A Lot to Be Proud Of

First of all, we would like to thank everyone for your cards and gifts during Pastor Appreciation Month. It is great to hear your words of affirmation and encouragement. Chanda and I appreciate each of you more than you know. It was also a great comfort to receive your cards and words of consolation concerning the death of my grandfather. You are a very caring people.
November is another exciting month for our church. We look forward to the Election Day Dinner (Nov. 2nd) and the Craft Show (Nov. 20th). Hoffman is also going to be the home of the District Regional Charge Conference this year. We will have 300 pastors and church members from all over the district coming to our church. It should be an exciting time. It is an honor to be given this privilege. It is something we could be proud of.

Our church recently received a letter from Bishop Ough indicating that we have met the criteria to be honored as an Acts 2 Congregation. We are one of only 204 of the 1,110 West Ohio congregations that grew in five of the following areas of fruitfulness:
-growing worship
-new persons professing faith
-persons being baptized
-persons engaged in faith-forming small groups
-contributing 100% of their conference apportionments
-growing membership
In his letter, Bishop Ough says, “Acts 2 congregations are bearing the same fruit we see in the early church. Acts 2 Congregations are open and responsive to the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 Congregations are making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This is a great distinction. It is something we could be proud of.

Our 175th Anniversary Celebration was a wonderful time. It was great for us to reflect upon the many years of ministry of our church. We had 7 pastors, the bishop, and the District Superintendent present. We looked back at all our church had accomplished through the years. It is something that we could be proud of.

As a church, we certainly have A LOT TO BE PROUD OF, but—as many of you heard in a recent sermon (10/24)—pride prohibits our progress. Our pride comes when we look at ourselves in comparison to other churches. Our church is older than others. Our church is an Acts 2 Congregation, while over 800 are not. Of all the churches in the district, our church was chosen to host the Charge Conference. These are all things that we could be proud of, but if we focus on them, our pride will prohibit our progress.

As we look at our church, we should never compare it to other churches. We must compare our church to God’s purposes for the church. Our church should be the hands and feet of God in a world that is hungry and hurting. Our church should be the mouthpiece of God in a world that is lost and seeking. Our church should be the love of God in a world that is unloving and unkind. We must connect people with God. When we fail to accomplish this task, we should be humbled at the task that has been laid before us. A task in which there is always more work to do.

Please do not misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with celebrating what we have done as a church, but we should never rest on our past accomplishments. We must look forward to the future that God has intended for Hoffman UMC that we may continue “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” for the next 175 years.

Yours in Christ’s Service,
Pastor Justin

What a blessing it is to be serving at Hoffman United Methodist Church! My name is Justin Williams, and I am the new pastor at Hoffman. This is my first pastorate, and I am excited about what God is going to do through the ministry of this church. God always seems to know what is best for us. I believe that God has sent me to this church for a purpose. I am looking forward to getting to know the church, its ministries, and each of its members over the next few months that I may serve and lead the church more effectively.

My wife, Chanda, and I just moved from Moraine to West Milton on August 3rd. I am originally from Portsmouth, Ohio, and she is from Miamisburg, Ohio. We are learning to love the community of West Milton. We have much more to explore, but we believe that this is an excellent place to live.

As I begin my ministry here at Hoffman, I am preaching a series of sermons on my model for ministry in the local church: E5= Embrace, Encourage, Empower, Equip, and Engage. By doing these five things, I believe that Hoffman United Methodist Church can fulfill its mission in this community.
• We embrace all people that they may experience God’s love through us. This means that we reach out to people. We welcome them, serve them, and listen to them.
• We encourage people to follow Jesus Christ. All people need encouragement. We share our stories with others that they may be encouraged by what God has done in our lives.
• We empower people through worship and prayer. People are empowered through the Holy Spirit. We work through prayer and worship to make people feel the Spirit’s presence that they may receive the power of the Spirit in their lives.
• We equip people through discipleship and spiritual formation. It is important for the Christian to be equipped with knowledge, skills, and gifts. We work through Sunday School, small groups, and Bible studies to equip people.
• We engage people in mission and ministry. Now, is the time to serve. We help people find a place to serve God and people through our church. The engage part completes the circle of the ministry model. As people are engaged, they are involved in ministries that embrace, encourage, empower, and equip others.

As I begin this new endeavor at Hoffman, I invite all of you to come be a part of the exciting things that are happening here. Thank you for all of the prayers, support, encouragement, and words of affirmation that many of you have offered already.