Albion, DBMD, and Baptisms!

Welcome to Pastor Samuel Maddox, Jr. who answered the call of Albion Wesleyan Church and transferred into the Crossroads District from the Great Lakes District. Sam and Jennifer, his wife, have settled into the former Cornerstone parsonage and are getting to know the Albion community.
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Last evening, I had the privilege of leading the official service of installation on behalf of the Crossroads District. It was encouraging to see the positive response of the congregation including several former members of Cornerstone who have joined in for this new chapter of ministry in Noble County.

It was also a delight to reconnect with Rev. Sam Maddox and Rev. Becky Maddox, Sam Jr.’s parents, with whom I had the joy of serving for 10 years in the West Michigan District. The congregation enjoyed a pie and ice cream social after the installation. Pray for Pastor Sam, Jennifer, and their daughters as they embrace this new ministry opportunity in Albion!
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Sunday morning, Sherry and I worshiped with the team at Hartford City Wesleyan Church where I’ve been assisting as interim pastor during the pandemic. One of the core values at Hartford City is training up next generation leaders. I have the privilege of working with interns, three from Taylor University this year, who are assisting us in ministry. Nathan Peters, our youth ministry intern, brought the message from Haggai as we continue reading and preaching through the Bible in one year. This was Nathan’s first sermon ever and he did well in pointing out the importance of making God’s Kingdom our first priority.
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Congratulations to Rev. Lyle Breeding and the team at Bluffton Sonlight Wesleyan Church on the successful completion of their project to become debt-free. The last payment on their mortgage was paid on July 15 and yesterday morning, August 8, Pastor Lyle led the congregation in the mortgage burning celebration. Well done!
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Rev. Chris Williams, Assistant DS and pastor of Lakeview Wesleyan Church, did a great job leading our annual training session on Saturday for members of our District Board of Ministerial Development (DBMD) at College Wesleyan Church on Saturday. Chris, as Chair, and Rev. Carla Working, Vice Chair/Secretary, will be leading the charge this year as our DBMD helps 87 ministerial students prepare to answer God’s calling to ministry in The Wesleyan Church. Thank you to every DBMD member who takes this responsibility seriously and invests in the lives of our emerging pastors!
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Last Wednesday, the district’s StratOp facilitation team gathered at Lakeview Wesleyan Church for a debriefing. We celebrated the progress of our churches that have engaged in this strategic planning process. I am grateful for the work that Jason Tash, Matthew Trexler and Chris Williams have done with so many of our leaders. While we will continue to offer these services on a limited basis, our energy this year is going into the “Next Level” workshops that will enable pastors and key leaders to assess the current reality of core ministries and build ministry action plans to move those ministries to the next level.
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I value the opportunity to connect with each of our pastors throughout the year for coaching conversations. Last week, I had the privilege of meeting with Rev. Eric Roemer (Greentown Wesleyan) on Tuesday, Rev. Theo Griffin (Greenfield Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan) on Thursday, and Rev. Andy Riemersma (Westfield ONE Church), also on Thursday. Pastor Andy and the team at ONE Church are counting the days until launch. Check out this video that they released last week:
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Nothing is more exciting than celebrating lives being made new by Jesus Christ! This week, I received reports from Pastor Dan Fisher at Delphi Wesleyan where two men were baptized. Pastor Steve Colter from Marion Chapel Pike Wesleyan shared the good news that he baptized two of his grandchildren! The team at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church, led by Dr. Steve Bray, baptized three more with another three preparing for the next opportunity! Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

​Your servant in Christ,
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Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent