who wants to join; there are no tryouts.
Turbeville grew up in Dublin and spent much of his life in United Methodist music programs, studying piano, organ and church music at Wesleyan College, Florida State, Georgia College and State University, and at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in Macon. He also works full-time as a social worker with Atlanta Mission's The Potter's House, a residential treatment program for men struggling with substance abuse. Beyond Sunday worship, the choir presents the annual "Kneeling in Bethlehem: A Festival of Readings and Carols for Advent and Christmas," with strings and soloists.
Five Fronts of Justice Work
The church organizes its outreach around five justice focus areas, each with a team of members who lead the work.
Racial Justice partners include the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) on equity in policing and supports for those caught up in the criminal justice system, the Athens Area Courtwatch Project (hosted in part by the church, sending trained volunteers into magistrate, municipal, state and superior courts), and the OSUMC Community Bail Initiative, launched in June 2021 to help individuals jailed for non-violent offenses get out of jail or off probation. The Leadership Team and Justice and Outreach ministry also paid $10,000 toward reparations for descendants of Linnentown, an African American neighborhood in Athens displaced by mid-century urban renewal, working through Athens Reparations Action.
Immigration Justice supports U-Lead Athens, founded by a member of Oconee Street and hosted at the church every Thursday evening, mentoring local high school students from immigrant families through college entrance exams and applications. Parking for God mobilizes members and U-Lead students to park cars on UGA football Saturdays, with proceeds funding college scholarships. The Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition, founded by Oconee Street members, coordinates a 15-congregation response to immigrant neighbors. The church also hosts Know Your Rights workshops and "buddy" support through the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition, Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens, and SIFIC, and members continue to serve on the North Georgia Conference's Undocumented Partnership Task Force.
Economic Justice at Oconee Street has deep roots. The church founded Our Daily Bread in 1989; members still serve twice a month at the community kitchen, which now feeds more than 500 guests weekly. The church also supports The Ark, a coalition of some 30 Athens faith communities that prevents homelessness and utility shutoffs, and sponsors the Athens Economic Justice Coalition's annual Justice Fest.
LGBTQIA+ Justice is led by an Oconee Street team that tables at Pride events, hosts the annual Reconciling Ministries worship service for the North Georgia Conference RMN, advocates for inclusive policies within the UMC, and organizes educational and service events.
The Creation Care Green Team leads Environmental Justice work, with current initiatives in gameday recycling, educational events, community cleanups and nature walks, plus an energy audit, a water-bottle refilling station, a composting program and rewilding of the church grounds, in partnership with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light.
The 717 Oconee Street Story
Across the street from the sanctuary sits 717 Oconee St., a former parsonage built in the early 1900s that housed OSUMC pastors and their families until 1992. Since then it has been a hub of community ministry: an office for Athens Urban Ministries and Our Daily Bread, a worship space for the Quakers, a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous, a private counseling facility, and a home for OSUMC Youth Group, Young Adult Bible Study, United Women in Faith meetings, Spanish-language counseling through La Clinica, ESOL classes through Casa de Amistad, and recovery groups for gay men and the LGBTQ community.
Significant plumbing issues closed the building in fall 2024. A generous donation in April 2025 allowed repairs to be made, but rising insurance costs led the Leadership Team to commission a Financial Health Committee and then a 717 subcommittee to research options. In April 2026, the subcommittee presented five paths: stabilize and repair, demolish and replace with a mission-focused building, demolish outright, renovate for expanded OSUMC ministry, or transfer ownership. Costs range from under $10,000 (close and seal) to roughly $334,000 (full renovation). The Leadership Team is gathering congregational input on the way forward.
United Women in Faith
The Oconee Street chapter of United Women in Faith (UWF) meets once a month, usually on the second Monday at 6:30 p.m. UWF, founded in 1869 (and renamed from United Methodist Women in March 2022), supports programs to educate and empower women and protect vulnerable children around the world. The local unit visits, works on mission activities, conducts business and studies together, and its welcome statement mirrors the church's own. Separately, the Benevolent Women of OSUMC meet once a month for a meal and devotion.
Fellowship Around the Table
The congregation gathers after worship the first Sunday of every month for a bring-your-favorite-dish potluck in Fellowship Hall (many dishes vegan or vegetarian) and the third Sunday of every month for light snacks and conversation. A separate "Young-ish Adults" group for people in their mid-20s to 30s meets every other week, sometimes at a brewery and sometimes in a member's home.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor Miki Chastain leads the church. A Waycross, Georgia native and University of Georgia accounting graduate, Chastain earned her Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary. She and her husband Charlie spent ten years as missionaries with TMS Global in St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Torino, working with congregations on prayer, spiritual development and discipleship, and serving at-risk children and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. Before Oconee Street, she served as associate pastor at Acworth UMC and as pastor-in-charge at New Prospect UMC in Buford and Bogart UMC.
Couples interested in being married at OSUMC are invited to contact Pastor Chastain to discuss the church's wedding policy. The church celebrates and affirms all marriages and families, including those that do not conform to hetero-normative concepts.
Giving, Membership, and Getting Involved
The congregation is supported financially through pledges, offerings, and gameday and student parking. Donations can be made through Zelle (using oconeestreetumcfinance@gmail.com), through PayPal on the church's donations page, or by check mailed to Oconee Street UMC, P.O. Box 6707, Athens, GA 30604. A password-protected member directory is maintained for those wanting to connect with one another.
For anyone interested in getting involved, the church suggests reaching out by email at OconeeStreetUMC@gmail.com. Each ministry has a designated contact whose name appears in the email subject line - Carter Vest for the UWF, Steve Williams for AADM, John Cole Vodicka for Courtwatch and the Bail Fund, JoBeth Allen for U-Lead, Lew Allen for Parking for God, Katie Calkin for Our Daily Bread, the LGBTQIA Team, and the Green Team.
The church building and grounds are also open to community groups. Recovery meetings, ministry partners working on racial and immigrant justice, and other groups working to support Athenians use the church's facilities regularly.