Dear Church Family,
It is hard to believe that October is already here. It seems like yesterday that we were beginning to start a new service at Hoffman. That was 6 months ago! We are continuing to see God at work in our church and in our lives. I don’t know about you, but as I look back over all of my life—the joys and struggles alike—I realize that God has been with me through it all.
We have been having a great time at Hoffman. On our last membership Sunday, we took in 13 members! We will be having a new member class on the first three Wednesday evenings in October to welcome more into our church family. On Sunday, September 23, we gathered at the river for a baptism. Six people were baptized in the Stillwater River that afternoon. We also had our Back to Church Sunday on September 16th. We challenged everyone to invite their friends, family, and neighbors to church for that Sunday. For the day, we had a total of 259 in worship. What a great day it was! As a result, Rev. Tim Benkert and I will be rapping in the service on Sunday, September 30th.
On September 23rd, we began a challenge at Hoffman. We are participating in the 30 Day Church Challenge. We continue this challenge through most of October. Our goal in this series is to continue to grow as we strive to reach our God potential. We are doing this by looking at 5 of the purposes that the early church was committed to. Many have signed up to receive a copy of the devotional book that will take you through the next 30 days with scriptures, prayers, and challenges. My prayer is that all of us will continue to grow closer to God as we work through this together.
October is going to be a busy time at Hoffman UMC. We have many exciting things that will be continuing throughout the month. Our Fall Talks series will continue on every Sunday afternoon in October at 4 PM. We have some great talks planned that you won’t want to miss. On Saturday, October 6th, we will be hosting the Triumphant Quartet in concert. If you are interested in tickets for this concert, contact David Hayes. The Quilt Show is also coming to Hoffman in October. On October 21st at 2 PM, we will participate in the Crop Walk.
This past month, we welcomed a new bishop to the West Ohio Annual Conference. On September 1, Bishop Gregory V. Palmer began as the leader of the United Methodist Church in West Ohio. We are honored to have such an inspirational leader in West Ohio! On a personal note, as I am approaching ordination, Bishop Palmer will be the bishop that ordains me. We will have the opportunity to meet Bishop Palmer on Sunday, October 14 at 2:30 PM. The event will be held at Gighamsburg Church. If you are interested in attending, please let Pastor Justin know.
Our annual Charge Conference will be October 17 at 8 PM. This is the meeting when we take care of all of our annual business of the church. During this meeting, we will also be asking for God’s guidance and direction as we set our Breakthrough Goals for 2013. Please pray daily this Breakthrough Prayer with us:
O God, renew and revive our church, allowing the Holy Spirit breakthrough and unleash new life. Empower our pastor and staff to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ life-changing love. Transform and use me boldly, without limits, to reach and make new disciples of Jesus Christ and change the world. Amen.
Yours In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Justin
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