Sunday morning, September 15, began with a wonderful time of worship and fellowship at Three Rivers Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne. Pastor Kyle Horton and his team gave me a warm welcome. Dan Kensinger was honored by Pastor Kyle as volunteer of the month. I was glad to preach and bring greetings from our district team. Following the service, Pastor Kyle and I briefly met with the LBA (local board of administration).
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I left Fort Wayne in time to join Pastor Janiel Caraballo and the team at The Exit Church in Anderson for the launching service of our newest church plant. Special thanks to Pastor Michael Hewitt and Rising Hope Church for coaching and sending the Caraballo family to begin this new work. Pastor Jerry Alexander and the team at Living Hope Church are to be commended for their vision and generosity in hosting this new congregation.
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It was a wonderful celebration service that concluded with their first baptism service. Pray for Pastor Janiel and Leana as they build on this strong beginning and create a movement of disciples making disciples. I was grateful to see several of our area pastors show up to demonstrate their support for this family and this exciting new project.
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Pastor Mike’s team from Rising Hope joined the celebration with two baptisms for their congregation. We plant new churches to reach new community groups and the next generation for Christ. Let’s keep on multiplying disciples and churches until Jesus comes!
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Sunday evening, more than 400 pastors, family, and friends gathered in Marion for the Crossroads District ordination service. Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent brought the message from God’s Word and presided over the ritual of ordination. We ordained nine new ministers of the Gospel and welcomed three transferring ministers from other fellowships.
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Dr. Chris Williams and the team at Lakeview Wesleyan Church did a great job hosting the event. Rev. Carla Working and the DBMD are to be commended for the excellent work they did in preparing these candidates for ordination. Praise God that He is still calling and sending laborers into His harvest field!
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President Lennox was a gracious host and made it possible for me to meet with students and faculty members. We’re always looking for church planters so I was delighted for several conversations about those possibilities. Another highlight of my time at Kingswood was hearing Rev. Matthew DePrez (pastor of Inspire Church in Fremont, MI and a Kingswood alumnus). Pray for Kingswood as Dr. Lennox retires this next year and as the presidential search team convenes.
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I arrived back in time to meet with a new mentoring group of young leaders on the IWU campus. Levi Trexler and Elliot Williams brought along friends for a conversation on Oswald Sanders’ classic book, Spiritual Leadership. I’m looking forward to connecting monthly with them throughout this school year.
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Saturday morning, Sherry and I hosted our first monthly pastors and spouses brunch. This first group met in Warsaw at the Crazy Egg. We had great conversations and a meaningful time of prayer to close our time together. Our next monthly brunch will be at The Branch in Fairmount on October 19. Pastors will receive the link for signing up to confirm their attendance.
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From Warsaw, Sherry and I drove on the Plymouth in time to connect with Dr. Chris Williams and the leadership cohort that he’s working with each month. Leaders get better when they learn from other leaders and when the leader gets better everyone benefits! Dr. Williams has a couple of slots left in the Plymouth group and in the Marion group. Contact him directly ASAP if you’d like to jump in with one of these cohorts.
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Nothing brings us greater joy than to hear stories of lives being transformed by the power of the Gospel. Dr. Craig Thurmon and The Encounter Assembly celebrated five baptisms yesterday morning. We are so grateful for the wonderful work that Pastor Craig and Tiffany are doing in planting this church which began online during the pandemic. We’re believing with them for great days ahead at TEA!
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Each year, our district conference receives reports from our various ministry champions. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing several of those reports for you to enjoy. Every ministry matters and we’re grateful for the outstanding ministers who generously provided point leadership for these initiatives last year. This week’s excellent report is from one of our circuit riders, Dr. Lo. Read his report at this link.
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​​Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity!
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​Your servant in Christ,

​Mark Gorveatte
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​Crossroads District Superintendent​

Sunday, September 8, marked the 100th anniversary for Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. Pastor Noah Farmer and his team hosted a community concert on Saturday evening with more than 1000 present and then welcomed nearly 400 people for the morning worship service. Dr. Wayne Schmidt, General Superintendent, brought congratulations from The Wesleyan Church and I brought greetings from our district family. Pastor Noah preached a message challenging the church to stay on mission and then concluded the service by leading the church in celebrating three baptisms!
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Sunday afternoon, I traveled to Lafayette to meet with leaders at The Branch Wesleyan Church to work with them on securing transitional pastoral leadership. Please keep The Branch in your prayers.

Welcome home to Rev. and Mrs. Philip Trent! Rev. Trent, who has been serving in Illinois, is coming back to Parkview Wesleyan Church in Chesterfield. Parkview was planted by Rev. Trent’s grandfather and was later pastored by Rev. Paul Trent, Philip’s father. The members voted 100% to extend the call to Pastor Philip and we look forward to welcoming their family back to the Crossroads District.
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Last week’s schedule was abbreviated with Labor Day Monday, but I enjoyed connecting with Dr. Steve DeNeff (College Wesleyan), Rev. Scott McDermid (Sheridan Six Points), Dr. Morris Jones (Lebanon Wesleyan), and Rev. Randy Yaryan (Winchester Wesleyan) for our annual coaching conversations.

Darah Martin, our office assistant, and I met with Lasana Williams Ritchie to learn more about the prayer retreat ministry that she leads from her home in Marion. Lasana, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Wilbur Williams, also offers prayer seminars for local churches. Her ministry was highlighted this summer at Fairmount Camp and you can learn more about her work from her website: creatingfromhisimprint.com
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Through the generosity of the DBA, we provide StrengthFinders coaching for free to our pastors and church leadership teams. I was able to meet with one of our emerging leaders for a one-on-one coaching session on Saturday and also enjoyed the opportunity of working with Rev. Andy Jellison’s team at Lifeway Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne on Wednesday. If you or your team would like to include this in your staff development, just reach out to our office.
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Nothing brings us greater joy than to hear the stories of new believers taking the step of obedience to publicly profess their new life in Christ through the sacrament of baptism. Rev. Nathan Richardson and the team at Southview Wesleyan Church are rejoicing with a young man who took that step of faith on Sunday morning. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!

Rev. Michael Hewitt and the team at Rising Hope Church in Muncie are thrilled to share the news of a young woman’s baptism this past Sunday. What ​a joy to see lives changed by God’s love!

​The Crossroads District is excited to offer a FREE online course on Wesleyan Church History and Discipline! If you or someone you know still needs to fulfill this requirement for credentialing, this is the perfect opportunity. Classes will be held Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:30 PM, starting September 26 for 8 sessions. Click Here to register.​
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​Each year, our district conference receives reports from our various ministry champions. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing several of those reports for you to enjoy. Every ministry matters and we’re grateful for the outstanding ministers who generously provide point leadership for these initiatives. This week’s excellent report is from one of our circuit riders, Rev, Mark Atkinson. Click Here to read his report.
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​​Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity!
​
​Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte
​
​Crossroads District Superintendent

*** Save the Date: June 28, 2025 District Conference!

Sunday, September 1, Sherry and I worshiped outdoors with Pastor Scott Rhyno and the team at Waterline Church in Ingalls Park as they prepared to move into their permanent facility next weekend. It’s been a challenging year but the congregation has held together and there was excitement in the air as they make this move. Waterline has sponsored Alpha in the past and already has community members who have signed up for the new semester of Alpha starting this month. God is on the move in Ingalls!
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The family highlight this Labor Day weekend was welcoming home three of our four children with their spouses along with 3 of our 5 grandchildren. The happy occasion that brought us all together was Dr. Sherry Gorveatte’s birthday on September 1. We celebrated with family and friends on Sunday evening and then Dr. G completed a six-mile walk on Monday to mark the milestone. Sherry began her new career last month as college professor at Taylor University teaching accounting in the Cornwall School of Business. God has been so good!
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Another milestone was marked on Thursday, August 29, when Rev. Duane (pastor at Silver Lake Wesleyan Church) and JoEllen Seitz celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to this wonderful couple who have served Christ together for seven decades!
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​We continue to celebrate stories of lives being changed by the Gospel. Baptism reports are one of the ways that we are able to catch a glimpse of God at work in our churches. Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn shared the good news of another baptism last weekend at The Bridge Urban Church in Mishawaka. I met with the Vaughns in Indianapolis on Saturday to hear more about the steps they are taking to launch a campus of The Bridge in the Fountain Square neighborhood.
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Pastor Scott McDermid and the team at Sheridan Six Points Church celebrated another baptism last weekend. Praise the Lord for young ones responding to the Gospel!
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Rev. Michael Hewitt and the team at Rising Hope Church in Muncie are praising God for two more people who publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism this Sunday!
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Rev. Matthew Trexler and the team at The River Church are praising God for nine more baptisms on Sunday morning. We rejoice with all these lives #MadeNew!
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PRIORITY for ALL Credentialed Ministers in the Crossroads District: We will gather for the Celebration of Ministry on September 15, 5 p.m., at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. The ordained ministers will meet promptly at 4:30 for our group photo and directions for our participation in the service. The service begins promptly at 5 p.m. led by our General Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Schmidt. We will also celebrate retiring ministers and those who have achieved decadal milestones in their ministry. The ordination service will be followed by a reception to greet those newly ordained and for a time of fellowship.
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Each year, our district conference receives reports from our various ministry champions. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing several of those reports for you to enjoy. Every ministry matters and we’re grateful for the outstanding ministers who generously provide point leadership for these initiatives. This week’s excellent report is from one of our circuit riders, Dr. David Smith. Read his report at this link.
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​​Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity!
​
​Your servant in Christ,

​Mark Gorveatte
​
​Crossroads District Superintendent