A Green Township pastor known across Cincinnati's West Side for founding a food pantry, serving as a police officer, and now working as a mental health counselor is preparing to begin chemotherapy and radiation this month after being diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. Brian Hoehler, lead pastor of New Hope Community Church, is scheduled to start treatment the third week of September, and his community has already rallied with more than $16,000 in donations for his family.
Hoehler's wife, Jalal Hoehler, said his doctor diagnosed him with a malignant tumor in his neck, according to WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Community members have raised over $16,000 for the family's treatment costs and purchased everything on Brian's Amazon wishlist, the station reported. A support campaign on SupportNow.org, launched by family members including Heather Bradds, Jordan Bauer, and Jalal Hoehler, has coordinated community aid, wishlists, and medical funding for what is estimated to be an eight-week treatment plan, according to the SupportNow.org campaign page.
Brian Hoehler said receiving the outpouring of support and help has been overwhelming, per WCPO's reporting. He may need a feeding tube as he begins the intensive chemotherapy and radiation regimen. Doris Gibbons, a member of the community who knows Hoehler, told the station that he helps people when they have a need — a sentiment echoed by family and friends who recently gathered to celebrate his graduate school graduation before his diagnosis upended the family's plans.
A Pastor Known for Feeding His Neighbors
Hoehler co-founded Table of Hope Meal & Market Ministry with his wife, who now directs it, and the pantry has grown into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating out of New Hope Community Church. It serves more than 12,000 people annually through a 100% volunteer-run food market and community garden, according to New Hope Community Church. The ministry's reach has earned it regional recognition, including Cincy Magazine's Non-Profit of the Year for Food Distribution in 2025 and the Colerain Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Award in 2023, per the church.
New Hope Community Church itself has deep roots on the West Side, having been established at its current Edgewood Drive location in Green Township on September 12, 2004, following a merger between the original New Hope congregation and Northern Point Community Church under Hoehler's pastoral leadership, the church's history page notes. Hoehler has also served as a Cincinnati police officer, a role that, alongside his pastoral work, has made him a familiar face throughout the township.
A New Career Helping Others Through Trauma
Beyond the pulpit and the pantry, Hoehler graduated with a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has become a counselor for people facing mental health issues. He completed the degree at the University of the Cumberlands in August while completing an internship at INTACT Counseling Group in Montgomery, Ohio, where he specialized in treating trauma and sexually compulsive behaviors, according to details cited in coverage from Charisma News.
Support for Hoehler has extended beyond his congregation and pantry volunteers. Members and leadership at Workout Anytime Monfort Heights in Green Township publicly organized local support for him, pointing to his long-time gym membership and his history as a police officer, pastor, and food pantry founder, according to a Facebook post from the gym. Green Township, where Hoehler lives and ministers, recorded a population of 60,424 in the 2020 U.S. Census, making it Hamilton County's most populous township and the second-largest township in Ohio, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
What the Treatment Ahead Looks Like
Standard clinical treatment for Stage 3 oropharyngeal cancer typically involves six to eight weeks of concurrent radiation and chemotherapy, during which severe throat inflammation routinely requires temporary feeding tubes to maintain adequate hydration and nutrition, according to the National Cancer Institute. Data published by the National Institutes of Health shows rising overall incidence rates for oropharyngeal cancer nationwide, per research published in PMC.
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed in the United States each year. The United States had estimated 59,660 new cases and 12,770 deaths from cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in 2025, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. For a man whose life's work has centered on showing up for others in Green Township, the coming weeks of treatment mark a shift toward a community determined to show up for him.
