Unleashing New Life

Dear Church Family,

I hope that you have all had a great month of May. I know that I have. It has been busy, but it has been good. On Saturday, May 21st, I graduated with a Master of Theological Studies from United Theological Seminary. I had finished my Master of Divinity in 2009, but I had decided to pursue a second degree that would allow me to focus on Biblical Studies, especially Greek and Hebrew. It is a wonderful relief to have finished. After 22 years of schooling, I am no longer a student. (We’ll see how long that lasts.)


When graduation season comes, we know that summer is within sight. This summer will be an exciting time for us at Hoffman. In addition to our Adventure Series that many of you are participating in, we have many events planned for the summer, which are listed below:

-Annual Conference Trip (June 8)
-Church Sale (June 23)
-Art Show (July 8-9)
-Dragon’s Game (July 9)
-Church Picnic (August 7)

In addition to all of that we will be continuing the 5/2 Lunch Bunch this summer. This will be my first experience of Lunch Bunch. I am looking forward to it. For those of you who do not know, Lunch Bunch is one of our summer outreach programs. We will be feeding the children and doing VBS curriculum during June and July. Let Pam know if you want to be involved.


The West Ohio Annual Conference will be held June 5-9. This year’s conference is a particularly exciting year because I will be commissioned as a Probationary Elder in the United Methodist Church. This will place me on track for ordination at annual conference in June of 2013. Annual Conference is a time when clergy and laity from all over West Ohio gather for worship, workshops, and business. The theme for 2011 is “Unleashing New Life,” taken from Acts 5:20, which says, “Go stand in the temple courts and tell people all about this new life.” We will be challenged to share our God stories with those whom we encounter in our everyday lives. I challenge each of you to find opportunities to share your God story with those you encounter. It is important to acknowledge the ways that God has worked in our lives and share that with others.


As most of you know, we are well on our way in our series on the life of David—“As David’s World Turns.” We are continuing this series through the month of June, where we will look at

- Days of Our Life: David’s Confession (Psalm 51)
- Guiding Light: David and His Poetry (Psalm 23)
- All My Children: David and His Sons (1 Kings 1)
- One Life to Live: David’s Last Words (1 Kings 2)

We could spend an entire year looking at the life of David. After all, he is mentioned in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament figure. He has the longest biography of any biblical character. David is a dynamic figure. I hope you will join us as we wrap up the life of David this June.


Yours in Christ’s Service,
Pastor Justin