I’m traveling to Oklahoma Wesleyan University this week and Michael Wood, our District Administrator, is on a well-deserved family vacation, so this is an abbreviated team update. Stay tuned for more next week! Sunday morning, October 27, Rev. Zach Working and the team at Huntington Hope Rising Church welcomed me to bring greetings from our district team and the message from God’s Word. God has been blessing this turnaround ministry and it was a joy to worship with them. Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant DS and pastor of Lakeview Wesleyan Church, hosted leaders from three churches on Saturday for the Next Level church workshop. Dr. Williams will host another group in the spring so if you missed out on this opportunity, let us know so we can add your team to the waiting list. Rev. Jeff Luedtke and the team at Fairmount Wesleyan Church reported in with two baptisms on October 20. It is encouraging to hear how God is moving at Fairmount Wesleyan! Dr. Craig Thurmon, District Secretary and church planter, reported in with two more baptisms at The Encounter Assembly on the east side of Indianapolis. Praise God for lives #MadeNew! Pastor Joe Jackson and Anderson United Wesleyan Church are celebrating two members of their youth group who publicly professed their faith in Christ through water baptism yesterday! Pastor Michael Gallant and the team at Mt. Etna Community Life Church are rejoicing in five more baptisms! Community Life Church is one of our newest congregations having joined us in the last two years after disaffiliating from their previous denomination. The church is growing and these baptisms are just the latest evidence of God’s gracious hand on their ministry. I would welcome your prayers for traveling mercies and productive conversations with potential church planters at OKWU! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte / Crossroads District Superintendent What a great day! Pastor Scott Rhyno and the team at Waterline Church in Pendleton/Ingalls celebrated the grand opening of their first permanent facility. The first thirteen years for Waterline, since being planted by John and Danielle Freed, were in a series of temporary facilities with setup and storage almost every weekend. God opened the door for a long-term lease in a multipurpose space that Waterline’s team transformed into a welcoming worship center. They hosted a community outreach event on Saturday that welcomed more than 100 neighbors. On Sunday, they launched with two morning services (9 and 11) and needed the space for 170 (net) attending. The most exciting part of the day was four baptisms. Two of those baptisms came as a result of the husband laying tile in the facility. God used what he heard and saw in the lives of the Waterline volunteers. He prayed to receive Christ and then yesterday, he and his wife drove all the way from Louisville to be baptized. God is on the move at Waterline! Sunday evening, I had the privilege of installing Rev. Edward Silliman as pastor at Nelson Street Wesleyan Church in Marion. Pastor Ed and Bonnie Silliman have been warmly welcomed by the congregation. The church has been doing community outreach on Saturdays and they have welcomed between 30 and 40 guests for these events. Monday morning, I was in Marion to meet with our district staff and also had the opportunity to check in with Rev. Carla Working’s cohort meeting at The River Church. I’m grateful for Carla’s willingness to invest in our women in ministry each month. Pastoral search season came early this year. On Monday evening, I met with the LBA at Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church to begin their search process with the announced transition of Rev. Johnnie Blair. Then on Wednesday evening, I met with the LBA at Mount Etna Community Life Church where Pastor Mike Gallant has announced his retirement. This pastoral search process will be a new experience for this congregation which recently joined our district family. Last week included coaching conversations with Rev. Shane Wilson (Columbia City New Hope), Rev. Ed Friberg (Plymouth Shiloh), Jerry Smith (Tipton Ash Street), Rev. Jarod Osborne (Warsaw Pathway), Rev. Matt Ohime (Hamlet Davis), and Rev. Jere Gowin (Kingsford Heights). I’m grateful for our leaders who faithfully serve in such a variety of contexts. When I was heading north last week, I dropped in at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. It was encouraging to see the generosity of our churches and other community groups that are pitching in to provide relief for the flood victims in North Carolina. Assistant Pastor Levi Lehman was coordinating the packaging of contributions for the second semi-trailer. If the generosity continues at this pace, they’re looking at sending our third trailer load next week. I’m grateful for the volunteers from our district who accompanied Rev. Don. Bayne (New Carlisle Wesleyan) to serve in North Carolina last week. Pastor Ben Jones is taking another team back to North Carolina to help with unloading the delivery truck and they will also assist with the cleanup efforts. Ben’s team will need to be able to lift 30 lbs. You will need to bring a sleeping bag, air mattress, bedding, and towels. If you’d like to join Ben’s team, you can contact him via email: [email protected]. The pastors in NC report that they need volunteers to help with the work since their teams have been doing it nonstop since the crisis started. They are grateful for people who are flexible and willing to serve. The week closed out with a delightful “Pastors and Spouses’ Brunch” hosted by Pastor Jeff Luedtke’s team at The Branch Cafe in Fairmount. We enjoyed a delicious meal, great fellowship, and some fun door prizes. Our next get-together is scheduled for November 16 at Waterline Church. The RSVP link is still open for pastors to register. This is Pastor Appreciation Month and Wesleyan Publishing House is offering a 25% discount code for Wesleyan pastors. Just click on the link or scan the QR code to take advantage of this special offer: Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church celebrated another baptism yesterday. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew! Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. All credentialed ministers appointed to local church service are invited to save the date of December 7 for our Christmas gathering. This Saturday brunch will be hosted on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University and will feature a Christmas concert from the IWU Chorale. Seating is limited, and a link to RSVP has been sent to pastors. Sunday morning, October 13, I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Andy Riemersma and the team at ONE Church in Westfield. These are exciting days at ONE Church as they prepare to relaunch ministry in the new Westfield YMCA in January. This young church has already baptized 13 new believers in this conference year. Pray that God will continue to bless this ministry that is so passionately committed to reaching everyone in their community who is still unreached. Sunday afternoon, I was back in Marion to check in with Rev. Don Bayne (New Carlisle Wesleyan Church) and the team heading for North Carolina. Thank you to every church that has already generously donated and to those churches that will be donating as the second semi-trailer leaves from Plymouth next week. We prayed with Pastor Don and the other seven volunteers including Rev. Andrew Colaw (New Carlisle Wesleyan) and Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek Wesleyan) who are traveling together to serve in cleanup operations over the next three days. Special thanks to the management team at Keller Trucking for providing the semi-trailer and to Rev. Wes Munsell for volunteering his time to drive roundtrip to make this crisis response possible, transporting nearly 35,000 lbs of supplies! Special thanks also to Rev. Christian Kelly and Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church for graciously serving as the collection site for this initiative. This year, I committed to our DBA that I would make recruiting visits to all five of our Wesleyan colleges. My first stop was at Kingswood University back in September and this past week I was on campus at IWU for three days. Dr. Mike Tapper welcomed me into his Systematic Theology class on Tuesday. Dr. David Vardaman welcomed me into his Church Leadership class that same day and I enjoyed the guest lecturer, Dr. Chris Williams (Lakeview Wesleyan), who made a masterful presentation on leading change in the church. I was back on Wednesday for a lunch meeting with students and faculty. Pastors, if you’ve not been on campus lately, take time to connect with our professors and students in the School of Theology and Ministry (STM). My last day on campus concluded with a time of questions and answers in Dr. Eddy Shigley’s course on Evangelism and Discipleship. It was encouraging to catch up with so many faculty and students from the Crossroads District. Other meetings last week included meeting with the LBA at Six Points Church in Sheridan, signing closing documents for a district property in Kokomo, and a lunch meeting on Friday with our new district treasurer, Rev. Scott Rhyno. I was delighted to host a couple from Kingswood University for a weekend vision tour as they consider ministry opportunities. On Saturday, we dropped in at the FUEL conference, checked out Waterline’s new facility in Pendleton with Pastor Rhyno, and finished the day with supper in Union City with Assistant District Superintendent Grace Lopez and Rev. Neftali Lopez. We also dropped in to visit Pastor Claudia Ruiz Wilson and the Casa de Oracion campus. We continue to rejoice as stories come in from across our Crossroads District where God is changing lives. Pastor Noah Farmer and the team at Eastview Wesleyan Church dedicated three children and baptized four new believers yesterday. Praise the Lord! Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church are celebrating one more public profession of faith through water baptism. Pastor Sam texted me “God is on the move!” Dr. Chris Williams and the team at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion celebrated as four more new believers stepped out in obedience to be baptized in water. Lives #MadeNew! One special note from the Lakeview baptism was having Rev. Duane Seitz (Silver Lake Wesleyan) come back to baptize his great-granddaughter, Mallie Fritch. What a special blessing for both of them! Prayer is requested for Pastor Randy Yaryan (Winchester Wesleyan) who fell from a ladder last week and severely injured his back. The surgery procedure on Saturday included 8 screws and 2 rods. Doctors anticipate a 6-8 weeks recovery period. Thank you in advance for your prayers! Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. All credentialed ministers appointed to local church service are invited to save the date of December 7 for our Christmas gathering. This Saturday brunch will be hosted on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University and will feature a Christmas concert from the IWU Chorale. Seating is limited, and a link to RSVP will be sent out this week! Sunday morning, October 6, I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Chris Taylor and his team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. Pastor Chris is off to a strong start. The sanctuary has been updated since my last visit with new carpeting and video projection upgrades. Attendance is growing in both services. Most importantly, they’ve launched one-on-one discipleship with 60 more people signing on just last weekend. The response to the Hurricane Helene relief challenge has been so strong that they may be loading a tractor-trailer just from their community. After preaching in both services, I had the joy of hosting their family for lunch. Lisa Taylor, in addition to being the pastor’s wife, leads the growing childcare ministry that Plymouth Wesleyan offers to the community. Pastor Chris Taylor also graciously hosts the monthly leadership cohort that Dr. Chris Williams facilitates for pastors in the South Bend region. Sunday evening, I joined Pastor Duncan Prior at Laketon Wesleyan Church for a special LCC (Local Church Conference) to receive new members, elect new board members to fill some vacancies, and to install the new leadership team. I was encouraged to see the progress at the church as Pastor Duncan and Elaine build on the strong foundation that Rev. David and Suzanne Cox laid in this revitalized congregation. God is still doing great things in small towns! Last week began with our staff meeting on Monday before heading out to sign property sale documents for Fort Wayne Three Rivers Church. On Tuesday, I was back on the road for coaching conversations. My first stop was in Logansport with Pastor Zach Szmara at The Bridge. Zach and the team at Immigrant Connection just completed their national conference last week and celebrated the remarkable growth of this ministry in the first 10 years. The Mexican consulate from Chicago was setting up their remote services again at The Bridge. This program serves hundreds of people in the course of just a few days and The Bridge has hosted the consulate staff for several years. Thank you, Pastor Zach, for your vision and for the incredible first 10 years for Immigrant Connection! From Logansport, it was a quick drive over to Rochester to meet with Pastor Martin Furrow (The Cross) and then on to Plymouth to connect with Pastor Matthew Ohime (Davis Wesleyan) before heading home. Wednesday’s coaching conversations began with Pastor Paul Van Cise (Bryant Wesleyan Church). My next stop was with Pastor David Dignal (Edgerton Wesleyan Church) before heading south to Indianapolis for a meeting with Pastor Ervin Webster (St. Stephen) and then wrapping up the day at SoBro Church (formerly Divine Direction) in a coaching conversation with Pastor Jerome Anderson. For those of you, like me, who didn’t know, SoBro is the local designation for the South Broad Ripple neighborhood in Indianapolis. The church leaders proposed and the DBA approved the name change to better connect with their mission field. SoBro Church has recently welcomed new families from Nigeria and Honduras. Pictured above is the SoBro team from their recent community clean-up day. Thursday, I was in New Castle for coaching conversations. I met with Pastor Ron Ferguson (Grant City Wesleyan) and with Rev. Mark Wooten (Memorial Drive Wesleyan). Pastor Mark is one of the newer team members in our district, transferring to us from the Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Mark and Pam, his wife, recently launched Castle Kids, a before and after-school program for children that is helping them connect with new families. Please remember that October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Lay leaders can find free resources at this link: https://www.wesleyan.org/event/pam-2024 We love to celebrate the stories of life change that come in from our Crossroads District team. Last week, we had just sent out the team update without any baptism reports. Minutes later, I received good news from Pastor Michael Hewitt that Rising Hope Church in Muncie had baptized three new believers on Sunday, September 29! Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of Pastor Matthew and Nicole Trexler planting The River Church in their living room. From that small group to more than 1500 that gathered yesterday, God continues to change lives through this dynamic ministry. Eight more new believers were baptized yesterday! Pastor Andy Cole had Assistant Pastor Naomi Small lead in a special Family Sunday at Lapel Daybreak Church which included the dedication of three babies and one baptism! God is continuing to write redemption stories at New Journey Church in Wabash as Pastor Rob Tippey and his team reach out into the community. Praise God for lives #MadeNew! Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church are praising God for nine new members joining their church family and another baptism. God is on the move in Albion! Pastor Nathan Richardson has been praying about ways the Southview Church in Indianapolis could better connect with the growing Hispanic community in their neighborhood. Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson, pastor of the Casa Network, had recently started a home group on the south side of Indy. She and Pastor Nathan are strategizing for the best way to work together to reach these new neighbors. Yesterday, they worshiped together for the first time. Next Sunday, Pastor Claudia will be preaching at Southview. Pray that God will guide and bless this partnership! Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers are extended to Rev. Don Bayne on the loss of his father, Donald, last week. Pastor Don will take part in the funeral but also plans to lead the response team to North Carolina next Sunday afternoon. Pastors will receive a direct email on funeral arrangements. Thank you to every pastor and each church that has already generously responded to the challenge from our Crossroads District to provide relief to our friends in North Carolina. Special thanks to Dr. Jon Kulaga and his leadership team at Indiana Wesleyan University who generously donated $2000 for this district relief project. Just a reminder that the most urgently needed items are:
We invite you to collect these supplies and drop them off at Lakeview Wesleyan Church (5316 S Western Ave, Marion, IN 46953) on Saturday, October 12 or Sunday, October 13 before 2:00 PM. Look for the large box truck in the parking lot. Your contributions will make a significant impact on the communities affected by this devastating storm. For updates from district leaders in the affected areas, please visit www.wesleyan.org/helene. Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. All credentialed ministers appointed to local church service are invited to save the date of December 7 for our Christmas gathering. This Saturday brunch will be hosted on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University and will feature a Christmas concert from the IWU Chorale. More details to follow. Seating is limited, and a link to RSVP will be sent out soon. |
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