Sunday, May 12, I had the joy of joining Rev. Andy Jellison, senior pastor, and his team at Lifeway Wesleyan as they honored mothers in their morning worship service. Pastor Andy brought the children’s message today and Assistant Pastor Rick Fletcher brought an encouraging message to mothers from the book of Ruth. Following the service, I met briefly with Pastor Andy and the local board of administration (LBA). This has been an exciting year of ministry at Lifeway with 14 baptisms and a record attendance of 346 for Easter Sunday. It was fun to catch up with one of my former students over lunch. Brad Holmes is off to a strong start ministering to students and young adults at Lifeway. He just returned from leading a young adult getaway to the “Ark” experience in Kentucky. Pastor Jacob Gibson and the team at LifeSpring Church (Richmond/Fountain City) leveraged Mother’s Day as a wonderful opportunity to dedicate children. They dedicated 23 children to the Lord in the three services between their two campuses on Sunday morning. Pastor Aldean Pablo passed along the good news that he and the team at ARISE Church in Roanoke were delighted to welcome 104 in worship for Mother’s Day (including 10 first-time guests). They were even more excited to celebrate another baptism for a new believer! Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church also celebrated Mother’s Day with another baptism. This was the second week in a row that they baptized a new believer who came to Christ as a result of their neighborhood “block party” outreach last summer. Last week included coaching conversations with Rev. Mark Wooten (New Castle Memorial), Rev. Ron Forsythe (Lancaster), Rev. Shane Wilson (Columbia City New Hope), Rev. Thomas Beck (Larwill), Rev. Sam Maddox (Albion), and Rev. Lyle Breeding (Bluffton Sonlight). So many encouraging stories are being written in our churches. I can’t wait for you to hear more of these stories at our district conference on June 29. Speaking of conference, Rev. Carla Working and Rev. Chip Bos hosted several ministers in Marion on Monday. They captured video testimonials of how God had called these people into ministry. This video will be shared at the district conference and then will be a resource for pastors to share with people in their congregations who are exploring God’s call. Saturday morning, I had the privilege of joining Rev. David Cox and the LBA at Laketon Wesleyan Church for Pastor David’s last official meeting as chair. I joined the team in congratulating Pastor David on his 10 years of impactful ministry. Rev. Cox will complete his call on May 31 and then he and Suzanne will be retiring in Florida. The LBA is making progress in its pastoral search process. Pray for God’s direction in this transition. My final coaching conversation of the week was over lunch on Saturday in Fort Wayne with Rev. Mike and Hannah Henry. Pastor Mike is another one of our faithful bi-vocational pastors serving the community in EMS. The congregation has been working on their vision, mission, and ministry strategy. That process included a name change from Level 13 Church to become Inspire Church. After lunch, I toured the rebranded and updated facility with Pastor Mike. Keep those praise reports coming in. Last week’s team update was released before I received the photo from Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church where Pastor Johnnie Blair and the team celebrated another baptism. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew! Fairmount Camp, Inc. is getting ready for another busy season of camping. For more information or to register, visit the camp’s website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org We can’t wait to see all of our ministers and lay delegates gathering for the Crossroads District Conference on June 29 at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. We are “CALLED!” Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday, May 5, Dr. Sherry and I joined Dr. Mark Rennaker and his team at Southdowns Wesleyan Church in Kokomo for the morning worship service. Dr. Rennaker has served Southdowns since 1993 making him one of our five longest-tenured pastors in one congregation. In addition to caring for his congregation, Dr. Rennaker also provides leadership in his role as Chair of the Division of Leadership and Followership Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University. Following the worship service, I connected with the LBA (Local Board of Administration) and then we hosted the Rennakers for lunch. Many of you may know this but pastors in The Wesleyan Church have been blessed and resourced by Dr. Rennaker’s point leadership with the Thrive Financial Initiative, funded by the Lilly Endowment. Sunday afternoon, I met with leaders at Hope Wesleyan Church in Fowler (northwest of Lafayette). Rev. Judy Hatt has faithfully served this congregation since 2017. During the past year, Rev. Hatt’s husband, John, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Pastor Judy’s family in Ohio has invited her to relocate there so I met with the team at Fowler Hope to receive their recommendation for the coming year. Mr. Harold Holdeman, who has been assisting Rev. Hatt, has agreed to accept the appointment as “Lay Supply Pastor” for this conference year. Monday afternoon, April 29, Dr. Keith Drury’s memorial service was held at College Wesleyan Church with Dr. Steve DeNeff officiating. Dr. Drury had an incredible lifetime of service to The Wesleyan Church and Indiana Wesleyan University. His greatest legacy, by his design, was his beautiful family of whom he was rightfully proud. A close second to that legacy is the impact he had on so many of us who benefited personally from his coaching. Our prayers are extended to Dr. Sharon Drury and the entire Drury family. Tuesday, I was on the road for coaching conversations with Rev. Johnnie Blair (Tipton Trinity) and Rev. Scott McDermid (Sheridan Six Points). It was also fun to connect with Rev. Grace Lopez and the other FLAMA Coordinators who had gathered at Wesleyan headquarters from across the country for two days of training. We are grateful for Rev. Lopez and the others who serve our growing cadre of Hispanic ministerial students! Wednesday found me in the northern tier of our district for coaching conversations with Rev. Matthew Ohime (Hamlet Davis), Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek), and with Pastor Terry & Lennaire Vaughn (The Bridge Urban Church). My final stop of the day was in Albion where I connected with Rev. Sam (Sr.) and Rev. Becky Maddox. The coaching conversations on Thursday were with Rev. Kyle Horton (Fort Wayne Three Rivers) and with Rev. Paul Van Cise (Bryant). Friday morning, I met with Dr. Tim Kellerman, Nazarene DS for Northeast Indiana. We’ve enjoyed out times connecting for breakfast and prayer over the past year. Friday evening, I dropped in at IWU to thank our pastors and volunteers who brought approximately 200 middle school students for the “Never2Young” conference. Special thanks to Charlie Alcock and his team for hosting 800+ students for this inspiring event. Saturday morning, I joined Rev. Theo Griffin and the team at Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church in Greenfield as they welcomed Dr. Chris Williams to lead them in a customized “Next Level” consultation. It was encouraging to hear how God has been at work in their church this past year and to see them leaning into God’s best for their future ministry. Saturday afternoon, I met with a couple who are prayerfully considering planting in downtown Indianapolis. This mission field is ripe for harvest. Pray that the Lord of Harvest will send out workers into His field! We love sharing encouraging news with the Crossroads District team so keep those baptism photos and stories coming in! This week, we are rejoicing with Pastor Mike Hewitt and the team at Rising Hope Church in Muncie as they celebrated another baptism along with a reaffirmation of baptism. Braxton, the young man who was baptized, was one of Pastor Mike’s contacts through his billiard “trick shots” outreach on Facebook two years ago. Fairmount Camp, Inc. (an affiliate corporation of the Crossroads District) has released the schedule for this summer’s camping season. They have some exciting ministries planned for campers in the Crossroads District and beyond. Special thanks to Fairmount Camp Board Chair Rev. Jeff Luedtke and Mrs. Krista Brown, the new Executive Director, for their commitment to keeping the camp focused on its historic mission and exciting future. For more information or to register, visit the camp’s website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org We can’t wait to see all of our ministers and lay delegaters gathering for the Crossroads District Conference on June 29 at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. We are “CALLED!” Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. If you ever hear someone say that Christianity is incompatible with science, you might refer to this graphic from Wes Huff: |
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