Sunday morning, December 8, I was able to worship with Pastor Heath Croft and the team at Level 13 Church in Fort Wayne. Level 13 Church began as a dream with Pastor Rob and Melinda Tippey welcoming people in their home back in 2005 and continues to be a congregation committed to meeting needs in the community under the leadership of Pastor Croft. Before the worship service, I had the opportunity to briefly connect with members of their leadership team. Remember Pastor Heath, Hayley and their family as they lead this ministry.
​

Last week’s schedule included annual coaching conversations with Pastor Ryan Budde (Jonesboro Westview), Pastor Dan Heylmann (Shirley Grant City), Pastor Jeff Luedtke (Fairmount Wesleyan), Pastor Shane Wilson (Columbia City New Hope), Pastor Doug Sharrard (Lancaster), and Co-Pastors Carla and Zach Working (Huntington Hope Rising).
​

Our three Assistant District Superintendents hosted Christmas events for pastors and spouses in their respective zones this week. Rev. Chris and Marietta Williams hosted the Region 3 team on Friday evening at the Whistlestop in Monon. Rev. Matthew and Nicole Trexler hosted the Region 1 team on Tuesday evening at the Roseberg in Marion on Tuesday evening. Rev. Mike and Leslie Colaw hosted the Region 2 team at Trinity Wesleyan in Indianapolis on Friday evening.
​

More than 250 pastors and their spouses joined us for these meaningful times of fellowship and encouragement. We enjoyed delicious meals and delightful entertainment. At each of the locations, there was a drawing for door prizes which included some free registrations to the Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge coming up in March 2020. Thank you to each one of you who prioritized your participation even though Christmas is such a very busy time of the year. Special thanks also to Chris, Matthew, Mike, and their teams for a terrific job in organizing and hosting these events!
​

The highlight of this week’s calendar for me will be our District Board of Administration meeting on Thursday at Wesleyan HQ in Fishers. I am grateful for each of these lay leaders and ministers who generously invest their time in providing oversight and governance to our collaborative ministries. We welcome your prayers for this meeting.

The 2020 Crossroads District All-Nighter is fast approaching! The main rally for this event is returning to Pathway Community Church (11910 Shearwater Run., Fort Wayne) at 8pm on February 21st (Doors open at 6:30pm and Pre-Rally starts at 7:45pm).
​

The night will kick-off with giveaways, worship, message, and pizza. At the conclusion of the rally we will be enjoying time at Skyzone, Ultrazone/Laser X, Crazy Pinz, and the YMCA. If you love laser tag, trampolines, bowling, putt-putt golf, swimming, pizza, open gym, and rock walls, this event is for you! We hope that you will join us, along with several hundred other students and adults from the 100+ churches that make up our Crossroads District. Here’s the link to register your team:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/district-all-nighter-2020-registration-85348304075

And there’s still time to register for the Heartland Gathering.  We’re going to have a great time and would love for you to join us! https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/

Several have asked how the recovery process is coming since my heart attack back in October. I’m feeling stronger each day and continue taking part in cardiac rehabilitation therapy three times each week. The district team has been great in helping me adjust my schedule and I’m back to about 80% workload with plans to return to full speed by January. God has been so wonderfully faithful through this experience. I also appreciate your thoughts, your notes, and your prayers!

Thank you for all you do to advance the Kingdom in this Advent season!

Your servant in Christ,

​Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday morning, December 1, I was blessed to worship with Pastor Doug Sharrard and the team at Lancaster Wesleyan Church. Rev. Duane Cragen serves alongside Rev. Sharrard as they lead the church in reaching out to their rural community. They lit the candle for the first Sunday of Advent and we shared the first carols of the season.
​

Two of our pastoral families were impacted by the passing of beloved family members. Rev. Carla Working’s grandmother passed away on Sunday morning. Earlier last week, Rev. Noah and Christie Farmer received the heartbreaking news that Annalysa McMillan, their 19-year-old daughter, died in a tragic accident. The obituary and funeral notice was distributed directly to our district team and your prayers are requested for their family.

Rev. Kyle Horton and the Three Rivers Wesleyan Church hosted Rev. Aldean Pablo this morning to bring the morning message and to share the vision for disciple-making and church planting in Fort Wayne. I’m grateful for each of our pastors and the churches in Region 1 that have stepped up to become partners in the SEND Church project.
​

Pastor Brad LeRoy and Harvest Church in McCordsville announced today that they’ve completed their extensive search process and have called Josiah Gorveatte as their new worship pastor. He’ll begin his ministry with the Harvest Church team on January 5. Josiah has previously served at Crosspoint UMC in Florida and 12Stone Church in Atlanta. Josiah’s parents (Sherry and Mark) are also excited to welcome him to the Crossroads District.
​

Congratulations to Pastor Dave Cox and the Laketon Wesleyan Church who welcomed seven new members into their church family on Sunday morning, Dec. 1! Just a gentle reminder that January is an opportune time to complete annual membership affirmations as your congregation launches into the new year. There are several helpful resources available from The Wesleyan Church to assist with this process:
https://resources.wesleyan.org/wesleyan-church-affirmation-membership

Pastor Rick Fletcher and Associate Pastor Andy Jellison celebrated 5 more baptisms at Fort Wayne Lifeway Wesleyan Church on Sunday morning bringing their total for this conference year to 18! Pastor Rick also shared the exciting news that he met with a couple on Saturday night who both prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
​

I trust that you had a great Thanksgiving Day gathering with loved ones. Our district office was closed on Thursday and Friday for our staff to spend time with family. Sherry and I were blessed to have all of our children home for the Thanksgiving break. We started a family tradition in 2015 when most of us ran our first 5k Turkey Trot together on Thanksgiving morning. We were able to do our 5k again this Thanksgiving. This year, the younger Gorveatte’s did their run through Upland while I was limited by doctor’s orders to doing mine on the treadmill. We have so much for which to be thankful!
​

I’ll be back on the road this week with coaching conversations and can’t wait to see many of you at the regional Christmas gatherings hosted on Tuesday and Friday evening by our Assistant District Superintendents. Next Sunday I’ll be with Pastor Heath Croft and the team at Level 13 Church in Fort Wayne. Then, on December 12, our District Board of Administration will have our quarterly meeting and share a Christmas meal together at Wesleyan HQ. Thank you for your prayers as my rehab and recovery continue.

Just a reminder that you are invited to sign up for a monthly e-mail newsletter from Wesleyan HQ that will profile proposed legislation, prayer promptings, and information that help you prepare for this important gathering whether you will be on site or watching online. Please click here to subscribe: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed

Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,
​
Mark Gorveatte
Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday, November 24, was a wonderful day of celebration at Lifeway Church in Fort Wayne. Senior Pastor Rick Fletcher and Associate Pastor Andy Jellison led the congregation in worship and praise for the faithfulness of God. Lifeway completed a beautiful Family Life Center (gymnasium, classrooms, and kitchen) in December 2015 and made their final payment on the mortgage this month, raising more than $1.35 million dollars over the past 5 years.
​

The service included powerful testimonies of God’s provision in the faith journey of individuals and families who learned new levels of trust and generosity. God is honoring this step of faith to reach their community with 14 professions of faith and next week’s baptism will bring their total to 17 so far this conference year. Lifeway has a special place in our family as the last full-time ministry of my father, Dr. Ken Gorveatte, before he retired. It was a joy for me to be able to participate in the mortgage burning and to bring greetings from our district team on this happy occasion.
​

The General Board of The Wesleyan Church was in session last week, Monday through Wednesday, under the leadership of General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt. The year before General Conference guarantees a full agenda. Two major proposals (memorials) being prepared for the GC2020 will be a new model for the United Stewardship Fund (to direct more giving toward church planting) and a new model for credentialing ministers (which empowers the local church for a more significant role). Please add General Conference 2020 to your prayer list.
​

The denomination has created an email list for those who are interested in receiving GC20-specific news. These emails will include in-depth information about the May 31–June 3 event in St. Louis. This will help you be better informed about scheduled events, memorials and livestreaming. Unleashed emails will hit inboxes monthly beginning in January. Click here to subscribe: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed

Several leaders from the four districts comprising the Heartland Region met at Trinity Wesleyan Church on Thursday for a day of learning and conversation about our continued collaboration. We were delighted to have Dr. Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church, with us to provide leadership development in our morning sessions.
​

After lunch, Dr. Wayne Schmidt joined us to share an update on his initiatives to “unleash” apostolic multipliers. This included a conversation about regional partnerships and district mergers. He encouraged the steps we’ve taken to find ways to work together to make disciples and multiply congregations across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Dr. Schimidt will be one of our keynote speakers at The Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge, March 10-12. There’s still time to register! https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/

Thursday evening, Rev. Johanna Rugh hosted a gathering of Hispanic leaders from our Crossroads District. Johanna is leading the FLAMA Spanish-language ministerial education program for the General Department of Education and Clergy Development. Dr. Wayne Schmidt. Dr. Anita Eastlack (Executive Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship) and Dr. David Smith (Chair of our DBMD) were also on hand to bring greetings to this wonderful group of pastors and ministerial students.
​

Friday was a good to catch up with e-mails and telephone calls. I was also able to meet Rev. Victor and Rev. Claudia Silva in Fishers, and then with Rev. Clifton Ashlock in Anderson. Rev. Ashlock has retired from full-time pastoring but is staying open to pulpit supply opportunities.

I am always encouraged to receive and pass along updates of new disciples professing faith and being baptized in our churches. Pastor Mark Atkinson reported that Eastview Wesleyan’s Jonesboro campus recorded another profession of faith and celebrated 2 more baptisms last Sunday, November 17. Praise the Lord for lives being #madenew!
​

​Rev. Dan Fisher (Delphi Wesleyan Church) leads a prayer for his zone pastors via a group text every Sunday morning. I love reading the replies. This morning’s responses included: “We had another person pray to receive Christ today. God is good!!!” and “”Praise God. We had 1 get saved Friday at men’s Bible study.” It’s great to be part of a team that encourages one another as we work together in God’s harvest field!

Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday morning, November 17, I had the privilege of worshiping with Dr. Max Kingsolver and the congregation of Mt. Hope Wesleyan Church in Michigantown. This small congregation has been a faithful ministry supporting Global Partner missionaries and participating in Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Boxes. After preaching, I had an opportunity to visit with Pastor Kingsolver and members of the congregation after the service for a discussion of future ministry partnership possibilities. Dr. Kingsolver has a surgical procedure scheduled next week and would welcome your prayers.
​

Sunday evening, I was encouraged by the presentation that Rev. Timothy Gallant shared at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church. Tim and Tiffany serve with Global Partners in Cambodia and Tim was recently appointed as GP’s Asia Area Director. They have developed a discipleship and leadership development strategy uniquely for the oral learning tradition in their cultural context. They will be on home ministry raising partner support until January and would be happy to share their story over a cup of coffee. You can reach out to Tim via direct message on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TntGallant
​

Last week, I joined a team of leaders from our Crossroads District to participate in learning cohorts sponsored by The Wesleyan Church in partnership with the Exponential Conference. These learning cohorts included multi-ethnic ministry leaders, pastors of larger churches, and district superintendents. Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, joined the DS cohort for the first of the three events focused on leading discipleship and church multiplication movements. Five of us flew together from Indianapolis on Tuesday and arrived home from San Diego early on Saturday morning.

This first event was hosted at Skyline Wesleyan Church. Dr. Bobby Harrington and Ralph Moore were keynote speakers and Bob Cochanaur served as the facilitator for our cohort. The next session is scheduled for January at the underground church in Tampa, Florida. There were so many helpful insights and challenging conversations. Ralph Moore said, “What you measure improves and what you celebrate gets repeated.” Myron Pierce, pastor of Mission Church in Omaha, challenged us that “You can’t delegate what Jesus told you to prioritize. The pastor must be the CDM (Chief Disciple-Maker) in his or her church.” Bobby Harrington reminded us that “there is no disciple-making movement anywhere in the world that was not birthed in fasting and prayer.”
​

I am always thrilled to hear stories from our pastors of lives being transformed. Co-Pastors Zack and Carla Working are celebrating another life changed by the Gospel at Hope Rising Church in Huntington. This was the 23rd baptism so far this conference year, compared to 2 baptisms last year. Praise God for the way He’s working!
​

This week, please join me in prayer for important meetings as the General Board of The Wesleyan Church convenes at HQ in Fishers on Monday-Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, the Heartland Region will host a roundtable with Dr. Dan Reiland as we continue to explore ways to collaborate for greater effectiveness in serving our churches and reaching our mission field in the 4 states of our region.

Thank you for all that you do to advance the Kingdom!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

District Superintendent

P.S. There still time to register for The Heartland Gathering, March 10-12. In addition to an open forum on the pros and cons of a potential merger, we’ll have a sneak preview of some of the key issues that will be debated at General Conference 2020 in Saint Louis. I hope you’ll plan to join us!

https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/

Sunday, November 10, Sherry and I were privileged to worship with Rev. Don Glenn and the congregation of Marion Nelson Street Wesleyan Church as they celebrated their 110th Anniversary. Pastor Glenn and his team prepared a wonderful celebration event that honored God’s faithfulness in the past and pointed to the future.
​

The church has a remarkable history. Nelson Street began as a church plant (mission) meeting first in homes in 1909, God blessed their evangelistic outreach and holiness emphasis. The ministry grew and they relocated twice in temporary locations before building their own facility in 1911. By 1948, the church averaged 335 in Sunday School attendance. The legacy of the church includes many individuals called to ministry and missionary work. I preached the message in the morning service and Rev. Glenn brought a challenging message in the afternoon service calling the church to the unfinished task.
​

As many of you will know, I had a heart attack on Tuesday morning, October 22, en route to a gathering with our pastors in Indianapolis. God intervened that day in so many beautiful ways and I’d be glad to tell you more about it when you have the time. The good news is I was cleared to begin cardiac rehabilitation and to work toward resuming a full load over the next 8 to 12 weeks. Our district staff team has been a tremendous blessing. Assistant DS Chris Williams stepped up to cover the last two Team Updates and Seth Bye jumped into action rescheduling appointments. Thank you to all those who have been so cooperative as we’ve been making needed adjustments.
​

​The week after returning home, I resumed coaching calls via ZOOM. Then, on Friday, November 1, I was delighted to join our retired pastors and spouses for our fall luncheon and fellowship hosted at College Wesleyan Church. Pastor Bob VanCise brought an encouraging message and we shared a delicious meal provided by Velvet Haisley and her staff at Fairmount Wesleyan Church’s coffee shop, “The Branch.”

That evening, we hosted the pastors and spouses from our Fort Wayne Zone. I appreciate these opportunities for fellowship and encouragement with our frontline leaders. Pastor Rick Fletcher leads this zone and it was a special delight to welcome Rev. Aldean and Jesse Pablo as the newest members of the group.

The doctor cleared me for flying as long as I wasn’t the pilot and agreed to not lift more than 20 pounds. That allowed me to fulfill a commitment that I had made to Dr. Keith Loy, pastor at Celebrate Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I traveled out on Saturday, worshiped with their team on Sunday morning and then taught from “Lead Like Wesley” in the evening to 300+ ministry team leaders.

Pastor Keith and Kay Loy joined our staff at New Hope Church in Williston back in 1998. It has been a joy to stay in touch and to watch God work in their lives and ministry over the last 20 years. Terry and Barb Rosendahl are also special friends who first worked with us at New Hope and now Barb is a key staff member with Dr. Loy at Celebrate.
​

Celebrate’s small group ministry has grown from 80 groups 3 years ago to more than 300. They have 104 people who have answered the call to prepare for vocational ministry, with most focused on church planting. They have already launched 14 church planting teams. I have invited Pastor Keith to consider sending a team to the Heartland Region and he has opened the door for students from Crossroads to participate in church planting internships and residencies at Celebrate.

I began cardiac rehab on Thursday afternoon (the first of 24 one-hour sessions over the next 8 weeks) and then met with two of our Indianapolis pastors for coaching conversations. Rev. George Martin leads The Sanctuary Church, an affiliated congregation that worships in the former Eastlawn Wesleyan Church property on Post Road. Rev. Barry Dixon pastors Calvary Family Church and is a member of our District Board of Administration. Pastor Barry is another of our faithful bi-vocational ministers who serve sacrificially as a labor of love. He and Joyce, his wife, are in the stage of life where caring for both your parents and your grandchildren makes life challenging.

Friday morning, I sat in on the College Day hosted by the team at Wesleyan Headquarters. Students were present from all five Wesleyan higher educational institutions for this denominational orientation event. Dr. Lenny Luchetti shared insights from his ministry experiences including this lesson: “Pastors, if you don’t find a healthy hobby, an unhealthy hobby will find you.”
​

After his session, Dr. Luchetti and I met for an update on his interim ministry at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. I was encouraged by this progress report and by his sincere passion for the church.

Friday afternoon, I traveled to Trinity Wesleyan Church in Indianapolis for the visitation with the family and friends of Mrs. Betty Davis, beloved wife of Rev. Art Davis. Her funeral was held on Saturday with Pastor Mike Colaw and Rev. Randy Davis officiating.

Saturday morning, Dr. Jim Lo and the Crossroads District intercession team led a prayer gathering at Fairmount Camp. Thank you to each one who participated and to the team for the way in which they prepared for and led this event. Special thanks to Fairmount Camp’s Director Angela Spangler and her team for graciously hosting this special time.
​

This week, a team of our leaders will be traveling to San Diego together to participate in a Wesleyan Church training event in partnership with Exponential that will be focused on church multiplication. We welcome your prayers for our travel and learning.

Registration is still open for the Heartland Region Gathering, March 10-12, 2020. I’m looking forward to our speakers and a great time of inspiration together as we meet in Pigeon Forge, TN. If you’ve not yet registered, today would be a great day to get that done! Here’s the link: ​https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/
​

​Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Pastor Dave Cox from Laketon Wesleyan Church reports that the church, over the last few years, has grown from 20 to nearly 60. On a recent friend day, they had 66 people in attendance. More importantly, this Sunday they baptized Amy and Susan (pictured below). We are celebrating how God is at work making people new!
​

Wesleyan Church History & Discipline Course

The Crossroads District was pleased to host its first Wesleyan Church History & Discipline course this past weekend at College Wesleyan Church in Marion. Nine students were apart of this inaugural course taught by Dr. Bud Bence. We hope to make this an annual offering to help ministers transferring from other denominations and ministerial students whose educational programs did not include this course.

This week’s team update is a guest post by Chris Williams, one of the Assistant District Superintendents in the Crossroads District.

Update Regarding Mark Gorveatte

On October 22, our District Superintendent Mark Gorveatte experienced a heart attack and was admitted to the hospital in Fishers. After successfully inserting a stent and monitoring his heart for 48 hours, doctors sent Mark home on Thursday. 

His travel schedule will be limited for the next few weeks but he will be able to receive phone calls as necessary.

Rev. Mike Colaw, Vice-Chair of the DBA, can handle action items that may need DBA decisions. Rev. Chris Williams, Assistant District Superintendent, is leading the office team and can help with any administrative support you may need. Rev. Seth Bye, Executive Ministry Partner, will be reaching out to reschedule appointments.


Last Week to Save $50 for The Heartland Gathering

Early bird registration for The Heartland Gathering ends this week. The registration fee covers two nights of lodging, breakfast for two days, and the conference experience. Lunch and dinner are on your own each day. If you register before October 31, the fee is $300. On November 1, the fee will increase to $350, so be sure to register this week to take advantage of the savings.

This event was birthed out of a partnership between the Crossroads, Greater Ohio, Indiana South, and Kentucky-Tennessee District and is designed to create space for our pastoral families to have fun, develop new friendships, and flourish.
 
To that end, we reserved The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and designed a high-quality event geared to give you time away for rest, connection, fun, and inspiration.
 
Join us March 10-12, 2020 at The Heartland Gathering. 

• REAWAKEN your child-like wonder with Harris the III.
• RECALIBRATE your heart and mind through our line-up of spirit-inspired speakers: Dr. Wayne Schmidt, Rev. Heather Semple, Pastor Albert Tate, and a kids’ track led by Matt Hogg and the Remix team.
• REFRESH your soul in worship sessions led by Jordan Rife.
• RELAX and unwind with all of the food, scenic views, and fun that Pigeon Forge has to offer.

 
To register for the event, visit the conference site at gathering.heartlandregion.org.


Sunday Church Visits and the Installation of Rev. Shawnda Dykhoff

It was a joy for me to preach in the morning service at Calvary Family Church in Indianapolis. Pastor Barry and Joyce Dixon have led this church for the last 10 years and have developed a warm and loving congregation there. Before the service, I was able to meet with Pastor Barry and hear about the ministries of the church and the unique challenges they face in the urban context.
​

While I was visiting our brothers and sisters at the Indy Calvary Family Church, Mark was able to be at Marion Brinker Heights. Mark shared this update: 

“I was grateful for the privilege of preaching Sunday morning and installing Rev. Shawnda Dykhoff as pastor of Brinker Heights Wesleyan Church. God is so good!”

Pastor Joe Jackson and the congregation at Anderson United Wesleyan celebrated baptisms on Sunday (Pictured above). Lakeview Wesleyan also baptized four in their weekend service (Pictured below).
​

​If you’ve recently had a baptism service at your church that we haven’t heard about, please send along a report and any pictures you can share.


Building a Comprehensive Outreach Strategy, Part 1

As I work with churches in coaching and consulting relationships through Maximizing Impact and Strategic Planning Weekends, I have been talking to them about how to develop a comprehensive outreach strategy. 

Four Components of an Outreach Strategy

Level One: Public Relations. The first and most basic level of an effective outreach strategy is the things we do to signal to our community that we see ourselves as part of the neighborhood, town, or city. These might involve putting a float in the Christmas parade, serving at the town festival, or participating in a community-wide special event.

Level Two: Meeting Needs. The next level of an effective outreach strategy is finding and meeting tangible needs in our community. This could involve adopting a school to provide backpacks or school supplies. It may also mean running addiction recovery programs or a food pantry. It could also take the form of job training programs that help the unemployed or underemployed find and keep higher-paying jobs. All of these are things the church can do to demonstrate the love of Christ to its community. 

Level Three: Bridge Events. A bridge event is an event that the church offers in an attempt to attract people from the community into an environment where they can make a connection with the church, hear the Gospel, and be introduced to the person of Jesus Christ. While these events can be held onsite or offsite, the main purpose is the same: Build a bridge to the people in your community that makes it easier for them to find their way into the church and into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Level Four: Personal Evangelism. This level of an effective outreach program occurs when a church equips every follower of Christ to intentionally and consistently share their faith with others. If every follower of Christ led just one person to Christ each calendar year, the church’s missional impact would double every twelve months. This may seem like an unrealistic goal. However, the call of Jesus to each person is to follow him and fish for people (Matt. 4:19).

If you are interested in learning more about our Maximizing Impact or Strategic Planning Weekends for churches in the Crossroads District, feel free to reach out to me (chris@crossroadsdistrict.org) to schedule a conversation.
​

Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Dave Dignal and the Edgerton Wesleyan Church family yesterday morning. Edgerton is a small community on the Indiana-Ohio border. Pastor Dave has a great team and they are actively reaching out to nearby communities with musical concerts, children’s ministry, and home Bible studies. The church has been working through the Oikos model of evangelism (key resource is Tom Mercer’s book “8 to 15: The World is Smaller Than You Think”).
​

Edgerton Wesleyan Church averaged 104 last year (more than 5% of the population in their zipcode) with 12 professions of faith and 8 baptisms. After preaching the morning message and chairing a brief stand-up meeting of the LBA (local board of administration), Sherry and I hosted Pastor Dave and Stevie for lunch.

Last  Tuesday, I journeyed to Wheaton College with Chris Williams and Seth Bye for a seminar hosted by Dr. Ed Stetzer and the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism. Ed and his team are currently engaged in research on the future of denominations in America. Ed also took us on a tour of their museum. One of the exhibits talked about the impact of early Methodism in America. The last line read: “When Francis Asbury first came to America in 1771 there were approximately 300 Methodists in the whole country; at his death in 1816 Methodists numbered over 200,000.”
​

Three key points from Stetzer’s presentation were that effective denominations will be those that are mission-centric (Great Commission focused), pastor-centric (the primary customer), and contextually adaptive (without compromise on truth). While the seminar was informative, the best part of the day was time spent on the road with Chris and Seth. We are blessed to have these guys serving our district and I’m grateful that they, along with Roxene Lo, partner with me in this ministry to our Crossroads team.

Wednesday, I was back on the road for coaching conversations. Pastor Paul Van Cise and I met at Bryant Wesleyan Church in the morning. Paul was encouraged by the 4 baptisms in August and the development of more small groups. Last year they averaged 136 in a town that has a population of 252 (2010 Census). Congratulations to the Bryant Wesleyan Church as they celebrated their 135th Anniversary of ministry this weekend!
​

Wednesday afternoon, I met with Rev. Randy Yaryan in Winchester where he pastors the Union Street Wesleyan Church. Randy is another one of our bivocational pastors who faithfully serves the church while also driving a bus and doing real estate development.

Thursday was an office day but I was glad to have Noah Farmer drop by. Noah pastors the Jonesboro campus of Eastview Wesleyan Church. Both Gas City and Jonesboro Eastview were preparing for “First Responders Sunday” and together they celebrated 8 baptisms between their two campuses this weekend!
​

Friday and Saturday, Dr. David Smith led the members of our Crossroads District Board of Ministerial Development (DBMD) in ordination interviews for an outstanding group of candidates. We interviewed ministers transferring into The Wesleyan Church as well as our own students who have completed their coursework and years of service. The interviews included women and men, four ethnic groups, pastors, church planters, and missionaries. Special thanks to all the members of the zone, regional and district-wide DBMD who invest countless hours in meetings and prayerful development of those who are answering God’s call to ministry within The Wesleyan Church. We are anticipating a wonderful ordination service on Friday evening, June 26, at College Wesleyan Church.
​

One of the candidates we interviewed for ordination is Pastor Craig Thurmon (pictured above). Craig is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University (B.A.) and Wesley Seminary (M.Div). He and Tiffany, his wife, are leading a launch team to plant a new Wesleyan church (TEA – The Encounter Assembly) on the far east side of Indianapolis.
​

Pastor Craig shared encouraging reports about their disciple-making ministry. Yesterday, the Thurmons and their team hosted an outreach called “Truth and Treats” in their community to create opportunities to share the Gospel and pray with their neighbors. Please pray for the Thurmons and this new Kingdom community in Indianapolis!

Congratulations to our own Dr. JoAnne Lyon who was elected as Vice-Chair for the National Association of Evangelicals last week. Dr. Lyon has maintained her active engagement as Ambassador for The Wesleyan Church since retiring from being General Superintendent. God continues to open amazing doors for Dr. Lyon in Kingdom service so let us be faithful in praying for her.
​

Congratulations also to Pastor Mark Atkinson (Eastview Wesleyan) on his recognition by the Gas City Chamber of Commerce at their annual banquet and awards ceremony, which was held on Tuesday, October 15. Pastor Mark was one of three people who received the 2019 President’s Award for the impact he has on his community. The other two individuals receiving this award were Mississinewa Community Schools Superintendent Tab McKenzie and Grant County Community Foundation President/Chief Executive Officer Dawn Brown. The awards were presented by Lezlie Winter (Gas City Chamber President).
​

There is still time to register for the special seminar led by Dr. Bud Bence on “Wesleyan Church History and Discipline.” The seminar will fulfill the requirements for this course in the ordination track and for transferring ministers. The event will be hosted at College Wesleyan Church and begins on Friday evening, November 1 (6:30 pm) and concludes at 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 2. The $90 registration fee includes the course books. Here’s the link to register: Wesleyan Church History and Discipline

Thank you for all you do to make a difference for the Kingdom!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. Make sure your teenagers have registered for Follow 2019. This promises to be a life-changing event for our students! https://www.wesleyan.org/event/follow-2019
​

Sunday morning, October 13, I had the joy of worshiping with Pastor Gary & Karen Bingham and their church family at Hillside Wesleyan in Marion and bringing the morning message. Pastor Gary has faithfully served Hillside since 1992 and last year they averaged 117 in worship with 11 new believers baptized.

The Hillside Church family came together this past week to lovingly support Karen, her mother, and the family, at the passing of Ray Noll, her father. (Ray, aged 91, was a beloved member of the congregation who served his country in World War II.) Pastor Gary and I met briefly with the Local Board of Administration following the morning service and then joined the congregation for lunch in their fellowship hall.
​

Sunday afternoon, I was able to drop in on Pastor John Hannan and the launch team of CrossRoads Church in Union City as they were setting up for another community outreach event. (Pastor Mike Hewitt graciously loaned them the giant inflatable bouncy castle from Rising Hope.)  The CrossRoads team spent last week knocking on doors and inviting neighbors to this gathering. Fifty-five people registered and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of food, fun, and fellowship with Pastor John and his team.
​

Sunday evening, I had the privilege of joining with the congregation of Greenfield Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church in welcoming and installing their new pastor Rev. Theo Griffin. Pastor Theo and Randy, his wife, are looking forward to settling into their new home and their new assignment. Dr. Abson Joseph, Academic Dean of Wesley Seminary, is a dear friend of Rev. Griffin and led the prayer of blessing as the leaders and congregation members gathered around the Griffins at the altar. The congregation hosted a lovely reception for the Griffin’s after the service.
​

Last week included meetings on Monday with Dr. David Vardaman (IWU School of Theology and Ministry) and Josh Delph (Chair of the Fairmount Camp Board of Trustees). On Tuesday, the Wesley Seminary board met in session for the day and I was able to represent our district on that board. Wednesday, I checked in on Dr. Ed Hoover as he prepares for a move to Fishers. That evening, I attended the congregational town hall meeting at College Wesleyan Church hosted by Pastor Steve DeNeff. College Wesleyan is working on plans to expand their facilities to better serve the community.
​

Thursday and Friday, I had the opportunity to represent our district as the Indiana Wesleyan University Board of Trustees convened for their fall meetings. Several members of the Crossroads District serve on this board including Dr. Dale Sloan, Dr. Nathan Hoover, Dr. Steve DeNeff, Mr. Don Cady, Mr. Gary Ott, and Dr. Carl Shepherd, who is the Board Chair. These are challenging days in higher education in general, and Christian higher education is facing strong headwinds. Dr. David Wright continues to lead Indiana Wesleyan University with wisdom and with grace. Indiana Wesleyan University needs and deserves your consistent prayers and generous support.
​

My last official assignment of the week was to join Pastor Mike Colaw, Assistant DS for Region 2, on Saturday morning as he hosted his pastors for a breakfast with special guest Rev. Doug Preston, pastor of Lifeline Church in Greensburg and a revitalization specialist with Dirt Roads Network. Barbara Nichter always does a great job coordinating these gatherings and this was no exception. It was encouraging to hear reports shared by the pastors of how God is moving across this region. Pastor Colaw closed our gathering by having us circle around and pray for John Hannan, our church planter in Union City.
​

We’re always delighted to share reports of baptisms from around the Crossroads District team. This week, we join Heaven in rejoicing over lives changed by the Gospel and celebrated by following Christ in the waters of baptism at Marion College Wesleyan Church (3), Lapel Daybreak Community Church (2), and Muncie Rising Hope Church (8). If you’ve recently had a baptism service at your church that we haven’t heard about, please send along a report and any pictures you can share.
​

We’re excited to announce that Dr. Bud Bence will be teaching a special seminar on Wesleyan Church History and Discipline next month, November 1-2, at College Wesleyan Church in Marion. This course may be taken in fulfillment of your ministerial license / ordination requirements or for personal enrichment. There is a registration fee of $90 for the seminar. Here’s the link for more information and to register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wesleyan-church-history-discipline-class-tickets-75338414225

Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,
​
Mark Gorveatte
Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. Register now for Follow2019: https://www.wesleyan.org/event/follow-2019

Sunday morning, I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Matthew & Kendra Ohime and the congregation at Davis Wesleyan Church (about halfway between Plymouth and Valparaiso). Pastor Matt and the team at DWC have been actively engaged in a revitalization project for this historic congregation. They celebrated baptisms in May, hosted a Maximizing Impact weekend, have updated their signage at the campus and nearby intersections, and are doing a significant remodeling of the auditorium.

After the service, I met with the Local Advisory Committee and the Ministry Leadership Team members. Then I had the joy of hosting the Ohime family, including their delightful children, for lunch. Kendra is actively involved in the ministry and leads the band program for Oregon-Davis schools. Pastor Matthew and Kendra also lead a Grief Share ministry that is having an impact on their community.

Sunday afternoon, I dropped in on Pastor Logan & Nancy Westrick and their team at Tipton Ash Street Wesleyan Church. Pastor Westrick had knocked on the doors of the 50 neighbors closest to the church and invited them to a cookout. 35 people showed up last night, including 8 people for whom this was their first contact with the church!
​

Last week began with the Region 1 team meeting at The River Church in Marion. Assistant DS Matthew Trexler leads this region and we were challenged by a presentation from Dr. Steve DeNeff on leading the “Church in Antioch.” Steve’s talk generated good follow-up conversations. Pastors are all busy but taking time to connect, to learn together, and to pray with one another is a special opportunity that adds value to each individual and strengthens our team.
​

Monday afternoon, I joined a conference call of Heartland Region district superintendents and the multipliers roundtable. It was good to catch up with this team and we had a clarifying conversation that affirmed the collaboration we’re enjoying while deferring any action toward merger. We do have a joint Heartland Region event coming up this next March 10-12, 2020 and you won’t want to miss it. Special guests include Pastor Albert Tate, Dr. Wayne Schmidt, and Pastor Heather Semple.

Tuesday morning, our district staff met in Marion and then I hit the road for a coaching conversation with Pastor Mike Colaw (Trinity Wesleyan Church) in Fishers. Later that afternoon, I was able to catch up with Pastor John Freed and Dr. Wayne Schmidt (a member of Waterline Church’s multiplication team) as Waterline Church considers their next steps in reaching out. Congratulations to Waterline Church for being recognized as one of last year’s top 100 multiplying churches in America by Outreach magazine!

Wednesday morning, Pastor Dale Munsell welcomed me to Albion Cornerstone Church for our annual coaching conversation. Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Lyle Breeding and I met at Bluffton Sonlight Wesleyan Church for our coaching connection. I’m always blessed to connect with our pastors and hear how God is at work in their ministries!

Thursday, the District Board of Administration met at The Branch (the coffee house ministry of Fairmount Wesleyan Church). We began in the morning with an orientation session. More than half of our DBA members are serving either their first or second term so it was helpful, even for some of us long-term members, to review the responsibilities of the DBA (39 items in The Discipline). We also took this opportunity to refresh our understanding of the Accountable Leadership model (policy governance/Kaiser) that we use to guide our work.
​

The afternoon DBA session was highlighted with updates from the church planting projects led by John Miller (Way City Church in Speedway), Aldean Pablo (SEND Church in Fort Wayne), and John Hannan (CrossRoads Church in Union City).

Friday morning, Assistant DS Chris Williams and I met for our weekly briefing and worked on follow-up items from the DBA meeting. The DBA is preparing two additional memorials to submit to the General Board for consideration at General Conference. One of those would replace area representatives with “at-large” members on the General Board and limit districts to two members. The second proposal would streamline the process for welcoming transferring ordained ministers from other denominations who have a track record of effective service. This will be helpful as we become more diverse, welcoming leaders from other cultures and countries.

Friday evening, Sherry and I were blessed to welcome members of the Warsaw Zone for an evening of fellowship and encouragement at Thornapple, our home in Upland. We had a delightful time together punctuated with laughter and prayer. We really have a remarkable team of pastors and spouses serving here in the Crossroads District.
​

Saturday morning, I was able to check in with Rick Carder and his Zone DBMD team as they interviewed ministerial students at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church. Our district’s dedicated DBMD teams are investing in more than 100 students this year.

That cohort of ministerial students includes nearly 20 people answering the call for whom Spanish is their first language. Special thanks to Adriana Zarate who coordinates the FLAMA seminars in our district. Rev. Johanna Rugh, from the General Department of Education and Clergy Development, helped lead this weekend’s FLAMA seminar hosted by Circle of Hope Church in Noblesville.
​

Eastview Gas City Wesleyan also hosted the first session of “Resourcing God’s Vision” on Saturday morning. This is a pilot program with Dr. Bob Hallett (who has helped churches raise more than $300 million) providing training and coaching for our pastors in proven stewardship principles and practices. We had a productive time together and I am grateful to Dr. Hallett for making this investment in our leaders. If you were unable to come but would like to connect for a one-on-one coaching session, please contact our office to make those arrangements.

What a joy to celebrate stories of life change from across our Crossroads District team. Here are pictures from recent baptisms at Sweetser Wesleyan Church (Pastor Matthew Stewart), Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church (Pastor Mark Atkinson), and Greentown Wesleyan (Pastor Eric Roemer) celebrated six baptisms yesterday!
​

Prayer is requested for Oni, daughter of Pastor Calebb (youth minister at The River Church) and Tori Proehl. She has corrective surgery today in Cincinnati and will be hospitalized for several days of recovery. You can follow them on Facebook.

Pastor Rick and Mary Matthews (Indianapolis Southside Wesleyan) would also appreciate your prayers for their son, Brett, who has been hospitalized for several days awaiting open-heart surgery.

One last exciting update. What would you not be willing to do to connect with people in your community and build a bridge to share the Gospel? Pastor Judy Hatt and her team at Hope Wesleyan Church in Fowler caught a vision to create a breakfast club for neighborhood children. They serve French toast and scrambled eggs along with a Gospel presentation on Saturday mornings.
​

They decided to call it “Mario and Luigi’s Breakfast Club” and Pastor Judy joined in the fun by dressing as one of the characters. Eleven children were there last Saturday morning, most for the first time. Thank you, Pastor Judy, for leading by example!

Let’s keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. Register now for Follow2019: https://www.wesleyan.org/event/follow-2019
​