Rising Hope Church in Muncie was my destination on Sunday morning, January 26. It was a joy to worship with this young congregation. The last time I was with them for a Sunday service was when they first launched in the middle school. Pastor Mike Hewitt was out of town with an evangelism team but Kim Hewitt and the team did a wonderful job hosting the service and leading us in worship.
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I enjoyed meeting an energetic group of Ball State University students who sit up front. At the rate they are growing, they will soon need to launch a second worship service. It was also good to reconnect with several of the senior citizens who caught the vision for planting this new church. Rising Hope is a terrific example of what can happen when our Crossroads District churches partner together to launch new congregations to help reach the 3 million people without Christ in Indiana. Thank you for each one of you who continues to pray for and support church planting here in our mission field.
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Sunday afternoon, I was privileged to bring greetings, read Scripture and pray at the 34th Anniversary of Calvary Family Church in Indianapolis. Rev. Barry & Joyce Dixon provide loving and faithful leadership to this urban congregation. Pastor Barry is another of our committed bi-vocational pastors and also serves on the District Board of Administration. There was a great turnout and beautiful spirit of worship. Pray for the Dixons and Calvary Family Church as they reach out to their community.
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Last Monday, I represented the district team at the funeral of Rev. Glenn Weller and then joined in the monthly Zoom call for the Heartland Region District Superintendents. We’re counting the days until the Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge, March 10-12.

Tuesday morning, I joined Assistant DS Mike Colaw and the Region 2 pastors at Trinity Wesleyan Church for a conversation about “The State of the Church.” I am optimistic about the future of The Wesleyan Church because of the leaders around these tables.
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Tuesday evening, I met with Pastor Neftali and Grace Lopez in Fishers. Rev. Lopez leaders our Carmel Amistad congregation and works with Dr. Norman Wilson and Rev. Eliorgy Guerrero to provide leadership to our Hispanic ministries.

Wednesday was an office day before heading to New Castle for a coaching conversation with Rev. Eric George, pastor of New Castle Memorial Wesleyan Church. I’m looking forward to worshiping with their congregation on February 16.

Thursday morning, I met with Pastor Don Glenn (Nelson Street Wesleyan) before heading to Fishers to meet with Pastor John Freed (Waterline Church). I was encouraged to hear about the progress that Waterline is making at their Pendleton campus. Multi-site ministry can be a challenge for any size church and the Waterline team has responded well to the learning curve in this new venture.
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Thursday evening, I stopped by Eastview Wesleyan Church to see their monthly community meal outreach. Pastor Mark Atkinson has a committed team of volunteers who host this event each month. It was good to see the conversations and connections that this ministry provides with their neighbors.

Friday evening, I caught up with Assistant DS Chris Williams, Rev. Don Bayne, and Rev. Paul James who were serving as the Maximizing Impact team with Pastor Duane Seitz and the Silver Lake Wesleyan Church. Pastor Duane and JoEllen Seitz have served sacrificially for the past few years and seen spiritual victories. The church does have challenges as they face the future and this weekend was an opportunity for the congregation to take a look at the best path forward. Pray as they seek God’s direction for their next steps. We are deeply indebted to Rev. Paul James who has served as a Maximizing Impact consultant to over 30 Crossroads District churches since 2015.
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Saturday morning, I was able to drop in on the Spiritual Warfare Seminar that Dr. Jim Lo was presenting at Ash Street Wesleyan Church in Tipton. Pastor Logan Westrick was very encouraged by the positive impact of this weekend. I am grateful for Dr. Lo’s willingness to bring this ministry to our churches. If you’ve not yet scheduled this workshop for your team, Dr. Lo still has a few dates available. You can reach him at ​[email protected].
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I met with Lay Supply Pastor Kay Dickerson and Bill, her husband and co-laborer, for lunch in Frankfort. They are continuing to see progress in their ministry at Kirklin Wesleyan Church with 3 recent baptisms and 96 attending their New Year’s Eve communion service. They are having a big impact in a small community.

Saturday afternoon, I accepted an invitation from David Kelly to drop in at the new regional office for WellSpring Ministry in downtown Marion. It was good to see Pastor Joe Kelly and so many other friends and supporters of this vital ministry.

It is always exciting to receive baptism reports from Crossroads District churches. This week I received photos and a report from Dr. Steve Bray and LifeSpring Church in Richmond. Pastor Steve wrote: “I wanted to report 9 baptisms from this past weekend at LifeSpring Church! So far this year we have seen 40 baptisms (compared to 35 last year). PTL! Our faith commitment at Conference was for 50 baptisms. While we are grateful for all He has done, we have one more baptism scheduled in April, and we are asking God for 10 more!”
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Pastor Logan Patriquin and the team at The Branch Wesleyan Church in Lafayette celebrated four more baptisms yesterday as God continues to work through them to see lives changed by the Gospel. Our faith goal as the Crossroads District this year was to pray and work toward baptizing 1000 new believers. If you haven’t yet scheduled a baptism day and offered baptism preparation classes, there’s still time to plan for baptisms in conjunction with Palm Sunday and Easter.
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Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

​Your servant in Christ,
Mark Gorveatte

Sunday morning, January 19, I was blessed to worship with Rev. Dr. Oliver Dongell and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. Pastor Dongell has served PWC since 2003. Last year, Plymouth Wesleyan averaged 620 in worship with 35 baptisms. They also have an active partnership with El Salvador that has resulted in 18 churches being planted.
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I enjoyed meeting with the LBA between the two morning services. After the second service, I enjoyed hosting Pastor and Mrs. Dongell for lunch. Several of our retired ministers are part of the Plymouth congregation including Rev. Charles Peacock, Rev. Steve and Wanda Cunnington, and Rev. Les & Kathy Kephart, my friends from our time serving together in Michigan. Wanda Cunnington has a serious health concern and welcomes our prayers as they continue tests.

Last week began with a Monday morning Region 1 Leadership Cohort meeting led by Assistant DS Matthew Trexler. I’m grateful for the leadership development opportunities that are underway in each of our regions. Monday evening, I was glad to meet with Pastor David Dignal and the LBA at Edgerton Wesleyan Church to lead the review of the extended call. Pastor Dignal’s ministry and extended call were enthusiastically affirmed.
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Tuesday morning, I joined the team at the River Church for their 6 a.m. prayer meeting, part of their 21 Days of Prayer to launch into the new year. Our district office staff meets on Tuesday mornings for planning and prayer. I am blessed to serve with Rev. Chris Williams, Mrs. Roxene Lo, and Rev. Seth Bye. Tuesday afternoon, I connected with Rev. Mike Cloud (via Zoom) in preparation for his upcoming pastoral vote. Tuesday evening, I met with Pastor Steve Binns and the LBA at Anderson Lone Oak. The LBA affirmed Steve’s leadership and voted to take some positive changes for the new year.

Wednesday morning, I was on the road to meet with Pastor Harold Henson at Colfax Wesleyan Church (just southeast of Lafayette). Pastor Henson is another of our faithful bi-vocational pastors and doing a wonderful job leading here in his home church. Pastor Scott McDermid and I met at his office at Six Points Church (Sheridan) in preparation for his upcoming vote and then shared lunch together. These are exciting days at Six Point and Scott has transitioned well from his long-term staff role at Carmel UMC to becoming a senior pastor of a growing church.

Wednesday afternoon, I dropped in on the staff meeting at Daybreak Church in Lapel. Pastor Andy Cole is bringing inspiring, visionary leadership to the team and they’re exploring ways to accommodate the recent growth. Wednesday evening, I was blessed to hear Rev. Matthew LeRoy preaching the closing service at Summit, the spiritual emphasis week that begins each new semester at IWU. Dr. John and Patty Bray shared how God was powerfully working in these services. Please keep IWU and President Wright in your prayers.
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After teaching the morning class at IWU, Thursday was a quiet day working in my office.

Friday morning, Chris Williams and I connected for our weekly update meeting, and then I met long-time friend Erick Mowery for lunch in Fishers, Erick (and Julie, his wife) are leaders in the Back2Back missions organization. They recently returned from their assignment in Mexico and now attend Trinity Wesleyan Church when not traveling globally for their leadership training ministry. Friday night, Sherry and I were able to attend the inspiring MLK Memorial Community Concert at IWU. This year’s concert featured the Chicago Mass Choir for an incredible evening of gospel praise.
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Saturday, I was privileged to represent our Crossroads District family at the triumphant homegoing celebration for Rev. Ruth Anderson, mother of our Rev. Dave Anderson, held at LifeSpring Church (formerly Fountain City Wesleyan). Rev. Ruth Anderson (ordained at Fairmount Camp in 1961), along with her husband Bob, co-pastored Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City and Eastlawn Wesleyan Church in Indianapolis. They enjoyed long-term effective ministries in both of these congregations. Rev. Anderson was a gifted educator, musician, and mentor. She was also recognized for her leadership contributions to the Wesleyan Women auxiliary ministry at the local, district and denominational level. Remember David, Rebecca, and the Anderson family in prayer.
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The district-wide DBMD met in Marion on Saturday morning under the leadership of Dr. David Smith. I was unable to attend due to the funeral but heard encouraging reports from these interviews with exceptional candidates. We are anticipating more than a dozen candidates will be ordained at this year’s June 26th celebration.

It is always a joy to hear the stories and see the pictures from baptism celebrations across our district. One of our newest churches is The Bridge Urban Church in South Bend led by Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn. I know several of our churches have been involved in financial partnership and many more have joined in prayer for this vital ministry to the inner city. Pastor Terry shared that one of these new believers had been a Muslim for the past 30 years. Continue to pray for Pastor Terry, Lennaire, and their team as they take the Gospel to the streets of South Bend.
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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

Sunday morning, January 12, I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Ben Jones and Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church, just outside of North Liberty. I brought the message for the morning service. Then, after a brief meeting with the board of administration, Ben and I caught up over lunch. This is Ben’s first pastoral appointment and he’s enjoying the learning journey with a very supportive board and congregation.
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Pastor Ben and Kirsten are looking forward to their June wedding. He also shared the encouraging news that three new members have joined the church in the past few months. Ben is another of our faithful bi-vocational pastors and time management is one of his prayer requests.

Last week’s calendar included a Memorial Sub-Committee of the General Board meeting on Monday. There are a number of interesting proposals making their way from several districts through the General Board and on to General Conference. You can read more about the GenCon 2020 at this website: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed

After teaching at IWU on Tuesday morning, the district office staff met in Marion for planning and prayer. I am blessed to work alongside Rev. Chris Williams, Mrs. Roxene Lo, and Rev. Seth Bye in serving our district pastors and churches. Tuesday afternoon, I was in Fishers to meet with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent.

Wednesday, I was in Anderson to meet with Pastor Steve Binns (Anderson Lone Oak) and then with Pastor David Shafer (Anderson North Wesleyan Church). The last meeting on Wednesday was at Silver Lake Wesleyan Church with Pastor Duane Seitz and the leadership team as they prepare for the Maximizing Impact consultation.

Thursday morning, I met with Pastor Paul VanCise (Bryant Wesleyan Church) before heading back to Marion for a planning meeting with our Assistant District Superintendents, Rev. Mike Colaw, Rev. Chris Williams, and Rev. Matthew Trexler. My final meeting on Wednesday was with Pastor Barry Dixon (Calvary Family Church) in Indianapolis.

Sherry and I hosted the Region 1, South Zone 2 pastors and spouses in our home for supper and fellowship on Friday evening. We sang, laughed, and prayed together with these wonderful couples. Special thanks to Pastor Jeff Luedtke who chairs this zone.
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Saturday morning, I joined with Dr. Jim Lo and the Region 1 DBMD (District Board of Ministerial Development) at College Wesleyan Church to interview licensed ministers. We are blessed with dedicated team in each of our zones and regions who volunteer for this important ministry.

Saturday afternoon, I represented our Crossroads District team at the funeral of one of our ministerial colleagues, Rev. Paul Gafford. Rev. Gafford would have been 90 years old next month. He was a gracious pastor and beloved father who served district churches in Lafayette, Thorntown, and Winchester. Rev. Doug Hinton, son-in-law to Rev. Gafford, officiated the funeral service. Rev. Jim and Caroline (Gafford) Staley, worship pastors at Brooksville Wesleyan Church, led the music.
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It’s always inspiring to hear the stories of life change and baptisms from our churches. This week’s baptism photo was shared by Pastor Mark Atkinson from Eastview Wesleyan Church. If you’ve not yet scheduled a baptism service for the spring, please consider Palm Sunday or the Sunday after Easter. We’re looking forward to a wonderful team celebration at District Conference for a record-breaking year of baptisms.
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This coming week will include meetings with LBAs and the district-wide DBMD. Next Sunday I’ll be with Pastor Dongell and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. This week will also be Summit Week at Indiana Wesleyan University. Please pray for Rev. Matthew LeRoy who will be the keynote speaker for these spiritual renewal services.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent
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There’s still time to register for the Heartland Gathering. We’re going to have a great time and would love for you to join us! https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/

Sunday, January 5, I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Thomas Beck and the growing congregation of Larwill Wesleyan Church. Rev. Beck is another of our district’s bi-vocational pastors. He and Julie have faithfully served the Larwill church family since 2000. This is a loving congregation with a heart for their small rural community, located midway between Warsaw and Columbia City. This conference year has been an exciting season of ministry with eleven baptisms and a recent high attendance of 45.
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After the worship service in Larwill and lunch with the Beck’s, I headed north to Elkhart to worship with Pastor Eliorgy Guerrero and the growing congregation at Cielos Abiertos Iglesia Wesleyana in their 3 p.m. service. I am grateful for Rev. Guerrero who now serves on our Crossroads District Hispanic Ministry leadership team along with Dr. Norman Wilson and Rev. Neftali Lopez. It was a delight to hear the message from Jose Cardenas, a lay pastor who is also working alongside Rev. Jarod Osborne to develop Hispanic ministry at Pathway Church in Warsaw.
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Follow 2019 Youth Conference was incredible. Zach Coffin and this team, including several of our Crossroads District pastors (Aldean Pablo, Christian Kelley, Jennifer Ellison, and others) did a terrific job of designing and delivering an amazing spiritual encounter for approximately 5000 Wesleyan students. I appreciated their leadership and the sense of God’s presence in each of the services I attended. Special thanks to all the parents, pastors, and volunteers who made it possible for so many of our Crossroads District students to participate in this life-impacting event.
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Many of our congregations are focusing prayer on our service men and women stationed in conflict zones. One of our youth pastors is currently deployed as a chaplain in the Middle East and sent me an encouraging report from his first three weeks on the ground.  “11 Salvations and 3 baptisms so far overseas. God is on the move.” Pray that the Lord will continue to provide protection and blessing on the ministry of our chaplains.

Pastor Matthew Stewart and the congregation at Sweetser Wesleyan Church are entering into a season of shared ministry with Sweetser United Methodist Church through July 12. Both congregations voted affirmatively to take this exploratory step that may result in a more formal merger in the coming year. Worship will be hosted in the UMC sanctuary and will be led by the Wesleyan team. The pastors will alternate sharing the pulpit. Pray that God will grant wisdom and unity in this initiative to more effectively reach their rural community with the Gospel.
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On a personal note, Sherry and I enjoyed time with our extended family over the Christmas break. We worshiped with three of our children in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the Sunday before Christmas and then joined Pastor Mark Atkinson and the team at Eastview Wesleyan Church for their Christmas Eve service. We were also blessed to have Josiah Gorveatte, our son, move closer to home from Florida last month to join Pastor Brad LeRoy’s team at Harvest Church in McCordsville.
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​I’m looking forward to this new year of ministry. This week includes a new round of coaching conversations, hosting the Region 1 South Zone (Jeff & Amy Luedtke’s zone) on Friday evening, and my first experience teaching Wesleyan Church History and Discipline at IWU. Next Sunday morning, I’m looking forward to being with Pastor Ben Jones at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church.

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent