Inclement weather caused cancellations across our district on Sunday, November 30, 2025 but I was able to worship with Pastor Michael Hewitt and his team at Rising Hope Church in Muncie at their 11 AM service. The Hewitt family was celebrating another engagement in their growing family. We also took time to prayer for Rev. John Arnett, one of our retired pastors and part of the Rising Hope congregation, who notified us that Linda, his wife, passed away yesterday morning. (We’ll pass along funeral details to district pastors as soon as possible.)
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I was reminded again of the faith that led Pastor Michael and Kim Hewitt to move here from Michigan back in 2017 with their family to plant this church. Their impact in Muncie has been significant. They’ve also mentored church planters here in Indiana and even in Spain. Thank you, Pastor Michael and Kim for leading by example in your ministry of multiplication!
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Sunday evening, I joined Rev. Joshua Fox and the team at Hartford City Wesleyan Church for an “Advent Awakening” service led by their youth ministry. It was great to connect with so many friends in the church that became dear to us as I served in this congregation for several months during the pandemic.

​Pastor Josh and Candace (his wife who is also a registered nurse) just returned from serving with others from our district in a short-term team in Cuba. (Rev. Joe Jackson and Rev. Mark Atkinson are leading this initiative and have another trip coming up in January. Reach out to them if you’d like to learn more.)

It was also good to see Dr. Ed & Emily Love who serve in their local Wesleyan church. Dr. Love is the General Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship at Wesleyan headquarters. It is always encouraging when our HQ employees lead by example.
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Our prayer is that you were able to enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones this past week. Sherry and I took her parents with us and connected with our extended family in Grand Rapids. Thanksgiving Day (November 27) would have been my father’s 90th birthday so the four siblings and our spouses committed to bringing our families back together to celebrate the legacy of our faith passed along to us.

My brother Joel and I are both ordained Wesleyan ministers and my two sisters are both married to ordained Wesleyan ministers. My sister, Beth, has one son who is ordained and serves with the Nazarenes. Sherry and I have two sons and one daughter-in-law who are ordained Wesleyan ministers. Between the siblings, our spouses, our children and their spouses, and the grandchildren, there were 51 of us (15 were aged 5 and under) who shared the Thanksgiving meal, memories, and a prayer of gratitude for the godly heritage passed on to us by Dr. Ken & Anne Gorveatte.
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​This week, I’ll be joining Dr. Mike Colaw and his staff at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church for their weekly staff meeting on Tuesday, December 2. Then, on December 3 & 4, Michael and I will be on the road for “Lunch & Learn” gatherings in Lafayette on Wednesday and Anderson on Thursday. There’s still time to RSVP for those lunch meetings. Our last district event together will be the Crossroads District Ministers’ Christmas Gathering at IWU on Friday, December 5. Michael Wood has the remaining tickets for Handel’s “Messiah” presented by the IWU Chorale so reach our today if you’d like us to save a seat for you.
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When we came together to launch the Crossroads District, we committed to 1) making disciples, 2) equipping leaders, and 3) multiplying churches. Where we’ve succeeded together, it’s been because God graciously blessed our focused faith. When we’ve not experienced God’s blessing, the most frequent reason is that we’ve drifted from that missional focus. Regardless of who you elect as your DS next year, I implore you to stay focused on these Kingdom priorities.

​Next Monday, I’ll begin vacation (but on call for you) through the Christmas break so this will be my final Crossroads District Team Update before retirement as your DS. The Apostle Paul often closed his letters to the churches with final words of advice and affection. Allow me to conclude my final epistle with these words from his second letter to the Corinthians, as paraphrased in The Message:

Thank you for allowing me the incredible joy and privilege of serving with you in the only cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte
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Crossroads DS

Sunday morning, November 23, I was with Rev. Zack Working and his team at Hope Rising Church in Huntington. Rev. Carla Working led the worship team (with my new friend Drew, their 4th grade guitar player). Pastor Zack preached a powerful message on stewardship and then shared the important but emotional announcement that he will be stepping out of pastoral leadership for a season.
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Both Zack and Carla are deeply loved by the Hope Rising congregation so this was hard news to hear. I affirmed the support that the district team will bring to the church in the transition and then led the time of prayer for the Working family. Rev. Carla Working continues to serve at Wesleyan HQ in the Education and Clergy Care office. We celebrate the 137 people who professed Christ and nearly 100 people who were baptized at Hope Rising in just over 7 years under Zack’s ministry. I’m confident God has an exciting new chapter ahead as Pastor Zack steps back for a season of rest and renewal. Please be in prayer for the search process, for Assistant Pastors Mason Yopp and Angela Spangler, and for the LBA as they lead through this transition.
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Sunday evening, Sherry and I attended the Local Church Conference at The River in Marion. The members approved (by 190 of 193 votes) the loan authorization for $4.8 million from WIF to begin renovations at the South Campus (formerly Lakeview) in January. I know Pastor Trexler and his team would welcome your prayers for this project and capital campaign. More space is essential as the NextGen ministry serves 600 (nursery through middle school) on Sundays and worship attendance runs 40% ahead of last year.
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Monday morning, Michael Wood and I shared lunch with members of the two monthly leadership cohorts that gather in Marion for coaching/mentoring with Dr. Chris Williams and Pastor Trexler. The leadership lessons are valuable, but I’m most grateful for the relationships that have developed among these pastors. We are better together!

​Monday evening, I was in Indianapolis to meet with Dr. Richard and Rev. Carol Schenck. Rich and Carol serve as bi-vocational pastors for Circle of Hope Church in Noblesville. Dr. Rich also serves as a hospice chaplain and Pastor Carol works with IWU at the Indy North campus. They’ve been a blessing to our district board and global outreach team.
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Tuesday, I was at IWU along with 21 of the 22 districts superintendents. We were invited to join the General Board of The Wesleyan Church for a discussion of proposed memorials that may be considered at the upcoming General Conference (May 17-20, 2026). The announcement of the board’s General Superintendent nominee created the most buzz. The General Board has nominated Dr. Jim Dunn (current president of OKWU) to be our next General Superintendent. The election of the new GS will be among the first action items of May 18. Pray for Dr. Dunn and OKWU.

The General Board meeting carried over into Wednesday. Another of the highlights was the excellent presentation by Dr. Jeff Clark (IWU) on the momentum that is building around “Praying on Offense.” Delegates from last year’s district conference will be receiving an email communication from General Superintendent Dr. Schimdt with an invitation to join.
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Our Crossroads District Board of Administration met on Thursday at Waterline Church in Pendleton. Special thanks to Pastor Scott Rhyno for graciously hosting. The DBA covered a variety of topics with most attention to the transition with Dr. Chris Williams becoming our full-time Interim DS effective January 1.
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​We have a rich diversity of voices on the board, both women and men, lay and clergy, from our largest and smallest churches, from our oldest church (Fountain City - LifeSpring) to one of our newest churches (Indianapolis - The Encounter). This was my last official meeting with them as DS and I’m deeply grateful for the privilege I’ve had serving with them.
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Friday morning, the Retired Ministers and Spouses Fellowship gathered for brunch at Eastview Wesleyan Church. Our guest speaker was Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, GS Emerita. Wayne Lyon not only came along with Dr. Lyon, but he also presented handmade gifts to every attender. Special thanks to Cindy Horn and Rev. Ken Dykhoff for graciously hosting us!

Saturday evening, Rev. Grace Lopez, our Assistant DS for Hispanic Ministries, gathered several of our Hispanic pastors and their congregations in Union City for a night of worship. Pastors took turns praying and sharing from scripture. The highlight of the evening was sharing The Lord’s Supper led by Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson, leader of the Casa Network. It was also good to connect with Pastor John Hannan, our church planter in Union City. We’re praying with him for his upcoming surgery and recovery.
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Pastor Sam Maddox sent along the encouraging news that another new believer was baptized and three new members joined the church. God is on the move in Albion!
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Pastor Dan Fisher and the team at Delphi Wesleyan Church are rejoicing with four young people who publicly professed their faith in Christ through water baptism. Praise the Lord!
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Pastor Andy Jellison and the team at Lifeway Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne had a wonderful celebration yesterday with four baptisms and 385 in worship. Lifeway added a second service this fall. Now they are putting out more chairs to accommodate the growth. Praise the Lord!
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We’re praying that you enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones this week. Then next week, December 3 & 4, we’ll be on the road for Lunch & Learn in Lafayette and Anderson. There’s still time to RSVP. Our last district event together will be the Crossroads District Christmas Gathering at IWU on Friday, December 5. Michael Wood can still find tickets to Handel’s “Messiah” presented by the IWU Chorale but don’t delay.

Thank you for all you do in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads DS

I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel with Dr. Dennis Jackson and be part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church. New Zealand is a beautiful country but the spiritual need is undeniable. It was encouraging to see how the Lord is working through our Wesleyan churches in powerful ways. One special highlight for me was reconnecting with Dr. Richard and Jane Waugh. Dr. Waugh, now retired, served as pastor of East City Wesleyan Church in Auckland for more than 2 decades and led the NZMWC through its formative years. He also hosted two of our sons, John and Joel, who had the privilege of completing internships under his supervision at East City Wesleyan. Thank you, Dr. Waugh!
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Dr. Dennis Jackson and I wrapped up our quick trip to New Zealand on Tuesday, November 11 with an overnight flight back to the USA. With the crossing of the dateline, we ended up with two Tuesday nights. The first night was spent in a Boeing 777 traveling around 600 mph at 37,000 feet from Auckland to LAX. The second Tuesday night was back home in Indiana,  gratefully landing before midnight on Tuesday. 
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Thursday night, I was able to join Pastor Ben Parker and the team at Back Creek Wesleyan Church as they welcomed back Dr. Joe Harmon for their fall revival. Dr. Harmon was Ben’s pastor when Ben answered God’s call to ministry. If you need an anointed revival speaker, you can’t do better than Dr. Harmon!
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Friday morning, I was back in Indianapolis for two coaching conversations. My afternoon connection was with Rev. Seth Bye who leads the 317Church restart project in Avon. My morning appointment was with Pastor Gawin (Jerome) Anderson who leads the ministry at SoBro (South Broad Ripple) Community Church. There are many things I’ll miss about serving as district superintendent but the one I’ll miss most is working alongside pastors who are taking big risks for God’s Kingdom.
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Sherry and I attended Saturday morning prayer meeting together at The River and then sat in on a vision conversation about the exciting renovation project planned for the south campus. Saturday evening, Pastor Jacob Gibson and the team at Richmond LifeSpring Church welcomed Dr. Jim Dunn, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, as guest speaker. Dr. Dunn and I go back a few decades working in the Wesleyan youth movement. I was glad to catch up with Pastor Gibson and to hear Dr. Dunn preach the Word. It is inspiring to see how God is blessing his leadership at OKWU!
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Sunday, I began the day with Rev. Nicholas Hect and the team at Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church. Pastor Hect announced his resignation, effective December 31. I was present to walk the congregation through our next steps and to lead in prayer. Following the service, I met with the LBA and we’ll begin the pastoral search process in the next few weeks. Our prayers for God’s blessing are with the Hect family as they head back to South Dakota. Please also remember Trinity Wesleyan in your prayers as they adjust to this unexpected transition. God is still on the throne!
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Across town, Pastor Jerry Smith leads the smaller but faithful congregation at Ash Street Wesleyan. I was able to drop in on their worship service. Pastor Smith graciously welcomed me to bring greetings and I enjoyed singing a trio with Jerry and Beth, his wife. Never forget that it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. Every church matters.
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Sunday evening, I had the joy of joining Rev. Jerome Bell and the team at Autumn Hills Church (Pendleton). Pastor Jerome and Anita (his wife) launched this new church in 2021 while we were still emerging from the worst of the pandemic. They hold their services around tables on Sundays at 5:30 PM but recently began a Sunday morning Bible study that has already grown from 4 to 14.
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Last night, they celebrated two more baptisms! One was a young man who was reaffirming his baptism as an infant. The other was a man who came to the Lord through the faithful witness of Kevin, a faithful lay leader in the church. Praise God for changed lives!

This had been another exciting month of baptisms across our district. Pastor Eric & Amanda Roemer and their team at Greentown Wesleyan Church baptized 8 new believers on November 16. They also welcomed a recent high attendance of 145 for worship. God is on the move in Greentown!
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Pastor Andy Riemersma and the team at ONE Church in Westfield continue to make good use of the largest baptismal tank in our district. (They meet in the YMCA). Praise God for two more baptisms this morning at one of our newest congregations!
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Pastor Mark Wooten and the team at Memorial Wesleyan Church in New Castle are rejoicing with four new believers who publicly professed their faith in Christ through water baptism on November 9. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Pastor Mike Colaw and the team at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church continue to see young people coming to Christ and moving forward in discipleship. Four more new believers were baptized at Trinity last weekend (November 9). Amazing grace!
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Pastor Ryan Budde and the team at Westview Wesleyan Church in Jonesboro celebrated 4 more baptisms yesterday. Praise the Lord!
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Please remember key meetings in your prayers this week. The General Board of The Wesleyan Church will be meeting at IWU this Tuesday through Thursday in preparation for General Conference. Our own Crossroads District Board meets in Pendleton on Thursday and will be working with Dr. Chris Williams in preparation for his service as our interim DS from January through June.
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Then, on Friday, Sherry and I will host our Retired Pastors and Spouses Fellowship Brunch at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan with Dr. Jo Anne Lyon as our guest speaker. It will be a full week, so join us in seeking God’s will for every moment and every meeting. Your prayers matter!

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

Your servant in Christ,

​Mark

The Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand gathered in Palmerston North on November 7-8 for their national conference and the celebration of their 25th anniversary. Rev. Brett Jones, National Superintendent, convened this assembly of 30+ churches for this special occasion. Dr. Dennis Jackson, Executive Director of Global Partners, and I were invited to be guest presenters. It was a delight to return after an absence of 15 years and to witness the beautiful multi-cultural ministry that God is blessing here in the South Pacific.

This national church was launched by a courageous band of 6 ministers who left behind a denomination that was increasingly hostile to evangelical Methodism. They joined themselves to The Wesleyan Church after early conversations with the Australian National Conference. 25 years later, those original churches have become an established national conference and, together with Australia, for the South Pacific Regional Conference of The Wesleyan Church.

There were so many highlights including the introduction of new ministers to be ordained and church planters to be celebrated. Living Streams Church generously hosted our celebration. They not only cared for the meals and the logistics for this gathering but they also provided special music. If you’ve not yet enjoyed the singing of Pacific Islanders, listen to this clip:
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It was in 2009 that Dr. Richard Waugh, then National Superintendent of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church, invited Dr. H.C. Wilson, Dr. Brent Dongell, and me to accompany him to ChristChurch. This strategic visit was an opportunity for vision-casting and prayer. While the Wesleyans were growing and multiplying in the north island, the south island was ripe for a resourcing church that could become a center for leadership development and multiplication.
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One of the memorable moments of that experience was praying together on Cashmere Hill Lookout. You can see a stunning panorama of this thriving city from this strategic point. This sprawling metropolis of more than 500,000 people is the second largest city in the nation and the largest city in the south island. At that time, there were a few interested former Methodist laypeople open to helping but God had not yet provided the church planter. Today, I had the privilege of standing on that very same spot 15 years later with the pastor of that first church.
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God began writing an exciting new chapter in Christchurch in 2013 when Dr. Clint and Jamie Ussher answered God’s call and planted a new Wesleyan Church called The Well. The church built deep roots before it began to expand but today they average more than 300 in their two weekend worship services. Even more exciting than that is the new daughter church that they launched this year by sending out planters from their own team along with 30 launch team members. Dr. Ussher has two more planters-in-process serving on the staff at The Well. The Lord is sending workers into the harvest field!
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All of us believe in giving to missions. Dr. Jackson doesn’t just preach it, he practices what he preaches. One of the special joys of this trip with Dennis was watching him celebrate his own daughter Jamie as she serves in this mission field alongside Clint, her husband, and their two amazing daughters. It was a tender moment this morning in the worship service as Dr. Jackson went forward to receive communion and his daughter served him.
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​Church planting is just an accelerated process of disciple-making. If you’re not making new disciples in a church plant, you’re just rearranging the saints. The Well is making new disciples. What a delight it was to hear the testimonies yesterday morning of the seven new believers being baptized, some of whom have just come to the Lord in the past few months.

Indiana has had a special investment in the mission field of New Zealand with Rev. Amber (Livermore) Cook and Rev. Josh Bowlin both playing key roles in the development of this new work. Pray that God will continue to bless the NZWMC as they make disciples and multiple churches!

We're also celebrating back home as Pastor Eric George and the team at Memorial Drive Wesleyan in Muncie celebrated three baptisms yesterday morning. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!

​Hurricane Melissa has caused severe damage across Jamaica and Haiti, including Wesleyan churches and the Caribbean Wesleyan College. Our partners at World Hope International are already on the ground providing emergency aid and supplies. You may join in supporting recovery efforts by giving at: worldhope.donorsupport.co/page/Hurricane-Melissa
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Save the Date: Crossroads District retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for our fall brunch and fellowship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. This is the first year since Dr. Lyon officially “retired” but she and Wayne are both staying very busy.
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Come join us for this special occasion. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday, November 2, I drove to Monon to join with Johnie Dove, supply pastor, and the faithful little band that have kept the doors open at Monon Wesleyan Church for the past few years. There were eight of us in total for the worship service. Johnie’s message on “The Unseen Road” was timely for the conversation that I led with members after the service.
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I am deeply grateful for Steve and Anne Swain. They have been faithful and generous lay leaders who have held the church together. Steve has been vice-chair and Anne has served as the treasurer. As Steve approaches retirement, they have decided to move to Ohio to be closer to grandchildren. That leaves four members at the church. The DBA will receive a recommendation for discontinuing the church before winter settles in. Pray for the remaining members as they prepare to settle into new church families.

On Tuesday, I met with several of our Plymouth area pastors for “Lunch and Learn.” Following that meeting, Rev. Ted and Julia Dittmer met with me for an update on Davis Wesleyan Church. Rev. Dittmer is an ordained Nazarene evangelist living in Knox who agreed to serve as supply pastor this year.
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The Dittmers have made children’s ministry a primary focus in this revitalization journey. The congregation has responded enthusiastically to Ted and Julia’s leadership. They averaged 22 in worship during the month of August and averaged 39 in October with a recent high attendance of 47. Pray for God’s continued blessing on their outreach.
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Thursday evening, I met with Rev. Ben Jones and the LBA at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church. This historic congregation is located about 15 miles south of South Bend. The wing in which we met is over 100 years old. The congregation is growing younger as Pastor Ben and Kristen lead the revitalization journey.

Many of our churches hosted outreach events during the past week. I was able to drop on at Greentown Wesleyan Church on Friday night to see their “Hall of Treats.” Thank you to Pastor Eric Roemer and his team for creating this welcoming opportunity to connect with their neighbors.
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I had the opportunity to drop in on two of our churches that host weekly prayer gatherings on Saturday mornings. I stopped by The River for their 9 AM prayer meeting and then joined Rev. Dan Van Cise and his team at West 8th Street Wesleyan for their 11 AM prayer time. Pastor Dan shared some of the recent answers to prayer and reported a recent high worship attendance of 70. Thank you to every church that keeps prayer as a priority!
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We love to share the stories of God at work in people’s lives across the district team. Pastor David Shafer and the North Anderson Wesleyan Church celebrated two baptisms yesterday morning. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Pastor Marc and Heather Ulrich continue to impact their mission field as they lead ReThink Church and launch “missional communities” in their region. They baptized a new believer yesterday morning who came to Christ through the missional community (micro-church) that the Ulrich’s lead in their neighborhood. God is on the move in Merrillville!
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Dr. Steve DeNeff and his team at College Wesleyan Church in Marion had another great day of ministry as they celebrated All Saints Sunday. Six new believers were baptized yesterday in public profession of their faith in Christ. They also celebrated with the two families who presented their children for the sacrament of baptism. Praise the Lord!
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Pastor Jeff Luedtke and the team at Fairmount Wesleyan Church also celebrated six baptisms yesterday. We rejoice as they continue reaching their community and helping people take their next steps in faith.

​Our sympathies and prayers are extended to the family of Rev. Richard Deisler. Rev. Deisler was promoted to glory on Monday, October 26. He faithfully served as a pastor in The Wesleyan Church for more than 40 years and his sons Mark and Rick are both ordained ministers in The Wesleyan Church. Visitation with the family will be on Monday, November 3, 4-7 PM, at Westview Wesleyan Church. The celebration of life service will be held at Westview Wesleyan Church on Tuesday, 11:30 AM. Here’s the link to Rev. Deisler’s full obituary:
​https://www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com/obituaries/richard-deisler
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Hurricane Melissa has caused severe damage across Jamaica and Haiti, including Wesleyan churches and the Caribbean Wesleyan College. Our partners at World Hope International are already on the ground providing emergency aid and supplies. You may join in supporting recovery efforts by giving at: worldhope.donorsupport.co/page/Hurricane-Melissa
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Save the Date: Crossroads District retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for our fall brunch and fellowship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. This is the first year since Dr. Lyon officially “retired” but she and Wayne are both staying very busy.
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​Come join us for this special occasion. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. I’d welcome your prayers this week as I travel to New Zealand with Dr. Dennis Jackson, Executive Director of Global Partners. We’ve both been invited to speak at the 25th Anniversary of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church. While there, we’ll worship at The Well in Christchurch, a church planted by Dr. Clint Ussher, Dr. Jackson’s son-in-law.

Sunday morning, October 26, Pastor Janiel and Leana Caraballo welcomed me to worship with them at The Exit Church in Anderson. This new bilingual congregation was launched just over a year ago. Pastor Jerry Alexander and the team at Living Hope Church graciously host this new gathering in their fellowship hall. The church is uniquely positioned to minister in Anderson with a team comprised of Hispanic, African-American, and Anglo leaders. Pastor Janiel does team teaching with younger ministers and he also translates his messages from English to Spanish sentence by sentence. Please keep this team in your prayers as they enter their second year of ministry!
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On my way to Exit’s 10:30 service, I dropped in on Rev. Scott Rhyno and his team at Waterline Church in Pendleton for their 9 a.m. worship gathering. Pastor Scott is another of our effective ministers who leads a growing congregation and also serves in the marketplace. It was great to see Rev. Bern Lytle, retired Wesleyan pastor, who exemplifies servant leadership in supporting his local church in retirement. Bern was serving on the greeting team for the 9 a.m. service. He and Cathy have also led Alpha groups in their home to reach their neighbors. These are exciting days at Waterline Church!
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My last stop for the day was at ARISE Church in Roanoke on Sunday afternoon. Like many of our churches, ARISE takes advantage of this fall harvest season to host a creative outreach event. Pastor Aldean Pablo and his team welcomed a great crowd from their community for a fall festival with games, prizes, and hayrides. Craig Groeschel sometimes puts it this way: “we’ll do anything short of sin to reach one more person for Christ.”
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Last Monday, I was in Marion to check in with Dr. Chris Williams and the monthly leadership development cohort that he convenes. They have coordinated their schedule so they can meet at The River on the same day as Pastor Trexler’s cohort. This allows them to share lunch together with a broader cross-section of our district team.
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​Monday evening, I met with Pastor Kyle Horton and the LBA at Three Rivers Church in Fort Wayne. We completed the quadrennial review of Pastor Kyle’s extended call. The LBA unanimously affirmed his continued service. They are wisely making provisions for his next sabbatical in 2028.
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Tuesday, I was able to jump on the Zoom call hosted by Wesleyan HQ to allow General Board members and district superintendents to preview the revised General Board Policy on Ministerial Discipline and Restoration. These are policies we hope to never have to use!

Wednesday, I was on the road for our “Lunch & Learn” meeting in Lafayette and then drove back through Frankfort to interview an exceptional pastor interested in transferring to us from a sister denomination.

Thursday, Michael Wood joined me to host the “Lunch & Learn” for our Anderson area pastors. It’s so encouraging to hear the reports from how God is at work in the churches across our district. We have one more Lunch & Learn coming up this week, Tuesday (11:30-1:00) in Plymouth. Our theme this month has been pastors who shepherd well.

Friday, I was on the road to sign closing docs for RE.THINK Church in Merrillville. Pastor Marc and Heather Ulrich are doing a great job leading this growing ministry. They were able to purchase their own home this past year so the church sold the parsonage to care for improvements at their worship facility.

My last stop on Friday was at Daybreak Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. Dr. Ed Love and his team at the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Department sponsored a regional youth/young adult event called the “Empowered Tour” on Friday and Saturday.

The Crossroads District was well represented with youth groups from Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie, Westfield, and Winchester (and I may have missed some). Special thanks to lead pastors like Rev. Randy Yaryan (Winchester) and Rev. Andy Riemersma (Westfield) who joined with the teenagers for this important gathering.
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Pastor Andy Riemersma was also one of the featured musical artists and then he spoke in the closing rally. Pray for the many students who made spiritual commitments and answered the call to ministry!
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All Crossroads District retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for our fall brunch and fellowship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. This is the first year since Dr. Lyon officially “retired” but she and Wayne are both staying very busy.
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​Come join us for this special occasion. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. - If you’d like to catch inspiring sessions from leaders like Francis Chan, Ed Stetzer, and Derwin Gray, you can join the Exponential National Conference (West) for free via livestream starting tomorrow. Watch at: exponential.org/live

Sunday morning, October 19, Mt. Etna Community Life Church celebrated the installation of Rev. Jorden Green as their new pastor. I brought greetings on behalf of the Crossroads District and led the installation ritual. CLC is one of our new congregations that came to us after disaffiliating from their previous denomination.
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The church has a wonderful multi-purpose facility on the corner of Hwy 9 and Hwy 124 just south of Huntington. The congregation spans multiple generations with a vibrant children’s ministry. Pray for Pastor Jorden and Lydia as their family transitions into a new community and church family.
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On my way to Mt. Etna, I was able to drop in on Pastor Rick and Cindy Carder at Lancaster Wesleyan Church. God is blessing the ministry to children and their families in the surrounding community. Attendance continues to grow with 68 last week. One of the most exciting reports was that their Faith Promise offering for missions surpassed last year’s goal and the pledges for this year have topped $18,000. We’re grateful for the way that God is blessing the ministry of Rev. Carder in this new assignment!
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Eastview Wesleyan Church welcomed Chad Harbert as their new youth pastor yesterday. Chad (an IWU grad) and Emma, his wife, are excited to join with Pastor Noah Farmer’s staff at Eastview. We are delighted to welcome them to the Crossroads District team!
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Last week was another exciting week of Kingdom advancement. The River continued hosting Freedom Nights at their south campus on Monday and Tuesday night. I was able to be there for the Monday rally. Guest preacher J.C. Worley, pastor of GO Church in Atlanta, brought a challenging message and the service closed with the baptism of three new believers who came to Christ on Sunday.
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I made a quick trip to Atlanta on Tuesday for a WIF meeting and then joined Michael Wood on Wednesday to host a “Lunch & Learn” gathering in Indianapolis. This month’s “L&L” gatherings are focused on the pastor as shepherd. Pastors shared positive updates from their ministries, and we reflected on the leaders who have deeply impacted our lives through shepherding. We have two more “Lunch & Learn” gatherings coming up this week in Lafayette on Wednesday and in Anderson on Thursday.
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Kingswood University has a new president. Rev. Dr. Rick Christman (an IWU alumnus) was inaugurated on Friday night at the Saunders-Irving Chapel with a strong group of denominational leaders attending. I was grateful for the opportunity to be present for this special occasion at the college where I served as president from 2010-2015. Kingswood has a special place in my heart as the college my parents and our four children attended. Dr. Christman is eminently qualified for this new appointment but the challenge of leading a Christian college is daunting, especially in Canada. Please keep President Christman and the KU team in your prayers.
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I flew in on Thursday evening and had the opportunity to hear General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt preach in Kingswood’s Friday morning chapel service. He taught from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 on the impact of living a life that is sanctified “Through and Through.” Listening to Dr. Schmidt preach again brought back wonderful memories from the decade that our family sat under his ministry at Kentwood Community Church. Pray for Dr. Schmidt as he leads The Wesleyan Church toward our 15th General Conference at IWU, May 17-20.
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Nothing is more encouraging that sharing reports of God changing lives through the ministry of churches in our district. Pastor Scott Ferguson checked in with the great news that Harvest Church (McCordsville) celebrated two more baptisms this Sunday. Each of these new believers have just been coming to Harvest for the past several weeks. Dr. David Smith, District Circuit Rider, brought the morning message. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!
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Please pray for our teenagers and their leaders who will be traveling to Grand Rapids this Friday, October 24, for the Wesleyan Youth Regional Gathering. “EMPOWERED” will be hosted by Daybreak Church and will feature ministry by our own Rev. Andy Riemersma (ONE Church) and Kingdom Collective.
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​These Wesleyan Youth events have been blessed by the Lord over the years to see thousands of teenagers surrender their lives to Christ. Many have answered God’s call to pastor ministry and world missions in these rallies. Pray that God will do it again!

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

Your servant in Christ

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. - Retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for the Fall Retired Ministers and Spouses Gathering on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

Sunday night, October 12, The River Church hosted the first of three “Freedom Nights” at their south campus (formerly Lakeview) with more than 1000 people gathering for worship and anointed preaching by Rev. John Ott. Pastor Ott was on staff at Lakeview Wesleyan Church before leading the team at Parkway Church in Roanoke, Virginia. While at Parkway, Pastor John hired Matthew as his youth pastor and began mentoring this future church planter.
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When God called Matthew and Nicole Trexler to plant The River, Pastor John and the Parkway Church stepped up to generously invest in the dream. It was a powerful moment last night with Pastor Trexler honoring Pastor Ott in this special service. The altars were lined with people responding to the call to make Jesus the Lord of every area of their life and walk in freedom. Freedom Nights continue at 6:30 pm on Monday with J.C. Worley (GO Church in Atlanta) and on Tuesday with Pastor Ken Murphy (Cypress Wesleyan in Columbus). Join us in praying for God to set lives free for Kingdom impact.
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Sherry and I started Sunday in Michigan. My favorite professor was on fall break so we were able to spend time with our growing family Friday night over Sunday morning. Sunday was a special day for our family as two of our grandchildren were dedicated to the Lord. John & Lindsey lead Knapp Valley Church on the northeast corner of Grand Rapids. We were able to be part of Haven’s dedication in their 10 AM service before heading south to Caledonia.
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Joel and Christie lead Journey Church with campuses in Caledonia and Middleville. We made it for their 11 AM service in time for the dedication of Samuel. We are grateful to God for His grace at work in the lives of our children and grandchildren. Our prayer is that we can more actively support and encourage our families in this next season of ministry.

Last Monday morning, I was able to drop in on Dr. Chris Conrad and his team at the Great Lakes Region District retreat for pastors and spouses. One of Dr. Conrad’s strengths is creating amazing events and this annual gathering called “41 Hours” is produced with excellence. I’m grateful for our friendship that spans over 30 years.
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Tuesday, I served as Chair Pro Tempore for the Advisory Board at Wesley Seminary. President Jon Kulaga and Dr. Yamil Acevedo, Executive VP of the seminary, convened an excellent group of advisors from Wesleyan, Salvation Army, and Global Methodist backgrounds. Dr. Acevedo and his family are active members at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church. This has been a busy month for Yamil with board meetings and the release of his book, Faithful Inheritances.
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​Wednesday, Michael Wood and I hosted “Lunch & Learn” in Marion. In addition to a delicious meal and great fellowship, we shared the free book of the month “Win with People” by Jeff Little to launch our discussion on the topic of shepherding.
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Thursday, we were in Fort Wayne at Smokey Bones for “Lunch & Learn” with area lead pastors. These are fun opportunities for peer learning and encouragement. If you’ve not yet signed up, we’ll be hosting four more “L&L” gathering this month with the next one in Indianapolis this Wednesday, October 15, in Lafayette on Wednesday, October 22, in Anderson on Thursday, October 23, and in Plymouth on Tuesday, October 28. If you’re a lead or senior pastor, plan to join us. We’d love to welcome you!

God is moving in powerful ways across our nation. We are seeing the same here in our Crossroads District churches. This weekend, Pastor David Leitzel and the team at Hamilton Wesleyan Church celebrated three more baptisms. Several of the baptisms this year have been the fruit of many years of investing in children and youth ministry in their community.
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Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn are hard at work building toward the launch of the new church in Indianapolis while they continue to serve The Bridge Urban Church in Mishawaka. God continues to bless that ministry as they celebrated another baptism this Sunday morning. Please pray for this new project and consider how God may be inviting your church to partner with the Vaughns in reaching Indianapolis.
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Pastor Mark Atkinson gives the word “retirement” a whole new meaning as he effectively leads the turnaround adventure for Central Wesleyan Church in Elwood. Attendance and giving have rebounded as God is blessing Pastor Mark’s leadership. Most importantly, they are seeing people come to faith and then seeing these new believers obediently follow the commands of Christ to be baptized. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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​Pray for our teenagers who will be traveling to Grand Rapids on October 24 for the Wesleyan Youth Regional Gathering “EMPOWERED.” These Wesleyan Youth events have been blessed by the Lord over the years to see thousands of youth come to Christ and fully surrender their lives. Many have answered the call to ministry in these rallies. Pray that God will do it again!
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Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent

What an amazing day at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church as Rev. Michael Colaw and his congregation celebrated 100 years since they were planted from tent meeting revival in 1925! They hosted an open house on Saturday at their Allisonville Road campus and then gathered together for worship on Sunday at their Olio Road campus.
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Former pastors returned to celebrate including Rev. Mark James, Rev. Mark Butcher, and Dr. Thomas Armiger. One of the core values at Trinity is raising up and sending next generation leaders. Today demonstrated that value as Rev. Jorden Green was commissioned from his season of residency to become the new pastor at Mt. Etna Community Life Church. Trinity has an amazing legacy but I couldn’t be more excited about the compelling vision that Pastor Mike is casting. He is calling Trinity to raise up and send out next generation leaders to plant 10 community-based, family-style congregations around Indianapolis in the next decade. As in Heaven, may it be in Indianapolis.
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Sherry and I have known Rev. Scott and Rev. Elizabeth Rhyno for 15 years. Monday evening we joined their family for the wedding rehearsal and then on Tuesday for the beautiful marriage ceremony as their daughter Grace married Evan Pratt. It was an honor to lead the bridal party in communion as part of the ceremony. Evan and Grace will continue to be actively involved in the ministry of Waterline Church.
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I flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday and had the privilege of attending the Wesleyan Holiness Connection national gathering on Thursday. Denominational leaders, scholars, and pastors from more than a dozen denominations (Nazarene, Free Methodist, Church of God in Christ, Church of God – Anderson and Wesleyans among others) met at Life Pacific University for a day of networking and collaboration. The day included a 6:00 am prayer service, keynote presentations and panel discussions. Dr. Tim Fox (South Coastal) and Dr. Karl Eastlack (Northeast) were the other Wesleyan district superintendents in attendance.
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Saturday, I was able to join The River Church in Marion for their Saturday morning prayer meeting and then closed out the day at United Family Church in Cicero as Pastor Allen Gross and his team led an evening of worship. They’ve been doing these worship nights over the past year and this one was well-attended with guess from as far away as Lafayette.
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Nothing is more exciting than the stories of lives being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You may recall last week’s report from Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in New Castle. Our team update was released before we were able to pass along this photo of one of the 18 baptisms. We’re rejoicing with Pastor Steve Arnett and the Mt. Zion team on this historic celebration!
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Pastor Shane Wilson and the team at New Hope Wesleyan Church in Columbia City just completed a sermon series on Holiness. This Sunday they launched a new sermon series “Share Your Story, Shine Your Light.” Eleven new believers shared their conversion stores and publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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God has been blessing The River Church (Marion) with new converts requesting baptism that they’ve now designated the first Sunday of each month as “Baptism Sunday.” This weekend, 8 more new believers publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism!
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​​Just a reminder that we’ll be hosting “Lunch and Learn” with lead pastors in Marion on Wednesday and in Fort Wayne on Thursday. If you’ve not yet signed up there is still time to join us for a free lunch, a free book, and great fellowship!

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

What an amazing day at Cultivate Church in LaOtto as Pastor Aaron Lee and his team hosted their 175th anniversary event. The beautiful service began with video greetings from Dr. Lyon and a video highlighting the core values of the church woven through its history. What an amazing legacy!
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This compassionate congregation helped hundreds of slaves escape north through the Underground Railroad and continues to be a beacon of hope for their community. Many guests were present including Rev. Lois and Rev. Jim Watkins who served the church for a decade and led the church through its largest building program (completed debt-free). It was an honor to bring greetings from our district team and to share the message from God’s Word. Pastor Lee closed the service with communion and a blessing. Following the service, we gathered for the group photo and enjoyed a fellowship meal.
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Our monthly leadership development cohorts led by Dr. Chris Williams (Assistant DS) and Rev. Matthew Trexler met together at The River on Monday. Rev. Yunio Gonzalez, national superintendent of The Wesleyan Church in Cuba, shared an encouraging update from the move of God in his country.
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Last week’s calendar included stops in Lafayette on Wednesday and Anderson on Thursday for our new “Lunch and Learn” gatherings with pastors. We provide free lunch and free books. The pastors provide great fellowship and their shared wisdom from their learning experiences. The discussion for this round was focused on leading change. The upcoming round will focus on pastors as shepherds. There’s still time to sign up for the upcoming sessions at a convenient time and location near you.
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It’s been a few years since we offered ReEquip, a one-day training event for pastors and lay leaders. Pastor Noah Farmer and the team at Gas City Eastview Church graciously opened their doors for more than 80 leaders from across the district on Saturday. We enjoyed workshops on church finances, AI in ministry, youth outreach, and children’s ministry.
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Our largest group came for the workshop led by Assistant DS Grace Lopez and Dr. Norman Wilson. Thank you to every presenter and to each leader who took time from their weekend to invest in their church. When leaders get better, everyone is blessed!
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Pastor Scott and the team at Waterline Church celebrated four more baptisms on Sunday. Every baptism is special, but nothing is more precious to a minister than baptizing their own children. Dr. Joe Harmon attends Waterline when he’s not on the road preaching as one of our district “Circuit Riders.” He was in his home church this Sunday and had the privilege of baptizing his son and daughter-in-law!
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Pastor Paul Van Cise and the wonderful congregation at Bryant Wesleyan Church are rejoicing with 10 baptisms yesterday. They held the baptism service in the community park with around 85 people gathering for this celebration of lives being #MadeNew!
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Rev. Steve Arnett and the team at Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in New Castle had a record-breaking celebration with 18 baptisms yesterday. More than 200 people gathered one hour early for the baptism service and then stayed for worship. Pastor Steve reports: “God is moving in a powerful way at MZ! We have been inundated with new families with so many kids!” Praise the Lord!

Rev. Nicholas Hect and the team at Tipton Trinity also had an amazing baptism celebration at the close of their morning worship service. They already had 10 people scheduled to be baptized and then two more new believers stepped out to follow Christ in this step of public testimony. Worship attendance has been trending upward with 275 gathering yesterday. God is on the move in Tipton!
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Pastor Noah Farmer and the team at Eastview Wesleyan Church have seen a number of children come to the Lord this year under the leadership of Assistant Pastor Maddie Delgado. They baptized 6 yesterday for a total of 9 young people this month alone. Praise the Lord!
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Our last two churches in the pastoral search process, Chapel Pike Wesleyan (Marion) and Community Life Church (Mt. Etna), are sharing exciting news. Rev. Michael Hofer has accepted the call to pastor Chapel Pike and Rev. Jorden Green accepted the call to pastor Community Life. Jorden and his family currently live in Indianapolis but will be moving to Mt. Etna as soon as possible. Pastor Hofer and his family have been serving in Georgia so they’ll have a longer move. Please keep both of these families and congregations in your prayers as they begin a new season of ministry together.
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Rev. C.K. Chitty and the team at our Crossroads District Senior Adult Ministry (SAM) are inviting you to join them for their Christmas fellowship at Beef & Boards on December 5. If you’re retirement age, they’d love to have you come along. This will be my first time to join them and I can’t wait to see Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” performed live. Here’s the link for more information and registration:
​https://crossroadsdistrict.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2957874
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​Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​​P.S. – The Wesleyan Church is hosting a regional youth event in Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday, October 24-25. Our own Andy Riemersma is one of the featured artists. For more information, here’s the link:
​https://wesleyan.org/empoweredtour2025