Sunday, March 26, Rev. Claudia Ruiz and the team at Richmond Casa del Alfarero (House of the Potter) welcomed me to worship with them at their 1 p.m. service and invited me to preach the Word. It was a joy to be with this beautiful family of believers. Attendance has been growing under the leadership of Pastor Ruiz and her assistant pastors, Carlos and Jessie. Following the worship service, I met with the leadership team and then shared a meal with Carlos, Jessie, and Pastor Claudia.
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Pastor Ruiz has also been ministering in Union City to an independent congregation called Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer) on Saturday evenings. Pastor John Hannan, who is planting CrossRoads Church in Union City, has also been a partner and encouragement to this Hispanic congregation. I was invited to preach in their service on Saturday evening as they take steps toward becoming a part of our district family in a network with Casa del Alfarero.
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Another exciting possibility is developing as Casa del Alfarero and Casa de Oracion are praying about planting a third church for this network in Portland. Join them in praying that God will open hearts and doors for expanded ministry in surrounding communities.
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Since the worship service at Casa del Alfarero begins at 1 p.m., I had the opportunity to drop in at LifeSpring North campus for their 9:30 service. The church has been making wonderful progress in ministry even as they are working through this pastoral transition. LifeSpring has a great team of volunteers including this group of tech and worship leaders who gathered for prayer before the service.
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The LifeSpring campus model provides live teaching at both sites built on the same series or themes but the messages at each site are unique to the preachers. Rev. Jacob Gibson was preaching at the north campus and brought a timely message on being students of God’s Word. I also enjoyed catching up with Rev. David Anderson and other members of their team.
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The south campus is located about 7 miles south in the center of Richmond. I was able to join Campus Pastor Josh Fakhoury and his team for their 11 a.m. worship service. Dr. Aaron Perry, professor at Wesley Seminary, has been serving the LifeSpring staff in a part-time role as interim pastor while the search process has been ongoing. It was good to hear Dr. Perry preach and to see the growing congregation (averaging over 250) at the south campus.
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Michael Wood and I met in Marion last Monday to interview two candidates for the Executive Ministry Partner role with our district office staff. We had great applicants and are excited to be able to introduce our newest team member to you in the next few weeks.

On Tuesday, I traveled to Cincinnati to meet with our Heartland Region district superintendents. It is a joy to serve alongside Rev. Les Crossfield (Greater Ohio District), Rev. Doug Preston (Indiana South District) and Rev. Aaron Sherman (Kentucky-Tennessee District). In addition to planning and laughter, we shared in prayer for one another and our districts. There was unanimous support for offering our third Heartland Gathering next spring. We are delighted the Rev. Aaron Holley has once again agreed to coordinate the planning team.
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Wednesday, I was in Fishers to meet with Rev. Claudia Ruiz for our annual coaching conversation. Sherry and I were able to connect for lunch and then I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent. These are challenging days for all denominational leaders and Dr. Schmidt welcomes our prayers.

Wednesday evening, I was able to join Rev. Mike Henry and the team at Fort Wayne Level 13 Church’s weekly prayer gathering. Pastor Mike has been sharing encouraging reports of progress from this ministry. I was reminded again of this quote from Hudson Taylor: “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works!”
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Thursday morning, Rev. Brian Williams (pastor of Sims Wesleyan Church) and I met for our annual coaching conversation. Thursday afternoon, Rev. Ashlyn Luttrell (pastor of Wabash North Wesleyan Church) and I met for our coaching conversation.

Friday was a quiet day working from my home office with just one Zoom call and enough time to read Craig Groeschel’s book “Lead Like It Matters.” Craig’s books are always full of great quotes. Here was one that I highlighted: “Be faithful even when on one else is watching. Remember, it’s the things no one sees that bring the results everyone wants. You won’t be successful someday when you see the results. You are successful when you are obedient and faithful today.”

Sunday, March 26, was a beautiful day of celebration for Rev. Rob Tippey and the team at New Journey Church in Wabash. Pastor Rob had the privilege of baptizing seven new believers who publicly professed their faith in Christ. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!
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On another happy note, congratulations goes out to Rev. Sam and Jen Maddox (Albion Wesleyan Church) on the birth of their first grandchild, Elijah, born on Thursday to their daughter, Bailey, and her husband. We’re pleased to report that mother and baby are home and both doing well.
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Dr. Mark Wilson, ministry professor at Southern Wesleyan University, released an episode of his podcast this week with helpful reminders about the five factors that help churches thrive: Invite, Connect, Deepen, Send, and Worship. You can check out this helpful episode here:
​https://www.buzzsprout.com/2120854
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Thank you for joining us in praying for a fresh move of God among our next generation of Wesleyan leaders who will be gathering in Cincinnati this December. There will also be seminars and workshops for pastors and parents so make please every effort to attend!
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​Calling all Crossroads District retired ministers and spouses! We would love to have you join us for the Retired Ministers and Spouses Fellowship on Friday, April 28, at 10:00 am at Wesleyan Headquarters in Fishers (13300 Olio Rd, Fishers, IN 46037). You may register by emailing [email protected] or by leaving a voicemail message at 765-674-8593.

The Crossroads District Senior Adult Ministries (SAM) would also like to invite you to attend the Post-Covid Relaunch Strategy Luncheon being held on Saturday, April 22nd from 1:00 – 2:30 pm at the MCL Cafeteria in Castleton (5520 Castleton Corner Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46250 - North of the Castleton Mall at 86th and Allisonville). For additional information, please email Rev. CK Chitty at [email protected].

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday morning, March 19, I had the privilege of ministering with the team at Carmel Amistad Iglesia Wesleyana. This vibrant congregation has been the anchor church for much of our district’s Hispanic ministry. Rev. Lilly Madga Kurker is the pastor of this growing church family. Pastor Lilly has been away for a few weeks caring for family in Mexico, but the congregation is excited to welcome her home later this week. They are launching into 21 Days of Prayer leading up to their Easter celebration. Amistad has helped develop leaders who have gone on to help in other ministries and the church hosted the most recent FLAMA course with 14 students gathering from across our district. Before the service, I was blessed to be prayed over by the intercession team pictured below.
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Sunday afternoon, I was in New Castle to meet with the LBA at Memorial Wesleyan Church as they begin their pastor search process. Following the meeting with the search team, I dropped in on Dr. Joe & Kathy Harmon and the team hosting a family fun night in their gymnasium. Dr. Harmon has done a terrific work in revitalizing this congregation. Pictured below are Dr. Joe and Kathy with two of the teenagers who’ve come to Christ under their ministry. Pray with the church as they seek the next leader to build on this momentum.
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Sherry and I flew back from Arizona last Monday and then I hit the road here in the district on Tuesday. Pastor Andy Riemersma and I had a productive meeting with Kevin Batman, General Treasurer of The Wesleyan Church, in his office in Fishers. Kevin also serves as local church treasurer and as prayer team member for ONE Church in Westfield, the new church that Pastor Andy and his team are planting.

Wednesday morning, I connected with Rev. Shane Wilson, pastor of New Hope Church in Columbia City. It was encouraging to hear the good report of how God is on the move at New Hope. Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Michael Hewitt, pastor of Rising Hope in Muncie, invited me to spend time with Marcos Cruz, Rising Hope’s campus pastor in Sevilla, Spain. It was inspiring to hear how God is at work through this partnership with two campuses already launched and the next one getting ready to start in Madrid. The picture below shows Pastor Michael on the left, Pastor Marcos in the center, and Alberto, one of the new believers who is helping to lead the first Bible study in Madrid. If you’ve not yet met Marcos, you’ll have the opportunity in December when he returns as a guest artist for the Follow ’23 Youth Convention in Cincinnati.
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Thursday, Rev. John Hannan and I met for our annual coaching conversation. Pastor John and Beth Hannan planted CrossRoads Church in Union City. Last year, this new church welcomed 7 new professions of faith and baptized 8 new believers. Their baptism rate was one of the highest in our district at 18.6% of their weekend worship attendance!

Thursday afternoon, I met with Larry Moore, vice-chair of the LBA at Harvest Church, as they move forward in the search for their next pastor. In addition to his leadership role at the Wesleyan Investment Foundation, I am grateful for the way that Larry serves and leads in his local church. Our acquaintance dates back around 40 years to the time when his father, Rev. Fred Moore, hosted my father for a week of evangelistic services in Falconer, New York. We are both blessed by the legacy of godly fathers who served the Lord so well.
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Friday morning, Dr. Jim Lo brought the closing sermon in the Cox Holiness Series at Indiana Wesleyan University. Dr. Lo’s message was anointed and many students responded to the invitation for God to begin His revival in their hearts. Following the chapel service, I joined Dr. Chris Bounds, chair of IWU’s School of Theology and Ministry, for an exciting conversation about a new initiative to place interns and residents in smaller churches. You’ll be hearing more about this initiative at district conference.

Friday evening, our home was blessed by the presence of amazing pastors and spouses who gathered for food, fellowship, and prayer. Rev. Phil Carder (Lafayette The Branch Wesleyan Church), Rev. David and Suzanne Cox (Laketon Wesleyan Church), Rev. Michael and Liana Gallant (Mt. Etna Community Life Church), and Dr. Matthew and Jennifer Stewart (Sweetser Wesleyan Church) all shared encouraging praise reports of how God is at work in their families and in their congregations.
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Saturday afternoon, I joined the leadership team at Lancaster Wesleyan Church as they mapped out their pastor search process and conducted an initial interview with a prospective candidate. Pray that God grants wisdom and unity for these important decisions.
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One of the highlights of this coming week is a meeting in Ohio on Tuesday with the other three district superintendents serving together in the Heartland Region (Greater Ohio, Indiana South, and Kentucky-Tennessee).

Please make plans to attend and join us in praying for move of God among our next generation of Wesleyan leaders who will be gathering in Cincinnati this December. There will also be seminars and workshops for pastors and parents so make every effort to attend!
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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
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Sherry and I were away this weekend celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary by visiting our daughter and her husband in Phoenix. We flew out on Friday and will be back later on Monday. Jordan and Sam attend Sun Valley Community Church and we enjoyed worshiping with them today in their home church. Their home church baptized 186 new believers across their several campuses last weekend. God is so good!
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Last week began in Orlando as Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, hosted a meeting on Monday morning with district superintendents gathering before the Exponential Conference kicked off. It was good to catch up with colleagues and to learn more about new initiatives and upcoming events, including FOLLOW ’23.
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I flew home Monday evening to join more than 100 pastors and lay leaders from our Crossroads District who attended the GROW Leader seminar on Tuesday in Indianapolis. Pastor Chris Hodges did a great job unpacking the principles that have helped Church of the Highlands (Birmingham, Alabama) become one of the largest churches in America. Special thanks to the Wesleyan Investment Foundation for co-sponsoring the event and providing us with a block of tickets. Thank you, also, to each of our leaders who brought team members to experience this exceptional learning opportunity.
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Tuesday evening, I chaired the district nominating committee meeting. I’m grateful for these committee members and the many volunteers who make our Crossroads District a great team!

Wednesday, I was on the road for coaching conversations with Rev. David Cox (Laketon Wesleyan) and Rev. Michael Gallant (Mt. Etna Community Life Church). The final meeting of the day was with Rev. Ben Jones and the leadership team at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church. Beaver Creek is one of our churches participating in the Next Level initiative.
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Thursday morning, I was in Muncie to meet with a prospective church planter and then I met with Rev. Andy Cole (Lapel Daybreak Church) for our annual coaching conversation. My final meeting of the day was back in Marion with Dr. Paul Garverick, professor and administrator at Wesley Seminary.

It’s always encouraging to be able to pass along praise reports as they’re submitted by our pastors. This week’s good news includes a report from Pastor Scott McDermid that Sheridan Six Points Church is officially debt-free after making their final mortgage payment!

Pastor Dan Fisher shared the good news of another baptism at Delphi Wesleyan Church. We’re joining in rejoicing with Heaven over another life #MadeNew by the grace of Jesus Christ!
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Pastor Brent Miller and the team at Gas City Southside Wesleyan Church shared the good news that they welcomed 8 new members on Sunday, one by transfer and seven joining by their profession of faith!
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Pastor Nicholas Zarate passed along the good news that Rev. Adriana Zarate has relaunched her online Bible study for women. They’re off to a strong start with 21 ladies joining from Indiana, Nevada, and Mexico.
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Congratulations to Rev. Emily Hines and Rev. David Hines on the birth of their second child, Simon! Simon joins his sister Petra and his parents who serve on staff at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church.

Congratulations to Rev. Ben and Katie Wade on the birth of their second child, Gracie! Gracie joins her big sister Myla. Pastor Ben is on staff at Greenfield Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church.
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Our prayers and condolences are extended to Mrs. Teri Downing, wife of Rev. Alan Downing (Frankfort Connecting Point) on the passing of her mother last week.

​Please mark your calendar for December 28-30 and add the Follow 2023 Wesleyan Youth Convention to your prayer list. Let’s believe God for a fresh outpouring at
​www.followconference.org

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

Sunday, March 5, Pastor Paul VanCise and the team at Bryant Wesleyan Church welcomed me to bring greetings from the Crossroads District team and to bring the morning message. Attendance has rebounded well from the pandemic with 121 in worship last weekend. It was encouraging to hear how the church family reaches out to serve their community.
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Angelyn Van Cise, Pastor Paul’s wife, has been used of God to launch a release-time Bible class serving 11 students from their local public school. Pastor Paul has been entrusted by the community to lead the park development project to better serve their neighbors. The church is also reaching out internationally with their second team headed to Honduras later this month. After the service and a brief meeting with the Local Board of Administration, Pastor Paul and some of his team members joined us for lunch. 

Last Monday morning, Pastor Matthew Trexler hosted his monthly leadership cohort for area pastors. They’ve been working through the book “Pray First” by Chris Hodges (pastor of Church of the Highlands). Before heading over for our district staff meeting, I dropped in on the beginning of their session as they were sharing praise reports. WOW! It is exciting to hear how God is at work in their churches! 

Tuesday, I was back on the road for a coaching conversation with Pastor Jarod Osborne (Pathway Community Church in Warsaw). We met in the Kosciusko County Jail where Pastor Jarod and his team have been developing a strong ministry to prisoners. The ministry is called “Peace Force” and the program includes helping inmates transition back into the community. This has included several new believers who have been welcomed as part of the Pathway church family.
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On the way back to home, I was able to connect with Pastor Sam Maddox for an update on the ministry at Albion Wesleyan Church. They are continuing to build momentum and are preparing for their Easter outreach.

Wednesday, Pastor Scott McDermid (Sheridan Six Points) and I met for our coaching conversation. They are seeing good growth in their youth and children’s ministry. My next stop was with Rev. Rochelle Jenkins. Pastor Rochelle is concluding her ministry at Circle City Church so that she and Travis and Atlas can move to Wisconsin later this month. We are grateful for her commitment to making disciples in the hospital where she’s been serving and are excited to see how God will bless her ministry in this new location.

My next stop was with Rev. Gawin Anderson, our new pastor at Divine Direction Church in Indianapolis. In addition to holding down a full-time job and leading the church, Pastor Gawin is continuing his ministerial coursework at Indiana Wesleyan University. My last stop of the day was with Rev. Duane Summit at Fishersburg Wesleyan Church. After our coaching conversation, Pastor Duane welcomed me to join their evening Bible study.

Michael Wood and I met in Fishers on Thursday morning and interviewed a prospective team member to help our district team. After a denominational task force Zoom meeting, I headed back north to meet with Dr. Bob Hallett. Dr. Hallett is leveraging his considerable ministry experience in a new initiative to pastor pastors. I’m grateful for Dr. Hallett’s investment in pastors of every denomination. 

My final stop of the day was with a group of former Methodists who invited me for a “question and answer” session. This was a precious group of saints but these are difficult days for our brothers and sisters who are disaffiliating from their denomination.

Rev. John Hannan (CrossRoads Church) and Rev. Claudia Silva Ruiz (Richmond Casa del Alfarero) hosted a combined bi-lingual service in Union City this morning with 160+ in attendance. Praise the Lord for the two people who prayed to receive Christ!
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The team at Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church, pastored by Dr. Chris Williams, celebrated another baptism on Sunday. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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I’m looking forward to seeing approximately 100 of our district pastors and lay leaders at the GrowLeader regional conference led by Pastor Chris Hodges (Church of the Highlands) at Heartland Church in Indianapolis on Tuesday. There may still be tickets available through GrowLeader if you’d like to join us!  Register at this link:
​https://brushfire.com/highlands/glregional22/536187/register

Thank you for all you’re doing to advance the Kingdom!

Your servant in Christ,

​Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent