Albion, DBMD, and Baptisms!

Pastor Sam Maddox and the wonderful congregation at Albion Wesleyan Church welcomed me to worship with them on Sunday morning, November 3. I brought greetings from the Crossroads District team and preached on the Great Commission. Following the worship service, the members of the LBA (Local Board of Administration) met with me for a brief conversation and prayer.
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These are exciting days of Kingdom impact at Albion Wesleyan. Pastor Sam and the team averaged 67 in worship last conference year (up 31% from 51) with 12 baptisms. In the first six months of this conference year, they’ve already celebrated another 10 baptisms.
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I completed my third campus recruiting visit last week, this time at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Dr. Jim Dunn, a long-time member of the Crossroads District before answering the call to become OKWU’s president, is leading well and the university is experiencing growth.

My campus visit included time in class with Dr. Josh McNall, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology. Dr. McNall and I served together back in the West Michigan District when he joined Chad McCallum’s team planting Compass Church.
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President Dunn, Dr. Mark Weeter (Provost), and I met with some of the upper-level ministerial students on Tuesday in the coffee shop. I also enjoyed a follow-up conversation with a prospective church planter.
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Rev. Torrey Martin, Campus Pastor (originally from Tipton, IN) welcomed me to preach in the Wednesday chapel service and we shared lunch with ministry students. The last stop was with Dr. Dunn and Pastor Torrey as they welcomed church leaders (including Wesleyan churches from Maryland and Ohio) for the internship/residency fair that OKWU hosts each fall.
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​The Wesleyan Church is blessed with five Christ-centered universities. The challenges of Christian higher education are great but the need to impact the next generation for Christ is greater. Thank you for praying for and supporting our Wesleyan schools!
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I traveled home on Thursday to join Rev. Carla Working and our DBMD (District Board of Ministerial Development) for their fall interviews on Friday at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church. Special thanks to Carla, Dan VanDuyne, and the committed team members who invested this time with our ministerial students.
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It is encouraging to see how God is calling women and men, younger and older, college students and second-career professionals. The courses are important, and the interviews are essential, but the best gift in this process are the words of prayer and encouragement offered to these individuals who are being called by God to serve the Church.
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Thank you for praying for Rev. Randy Yaryan, pastor of Winchester Wesleyan Church. He is recovering from his fall from a ladder and subsequent back surgery, but even that couldn’t keep him from baptizing another new believer on Sunday. Please pray for Pastor Randy’s full and speedy recovery!
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Dr. Steve DeNeff and the team at College Wesleyan Church in Marion celebrated another baptism yesterday. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Pastor Seth Bye and the team at 317Church in Avon were excited to report two more baptisms on Sunday. Please keep Pastor Seth and his team in your prayers as they make disciples in one of the fastest growing areas of our state.
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Pastor Rob Tippey and the team at Wabash New Journey Church were blessed as two more people publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism yesterday. Praise God!
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Pastor Ryan Budde and Westview Wesleyan Church welcomed three new members yesterday and baptized two new believers. Good things are happening in Jonesboro!
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Pastor Joshua Fox and Hartford City Wesleyan Church celebrated the baptisms of six new believers yesterday. They also welcomed Rev. Michael Colaw as their youth pastor. (Michael formerly served on staff at Shiloh Wesleyan.) These are good days at HCWC!
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Pastor Tony Bye and Brookhaven Wesleyan Church are praising the Lord for 9 baptisms on Sunday. The day was bittersweet with Rev. David Hines concluding his time on staff at the church as he has accepted a new role on the faculty at Taylor University. We pray for God’s blessings on Rev. David and Rev. Emily Hines in this exciting new chapter of ministry.
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​Thank you again Crossroads District for your generous response to the critical need of hurricane victims in North Carolina. Our second transport truck loaded with relief supplies left from Plymouth Wesleyan Church last week. In addition to the generosity of our area Wesleyan churches, other churches and community groups joined in this effort. There will be future opportunities to contribute and serve in the long journey of recovery, but thank you for responding quickly and generously to the immediate needs!

​I’m looking forward to our retired ministers’ brunch this coming Friday, November 8, at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. Dr. Joe Harmon will be our guest speaker. There’s still time to RSVP if you’d like to join us.

We also have an Indy area fellowship brunch for lead pastors (and spouses, if married) at Waterline Church in Pendleton on Saturday morning, November 16. Thank you to Pastor Scott Rhyno and his team for welcoming our gathering in their new church home.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte, Crossroads DS

P.S. Don’t forget to vote!