About Pastor Karen
Pastor Karen is now in her fourth year at Brecksville United Methodist Church.  During this time the church and parsonage have both gone through remodeling, there have been many staff changes, and we have continued to pay attention to what it means to live in Christ and serve in love.  Rev. Oehl especially enjoys singing, teaching Bible study, and being involved in different kinds of worship leadership.

Raised as a "PK" (preacher's kid) Pastor Karen went to high school at Shaker Hts. High and college at the College of Wooster, where she met her husband, Chris.  When they were first married, Karen taught at Hathaway Brown School while Chris went to law school at Case Western Reserve University.  They moved to Wooster in 1987 where Chris started as a prosecutor in Wooster's municipal court.  Kirsten was born shortly thereafter, and Maren in 1990. 

Rev. Oehl attended seminary at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio while working on the staff at the Wooster United Methodist Church.  She then served at Marshallville and Easton (a two point charge) and Apple Creek United Methodist before coming to Brecksville.  Chris continues to work as a prosecutor in Holmes County and in his own practice in Wooster.  Their daughter Kirsten has just finished college at Baldwin Wallace and Maren is attending Ohio Wesleyan University.

Beyond the local church, Rev. Oehl is involved in the community through the local interfaith fellowship, in the North Coast District by serving as a clergy mentor and on the Missions Committee, and in the Conference by acting as part of the secretarial staff each year at Annual Conference.  She is also interested and involved in Emmaus and Chrysalis.

Favorite topics of conversation include movies, Jane Austen, cooking, and dogs.

Karen and Chris recently traveled to Costa Rica on a mission trip, and are in the midst of planning their daughter's wedding for this June.  Please keep the family in your prayers as we serve in ministry together!

Waiting—Congregational Study for Lent
“I hate waiting.”  How many times have you heard that, thought that, muttered it under your breath as you stood in line, sat in an outer office, or idled at a red light?  How many times have you prayed some version of “Give me patience, God, and give it to me now.”

You are invited to take a fresh look at waiting and the possibilities for our spirits that come with waiting by joining in a Lenten study of the book, Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting.  This will be the topic of our adult Sunday school classes, and perhaps a small group or two meeting at other times during the week.  You may choose to study the book on your own as a Lenten discipline, as well.

The seven gifts mentioned in the title are:  patience; loss of control; living in the present; compassion; gratitude; humility; and trust in God.  We could all use these gifts.

The first Sunday of Lent is February 21, with Lent actually beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17.  Please watch for more information on signing up for classes and/or buying a copy of the book itself.  If you are interested in being a facilitator for a group by yourself or with a friend, please contact Pastor Karen.

Lenten Study
You are invited to take a fresh look at waiting and the possiblities for our spirits that come with waiting by joining in a Lenten study of the book, Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting.  This will be the topic of our adult Sunday school classes, and perhaps a small group or two meeting at other times during the week.  You may choose to study the book on your own as a Lenten discipline , as well.  Lenten study sign up begins today in the Parlor.  Cost of the book is $10.00. 

Summer Camps
The summer camping flyer for the East Ohio Camps has arrived and it available in the Parlor. It provides some basic information about each campsite, including preview or open house dates.  For more detailed information about events, registration, and the unique characteristics of each camp, go to www.EOCSummercamps.org.  While there, see if you can spot pictures of campers and staff from Brecksville UMC!

Lent - Staying In Love With God
One of our adult Sunday School classes has just finished studying the three simple rules of the Christian life as outlined by John Wesley:  do no harm; do good; stay in love with God.  Actually, this last category was described by Wesley as “attending upon all the ordinances of God.”  I love Bishop Reuben Job’s rephrasing of this as staying in love with God.

Many of you know that my husband Chris and I spend most of our weekdays apart.  His work in Millersburg and Wooster make it practical for him to stay during the week in a house in Fredricksburg, a town right on the line of Wayne and Holmes counties, in the heart of Amish country.  How do we handle seeing each other only on the weekends?  With planning, of course.  We look for ways to be together—going out to eat, going on a walk, watching a movie.  We limit other weekend activities if we can.  We have started to use some vacation time to go away on our own.  In reality, this is probably not a bad strategy for all couples, who get separated by calendars, work, and family obligations as much as we are separated by geography.  Don’t we want to continue to find ways to “stay in love”?

Under “attending upon all the ordinances of God” Wesley listed these practices:  worship, Bible study (both personal and communal), Communion, prayer (family and private), and fasting or abstinence.  I find it interesting that these are common practices that we emphasize in the season of Lent, which we enter this week.
 
It is part of our shared Christian tradition to practice spiritual disciplines in Lent, but it is always a bit fuzzy as to why we should do these things.  In preparation for Easter?  As a time of recommitment?  Because it is good for us?  Just because that is what you do in Lent? 

Surely the best reason for choosing to fast, spend more time with the Bible and in prayer, and being intentional about worship is to stay in love with God.  Spend time with God.  Make a date.  Do things that you both enjoy together. 

Life often separates us from God.  Lent reminds us of ways to bring us closer again.