Kemper Hoffler, 1983

I was born into a religious family, and as a child I was very active with my family in the church. At twelve years of age I was baptized and became a member of the church. As a teenager I dropped out and began living a life filled with sin and rebellion. Years later, my life fell completely apart; everything went wrong. Much of this I brought on myself, and other things seemed to happen in spite of anything that I did, regardless of whether it was right or wrong.

Try as I might, I was not capable of putting my life back together. I realized I needed a power greater than I to put the pieces back together again. In each crisis I would call out to the Lord. I knew who Christ was, and I now know I was relying on how good I could feel about myself for my salvation. The message of my real need of Christ came ever so slowly over a long period of time. Finally, I came to a point when I knew I was a lost man.

I came to Central Union Mission and found a calm that lasted a short time. I attended chapel services seeking an answer to my turmoil. I was accepted into the Spiritual Recovery Program and began attending the Bible classes where I heard the statement, “It is a fact that you can me saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” It was plain and simple, and the simplicity of it all was a revelation to me. I believed the Word of God in the Romans 10:9 and 10, that, “If you confess with your mouth in the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that Gos has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” I prayed the sinner’s prayer in the Bible class one day during the week of study on salvation, and I was baptized a month later.

I have hope for the future and sincerely believe that God has something wonderful in store for me. My language has changed; my thinking has changed; and I am working on my relationships with other people. I have become very concerned for the souls of lost men.”