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Sunday, July 28, was another great day in the Crossroads District! My morning began with a drop-in visit at Harvest Church in McCordsville. It was good to catch up with Pastor Brad LeRoy and his team. They are welcoming a new youth pastor this year, Jenn Munsell, and are in the searching process for a full-time worship leader.  Mike Morgan, who also works full-time at Global Partners, has served with excellence in this role for the past 3 years in a part-time capacity. Pastor Brad and the congregation honored Mike and Joni for the servant-hearted leadership as part of the Harvest team. Dr. Joe Harmon was the guest speaker for the day and brought a challenging message about being on mission with God. Pastor LeRoy has some new health concerns and we want to continue to stand with him in prayer. I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Ervin Webster and the wonderful folks at Saint Stephen Church in Warren Park for their 11:30 service. Pastor Ervin and Karen Webster serve so well in difficult circumstances with limited resources. The testimonies of life transformation through the power of the Gospel were inspiring. Addicts are being set free, prostitutes are being redeemed, and families are being restored. It is always a delight to preach to this responsive congregation and to affirm the good work that God is doing through this team. Rev. Webster is a self-employed bi-vocational pastor who is also a licensed plumber. He would welcome the opportunity to assist you or your referrals.  Sunday evening, we had a wonderful turnout to officially install and welcome Rev. Joe and Jennifer Jackson to United Wesleyan Church and our Crossroads District team. Rev. Clifton Ashlock has retired after 20 years of effective ministry with this Anderson congregation. His gracious spirit and wisdom have helped make this a positive transition. Joe and Jennifer and their talented family are returning home to Indiana after serving as church planters in Florida. Members, friends and Jackson family members joined together for the service and the fellowship meal that followed. I am grateful to the strong showing of our Madison County pastors who came out to welcome the Jacksons.  Fairmount Family Camp concluded last evening. I was blessed to join in on three of the evening services. Rev. Christy Lipscomb and Rev. Nathan Metz were anointed for this week of ministry. Josh Lavender is a gift to the church in his worship leading. It was a personal joy to reconnect with Pastor Adam and Pastor Christy Lipscomb. They are two of my heroes. They planted City Life Church while we served together in Michigan and Pastor Christy blessed our team by becoming my Assistant District Superintendent. I was also able to connect with Josh Delph, the new chair of Fairmount Camp’s Board of Trustees. I am encouraged by the passion and wisdom that he is bringing to this key role.  Last week’s appointments included a meeting with Pastor Duane Seitz for an update on Silver Lake’s revitalization journey, a meeting with the staff at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion, a meeting with our district staff, a meeting with Pastor Logan Patriquin in Lafayette to explore the possibility of hosting a new Hispanic ministry launch at the Branch, a site visit to the River Church campus in Chesterton with Pastor Matthew Trexler and campus leader Andy Hammonds, and a conference call with my 3 superintendent colleagues in the Heartland Region as we prepare for the upcoming planning retreat and our joint ministerial gathering in Pigeon Forge, TN, on March 10-12, 2020.  Two of our district families were touched by grief in the last several days. The funeral for the mother of Rev. Duane Cragen, assistant pastor at Lancaster Wesleyan Church, was held on Thursday morning with Rev. Gary Bingham presiding. The funeral for Rev. Tim McClellan, senior pastor at Lakeview Wesleyan Church, was held on Saturday afternoon with Dr. Steve DeNeff preaching. I’m thankful for each of the Crossroads District ministers who joined me in showing our support for these families by attending these services. Please continue to remember these families in your prayers.  We continue to receive exciting reports from across our district as our churches celebrate baptisms, one tangible marker of lives made new and disciples making disciples. Baptism reports have come in from Dr. Steve Bray at Fountain City Wesleyan Church, from Pastor David Shafer and Pastor James Stamper at North Anderson Wesleyan Church and from Pastor Zack and Pastor Carla Working at Huntington Hope Rising Church. Our pastors have submitted faith goal cards for nearly 1100 baptisms in this new conference year. Goals like that sharpen our focus and strengthen our faith as we depend on God to empower us to partner with Him in Kingdom expansion.    Rev. Dr. Lenny Luchetti was introduced yesterday morning as the interim pastor for Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church. Dr. Luchetti will continue serving full-time on the faculty at Wesley Seminary but will be the primary preacher and point person for ministry leaders during this conference year. The members of the pastoral search team, including Bob Burchell as chair of the team, were announced yesterday at Lakeview. Thank you for your prayers and partnership as we work together in the power of the Holy Spirit to advance God’s Kingdom here in the Crossroads District! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday morning, July 21, I had the privilege of worshiping with Dan and Amanda Clark at Monon Wesleyan Church. It was my joy to bring greetings from our Crossroads District team and to officially install Dan as their new pastor. Pastor Dan preached on “Transitions” from the book of Ezra.  After the service, I hosted them for lunch and was encouraged to hear of the impact that Eastview Wesleyan Church had on their lives when they were college students at IWU. Dr. Joe Harmon and Pastor Mark Atkinson played key roles in their spiritual growth and their call to pastoral ministry. Dan is on track to graduate with his MDiv from Anderson Seminary in May. Fairmount Family Camp is on this week, July 21-28. The Fairmount Wesleyan Church moved their morning worship service to the campground to help the week get off to a great start. Pastor Jeff Luedtke brought the morning message and the band from FWC led in worship. Services continue each evening this week at 7 p.m. with Rev. Christy Lipscomb (City Life Church) and Rev. Nathan Metz (WGM-Uganda) as our guest speakers and with Josh Lavender (Indy Trinity) leading worship in song.  Our Crossroads District team is praying for and joining with Cynthia, her family, and the Lakeview Wesleyan Church congregation in grieving the loss of Pastor Tim McClellan who passed from the land of the dying into the land of the forever living on Thursday, July 18, just 4 days after his 68th birthday. Pastor Tim endured an intense battle with cancer after first being diagnosed earlier this year. I was available to share one last time of prayer with Tim and Cynthia in their home on Tuesday afternoon. He was a beloved husband, father, friend, and servant of the Lord. Our team will gather at Lakeview Wesleyan Church this Saturday, July 27, at 4 p.m. for the memorial service. Link here for a full obituary: Chronicle-Tribune Obituary  I began last week in Columbus, OH, at Cypress Wesleyan Church on Monday for the Greater Ohio District Conference with DS Les Crossfield. I concluded the week on Friday in Lexington, KY with DS Aaron Sherman at the Kentucky-Tennessee District Conference. It was encouraging to hear the exciting reports of progress in these districts, including a new church plant in Ohio and revitalization initiatives in KY-TN. Our Heartland Region is working together to provide our first cooperative four-district Pastor and Family Retreat in Pigeon Forge, TN on March 10-12, 2020. Here’s the link for our shared website: The Heartland Region of The Wesleyan Church Tuesday included staff meetings in Marion, a site visit with Dr. Max Kingsolver at our Wesleyan church in Michigantown, and the day concluded in a meeting with Dr. Jeffrey Boyce and the LBA (Local Board of Administration) at Lakeview Wesleyan Church. Dr. Boyce and the LBA have carried a heavy load in this season of transition and I’m grateful for the prayerful way they’ve handled this process. On Wednesday evening, I was able to be part of the prayer service that they hosted for the Lakeview congregation. Please join them in prayer for wisdom as they lead the congregation through this time of grieving, into this interim season leadership, and as they begin the pastoral search.  Baptism reports are coming in! Pastor Eliorgy Guerrero and the team at Cielos Abiertos in Elkhart are rejoicing in six baptisms last month. Pastor Rich Van Vuren reported a baptism celebration this week at Shiloh Wesleyan Church and Pastor David Cox reported another baptism at Laketon Wesleyan Church on Sunday. There is still time to order additional #MADENEW T-shirts by contacting our office. We’re praying, believing, and working together toward a goal of 1000 new believers baptized across our churches this year. God is on the move!  We are praising the Lord for answered prayer. Way City Church in Speedway will be launching their public worship services this September in the St. John’s Episcopal Church building (5625 W. 30th Street). Pastor John Miller is excited to be worshipping in a building that he grew up riding his bike past every day of the summer. We are thankful to the Indianapolis Episcopal Diocese for their willingness to lease this strategic space in which to launch a new Wesleyan church.  Pastor Matt Ohime and the Davis Wesleyan Church (near Plymouth) welcomed lead consultant Paul James and a team for their Maximizing Impact consultation. Pastor Matt and Kendra have done a wonderful job of mobilizing the church in this first year. Maximizing Impact is an opportunity to build clarity, unity, and urgency as the church moves forward to multiplying disciples in their region. The congregation received the team’s report yesterday and now will be engaged in prayerful discernment over the next few weeks before they vote on whether to move forward with the team’s prescriptions.  We are joining Rev. Randy and Carole Yaryan (Winchester Wesleyan) in praising the Lord this week. Janelle Hill, their daughter, survived a near-death experience while serving as a chaperone for their Bible Bowl team at Houghton College. Pastor Randy was on the spot to deliver CPR until the EMT arrived and rushed her to the hospital. Doctors were amazed to see her recovery but the family has no doubt that God intervened miraculously and spared her life. To read Janelle’s account of this miracle, click here.  In other exciting news, Bernie Haddad, (a member of Trinity Wesleyan Church and founder of Mercy Unleashed) has received permission to plant a new Kingdom community among inmates inside the Level 1 Dorm at the New Castle Correctional Facility. Their first service is scheduled for August 9. Praise God for the door He has opened for Bernie and pray that God will continue to open hearts to the Gospel. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sherry and I had the joy of worshiping with Pastor Brian Scramlin and the good folks at New Journey Community Church in Wabash. This church has a wonderful heart for its community and partners in creative ways to make an impact for the Kingdom. They’ve also done a terrific job converting an old school building into a contemporary ministry center. I had the privilege of bringing the morning message and then the LBA (local board of administration) took time for a brief meeting with me after the service. Sherry and I enjoyed hosting Pastor Brian, Jessica, and their two daughters for lunch.  Last Monday, I was in Hartford City to meet with Pastor Barry Taylor for a welcome lunch and an opportunity to learn more about his passion for church planting. Monday afternoon, I met with Bob Burchell to review the progress his team at Lakeview Wesleyan Church has been making on the action initiatives from their StratOp. Monday evening, I met with the StratOp team and was encouraged by the progress they are making on redesigning their process for welcoming guests and multiplying disciples.  Tuesday morning, I dropped by Fairmount Camp to check in on the staff at the Kids Camp before meeting with the pastoral staff at Lakeview Wesleyan Church. In our denomination, when a church is without a lead pastor, the DS provides more direct leadership until a supply or interim pastor is appointed (Discipline 1310:23) or a permanent pastor is secured. Our district office staff met before lunch and then I connected with another of our pastors over lunch. Tuesday afternoon was my first chance to visit in Union City with Rev. John and Beth Hannan. John and Beth have sensed God’s call to launch a new ministry in their hometown after several years serving on loan with the United Methodist Church. We shared supper with their family and then John and I drove through the community. We closed the evening in prayer for the seeds they are planting and the vision-casting meeting they had planned for Friday.  Wednesday morning, I met with Jared Webb at Lakeview on follow-up items from StratOp. My next appointment was in Logansport to meet with Dr. Norm Wilson and Rev. Eliorgy Guerrero. We had a great conversation over lunch about ways to better support our Hispanic pastors and lay leaders, especially as we ramp up our church planting efforts. Dr. Norm Wilson and I were in Frankfort later in the afternoon to meet with Rev. Calemerio Rodriguez and Rev. Omar Gonzales (not related) to hear more about their vision for opening a door for ministry to Hispanics in Lafayette. Wednesday evening, I was able to participate in the worship service at Frankfort Family Camp. Rev. David Duncan was the speaker of the evening and it was a blessing to reconnect with friends and team members. Many of the key volunteers come from our Crossroads District churches. Phil and Rhonda Foley are doing a wonderful job developing this effective, self-supporting ministry.  Thursday morning, I was back at Fairmount Camp to connect with Josh Delph, chair of the Board of Directors. I appreciate the way that Josh is stepping into this key leadership role. Josh and his team are working diligently to see the camp achieve its full potential. I was also able to drop in to hear Pastor Andy Cole (Lapel Daybreak Church) leading worship for Kids Camp. He and his team did a great job serving this week. Few things can compare with the pure, passionate worship of children!  I met with the creative team from Lakeview Wesleyan over lunch and then headed back to Upland to work from my home office. Friday morning, I met with Chris Williams for district planning and then Pastor Matthew Trexler joined us for lunch and follow-up from the StratOp projects that are moving forward. Friday evening, I was delighted to hear from Pastor John Hannan. He and Beth knew that they had four families, who had expressed interested in the church planting vision, would be out of town. They were encouraged with more than a dozen who came out to learn more about launching a new Kingdom community in Union City.  Pastor John was invited to partner with Rev. Claudia Silva, our pastor in Richmond, who has been helping an independent Hispanic congregation in Union City. They baptized two new believers at the park and shared a fellowship lunch beside the lake. They are having conversations to explore other possibilities for working together to reach this community for Christ. If you’d like to follow along to hear more about the story that God is writing, you can catch their FaceBook page: CrossRoads Church in Union City  We love hearing the transformation stories from across the district team. Here’s a picture from Pastor Scott McDermid and the baptism service they celebrated last week at Six Points Church in Sheridan. Please pass along photos from your celebrations as we pray, believe and work together to see 1000 new believers baptized this conference year!  Churches like yours in the Crossroads District have a deep commitment to global missions. I want to encourage you to take 3 minutes and 24 seconds to watch this video for an exciting challenge from Steve Mathews, one of our district directors for Global Partners. Here’s the link: Steve Mathews – Crossroads GP Partnerships Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Sunday morning, July 7, Dr. Norman Wilson, Rev. Eliorgy Guerrero and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Franz & Yudlia Gonzalez and the wonderful congregation at Vida y Esperanza (Life and Hope) in Goshen. It was a joy to preach the Word and to join with Dr. Wilson in welcoming this new congregation to our team.  Pastor Gonzalez and his team first connected with Rev. Guerrero and the Cielos Abiertos Church in Elkhart. Several of the folks in the congregation are here with official refugee status from the tragedy in Venezuela. This congregation has a vision for multiplication in Indiana and Mexico. Please pray for Pastor Gonzalez as he leads this movement!  Sunday afternoon, Sherry joined me in Anderson to bring greetings from the Crossroads District team as United Wesleyan Church celebrated Rev. Clifton and Arletta’s 45th years of marriage and ministry, with the last 20 years loving and serving this congregation. There was a great turnout for the event with fun memories and laughter. The church surprised the Ashlock’s with a travel voucher that will enable them to visit their friends in Brazil where the Ashlock family had a powerful ministry. They won’t be slowing down much with Cliff continuing to teach for IWU and serving on the District Board of Ministerial Development but it does sound like they’ll have more time to enjoy their grandchildren. Thank you, Clifton and Arletta for your inspiring example in ministry and marriage!  Last week afforded a change of pace for many of us with the July 4th holiday falling on Thursday. In addition to enjoying some time off, I was with Pastors Zack and Carla Working to sign loan documents for Hope Rising Church as they continue the revitalization project. On Tuesday evening, I met with the Lakeview Wesleyan Church LBA as they take the first steps on their pastoral search process. Friday morning, I met with Dr. Jeff Boyce, LBA vice-chair, to review options for interim ministry at Lakeview. Last week may have been a holiday week, but the Kingdom is on the move and lives are being made new! The first baptism picture this week comes from Pastor Mark and Sharie Schnell who serve together at Albion Wesleyan Church. This past week, Pastor Mark had the joy of baptizing C.J., their son, at a family gathering. Praise the Lord!  The second transformation story comes from The Branch Wesleyan Church in Lafayette. Earlier this spring, Pastor Logan and Shaina Patriquin were out walking in their neighborhood. They met a young girl named Kassie and Shaina invited her to be their guest at their new youth group led by Amber Bass. After one of the group meetings, Kassie prayed to receive Christ. Yesterday, she brought her unchurched family to church with her to witness her baptism. Praise the Lord for lives #madenew!  Congratulations to Pastor Ben Jones! He shared the announcement this week of his engagement to Miss Kirsten Harmon. Ben recently accepted the call to pastor our Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church (near the town of North Liberty and Potato Creek State Park).  A warm Crossroads District team welcome to Rev. Barry and Vickie Taylor who officially began their ministry yesterday, July 7, at Hartford City Wesleyan Church where Barry is the new senior pastor. They are settling in and have found their way to Ivanhoe’s.  Congratulations to the Monon Wesleyan Church on their call to Dan Clark to become their next pastor. Dan has been serving at Middletown Community Church before accepting this call to Monon. I’m looking forward to being with Monon Wesleyan on July 21 as the congregation welcomes Dan and Amanda to this new appointment. This week, the Fairmount Kids Camp is in full swing under the direction of Rev. Michele Henry. Pray that this will be a wonderful, faith forming experience for these children. Pray for grace and strength for the counselors and staff! Frankfort Family Camp began yesterday and runs through next Sunday with Rev. Noel Bates and Rev. David Duncan as the camp evangelists. Phil and Ronda Foley do a great job hosting this camp and they’d love to welcome you to their services. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent
Sunday morning, June 30, I joined Rev. Dr. Morris & Anita Jones for worship at Lebanon Wesleyan Church. Dr. Jones pastors bi-vocationally, serving as an academic advisor for a university in Indianapolis, and he has led the Lebanon Wesleyan Church since 1995.  Attendance in this aging congregation now averages fewer than 30 but they are faithful in supporting global missions. Rev. Matthew & Caryl Aukerman, our Global Partners missionaries in Albania, shared an update from their field yesterday and thanked the Lebanon church for more than 10 years of faithful prayer and financial support. Sunday evening, I met with the Sweetser Wesleyan Church’s StratOp team for a progress update on their first “Action Initiative.” They’ve been working diligently to create an effective process for welcoming and engaging first-time guests. I had the privilege of staying for their first quarterly gathering on a Sunday night when they celebrate wins, appreciate their volunteers and cast vision. Pastor Matthew and Jennifer Stewart are leading a wonderful team committed to reaching younger, unchurched families in Sweetser. (I was glad to see the “#madenew” baptism T-shirts that they had placed in their sanctuary as a reminder of their faith goal.)  Last Monday, I had a delightful conversation with one of our younger leaders who is prayerfully considering becoming a bi-vocational church planter. Keep praying that God will send workers in His harvest field. That afternoon, I joined the simulcast of the Wesleyan event at AMPLIFY from Wheaton College with Dr. Ed Stetzer and a series of other presentations on discipleship. Thank you to Anita Eastlack and the team at CMAD for making this available for all of us. Tuesday morning, I met with Dr. Jeff Boyce and the ministry staff at Lakeview Wesleyan Church before heading to Indianapolis for the Region 2 Leadership Connection. Rev. Mike Colaw, our Assistant DS for Region 2, hosted the event which included worship led by Josh Lavender and an impactful presentation from Dr. Kerry Kind.  The next two sessions for Region 2 are:
If you’re not in Region 2 but would like to attend, just reach out to Barbara Richter: [email protected] Tuesday evening, Sherry and I were guests for Pastor Mark & Ronda Atkinson as Eastview Wesleyan Church co-sponsored a free concert at Gas City Park featuring the Sidewalk Prophets. Pastor Mark opened the event and Ronda led children in singing the Star-Spangled Banner for this well-attended community gathering.  Wednesday was a catch-up day (phone calls, emails). Thursday, Chris Williams and I met for conference debrief and planning. Seth Bye and I participated with Dr. Larry Lindsey and a team from the Ron Blue Institute on a Thrive initiative opportunity. Dr. Jim Lo and I met over lunch on some ministry possibilities for the coming year. Then, Dr. Bud Bence and I met in McConn Coffee to hear more about his passion for Sierra Leone. We also explored how we might offer a “Wesleyan Church History and Discipline” course experience for transferring ministers and others who need this credit for ordination. The last hours of my afternoon were spent in the Jackson Library doing some research on a book concept. The IWU library is a beautiful space to read and reflect. I’m grateful for the gracious way IWU hosts our district pastors who value this resource.  Friday morning, I met with Dr. Lenny and Amy Luchetti. We’re blessed to have them both serving on our district team. Lenny is providing pulpit supply at Lakeview Wesleyan Church this summer and Amy serves on our DBA (District Board of Administration). Friday afternoon, I was in Fishers to meet with Paige Johnson, a church planting intern who is serving at Waterline Church with Pastor John & Danielle Freed. Sherry joined me on Friday evening to drop in on Pastor Chuck & Chrystal Moorer and the team at Divine Direction Church, our congregation on 46th Street in Indianapolis. They were holding the grand opening of their new monthly discipleship food bank. Divine Direction is having a wonderful impact on their community and this new ministry is taking it to another level. They will continue providing food but will also be offering focused counseling and intentional discipleship opportunities to those in need.  The Southview Wesleyan Church family hosted a wonderful 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for Rev. Rick and Mary Matthews on Saturday afternoon. The Matthews have been pastoring at Southview (on the south side of Indianapolis) since 1983. Their family and the church have grown together over these decades of ministry. It was a joy to be able to be present to congratulate them on behalf of our Crossroads District team.  Phil and Rhonda Foley and the team at Frankfort Camp Ministries invite us to their 2019 Family Camp (July 7-14) featuring Rev. David Duncan and Rev. Noel Bates. For more information, visit their website: http://www.frankfortcampministries.com/ Fairmount Family Camp is coming soon, July 21-28! We’re looking forward to the teaching ministry of Rev. Christy Hontz Lipscomb and Rev. Nathan Metz, along with Josh Lavender, worship leader. Here’s the link for more information: Fairmount Family Camp Just a reminder for all pastors and local church treasurers that our new post office box for financial mail is: P.O. Box 7186, Fishers, IN 46038. If you were not able to attend district conference to learn about our new “Shared Accounting Services” partnership with General Treasurer Kevin Batman’s office at HQ, please reach out to Roxene Lo ([email protected]) for more information. Here’s the best news of the week: “More baptisms!” Pastor Zack Working was the first one to check in yesterday with news that they baptized four more people at Hope Rising Wesleyan Church in Huntington. The fourth person…was Zack’s mother. What an exciting day for their family and for the Kingdom! Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!
Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. Congratulations and “well done, faithful servants” to the following leaders who were recognized for these significant ministry milestones at our district conference: 30 years – Robert Burchell III, James Dunn, Marc Watkins 35 years – David Anderson, Kevin Bragg, Kenneth Dykhoff, Paul Ramsey, Douglas Sharrard 40 years – Oliver Dongell, Richard Schenck, Wayne Schmidt 45 years – Clifton Ashlock, Thomas Hines, Matthew Miller, Joseph Park, Jr., James Watkins, Norman Wilson 50 years – Rick Matthews, Logan Westrick 55 years – James P. Vermilya |
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