Sunday morning, August 24, Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church (Greenfield) received Rev. Ben Wade in his new role as senior pastor. I was privileged to represent our Crossroads District team and to lead the liturgy of installation at the close of the service. This was a special occasion for me since Pastor Ben and I first met at Kingswood University when he was a freshman and I was college president. Today marks the first time I’ve had the privilege of installing one of the Kingswood students I served in that capacity as a new pastor for our district team.
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Pastor Ben and Kate have served at BCWC for the past few years under the leadership of Dr. Theo Griffin. Dr. Griffin mentored Pastor Ben and helped the church embrace this succession plan. One of the ways that BCWC serves the community is as a refreshment stop of the Hancock County Flat 50 bicycle event. They hosted more than 400 riders on Sunday. We’re believing with Pastor Wade and his team for great days ahead in Greenfield!
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Sunday afternoon, I joined with Pastor Joshua Fox and the team at Hartford City Wesleyan Church as they gathered at Lake Placid Camp for their annual church picnic and baptisms. Pastor Fox led the assembly in reciting the Nicene Creed and then four new believers publicly witnessed to their faith in Christ. It was also good to catch up with Dr. Ed Love, Executive Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship for our denomination. Ed, Emily, and their children are actively involved in serving the Lord at HCWC.

I closed out the day worshiping with Rev. Jerome Bell at Autumn Hills Church in Pendleton. Pastor Jerome and his team have been hosting Sunday evening services since they launched but are in active conversations about adding a second worship opportunity on Sunday mornings. They’ve also made an impact on their community through their Art Camp in the summer followed up with monthly Art Nights. Pray for Pastor Jerome and this new church plant as they lift up Jesus!
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Last Monday, I was in Marion for our district staff meeting and was also able to drop in for the lead pastors’ leadership cohort that Pastor Matthew Trexler hosts as The River. This is the second year for half of this group and the third year for others. We’ve seen wonderful encouragement and missional results from these learning experiences.

Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant DS, will be hosting a group meeting in the same location at the same time starting next month. They will have separate learning tracks but will then combine for fellowship over lunch. If you’re a lead pastor passionate for learning and growth, these monthly cohorts are designed for you but space it limited. Please reach out directly to Dr. Chris Willams for more information while there are still openings.
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Monday afternoon I met with Dr. Williams as our Assistant District Superintendent and then connected with General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt to inform them of my decision to retire from the role of district superintendent on December 31, 2025. I shared this news with our DBA members by email on Monday evening and then passed along the same information to our credentialed ministers on Tuesday morning. For your convenience, here’s the link to that document:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XhLyxb2FQFXoiSuTxMe3VIbao4DETP08/view?usp=sharing

I’m deeply grateful to God and to you for the opportunity I’ve had to serve as district superintendent for over 10 years here in Indiana. I am officially retiring from this DS role but I soon hope to share news with you about a new door of service that God could be opening. One thing is already certain, Sherry and I are planning to spend more time investing in our beautiful grandchildren in this next chapter. We might be able to retire from one role, but God’s calling is to a lifetime of ministry.
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Tuesday, Michael Wood and I met in Silver Lake. The church was officially closed earlier this summer. Several issues with the property had been identified so we brought in a professional building inspector. The report will be presented to the DBA for action on September 18.

Wednesday afternoon, I met with Rev. Scott Rhyno, our District Treasurer and pastor at Waterline Church, before connecting with Rev. Wayne and Dr. JoAnne Lyon at their home in Fishers. Dr. Lyon was just finishing up a video recording with Tony Casey and Matthew Tietje for the Wesleyan archives. Stay tuned for some new research resources coming from HQ.
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My last stop on Wednesday was with Pastor Michael Colaw for the last of three vision-casting town halls that he led for Trinity Wesleyan Church. Trinity has been ministering in locations at Allisonville Road, Olio Road, and Garfield Park. The emerging vision would call Trinity to launch 10 new community-based, family-style churches (not campuses) over the next decade. They’re still working through details but this compelling vision speaks beyond “what is now” to prepare for “what is next.” Pray that God will continue to guide Trinity!

Thursday morning, Michael Wood and I connected in Anderson as we finalize plans for the fall schedule. Signups are coming in for the series of “Lunch & Learn” that we’ve scheduled across the district beginning in September. Our first book will be “Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation” by Doug Paul, the consultant who shared with us at district conference. There are still slots available for these gatherings. Lead pastors can sign up here:
​https://forms.gle/p6uuZRDHq99LHYBN7

Pastor Scott Rhyno and the team at Waterline Church in Pendleton hosted the final Saturday of their 21 Days of Prayer campaign. I was glad to worship with them and also had the chance to connect with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, who is a member there. On average, more than 10% of the congregation gathered early each morning for prayer. It’s been an encouraging season of ministry for Waterline with visitors every Sunday since they moved into their new facility. Attendance for the past quarter is up 40% over last summer. They’re rejoicing with over 50 new believers who’ve come to faith in Christ in the past 12 months!

It’s inspiring to hear how God is at work across our district family. Smaller churches and larger churches, city churches and country churches, legacy churches and newly-planted churches all have a role to play. Remeber, it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.
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Rev. Ben Jones leads one of our older, rural congregations that is smaller but growing. Pastor Ben is doing a great job leading this revitalization project! The team at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church (North Liberty) celebrated 6 baptisms last weekend. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!

Westview Wesleyan has long been one of our faithful middle-sized churches serving Grant County. Rev. Ryan Budde shared encouraging news of God working in their congregation this summer including three more baptisms this past weekend. God is on the move!
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Pastor Eric George and the team at Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church in Muncie conducted an outdoor worship service and celebrated four baptisms in their parking lot. Praise the Lord for each one of these four new believers who publicly professed faith in Christ through baptism!
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Pastor Walter Martir and the team at Monte de Sion (Indianapolis) hosted a fellowship and baptism at the lake on Saturday, August 23. Three new believers stepped forward to be baptized as a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God!
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Pastor Dave Leitzel led an outdoor worship service for Hamilton Wesleyan Church on Sunday morning. The highlight of their gathering was three baptisms, every life a story of redemption. Pastor Dave shared that they have 9 more baptisms coming up in the next few weeks!
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​There’s still time to register for the Wesleyan Holiness Connection’s Pastors & Church Leaders Day on Tuesday, September 23. Please click here for more information and registration.
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​Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​P.S. Have you explored the resources available to your church through MissionInsite? Here’s the link and more information:

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​MissionInsite is a comprehensive demographic database tool that equips church leaders with insightful information to help them understand how to impact their community (Jerusalem) and beyond (Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth) with the Gospel. The Wesleyan Church has made this resource available, for free, to local churches.MissionInsite has been providing solutions to churches and regional agencies for over 13 years. Today, they serve over 107,000 faith-based organizations and 175 national and regional church agencies across 20 denominations. Their tool integrates multiple premier data sources including Epsilon, Experian, and Synergos, among other quality demographic research studies. 
Recording of MissionInsite Training

What a joy to worship with Pastor Michael Hewitt and 170 folks who gathered at Rising Hope Church for the two morning services on August 17. Pastor Mike and Kim brought their family to Muncie back in 2017 to launch this new ministry. It’s been a delight to watch how God has been working through their sacrifice and leadership. Last conference year, Rising Hope averaged 148 in worship attendance with 34 professions of faith and 31 baptisms.
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Two new believers were baptized in the second service yesterday. Pictured here is one of the teenagers with Faith Strand, youth pastor, baptizing a high school student she’s been discipling. In addition to loving their local community, Rising Hope has invested significantly in Cafe Con Dios, a church planting initiative in Spain that now includes churches in three cities.

Last week began with our office staff meeting and then connecting with Assistant District Superintendent Dr. Chris Williams in Marion on Monday. Tuesday morning, I met with Pastor Shane Wilson and his team at New Hope Wesleyan Church in Columbia City. The DBA provided training in CliftonStrengths (Gallup StrengthsFinder). I’ve enjoyed every opportunity to serve our district churches with this staff development resource.
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Pastor Shane and the team joined me for lunch following our workshop. God is on the move at New Hope. They averaged 399 in worship attendance last year and celebrated 28 baptisms. The church is on track to be debt-free in the coming year. Their plan is to use this extra margin in their budget to ramp up their missions giving to 10% of their income. Pray for New Hope!

On Wednesday morning, I met with Dr. Eddy Shigley, professor at IWU and one of our circuit riders. I met with Michael Wood in Fishers on Wednesday afternoon and then came back to Fairmount for the first night of Legacy Camp.
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Dr. Joe Harmon was the evangelist for this year’s Legacy Camp at Fairmount Camp. Rev. Ken Dykhoff was back again to lead worship. I was able to attend the Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday evening rallies. Pastor Joe’s messages were timely and anointed.

I was able to hear Dr. Chris Williams preach at the Thursday evening service at The River. Since The River and Lakeview became one church, Dr. Chris has joined the teaching team and serves as an executive pastor. The River opened up this Thursday evening worship opportunity to accommodate growth. Thursday evening worship attendance has been over 200 in the first weeks.
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Friday, I was back in Fishers to meet with Michael Wood as we wrapped up the final edits for this year’s conference journal. Pastors will receive a link to the 2025 Crossroads District Conference Journal this week. Special thanks to Michael for his excellent work in completing this project two weeks ahead of schedule!

I was able to drop in on the Legacy Camp Bible study on Saturday morning. Dr. Amanda Drury shared a powerful teaching on the way that gratitude brings us into the presence of God from Luke 17. You’ll need to ask her the story about her peach tree!
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Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn are working hard at building the launch team for the new church in Fountain Square. We met over lunch for an update and then I joined Pastor Terry for the monthly Urban Pastors Cohort that he leads in Indianapolis. I’m grateful for these leaders who are planting churches in our largest city. The key thought of the day came from Dr. Craig Thurmon when he said, “Is it really ministry if you’re doing it alone?” We’re stronger together!
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I was able to be back at Fairmount for the closing rally of Legacy Camp. This inspirational evening featured the musical ministry of Anchored and another powerful message from Dr. Joe Harmon. Just a reminder that Dr. Harmon is another one of our district’s circuit riders and he is available for special Sundays and revival services. You can reach him at our district office.
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We love to share the encouraging stories of lives being transformed. Pastor Dan Fisher and the team at Delphi Wesleyan Church are rejoicing with three new believers who were baptized yesterday. Pastor Dan also led another lady to the Lord who will be baptized next month. The church in Delphi is praying and believing for 52 conversions this conference year.
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​Don’t miss out on ReEquip, our ministry training day on Saturday, September 27, at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We have breakout sessions for church treasurers, youth leaders, children’s ministry directors, and even sessions on using AI in ministry. Check out the link for more information and registration:
​https://forms.gle/PaW8vrCNatv17ZD87

Pastors, just a reminder that Circuit Riders are scheduled this year at your invitation. You should also have received a link to sign up for our monthly “Lunch and Learn” gatherings. We’re excited to share these times of leadership development and fellowship with you!
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There’s still time to register for the Wesleyan Holiness Connection’s Pastors & Church Leaders Day on Tuesday, September 23. Click here for more information and registration.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Sunday morning, August 10, I had the privilege of preaching at Sheridan Six Points Wesleyan Church. Pastor Scott McDermid is away on a much-deserved sabbatical. I was glad to be one of several preachers who stepped up to supply the pulpit in his absence. Pastor Scott assigned the passages for our sermons. It was my joy to preach from 2nd Peter, chapter 1. God has blessed the ministry at Six Points with more than a dozen baptisms last year.
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On the way to Sheridan’s 10 AM service, I was able to drop in on Pastor Andy Riemersma and the team at ONE Church in Westfield. It was encouraging to see the attendance and spirit of worship. I was also able to see Michael Wood in action on the soundboard!
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Last week’s schedule included a first for our Crossroads District. The River Church launched a new Thursday evening service to accommodate continued growth. I was able to drop in on the service along with more than 200 others. Pastor Matthew Trexler and his team are working on the renovation plans to relocate the congregation to the south (former Lakeview) campus as quickly as possible. Pray for God’s wisdom and provision.
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Meetings and in-person coaching conversations last week included Rev. Mike Colaw (Indianapolis Trinity), Rev. Randy Yaryan (Winchester), Rev. Carla Working (DBMD), and Dr. David Smith (Circuit Riders). Michael Wood and I met in Indianapolis for planning sessions on Monday and again on Wednesday. The Crossroads District Christmas gathering will be at IWU again this year on the first weekend of December (December 5/6).

Nothing is more exciting than to hear about how God is at work in our churches and changing lives for eternity! Rev. Barry Dixon passed along the good word that Indianapolis Calvary Family Church baptized five new believers on Sunday, August 10. Last conference year they celebrated four baptisms. They’ve already surpassed that mark in the first four months of the new conference year. Praise the Lord!
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Pastor Lyle Breeding and the team at Bluffton Sonlight Wesleyan Church had another day of celebration with six new believers publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ. Sonlight had a wonderful year of ministry last conference year with 35 professions of faith and 29 baptisms. This conference year is off to a great start!
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Pastor Sam Maddox led the team at Albion Wesleyan Church in another Saturday outreach to bless their neighborhood. They set up tents in their parking lot with free food, giveaways, music, and a Gospel presentation. Four new believers were baptized! Praise God!
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Pastor Ed Friberg and the team at Shiloh Wesleyan Church (Plymouth) are praising God for lives being #MadeNew! Yesterday, after the morning worship service, the congregation gathered for a church family picnic and baptism. Pastor Ed shared that they already have at least one more baptism signed up for September!
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Fairmount Camp extends a warm welcome to the Crossroads District family to join them for Legacy Camp. Services will be held at 6:30 each evening beginning this Wednesday, August 13. Dr. Joe Harmon, former pastor of Eastview Wesleyan Church, will be the camp evangelist. I’ll look forward to seeing you there!
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Mark your calendars and bring your teams! September 27 will be the next ReEquip Experience for pastors and lay leaders. We’ll be gathering in Marion for this fast-paced morning of learning (from 9:00-12:00). Want to know more about best practices for church finances, or how to effectively and ethically use AI, or how your team can better serve teenagers and children? All this and more! Watch for the registration form coming next week.
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​Thank you for all you do to advance God’s Kingdom!

Your servant in Christ,

​​Mark Gorveatte

Carmel Iglesia Amistad Christiana (Christian Fellowship Church) celebrated 25 years of ministry yesterday in a special service led by Rev. Lily Kurker and her team. The music was inspiring, the memories shared were encouraging, and the fellowship meal that followed was nourishing. I was honored to represent our Crossroads District team at this happy occasion.

Rev. Mark and Anna James were leading the ministry of Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church back in 2000 when the vision of a new Hispanic ministry was launched. Founding pastors Rev. Tomasa Granados and her husband moved from California to plant this new congregation.

In addition to becoming a healthy church, this congregation has raised up laborers for the Harvest and helped to plant other churches. Today, the church averages 80 in worship and ministers to Spanish-speaking congregants from many nations.

The service at Amistad began at 11, so I had time to drop in on Pastor Scott Rhyno and the team at Waterline Church for the 9 a.m. worship service in Pendleton. God has been blessing the ministry of Waterline with 40 professions of faith and 18 baptisms in the past conference year. Worship attendance for the past 12 weeks is up over 40% from the same 12 weeks last year.
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Sherry and I had a great time away for three weeks of vacation. Thank you to Michael Wood and Dr. Chris Williams for carrying extra responsibility in my absence. It was good to get back in time to be part of the 40 leaders from Crossroads District who participated in this year’s GROW Conference at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference began on Tuesday evening and concluded at noon on Thursday. The speakers were anointed and the worship times were refreshing. The conference was great, but another highlight were the conversations on the way home with Michael Wood, Rob Tippey, and Andy Riemersma!
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We are always excited to share the stories of life change that come in from baptism services at our Crossroads District churches. If you’ve not yet scheduled a fall baptism service, pray about it, put it on your calendar, and publicly challenge people to take this next step of discipleship.

Pastor Steve DeNeff and the team at College Wesleyan Church passed along a report celebrating 3 baptisms last week. Praise the Lord!
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Pastor Terry Vaughn and the team at The Bridge in Mishawaka celebrated two more believers being baptized on Sunday. Continue to pray for Pastor Terry and Lennaire as they build their launch team for the new church in downtown Indianapolis.
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Pastor Matthew Trexler and the team at The River Church celebrated 20 baptisms yesterday. Combined attendance between the Marion campus and the Chesterton campus topped 2000. Pray for them as they prepare to launch their new Thursday evening venue for worship.
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Mark your calendars and bring your teams! September 27 will be the next ReEquip Experience for pastors and lay leaders. We’ll be gathering in Marion for this fast-paced morning (9 until noon) of learning. Want to know more about best practices for church finances, or how to effectively and ethically use AI, or how your team can better serve teenagers and children? All this and more! Watch for the registration form coming next week.
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We’re also pleased to announce that IWU is hosting the Wesleyan Holiness Connection for a Pastors & Church Leaders Day on Tuesday, September 23. Click here for more information and registration.

The Wesleyan Church is hosting regional youth events this fall with the closest one coming to Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday, October 24-25. Our own Andy Riemersma is one of the featured artists. For more information, here’s the link:
​https://wesleyan.org/empoweredtour2025

Thank you for all you do to advance God’s Kingdom!

Your servant in Christ,

​Mark Gorveatte