Bruce Hoppe
Birthdate:
November 5
Family info:
Patty and I were married in June 1990, and lived in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and in Worcester, Massachusetts, before moving to Greeley in the Fall of 2004. We have two children ... Adam was born in Massachusetts in 1992 and attends Greeley Central High School, and Emma was born in Michigan in 1999 and attends Monfort Elementary School, where Patty also teaches 2nd grade. Patty is also a graduate student at the University of Northern Colorado working on a degree in educational leadership.
My ministry
Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries. This means that I serve and oversee the staff and teams responsible for leading our various adult ministries ... small groups, spiritual formation, equipping, men's ministry, women's ministry, etc. Prior to coming on staff in 2004, I was Pastor of Ministry Development in Homewood, Illinois, and a Senior Pastor in Hillside, Illinois. Before this I served as an Associate Pastor of an historic, inner-city church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. God has allowed us to maintain a vital connection with people from each of these churches over the years. We are very blessed ... especially when they come here to Colorado to visit!
Few people know:
I graduated from the largest high school on Long Island, New York, in a town called "Hicksville". Among its more notable alumni is Billy Joel, one of my favorite musicians. (One of our shuttle drivers here at Christ Community also grew up in my neighborhood there and graduated from the same high school as me!). I also spent my initial years of ministry in the inner city of New York City, and preached more sermons than I can count on the streets in Times Square, diagonally across from what's now ABC studios. For those who wonder what happened to my New York accent -- I studied voice and diction in South Carolina, and had a professor challenge me to lose it. Go figure!
Favorite food:
Steak cooked on a charcoal grill, and Patty's West Virginia baked beans. Having them together in the same meal is as close to Heaven on earth as you can get.
Favorite verse:
In Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, I believe the Lord allows us to catch a glimpse of the high price of relational isolation, and the exquisite joys of community ... "Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone ... There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless - a miserable business! Two are better than one ... If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
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