317Church, Chaplains, and Baptisms!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

God has been so good and we have so much for which to be grateful. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5
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Sunday morning, November 24, Pastor Seth Bye and the team at 317Church in Avon welcomed me to bring greetings and the message from God’s Word in their 11 a.m. service. These are exciting days at 317Church as they prepare to welcome 20+ families moving into the new homes being built adjacent to their property. Earlier this month, Pastor Seth and his team of 43 volunteers welcomed more than 500 people to their property for a community festival. They also baptized two new believers on November 3!
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On my way to 317Church, I was able to drop in on Rev. Scott and Rev. Elizabeth Rhyno at Waterline Church. Waterline is making full use of the new facility in Pendleton. This Sunday, they hosted two services with families and friends gathering at tables for worship, teaching, and a delicious meal. (If you look closely, you can find at least 5 ordained ministers in this one photo. You’ll have to look closely to find Dr. David Swisher but he’s there.)
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On my way back from Avon, I dropped in at The Exit Church. Janiel and Leana Caraballo launched this new ministry this fall after a year of residency at Rising Hope Church in Muncie and in partnership with Living Hope Church (formerly Central Wesleyan) in downtown Anderson. One of the unique features of this ministry is that Janiel preaches in Spanish and English, translating thought by thought. Pray as The Exit Church reaches out to the increasingly diverse community in Anderson.
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Last week’s schedule included coaching conversations with pastors from Fort Wayne (Rev. Mike Henry), Cicero (Rev. Allen Gross), Gas City (Rev. Brent Miller), and Greentown (Rev. Eric Roemer). We are blessed with so many gifted and dedicated pastors!

I also met with three different LBA (Local Board of Administration) teams last week concluding with the team at New Carlisle Wesleyan Church on Wednesday evening in preparation for their upcoming pastoral vote. I dropped in for a prayer time with Pastor Trexler and the LBA at The River Church in Marion on Monday night before heading on to meet with the LBA at Sweetser Wesleyan Church. Sweetser is moving forward with Dr. Aaron Perry providing exceptional leadership as their interim pastor. Pray for them as they prepare to launch their pastoral search process in the spring.
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The four district superintendents of the Heartland Region (Rev. Les Crossfield from Greater Ohio, Rev. Aaron Sherman from Kentucky/Tennessee, and Rev. Doug Preston from Indiana South) convened in Cincinnati on Thursday. It was good to catch up with these colleagues and to hear the encouraging reports of God at work across our region.
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Saturday morning I was back on the road to help host our initial Crossroads District Chaplains Fellowship in Kokomo. Rev. Bob Burchell is graciously serving as chair and Rev. Jeff Brady is serving as secretary. We have 11 men and women appointed by the district to full-time chaplaincy in a variety of settings from hospitals to prisons. We also have a growing number of ministers serving in part-time paid or volunteer chaplain roles. The next gathering of this team will be on February 22 in the Marion area. Reach out to the district office and we can pass along your name to be included in this group.
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Pastor Tim Becker and his team at Elwood Main Street Wesleyan Church celebrated 2 baptisms yesterday. Praise God for these two young men who took this step of obedient faith!
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Pastor Marc Ulrich and the team at ReThink Church in Merrillville are celebrating the stories of six new believers who were baptized on Sunday. Pastor Marc shared some of those powerful redemption stories when we spoke on the phone. God is on the move in Merrillville!
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Rev. Chris Taylor and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church celebrated 8 baptisms last week (7 of the candidates pictured above). This has been an exciting season of growth at Plymouth Wesleyan Church and we join them in giving thanks to God for His faithfulness.
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Last Sunday, November 17, was another day of celebration at ONE Church in Westfield as Pastor Andy Riermersma and his team baptized two new believers. Pray with the ONE Church team as they work on their transition to the new YMCA beginning in January. If you have unchurched family members or friends in Westfield, please let them know about ONE Church.
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The young lady pictured above with Pastor Noah Farmer was baptized on Sunday. She made the special effort to invite 19 family members and friends who came to witness her public profession of faith at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. Praise the Lord!
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Congratulations to Rev. Alexander and Rebecca Henry on the arrival of Micah David Henry. Micah’s father, Alexander, is assistant pastor at Elwood Main Street Wesleyan Church and Micah’s grandmother is Rev. Michele Henry who serves on staff at Marion Brookhaven Wesleyan Church. Exciting days ahead for the Henry family!
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​Please lift up Rev. Scott Miller (Anderson Lone Oak Wesleyan Church) in your prayers for a full and speedy recovery. Pastor Scott was injured in a traffic accident last week that required surgery, but we’re pleased to report that he was released on Saturday to recover at home. Rev. Harvey Herring, one of our beloved retired ministers, continues to need prayer for a serious physical need.

Pastors and spouses, we can’t wait to see you next Saturday, December 7, for our Christmas Fellowship Brunch at Indiana Wesleyan University. In addition to sharing fellowship over a meal together and enjoying a private concert with the IWU Chorale featuring your Christmas favorites, there will be some very special door prizes. We’ll see you at 10 am!

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

Your servant in Christ,
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Mark Gorveatte

P.S. Like many of you, Sherry and I will be traveling to be with family this week. I’ll be working today (Monday) but am taking vacation to be out of the office until next week. (The Team Update will not be published next Monday, December 2.)