Dear Church Family,
Wow! This has been a crazy summer. With my ordination, the Mission U conference, vacation, and visiting my mom, I feel like I have been going non-stop. I am looking forward to no traveling for a while. While traveling is nice, there really is no place like home.
This church’s summer schedule has been full as well. Our church picnic was a great time for all who came. I would also like to thank everyone who made it out to The Back to School Prayer Walk. Then, there was the Garage Sale, the Art Show, Kids Club, and Lunch Bunch. We had a great time with our Celebrate Summer Series. But as exciting as the summer was, I know that God isn’t finished with us yet…September is coming!
On September 8th, we will be having a baptism at the river. If you or someone you know would be interested in being baptized, please let me know. We will also be welcoming new members that Sunday. So, if you are interested in joining the church and have been through the membership class, please let me know.
As summer ends and school starts, people tend to make their way back to church. Vacations are over and it is time to get back into a rhythm of life. It is the perfect time to invite your friends and neighbors back to church. On Sunday, September 15, Hoffman is joining thousands of other churches across America for Back To Church Sunday – a special day where we will invite people in our community who are not attending church to come give church a try! On this Sunday, we will be having a special service to welcome these guests and make them feel comfortable. Invite all your friends and neighbors to join you at church on that special day! We have plenty of postcards to help you invite others!
Many of you will remember that Rev. Tim and I did a rap last year after we had 259 people in church on Back to Church Sunday. This year we are raising the bar a little bit. Our combined goal between our two services on September 15th will be (drum roll) 275! We are still looking for ideas as to what we should do when the goal is reached. Since we have already mastered rapping, we figure we need something new.
Some exciting things have been happening at Hoffman UMC in the past year. We have been seeing a lot of new faces in our worship services. One of the age groups that has grown the most is our teenagers. Because of this growth, we have decided to begin a new ministry focusing on 6th-12th graders. Beginning on Sunday, October 6th, we are going to be launching a new youth ministry that will meet on Sunday evenings from 6:30-8:30. We are even going to invite 3rd-5th graders to join us from 7:00-8:00 on the second Sunday of each month. This will give them an opportunity to experience the youth group.
During our time together, teens will have the opportunity to worship, discuss in a small group, eat snacks, and play games. We are going to have a meeting with our current youth on Sunday, September 29th from 6:30-8:30 to get ready for our launch the following week. Please be in prayer for this ministry. We trust that this ministry will begin helping our teens to become fully committed followers of Jesus. If you are a parent who would like more information about our youth plans, please let me know. We have some informational meetings scheduled that we would love to invite you to.
I covet your prayers for all that God is doing through the ministries of Hoffman United Methodist Church. It is an exciting time to be your pastor!
Yours in Christ’s Service,
Pastor Justin
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