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With the close of our 2022 annual conference, Wesleyans in Indiana officially begin their 175th year of connectional ministry. Wesleyan congregations in Fountain City (Richmond LifeSpring), New Castle (Mt. Zion Wesleyan), and Westfield had already started worshiping together and acting against slavery in 1843, the same year as the organizing conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America met in Utica, New York (May 31 to June 8, 1843). The Indiana Conference was established by the second General Conference meeting in 1848, just five years later, with two districts (Fountain City and Westfield) and Rev. Daniel Worth serving as Conference President. The following year, the Indiana Conference gathered in Westfield (October 3-6, 1849) to review the work of God in their mission field. Ten circuits were reported with 18 elders (ordained ministers), 22 licensed ministers, and 1167 members. Today, we stand on their shoulders as we move into our 180th year of connectional ministry with confidence that God is still moving!  Our largest group of candidates (16) was ordained on Friday evening, June 24, at College Wesleyan Church in Marion with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, General Superintendent, presiding. In addition to these 16 ordinands, we also welcomed Rev. Steve Russell and Rev. Jerome Bell as ordained ministers transferring into The Wesleyan Church. Special thanks to Dr. Chris Williams and Rev. Carla Working, District Board of Ministerial Development chair and vice-chair, for their exceptional leadership in preparing these ordinands and conducting this meaningful service. The service concluded with all the ordained ministers of the Crossroads District gathering around those newly ordained ministers and their spouses for a collective blessing led by Dr. Jim Lo. A delightful reception followed with delicious refreshments provided by Velvet Haisley, our favorite caterer.  Dr. Wayne Schmidt convened the 2022 District Conference at the IWU Chapel at 9 a.m on Saturday morning, June 25. Over 350 voting delegates registered for this important time of deliberation and vision casting. The delegates considered a number of items including electing district board members and extending the call of the district superintendent. General Conference memorials were received and approved by more than the required 2/3 of votes cast. Memorial #52 (Gifts of the Spirit) is a constitutional matter and still has a long journey ahead. If passed by the required 2/3 aggregate of all the delegates voting in the district conferences this summer, it will next go to the Board of the International Conference of The Wesleyan Church for referral to the other two General Conferences (Caribbean and Philippines) for their concurring vote. This is because our proposed change to the articles of religion would be in conflict with the Essentials of the International Conference of The Wesleyan Church (see Discipline 6725:3(c)). Only after this approval process is complete would Memorial #52 become effective for Wesleyan churches in North America. (Discipline 6745:8) Pray that God will grant wisdom and unity through this process.  Other highlights of our conference included the ministry statistical report that showed an increase of 23% in both baptisms and worship attendance along with a 47% increase in professions of faith. Our treasurer provided an encouraging financial report with churches contributing 97% of the USF assessment. That will enable us to transfer an ending balance of $69k from the General Operations Fund to the Thrive Fund. In turn, the Thrive Fund will work with Wesleyan HQ’s TFI program to provide scholarships for pastors to attend The Gathering of The Wesleyan Church in Orlando, January 4-7, 2023. When the local church approves $250, the district Thrive Fund will match that with $500, and the denomination will match that with another $250 to help our pastors and their spouses participate in this national event. Thank you to every leader who makes the United Stewardship Fund a priority investment for your congregation! Rev. Carol Schenck stepped down from being District Secretary since the Crossroads merger in 2016. We are deeply grateful for her excellent and dedicated service. Carol will continue to co-pastor Circle of Hope with Dr. Rich Schenck. Rev. Craig Thurman was elected by the conference to succeed her as our new District Secretary. Other newly-elected DBA members include Dr. Steve Bray (LifeSpring), Rev. Michelle Henry (Brookhaven), Rev. Neftali Lopez (Carmel Amistad), Mrs. Cindy Horn (Eastview) and Mrs. Reva Hoover Schultz (Indianapolis Trinity).  We recognized our three Assistant District Superintendents, Rev. Michael Colaw, Rev. Matthew Trexler, and Dr. Chris Williams, who have all served us so well in this role for the past six years. Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant DS, was named vice-chair of the District Board and will continue to lead the DBMD with Rev. Carla Working. Rev. Michael Colaw has agreed to serve as our Crossroads District representative on the Indiana Wesleyan University Board of Trustees and Rev. Matthew Trexler was appointed district treasurer by the DBA. We also recognized our district’s Circuit Riders: Dr. Jim Lo, Dr. David Smith, and Rev. Mark Atkinson, our newest addition to the team. These ministers represent the Crossroads District in our churches serving as catalysts for revival and encouraging our pastors. Mr. Duffy Smith, a valued coach and mentor to a dozen of our pastors, was affirmed as an honorary Crossroads District Circuit Ride. We thank God for the investment these leaders are making in our district team.  June 24 was a historic day for our country. Since Roe v. Wade was enacted in 1973, unrestricted abortion had been the law of the land. The Supreme Court ruling of June 24 was that states must be free to make that determination since the United States Constitution does not. After the abortion of more than 60 million innocent pre-born children and 5 decades of prayer, the tide had turned. No longer will the USA be on the very short list with North Korea and China of countries with unrestricted, including full-term, abortions. The work of the pro-life movement is not just legal but also an ongoing ministry of compassion and care. With that historic decision in view, the conference received and unanimously approved a motion supporting a $10,000 contribution to Hephzibah62:4 Ministries. We encourage your church to rise to this challenge. With thanksgiving to God for answered prayer in the ruling of the Supreme Court of The United States that overturned Roe V. Wade, a historic decision that will save so many precious unborn children: I move that the District Conference empower the District Board of Administration to immediately donate $10,000 to Hephzibah62:4 Ministries and that we challenge all the churches of the Crossroads District to rise to this opportunity to amplify our ministry and care for vulnerable mothers and children. Your church can rise to this challenge by supporting Hephzibah, your local crisis pregnancy center, or through other unique ministries that God has raised up in your church’s community. What we cannot do is nothing. God has answered prayer. We have this window of opportunity to advance a culture of life-giving hope and support to replace what Mother Teresa called a “culture of death.” Here is one of her more convicting quotes:  Conference concluded with our 1-2-3 challenge. We are challenging every pastor and church leadership team to identify, pray for, and invest in 1 more place to go and 2 new leaders to grow over the next 3 years. We still have 3 million unreached people in the state of Indiana so we must answer God’s call to go and make disciples!  Thank you to Rev. Carla Working, Dr. Chris Williams, Michael Wood, Rev. Chip Bos, Rev. Jarod and Mrs. Kayla Webb, Rev. Jeff Brady Rev. Lane Sander, and the dozens of volunteers who made our conference such a success. We also want to thank College Wesleyan Church and Indiana Wesleyan University for hosting us this year. And thanks be to God for the wonderful work He is doing among us.  Sunday, June 26, Rev. Lyle and Pat Breeding welcomed me to Bluffton Sonlight Church. This church is on the move with community engagement, a thriving counseling center (led by Rev. Lane Sander), and a reignited prayer ministry that is making a difference. Last year they celebrated 16 professions of faith and 8 baptisms. It was a delight to worship with Pastor Lyle and his team and to catch a glimpse of all that God is doing them to bless their community!  I love receiving and sharing reports of baptisms from across our district team. Last week, Pastor Scott McDermid and Six Points Church celebrated three professions of faith and three baptisms!  Dr. Joe Harmon and the team at New Castle Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church are also celebrating five lives #MadeNew by the Gospel! Praise God for the wonderful ways He is at work in our churches!  Our sympathies and prayers are extended to Dr. H.C. Wilson, retired General Superintendent, on the passing of Gloria, his beloved wife and ministry partner for more than 56 years. The celebration of life service will be held at Beulah Camp in New Brunswick, Canada on July 6. The Wilsons lived in Indianapolis for several years during Dr. Wilson’s service at Wesleyan Headquarters. The photo below includes their daughter, Kristi, and their son, Troy. Memorial gifts may be directed to World Hope Canada or to Beulah Camp.  Keeping on shining the Lord (John 1:5) and making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday morning, June 19, I had the joy of worshiping with Rev. Calimerio and Maria Rodriguez at Templo dr Poder Iglesia Wesleyana (Temple of Power Wesleyan Church) in Frankfort. This vibrant congregation averages 65 in attendance with people driving from as far as Noblesville and Lafayette. Pastor and Mrs. Rodriguez have faithfully served as bi-vocational pastors for the church since 2001.  The church had a special sermon and recognition time for all the fathers that included several children coming forward to read scriptures verses. The Templo de Poder congregation lost beloved family members to Covid over the past two years but they are pressing forward to make disciples.  Sunday afternoon, I was glad to join Rev. Nicolas and Rev. Adriana Zarate for their worship service at Rey de Gloria (King of Glory) Iglesia Wesleyana, a ministry of the Circle of Hope network of churches based in Noblesville and led by Dr. Rich and Rev. Carol Schenck. Pastor Adriana has recently returned from being with her family in Argentina during the illness and death of her father. After the worship service, the Zarates introduced me to a newer couple in their church, Walter and Diana, who are taking FLAMA courses and envisioning church planting possibilities with the Zarates. Pray that God will bless these leaders and their multiplication vision!  Sunday evening, Rev. John Davey invited me to join in with the members at Hartford City Wesleyan Church for a special local church conference. Rev. Davey had served effectively this year as the interim pastor and this conference was a celebration of what God has accomplished in the past year including 11 baptisms and the 100% vote to call Rev. Josh Fox as their next pastor. We’re excited to welcome Josh, Candy and their family to the Crossroads District in July.  The highlights of last week were three amazing youth camps that ministered to more than 400 of our district youth. Tuesday morning, I dropped in at Fairmount Camp and was blessed by the ministry of Dr. Jim Lo. There was a wonderful response to the invitation at the close of the service. Tuesday afternoon, I was able to connect with Rev. Marc Ulrich who was in Marion with teenagers from ReThink Church (Merrillville) who were attending Never The Same Camp at IWU. Later on Tuesday, I attended the NTS evening rally and was able to connect with several of our pastors and their students.  Wednesday morning, I was invited to meet with Rev. Johanna Rugh, the newly-elected Executive Director of Education and Clergy Development for The Wesleyan Church. Rev. Rugh had a wealth of pastoral and district leadership experience before coming to ECD. She has also been a wonderful encourager to our Hispanic pastors and a champion for women in ministry. It was an honor to meet with her and to hear more about her vision for ministerial development in The Wesleyan Church. We are also glad that she and her family are becoming members at Trinity Wesleyan Church and that Rev. Rugh will be transferring her credentials to become part of the Crossroads District. Pray for our leaders!  Wednesday evening, Rev. Zachary and Rev. Carla Working invited me to join the team from Huntington Hope Rising Church as they hosted a conversation with a nearby UMC congregation. This church leadership team had asked to meet with them about the possibility of merging into the good work that God is doing through Hope Rising. It was a very helpful conversation and we are praying that God provides wisdom and direction to all involved.  Thursday morning, I hit the road headed west past Lafayette to Hanging Rock Camp where Rev. Seth Merrill and his team hosted their annual youth camp that serves several of our churches from Tipton Trinity to New Carlisle. This is a classic camp setting with more than 200 acres including horseback riding, ziplines, and a swimming pool. This year’s camp evangelist was Trevor Heyd, a long-time friend from our days in West Michigan District. Special thanks to Pastor Seth and Breanna Merrill for all their hard work and the leadership they bring to this important camping partnership!  I made it back in time to worship with the team at Fairmount youth camp for their final evening rally. In addition to the wonderful crew that worked with Executive Director Rev. Angela Spangler, it was fun to see the collaboration of summer ministry teams representing Kingswood University, Southern Wesleyan University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. Pray for our youth who attended these summer camps last week and for those who will be attending Week #2 of NTS at IWU this week. Significant decisions were made for Christ. Reach out to the students in your church to let them know that you are praying for them and standing with them as they follow Christ!  In addition to camping ministries, two of our churches were competing in the national finals for the Wesleyan Bible Bowl quizzing program hosted this year at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. Rev. Randy Yaryan (Winchester) and Rev. Matthew Stewart (Sweetser) both took quiz teams that did well in the national competition. If your church is interested in starting a quiz team and the substantial college scholarships that can be won in these competitions, I encourage you to reach out to Randy or Matt for the next steps your church can take to become part of this exciting opportunity.  We always love to pass along reports of God changing lives. Dr. Bob Hallett has been serving as the interim pastor at Anderson Lone Oak Wesleyan Church during this past conference year. He shared the good news of 4 professions of faith last year and 3 baptisms including the most recent one captured here. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!  Congratulations to Rev. Rochelle and Travis Jenkins (Indianapolis Circle City Church) on the birth of their son, Atlas James Jenkins. For those of you who have followed their journey, you will know what an amazing answer to prayer is captured in this picture. We celebrate this precious gift of life!  This is the week that we’ve been planning and praying for when our Crossroads District team comes together for Ordination and Annual Conference. Ordained ministers will meet at College Wesleyan at 6:30 on Friday for our group photo and prayer with the ordinands. The service will commence promptly at 7:00 pm with General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt presiding. A reception will follow. Conference registration will open Saturday at 8 a.m. in the Chapel at IWU. The first session of our annual conference will begin promptly at 9. We’re blessed once again this year to have Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, present to chair the conference. Key items coming before us this year will include the two constitutional changes voted on at General Conference that are to be considered by each district conference. Constitutional memorials require a two-thirds vote by the delegates at General Conference and then a two-thirds aggregate vote of all delegates voting at the several district conferences this summer. To review those constitutional memorials, please visit these links at the denomination’s website: https://www.wesleyan.org/memorial-52-14thgc   Please join us in praying for a special sense of God’s presence and our obedience to His direction as we gather for ordination and conference again this year, the 174th time that Wesleyans have gathered in Indiana since the first conference was formed in 1848. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent PS: For those of you who serve as treasurers or submit mileage for reimbursement, the IRS announced last week that the mileage tax rate beginning July 1 will be 62.5 cents per mile for business use of a vehicle. (It will be important to keep records from January 1 to June 30 separate from mileage for July 1 through December 31). Charitable mileage has not changed and remains at 14 cents per mile.  Sherry and I joined Pastor Mark and Ronda Atkinson for his final day as lead pastor at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. Pastor Mark has served Eastview for a total of 26 years, the first 13 as the youth pastor and then the last 13 years as lead pastor. In between, Mark and Ronda were used by God to plant a Wesleyan church in Macon, Georgia. The church has experienced growth in worship attendance, evangelistic effectiveness, and community impact under Rev. Atkinson’s leadership.  Dr. Joe Harmon (lead pastor at New Castle Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church) joined the celebration with lots of fun memories from the years when Mark was Joe’s assistant pastor. All four of Pastor Mark and Ronda’s children along with a table full of grandchildren came together for this special occasion. Between the first service in Jonesboro and the second service in Gas City, more than 300 people gathered to celebrate Mark’s ministry. We’re looking forward to having Pastor Mark join the district staff this year as the third of our Circuit Riders. He’ll be visiting up to 20 of our churches with a special emphasis on the joy of personal evangelism.  On behalf of the Crossroads District, I had the privilege of leading the installation liturgy for Rev. Noah Farmer who transitioned from his role as executive pastor to become the new lead pastor. Pastor Noah, Christie, and the Farmer family are lifelong residents of the community. We’re praying with Pastor Noah and the Eastview team as they move into this new chapter of ministry. Sunday evening, I traveled to South Bend for a regional prayer gathering hosted by Rev. Greg Holmes and the team at Sonlight Wesleyan Church. It was a blessing to participate in this hour of prayer led by Rev. Holmes, Rev. Vaughn (The Bridge Urban Church), Rev. Don Bayne (New Carlisle Wesleyan), Rev. Matt Ohime (Davis Wesleyan), and Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek Wesleyan). Our next regional prayer gathering will be held in September.  Tuesday, I had the privilege of representing the Heartland Region at the Indiana South District Conference. We continue to grieve the loss of our colleague and friend Dr. Mark Eckart, but there was a wonderful spirit of unity as the conference elected Rev. Doug Preston to be their new District Superintendent. Some of you will know Doug as the pastor used by God to write a miracle of revitalization at Lifeline Wesleyan Church in Greensburg, Indiana where he served for 17 years. More recently, Doug has joined the leadership team of the Dirt Roads Network as their director of revitalization initiatives, so he’ll be dividing his time between the district and DRN. Congratulations and prayers for Rev. Doug Preston and the Indiana South District as they move forward in church planting and revitalization.  Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church had another significant transition last week. Rev. Mark Atkinson conducted the funeral on Wednesday for Mr. David Huffman, long-time member and treasurer of the church, who passed away unexpectedly at age 53. In addition to his responsibilities at VIA Credit Union and at Eastview, Dave was active in his community and had served as volunteer treasurer for Marion Brinker Heights Wesleyan Church and for the Arise church plant in Roanoke. Pastor Mark did a wonderful job of honoring Dave and pointing people to Jesus.  Let me encourage you to offer focused prayer on behalf of our teenagers this week. Both Hanging Rock Camp near Lafayette, led by Rev. Seth Merrill, and Fairmount Camp, led by Rev. Jeff Brady, will be hosting youth camps for our Crossroads District churches this week. Pictured below is the scene at Laketon Wesleyan Church as Pastor David Cox and the congregation prayed over the teens from their church who will be taking part in youth camp this week. Many of you will have memories of God working in your life during this special time of ministry. Pray for young lives to be changed and young leaders to be called to His service!  Also on the agenda this week is the national Wesleyan Bible Bowl competition to be held at Southern Wesleyan University. Pictured below is Dr. Matthew Stewart, pastor of Sweetser Wesleyan Church and master Bible quiz coach, as he leads their congregation in praying for the teams that will be competing this week. If your church would like to learn more about the Wesleyan Bible quizzing program, please reach out to Dr. Stewart.  Nothing brings greater joy to our team than to rejoice with our churches who are celebrating baptisms! Pastor Harold Henson and the Colfax Wesleyan Church family celebrated two baptisms on Sunday, June 5. This was even more meaningful for Rev. Harold and Angie Henson are completing their ministry at Colfax and moving to Alabama where they’ve accepted a new pastoral calling. We will miss them and are grateful for the impact they have made at Colfax Wesleyan Church.  Rev. Matthew Trexler and the team at The River Church celebrated baptisms again yesterday. We are rejoicing with these professions of faith and giving God all the praise for lives being #MadeNew!  The Crossroads District Ordination and Conference are coming next week, June 24-25. Join us in praying for God’s anointing on these important gatherings. Please pray that we will enjoy a keen awareness of His presence, clearly discern His will, and faithfully move forward in unity to accomplish His mission for us. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday, June 5, my schedule opened up at the last minute, so I had the opportunity to drop in on two of our churches on the way to my afternoon appointment. My first stop was at Warsaw Pathway Church where I had the opportunity to hear Assistant Pastor Samantha Freds preach. Pastor Jarod Osborne and his family were out of town, but it was good to connect with Samantha and other friends from their leadership team. This has been a difficult month for the Pathway Church with the death of one of their beloved lay staff team members and three of their families involved in a series of automobile accidents. If that wasn’t enough trauma, another nearby church was rocked by the news that their pastor admitted to sexual abuse of a minor. Pray for the Pathway team as they minister to their grieving community.  My second stop of the morning was with Pastor Matt and Kendra Ohime at Davis Wesleyan Church, located outside of Hamlet. Pastor Matt has been hard at work leading the revitalization efforts at Davis Wesleyan since arriving in 2018. Rev. Ohime has also taken on the leadership for the Starke County Resource Center and its thrift store in nearby Knox. Pastor Matt has also joined the team with Rev. Steve McVey and the Dirt Roads Network, a national ministry focused on planting and revitalizing churches in rural communities. Pray for Matt, Kendra and their family as they impact their rural community for Christ!  My third stop of the day was with a group of UMC lay leaders from area churches who invited me to participate in a Q&A session. These congregations are making plans to disassociate from the UMC denomination and invited me to answer questions they had about The Wesleyan Church. They have also planned meetings with representatives from the Free Methodist Church and the Global Methodist Church (the new denomination created by former UMC pastors and congregations, most of whom are also members of the Wesleyan Covenant Association). These are interesting times in which we serve.  My last stop of the day before heading home was with Rev. Dr. Rich and Rev. Carol Schenck at their Anderson campus for Circle of Hope Wesleyan Church. Circle of Hope adopted the former Anderson Central Wesleyan Church four years ago when it was going through a difficult season. Being part of this network has helped them recover from that tough patch and there is a growing sense that this campus could be strong enough to relaunch. Pastors Rich and Carol met with interested members last evening and helped them consider the next steps in the process. These steps would include the Circle of Hope LBA naming a launch team, working with their coach to create a Ministry Action Plan (MAP) for the next 12-18 months of ministry, and seeking district approval for the launching of the Anderson campus as a new church. This will be an important transition so your prayers are appreciated. Speaking of prayer, our sixth monthly Crossroads District prayer gathering of 2022 will be held this Sunday evening, June 12, at South Bend Sonlight Wesleyan Church, beginning promptly at 6 p.m. I’m grateful for Pastor Greg Holmes who has agreed to host our gathering and to Pastor Terry Vaughn (South Bend The Bridge Urban Church), Rev. Don Bayne (New Carlisle Wesleyan), Rev. Matthew Ohime (Davis Wesleyan), and Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek Wesleyan) who will be sharing in the leadership of this service. You are cordially invited to join us for this prayer gathering.  Yesterday was a time of special celebration at Winchester Union Street Wesleyan Church as the congregation marked the 25th anniversary of Rev. Randy and Carol Yaryan’s ministry to the church and community. The church was founded in 1925 and Pastor Yaryan is the longest-serving pastor in the church’s nearly 100 years. In addition to his ministry at the church, Pastor Randy has been active in coaching community athletic teams and has driven a school bus for 16 of those 25 years. Rev. Yaryan has also coached Bible quizzing teams that have competed at the national level on several occasions. Congratulations to Rev. Randy and Carol Yaryan on this significant milestone of ministry. Crossroads District has a goal of celebrating 1000 baptisms in a single year. We’ve not hit that mark yet but we’re off to a good start in this new conference year. Rev. Dr. Matthew Stewart and the team at Sweetser Wesleyan Church celebrated one baptism and another affirmation of infant baptism yesterday morning. The baptism was especially meaningful for Pastor Matt and Jennifer because this was their youngest child publicly professing her faith in Jesus Christ!  Rev. Mark Atkinson and the team at Gas City Eastview Church celebrated three baptisms yesterday morning during their services and Pastor Mark also had the opportunity to baptize a woman in her hospital bed on Saturday. Pastor Mark also baptized two new believers at the reservoir last Thursday for a total of six baptisms in three different locations over the past 10 days. Praise God for these lives being #MadeNew!  I am pleased to announce that the Crossroads District will be offering Wesleyan Church History & Discipline course again this fall. This class is designed for students in the DBMD (District Board of Ministerial Development) credentialing process. This class is tuition-free through the sponsorship of the district but ALL 4 SESSIONS must be attended in order to receive credit towards ordination. (There are required textbooks to be purchased for those seeking certification.) Please pass the word along to any staff and ministerial students on your team that could benefit from this class. Contact Rev. Carla Working to register for the course. Class Sessions are scheduled for the following dates: Saturday, October 1 – 9am-4pm (in person – Marion) Monday, October 10 – 6-8:30pm (Zoom) Monday, October 24 – 6-8:30pm (Zoom) Saturday, November 5 – 9am-4pm (in person – Marion) We’re counting the days until the Crossroads District Ordination and Conference, June 24 and 25, in Marion. The Friday evening ordination service will be held at College Wesleyan Church and the day of conference proceedings will be held in the Indiana Wesleyan University Chapel. Please pray for these important meetings and the decisions that will be made during our time together. Here’s the link for more information: https://conference.crossroadsdistrict.org Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent This week’s Crossroads District team update is abbreviated in light of the General Conference reporting and our opportunity to be with family in Michigan over the Memorial Day weekend. I trust you were able to find time to connect with loved ones and to remember those who gave their full measure for the freedom that we enjoy here in the United States of America.  The Wesleyan Church regularly meets every four years for our annual North American General Conference. The Covid pandemic delayed our gathering by an extra two years and it was evident from the very first session that we were delighted to be able to reconnect after the passing of six years. While the primary purpose of our gathering is to conduct essential business on behalf of our denomination, precious times of fellowship, prayer, and worship ensure that our conference is more than just a legislative process.  The worship service on the first Sunday evening concluded with a powerful time of prayer led by Rev. Mick Veach, lead pastor at Kentwood Community Church. Monday’s session began with our General Superintendent Rev. Dr. Wayne Schmidt presenting his “State of the Church” report followed by his re-election for another four-year term. Dr. Schmidt is also a member of our Crossroads District so it is a special joy to congratulate him and pledge our support for his leadership over the next four years. The election of general directors took place on Monday afternoon. Rev. Dr. Ed Love, also a member of our Crossroads District, was elected as the new General Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship. I’m excited about Dr. Love’s track record of leadership which has long been focused on church planting and disciple-making. Please join me in praying for Dr. Schmidt and his Executive Cabinet.  Business sessions continued on Tuesday and concluded at noon on Wednesday. Major items of business for the conference included a modified statement that more positively frames the spiritual gift of tongues, a major rewrite of the guidelines for local church administration, and an overhaul of our United Stewardship funding plan that lowers the amount assessed for educational and denominational ministries from 6% down to 5% by 2026. Those of you who will be serving as delegates to our Crossroads District conference (June 25) will be asked to consider two constitutional matters. All constitutional changes must be approved by 2/3 of the delegates voting at General Conference and then by an aggregate 2/3 of all delegates voting at the North American district conferences this summer. If approved here, the constitutional items will proceed for approvals at the two other general conferences of The Wesleyan Church (Caribbean and Philippines). We will be well represented by the three members of our district who were elected to serve on the General Board: Dr. Jeff Clark (lay member - College Wesleyan Church), Dr. Steve DeNeff (ministerial member – College Wesleyan Church), and Dr. Carl Shepherd (lay member – Indianapolis Trinity Church). For a full rundown of elections and approved memorials, please visit the website: https://www.wesleyan.org/category/general-conference  I’m grateful for our lay and ministerial delegates who took time from busy schedules and family to faithfully represent our Crossroads District for this 14th General Conference. This was the first general conference as delegates for half of our team. We prayed together, laughed together, learned together, and then returned home with an even deeper appreciation for our denominational team.  While it is important to fulfill the administrative responsibilities essential to our denominational ministries, nothing is more vital than keeping our focus on the Great Commission. How wonderful to receive word from Pastor Mark Atkinson (Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church) that on Thursday, his first day back from General Conference, he was blessed to celebrate two baptisms at the reservoir, Praise God for these lives being #MadeNew by the power of the Holy Spirit!  We are looking forward to our ordination service on Friday, June 24, at College Wesleyan Church and our district conference on Saturday, June 25, at the Indiana Wesleyan University Chapel. Please join me in praying for God’s favor and anointing on our time together next month. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent This week’s team update is coming to you from the 14th General Conference of The Wesleyan Church in St. Louis, Missouri. I’m here with 18 delegates representing our Crossroads District for meetings that began on Sunday evening. The evening rally concluded with a powerful time of prayer led by Rev. Mick Veach, lead pastor at Kentwood Community Church.  Last week began with the opportunity on Monday morning to meet with Pastor Matthew Trexler and his leadership cohort meeting at The River Church. Monday afternoon, I met with Rev. Carla Working and her team as they plan for our district conference on June 25 at Indiana Wesleyan University. Tuesday morning, I was able to meet with Rev. Mike Colaw as he welcomed Rev. Gregg Parris, lead pastor at Union Chapel UMC in Muncie, for a leadership development session on finishing well in our calling. Pastor Gregg has led the ministry of Union Chapel for more than 40 years!  Tuesday evening, I met with the LBA at Colfax Wesleyan Church as they began their pastoral search process. We’ve been blessed to have Rev. Harold Henson serving this congregation for the past five years but recently announced that he has accepted a call to a church in Alabama.  Wednesday morning, I connected with Rev. Jeff Brady for an update on Commoners Church, the micro church network that he has been leading. He has also just been accepted into a CPE for a new opportunity in chaplaincy. Wednesday evening, Rev. Carla Working and I met with the leadership team at Wabash North Wesleyan Church to serve them in their pastoral search process. Rev. Working was able to help them connect with Rev. Ashlynn Lutrell to serve as their interim pastor effective immediately.  Our reconvened district nominating committee met on Thursday evening and unanimously nominated Rev. Craig Thurmon to become our next district secretary. Pending the vote of our district conference, Craig would move from serving as our district treasurer to this new position. The DBA is empowered by our standing rules to appoint a new treasurer if that vacancy occurs. Then, on Saturday, Sherry and I traveled to St. Louis for the four days of our General Conference. After a meeting with the new Wesleyan Theological Network at noon and a meeting of the General Board in the afternoon, we closed out the day with a wonderful service of worship. Please join us in praying for these important meetings! While we’ll be meeting in General Conference, ministry continues on the frontlines. We’ve been enjoying receiving the annual statistical reports from our local churches and nothing is more exciting than news of lives being changed by the Gospel. For example, just last week, The River Church celebrated even more baptisms after reporting 49 in the previous conference year. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!  We are excited to announce that Rev. Jon and Lindsay Noggle will be joining our Crossroads District team as the new pastoral family at Elwood Central Wesleyan Church. Pray for the Noggles as they make their transition this summer.  We’re also pleased to announce the Rev. Joshua Fox has accepted the unanimous call of Hartford City Wesleyan Church and will be relocating to Indiana this summer. We’re looking forward to welcoming Joshua and his family to the Crossroads District!  Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday morning, May 15, Rev. David Dignal and his team at Edgerton Wesleyan Church welcomed me to bring greetings and the morning message. Pastor Dave was one of the pastors I knew many years prior to the privilege of serving together here in the Crossroads District. I’ve always appreciated his positive attitude and his commitment to the Great Commission.  EWC has rebounded well both from the impact of the pandemic and a group that stepped out in January to start a new church in nearby Ohio. They just elected their new board of administration so I appreciated the opportunity to join Pastor Dignal in leading the commissioning prayer. Following the service, I enjoyed lunch with Pastor Dave, his wife Stevie, and their son Jonathan. Sunday afternoon, I led the closing service for Warren Wesleyan Church. The ministry in Warren dates back around 150 years and the current building was constructed in 1885. Members and friends of the congregation gathered to share memories and offer thanks to God for the impact of this ministry on their lives and in the Kingdom.  Rev. Allen Laws has been serving the congregation as a bi-vocational pastor for the last several years but, coming through the pandemic, attendance had declined to a faithful few. The DBA has agreed to turn the facilities over to the Huntington Hope Rising Church leadership team with a view to restarting ministry in Warren in the next few years. Sunday evening, I joined the team at Marion Chapel Pike Wesleyan Church for the official installation service of Rev. Joshua Bowlin as their new senior pastor. Pastor Josh and Rebecca have most recently been serving with The Wesleyan Church in New Zealand. This is a homecoming for Pastor Josh who met Christ through the ministry of Chapel Pike when he was a teenager. Pastor Steve Colter and the LBA at Chapel Pike did a great job of planning for this intentional succession as Pastor Steve moved into retirement. We’re excited to welcome Josh and his family back to the Crossroads District team!  Last week’s schedule included our weekly staff meeting, a specially-called General Board meeting via Zoom, along with coaching conversations in Richmond, Muncie, Marion, and Indianapolis. The highlight of the week had to be the three days that our District Board of Ministerial Development convened to interview this year’s class of ordination candidates. We began on Thursday afternoon and concluded on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Chris Williams, chair, and Rev. Carla Working, vice-chair, led us in interviewing 18 candidates, half of whom were women. The candidates spanned from their 20s to their sixties, from those expecting their first child to those who have already welcomed grandchildren.  I was especially encouraged by the priority that these ordination candidates gave to the message of holiness. They submitted exceptional position papers on the topic and consistently selected our embrace of the biblical doctrine of Christian perfection in love as one of the top 3 reasons they are glad to be part of The Wesleyan Church. Make plans to join our 2022 ordination service at Marion College Wesleyan Church on Friday evening, June 24, 7:00 p.m.  Pastor Steve Arnett and the team at New Castle Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church had an incredible celebration on Sunday, May 8, as 10 people publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism. Pastor Scott McDermid and the team at Sheridan Six Points Church are rejoicing with their dedication of children and the celebration of four baptisms on Sunday morning, May 15.  Pastor Gary Bingham and the team at Marion Hillside Wesleyan Church are praising God for five people who publicly professed faith in Christ through their baptism. Four of the baptisms were by immersion and Pastor Gary also had the privilege of baptism by pouring for one gentleman in a wheelchair. Praise God for these lives being #MadeNew by the grace of Jesus Christ!  This is the final week before our General Conference convenes this coming Sunday in St. Louis. Here’s an invitation from Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, to join together for a Pentecost prayer journey: May I encourage every pastor in our district to lead their congregation in focused prayer during your worship services on Sunday, May 22. For more information about the schedule, memorials being considered, and online access to the sessions, visit the conference website: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed  Keep on making a difference in the only cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday morning, May 8, I had the joy of worshiping with Rev. Aldean Pablo and the team at ARISE Church in Roanoke. Pastor Aldean preached a powerful message and I brought greetings from our district team. With an unexpected illness in their worship team, Pastor Aldean invited me to fill in on the keyboards, an invitation that I was happy to accept. The men of the church arrived early to prepare a beautiful breakfast for all the mothers and Pastor Aldean honored mothers in the service. I am grateful for the leadership that Aldean and Jessie Pablo are giving to this new congregation. The future is bright at ARISE Church.  Sunday evening, Pastor Neftali Lopez and the team at Carmel Amistad Iglesia Wesleyan welcomed our monthly prayer gathering. It was a blessing to pray with those who gathered for this 5th monthly district prayer meeting. I’m grateful for the partnership of Rev. Jim Weinmann (Evanston Avenue), Rev. Craig Thurmon (The Encounter Assembly), Dr. Rich Schenck (Circle of Hope), and Rev. Lopez in leading this evening of prayer.  Many of you will know that Dr. Chris Williams (Lakeview Wesleyan) and I just returned from spending 10 days in Africa speaking at the national leadership and missions conference for the Zambia Pilgrim Wesleyan Church (PWC). Bishop Juden Siachitema extended a warm invitation that opened the door for our ministry and we were blessed by this opportunity to learn and fellowship in this thriving national conference.  There are more than 450 Wesleyan churches now in Zambia and they have a great vision for continued growth through church planting and missions to neighboring countries. In addition to preaching and teaching at the conference, Chris and I were also blessed to visit several mission stations, clinics, and schools across the country. God was gracious and powerfully anointed the three keynote messages that Dr. Williams preached from Isaiah’s encounter with God (Isaiah 6). We both came home inspired and encouraged by what God is doing through our Wesleyan brothers and sisters in Zambia.  We arrived back home on Wednesday evening and I was back on the road for a coaching conversation with Rev. Judy Hatt (Fowler Hope Wesleyan) on Thursday. I also had the opportunity to check in with Pastor Andy Riemersma for an update on the growing ministry of ONE Church in Westfield. On Friday evening and Saturday, Sherry and I welcomed Rev. Mike Hewitt and a new cohort of church planting pastors who are committed to working together to accelerate our multiplication movement. This was a fun group to host in our home!  On Saturday, Dr. David Smith and I attended the 6th annual gathering of the Wesleyan Covenant Association held in Indianapolis. This group of orthodox United Methodists has been meeting to find a way forward from the controversies in the UMC. The official announcement was made at this meeting that many of them will be leaving the UMC to form the new Global Methodist Church. This is a painful journey for leaders and congregations who are seeking to be faithful to scripture.  We’re praising the Lord for continued reports of lives being changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ! Pastor Ryan Budde, Jonesboro Westview Wesleyan Church, reported that they celebrated seven baptisms on Easter Sunday. Pastor Brad LeRoy reported that Greenfield Harvest Community Church celebrated three baptisms and two more professions of faith with a total of 316 in attendance.  Pastor Shane Wilson and the team at Columbia City New Hope Wesleyan Church celebrated two baptisms on Easter Sunday and two other individuals made professions of faith in the morning service. New Hope also had a terrific response to their Easter drama with more than 700 people attending the two presentations.  Easter weekend, Pastor Tony Bye and the team at Marion Brookhaven Wesleyan Church celebrated six baptisms. This spring has been a good season with growing momentum at Brookhaven Wesleyan.  Dr. Rich and Rev. Carol Schenck, co-pastors leading the Circle of Hope network reported two baptisms and welcomed three new members at their Noblesville campus. We join them in rejoicing for the ways that God is working!  Last weekend, Dr. Oliver Dongell and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church celebrated six public professions of faith through baptism. There’s nothing better than rejoicing with heaven for these lives being #MadeNew to the glory of God!  Please join us in making the upcoming General Conference a matter of focused prayer. I would be grateful if every pastor in our district led their congregation in focused prayer during your worship services on Sunday, May 15, and Sunday, May 22. For more information about the schedule, memorials being considered, and online access to the sessions, visit the conference website: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed  Thank you for all you do to advance the Kingdom of God here in the Crossroads District and beyond! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent  Praise the Lord for a glorious EASTER 2022! This was the first pandemic restriction-free Easter we have celebrated together since 2019 and I’m hearing encouraging reports coming in from across our district team. Sherry and I worshiped together with Assistant DS Matthew Trexler at The River Church in Marion for their 7 a.m. sunrise service before I turned south to check in on more of our churches. My next stop was in Tipton where I was able to pray with Rev. Logan Westrick at Ash Street Wesleyan Church before joining Rev. Johnnie Blair and his team at Trinity Wesleyan Church as they welcomed a full house for the first of two worship services.  My next check-in was with Rev. Scott McDermid and his team at Sheridan Six Points Wesleyan Church where their 10 a.m. service was underway. They were still welcoming guests and adding chairs in the foyer as I arrived. Total attendance for the morning was 251!  From there, I headed back east back to Cicero United Family Church to greet Rev. Allen Gross and his team just before they began their 10:30 service. Attendance was at full capacity and the children were eagerly looking forward to the Easter egg hunt that was to follow the service.  My last stop of the day was with Rev. Andy Riemersma and the team at Westfield ONE Church, our newest congregation. One of the highlights of the morning was seeing Rev. Ernest Batman, our former and the oldest living DS, worshiping at ONE Church with three generations of his family, including Mr. Kevin Batman, General Treasurer and member of the launch team.  There were so many highlights from last week that I hardly know where to start. Perhaps the most notable event that I was able to be part of was the combined Good Friday service provided by the Wesleyan churches of Madison County. This inaugural event was hosted by Rev. Joe Jackson and the United Wesleyan Church congregation.  The service included pastors and worship leaders from Elwood Main Street Wesleyan, Pendleton Autumn Hills, Anderson Circle of Hope, Anderson Lone Oak, North Anderson Wesleyan Church, Chesterfield Parkview Wesleyan, and Anderson United Wesleyan. The service also included Spanish-language translation with participation from Iglesia Unida Wesleyana, the Hispanic congregation that is part of Anderson United. This was the first time these Madison County churches have collaborated for a Good Friday service but plans are already underway for next year.  My heart is overflowing as I review the reports from this past week. For example, Rev, Lyle Breeding and his team at Bluffton Sonlight started Easter week by celebrating 5 baptisms last weekend!  Rev. Dr. Steve Bray and the team at LifeSpring Church in Richmond celebrated 27 baptisms yesterday between their two campuses. This included Rev. Josh Fakhoury, south campus pastor, having the privilege of baptizing his daughter Jenna!  Pastor Neftali Lopez and Carmel Amistad Cristiana celebrated the baptism of a grandmother. Her daughters and grandchildren joined in the celebration.  Rev. Dr. Chris Williams and his team reported three baptisms at Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church with 338 in attendance and at least 1 profession of faith!  Dr. Bob Hallett, interim minister at Anderson Lone Oak Wesleyan Church, reported that they celebrated two baptisms yesterday with 52 in attendance.  Pastor Joe Jackson and the team at Anderson United Wesleyan celebrated 4 professions of faith and 6 baptisms yesterday!  And here are just a few more of the praise reports that are coming in: Rev. Dr. Steve DeNeff and his team celebrated eight baptisms yesterday at Marion College Wesleyan Church! Rev. Andy Cole texted to let me know they had 180 in attendance at Lapel Daybreak Community Church with at least 20 people praying to receive Jesus Christ as Lord! Pastor Dan Fisher and the team at Delphi Wesleyan Church were celebrating 106 people in attendance, their highest worship attendance in the past 15 years! Pastor Dave Dignal and his team at Edgerton Wesleyan Church welcomed 125 in worship yesterday! Rev. Dr. Joe Harmon, pastor of New Castle Memorial Wesleyan Church, reported 179 in attendance with 4 professions of faith! Pastor Brent Miller, pastor of Gas City Southside Wesleyan Church shared that they welcomed 102 in attendance with 8 commitments to Christ!  Four quick observations from my visits on Easter Sunday:
For those of you who are able to join us, our next Crossroads District prayer gathering will convene on Sunday, May 8, 6:00 p.m., at Carmel Amistad Christiana Wesleyan Church. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent  Palm Sunday, April 10, I had the joy of worshiping with Dr. Oliver Dongell and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. Pastor Dongell graciously invited me to preach in both services, the more blended one at 9 a.m. and the more contemporary service at 10:30. Plymouth Wesleyan incorporated a music presentation from their children’s ministry and preschool in the second service. Between the services, I appreciated the opportunity to connect with members of the LBA. I’m grateful for the effective leadership that Rev. Dr. Dongell has given to Plymouth Wesleyan Church since 2003. We’re praying that God will bless their outreach ministries this Easter weekend.  Traveling on from Plymouth, I joined Pastor Jose Cardenas and the team at Elkhart Cielos Abiertos for their Sunday afternoon worship service. They have relocated to a shared facility and it was my first time to be with them since they moved into this worship center. We were blessed to have Rev. Eliorgy Guerrero, founding pastor, and his wife visiting us from Chattanooga. You may recall that this ministry was originally launched with a group of Venezuelan political asylum seekers. There is always a wonderful spirit of worship in their service and it was an honor to bring the message from God’s Word to this growing congregation.  Sunday evening, the churches of Region 1 were invited to come together for an evening of prayer. This is the fourth monthly united prayer gathering that we’ve held this year. Rev. Matthew Trexler and the team at The River Church in Marion graciously hosted last evening’s gathering. Attendance was strong with participants from at least a dozen churches joining us from as far away as Warsaw, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis. It was a powerful evening of intercession for our churches as we minister this Easter.  Our next district monthly prayer gathering will be on May 8, 6:00 p.m., in Region 2 (greater Indianapolis) hosted by Rev. Neftali Lopez and the team at Carmel Amistad (761 N Rangeline Rd, Carmel, IN 46032) If you’re in the area, we’d love to have you join us. Last week’s schedule included meetings with district staff and coaching conversations with Rev. Brian Williams (Sims Wesleyan), Rev. Matthew Stewart (Sweetser Wesleyan), Rev. Duane Summitt (Fishersburg Wesleyan), Rev. Brent Miller (Gas City Southside), Rev. Allen Laws (Warren Wesleyan), Rev. Josh Warren and Rev. Dave Cox (Laketon Wesleyan). Another highlight of the week was our Retired Pastors and Spouses Fellowship on Friday at Wesleyan HQ in Fishers. Our office staff loves hosting these honored guests. Our featured speaker this session was Dr. David Vardaman who has recently retired after many years of effective service teaching at IWU. In addition to his message, we enjoyed a hymn sing and shared in a time of prayer around our tables. It is such an honor to serve these faithful leaders who have contributed more than 1000 years of ministry to Christ and His Kingdom!  Saturday morning at Lakeview Wesleyan Church, our office team provided an orientation session for our delegates elected by our district conference to represent us at the upcoming General Conference in St. Louis, May 22-25. We enjoyed the opportunity to serve our delegates with an overview of the process and discussion around some of the key memorials that will be under consideration.  The General Secretary’s office has posted all of the memorials on the General Conference website (https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed/memorials). Many of the sessions will be available via livestream so check that conference website for the schedule and other details. Following the orientation session, I checked in with the Lakeview Wesleyan team who were in downtown Marion providing a servant evangelism outreach. They worked with a local gas station and provided a $1 discount for 1000 gallons of gas.  As the customers were taking advantage of this discount, the members of the Lakeview outreach team engaged them in conversation and invited those without a church home to worship with them at Lakeview on Easter Sunday. The customers enjoyed a nice surprise and the outreach team members had fun serving together and making new connections.
Pastor Steve Colter reported that Marion Chapel Pike Wesleyan Church celebrated three baptisms on Palm Sunday, including Pastor Steve’s own granddaughter Jaylie! Pastor Zach Working had the privilege of baptizing his son, Ezra, on Sunday morning at Huntington Hope Rising Church. Pastor Andy Riemersma and the team at Westfield ONE Church celebrated their first baptism service since launching in January with 5 new believers publicly professing their faith in Christ. Praise God for these lives being #MadeNew!  Continue to pray for our churches in pastoral transition. I received word from Elwood Central Wesleyan Church that they have invited Rev. Jon Noggle to candidate on May 1. Lafayette The Branch had their candidate on April 3 and then voted unanimously yesterday to extend an initial call to Rev. Phil Carder. Our spring DBA meeting is schedule for April 21 with ordination (June 24) and district conference (June 25) fast approaching. Pray with us for wisdom in the decisions that will come before. Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. – The 2022 FUEL Conference is coming to Muncie next week, April 21-22! Please encourage your youth and children’s ministry leaders to invest in their personal & ministry development by attending. For questions, email District Youth President Jessica Folz at jfolz@lakeviewwesleyan.org. For more info on FUEL, visit: www.wesleyan.org/fuel  |
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