Sunday morning, October 26, Pastor Janiel and Leana Caraballo welcomed me to worship with them at The Exit Church in Anderson. This new bilingual congregation was launched just over a year ago. Pastor Jerry Alexander and the team at Living Hope Church graciously host this new gathering in their fellowship hall. The church is uniquely positioned to minister in Anderson with a team comprised of Hispanic, African-American, and Anglo leaders. Pastor Janiel does team teaching with younger ministers and he also translates his messages from English to Spanish sentence by sentence. Please keep this team in your prayers as they enter their second year of ministry!
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On my way to Exit’s 10:30 service, I dropped in on Rev. Scott Rhyno and his team at Waterline Church in Pendleton for their 9 a.m. worship gathering. Pastor Scott is another of our effective ministers who leads a growing congregation and also serves in the marketplace. It was great to see Rev. Bern Lytle, retired Wesleyan pastor, who exemplifies servant leadership in supporting his local church in retirement. Bern was serving on the greeting team for the 9 a.m. service. He and Cathy have also led Alpha groups in their home to reach their neighbors. These are exciting days at Waterline Church!
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My last stop for the day was at ARISE Church in Roanoke on Sunday afternoon. Like many of our churches, ARISE takes advantage of this fall harvest season to host a creative outreach event. Pastor Aldean Pablo and his team welcomed a great crowd from their community for a fall festival with games, prizes, and hayrides. Craig Groeschel sometimes puts it this way: “we’ll do anything short of sin to reach one more person for Christ.”
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Last Monday, I was in Marion to check in with Dr. Chris Williams and the monthly leadership development cohort that he convenes. They have coordinated their schedule so they can meet at The River on the same day as Pastor Trexler’s cohort. This allows them to share lunch together with a broader cross-section of our district team.
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​Monday evening, I met with Pastor Kyle Horton and the LBA at Three Rivers Church in Fort Wayne. We completed the quadrennial review of Pastor Kyle’s extended call. The LBA unanimously affirmed his continued service. They are wisely making provisions for his next sabbatical in 2028.
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Tuesday, I was able to jump on the Zoom call hosted by Wesleyan HQ to allow General Board members and district superintendents to preview the revised General Board Policy on Ministerial Discipline and Restoration. These are policies we hope to never have to use!

Wednesday, I was on the road for our “Lunch & Learn” meeting in Lafayette and then drove back through Frankfort to interview an exceptional pastor interested in transferring to us from a sister denomination.

Thursday, Michael Wood joined me to host the “Lunch & Learn” for our Anderson area pastors. It’s so encouraging to hear the reports from how God is at work in the churches across our district. We have one more Lunch & Learn coming up this week, Tuesday (11:30-1:00) in Plymouth. Our theme this month has been pastors who shepherd well.

Friday, I was on the road to sign closing docs for RE.THINK Church in Merrillville. Pastor Marc and Heather Ulrich are doing a great job leading this growing ministry. They were able to purchase their own home this past year so the church sold the parsonage to care for improvements at their worship facility.

My last stop on Friday was at Daybreak Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. Dr. Ed Love and his team at the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Department sponsored a regional youth/young adult event called the “Empowered Tour” on Friday and Saturday.

The Crossroads District was well represented with youth groups from Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie, Westfield, and Winchester (and I may have missed some). Special thanks to lead pastors like Rev. Randy Yaryan (Winchester) and Rev. Andy Riemersma (Westfield) who joined with the teenagers for this important gathering.
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Pastor Andy Riemersma was also one of the featured musical artists and then he spoke in the closing rally. Pray for the many students who made spiritual commitments and answered the call to ministry!
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All Crossroads District retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for our fall brunch and fellowship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. This is the first year since Dr. Lyon officially “retired” but she and Wayne are both staying very busy.
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​Come join us for this special occasion. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. - If you’d like to catch inspiring sessions from leaders like Francis Chan, Ed Stetzer, and Derwin Gray, you can join the Exponential National Conference (West) for free via livestream starting tomorrow. Watch at: exponential.org/live

Sunday morning, October 19, Mt. Etna Community Life Church celebrated the installation of Rev. Jorden Green as their new pastor. I brought greetings on behalf of the Crossroads District and led the installation ritual. CLC is one of our new congregations that came to us after disaffiliating from their previous denomination.
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The church has a wonderful multi-purpose facility on the corner of Hwy 9 and Hwy 124 just south of Huntington. The congregation spans multiple generations with a vibrant children’s ministry. Pray for Pastor Jorden and Lydia as their family transitions into a new community and church family.
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On my way to Mt. Etna, I was able to drop in on Pastor Rick and Cindy Carder at Lancaster Wesleyan Church. God is blessing the ministry to children and their families in the surrounding community. Attendance continues to grow with 68 last week. One of the most exciting reports was that their Faith Promise offering for missions surpassed last year’s goal and the pledges for this year have topped $18,000. We’re grateful for the way that God is blessing the ministry of Rev. Carder in this new assignment!
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Eastview Wesleyan Church welcomed Chad Harbert as their new youth pastor yesterday. Chad (an IWU grad) and Emma, his wife, are excited to join with Pastor Noah Farmer’s staff at Eastview. We are delighted to welcome them to the Crossroads District team!
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Last week was another exciting week of Kingdom advancement. The River continued hosting Freedom Nights at their south campus on Monday and Tuesday night. I was able to be there for the Monday rally. Guest preacher J.C. Worley, pastor of GO Church in Atlanta, brought a challenging message and the service closed with the baptism of three new believers who came to Christ on Sunday.
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I made a quick trip to Atlanta on Tuesday for a WIF meeting and then joined Michael Wood on Wednesday to host a “Lunch & Learn” gathering in Indianapolis. This month’s “L&L” gatherings are focused on the pastor as shepherd. Pastors shared positive updates from their ministries, and we reflected on the leaders who have deeply impacted our lives through shepherding. We have two more “Lunch & Learn” gatherings coming up this week in Lafayette on Wednesday and in Anderson on Thursday.
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Kingswood University has a new president. Rev. Dr. Rick Christman (an IWU alumnus) was inaugurated on Friday night at the Saunders-Irving Chapel with a strong group of denominational leaders attending. I was grateful for the opportunity to be present for this special occasion at the college where I served as president from 2010-2015. Kingswood has a special place in my heart as the college my parents and our four children attended. Dr. Christman is eminently qualified for this new appointment but the challenge of leading a Christian college is daunting, especially in Canada. Please keep President Christman and the KU team in your prayers.
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I flew in on Thursday evening and had the opportunity to hear General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt preach in Kingswood’s Friday morning chapel service. He taught from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 on the impact of living a life that is sanctified “Through and Through.” Listening to Dr. Schmidt preach again brought back wonderful memories from the decade that our family sat under his ministry at Kentwood Community Church. Pray for Dr. Schmidt as he leads The Wesleyan Church toward our 15th General Conference at IWU, May 17-20.
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Nothing is more encouraging that sharing reports of God changing lives through the ministry of churches in our district. Pastor Scott Ferguson checked in with the great news that Harvest Church (McCordsville) celebrated two more baptisms this Sunday. Each of these new believers have just been coming to Harvest for the past several weeks. Dr. David Smith, District Circuit Rider, brought the morning message. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!
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Please pray for our teenagers and their leaders who will be traveling to Grand Rapids this Friday, October 24, for the Wesleyan Youth Regional Gathering. “EMPOWERED” will be hosted by Daybreak Church and will feature ministry by our own Rev. Andy Riemersma (ONE Church) and Kingdom Collective.
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​These Wesleyan Youth events have been blessed by the Lord over the years to see thousands of teenagers surrender their lives to Christ. Many have answered God’s call to pastor ministry and world missions in these rallies. Pray that God will do it again!

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

Your servant in Christ

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. - Retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for the Fall Retired Ministers and Spouses Gathering on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

Sunday night, October 12, The River Church hosted the first of three “Freedom Nights” at their south campus (formerly Lakeview) with more than 1000 people gathering for worship and anointed preaching by Rev. John Ott. Pastor Ott was on staff at Lakeview Wesleyan Church before leading the team at Parkway Church in Roanoke, Virginia. While at Parkway, Pastor John hired Matthew as his youth pastor and began mentoring this future church planter.
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When God called Matthew and Nicole Trexler to plant The River, Pastor John and the Parkway Church stepped up to generously invest in the dream. It was a powerful moment last night with Pastor Trexler honoring Pastor Ott in this special service. The altars were lined with people responding to the call to make Jesus the Lord of every area of their life and walk in freedom. Freedom Nights continue at 6:30 pm on Monday with J.C. Worley (GO Church in Atlanta) and on Tuesday with Pastor Ken Murphy (Cypress Wesleyan in Columbus). Join us in praying for God to set lives free for Kingdom impact.
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Sherry and I started Sunday in Michigan. My favorite professor was on fall break so we were able to spend time with our growing family Friday night over Sunday morning. Sunday was a special day for our family as two of our grandchildren were dedicated to the Lord. John & Lindsey lead Knapp Valley Church on the northeast corner of Grand Rapids. We were able to be part of Haven’s dedication in their 10 AM service before heading south to Caledonia.
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Joel and Christie lead Journey Church with campuses in Caledonia and Middleville. We made it for their 11 AM service in time for the dedication of Samuel. We are grateful to God for His grace at work in the lives of our children and grandchildren. Our prayer is that we can more actively support and encourage our families in this next season of ministry.

Last Monday morning, I was able to drop in on Dr. Chris Conrad and his team at the Great Lakes Region District retreat for pastors and spouses. One of Dr. Conrad’s strengths is creating amazing events and this annual gathering called “41 Hours” is produced with excellence. I’m grateful for our friendship that spans over 30 years.
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Tuesday, I served as Chair Pro Tempore for the Advisory Board at Wesley Seminary. President Jon Kulaga and Dr. Yamil Acevedo, Executive VP of the seminary, convened an excellent group of advisors from Wesleyan, Salvation Army, and Global Methodist backgrounds. Dr. Acevedo and his family are active members at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church. This has been a busy month for Yamil with board meetings and the release of his book, Faithful Inheritances.
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​Wednesday, Michael Wood and I hosted “Lunch & Learn” in Marion. In addition to a delicious meal and great fellowship, we shared the free book of the month “Win with People” by Jeff Little to launch our discussion on the topic of shepherding.
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Thursday, we were in Fort Wayne at Smokey Bones for “Lunch & Learn” with area lead pastors. These are fun opportunities for peer learning and encouragement. If you’ve not yet signed up, we’ll be hosting four more “L&L” gathering this month with the next one in Indianapolis this Wednesday, October 15, in Lafayette on Wednesday, October 22, in Anderson on Thursday, October 23, and in Plymouth on Tuesday, October 28. If you’re a lead or senior pastor, plan to join us. We’d love to welcome you!

God is moving in powerful ways across our nation. We are seeing the same here in our Crossroads District churches. This weekend, Pastor David Leitzel and the team at Hamilton Wesleyan Church celebrated three more baptisms. Several of the baptisms this year have been the fruit of many years of investing in children and youth ministry in their community.
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Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn are hard at work building toward the launch of the new church in Indianapolis while they continue to serve The Bridge Urban Church in Mishawaka. God continues to bless that ministry as they celebrated another baptism this Sunday morning. Please pray for this new project and consider how God may be inviting your church to partner with the Vaughns in reaching Indianapolis.
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Pastor Mark Atkinson gives the word “retirement” a whole new meaning as he effectively leads the turnaround adventure for Central Wesleyan Church in Elwood. Attendance and giving have rebounded as God is blessing Pastor Mark’s leadership. Most importantly, they are seeing people come to faith and then seeing these new believers obediently follow the commands of Christ to be baptized. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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​Pray for our teenagers who will be traveling to Grand Rapids on October 24 for the Wesleyan Youth Regional Gathering “EMPOWERED.” These Wesleyan Youth events have been blessed by the Lord over the years to see thousands of youth come to Christ and fully surrender their lives. Many have answered the call to ministry in these rallies. Pray that God will do it again!
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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

What an amazing day at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church as Rev. Michael Colaw and his congregation celebrated 100 years since they were planted from tent meeting revival in 1925! They hosted an open house on Saturday at their Allisonville Road campus and then gathered together for worship on Sunday at their Olio Road campus.
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Former pastors returned to celebrate including Rev. Mark James, Rev. Mark Butcher, and Dr. Thomas Armiger. One of the core values at Trinity is raising up and sending next generation leaders. Today demonstrated that value as Rev. Jorden Green was commissioned from his season of residency to become the new pastor at Mt. Etna Community Life Church. Trinity has an amazing legacy but I couldn’t be more excited about the compelling vision that Pastor Mike is casting. He is calling Trinity to raise up and send out next generation leaders to plant 10 community-based, family-style congregations around Indianapolis in the next decade. As in Heaven, may it be in Indianapolis.
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Sherry and I have known Rev. Scott and Rev. Elizabeth Rhyno for 15 years. Monday evening we joined their family for the wedding rehearsal and then on Tuesday for the beautiful marriage ceremony as their daughter Grace married Evan Pratt. It was an honor to lead the bridal party in communion as part of the ceremony. Evan and Grace will continue to be actively involved in the ministry of Waterline Church.
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I flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday and had the privilege of attending the Wesleyan Holiness Connection national gathering on Thursday. Denominational leaders, scholars, and pastors from more than a dozen denominations (Nazarene, Free Methodist, Church of God in Christ, Church of God – Anderson and Wesleyans among others) met at Life Pacific University for a day of networking and collaboration. The day included a 6:00 am prayer service, keynote presentations and panel discussions. Dr. Tim Fox (South Coastal) and Dr. Karl Eastlack (Northeast) were the other Wesleyan district superintendents in attendance.
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Saturday, I was able to join The River Church in Marion for their Saturday morning prayer meeting and then closed out the day at United Family Church in Cicero as Pastor Allen Gross and his team led an evening of worship. They’ve been doing these worship nights over the past year and this one was well-attended with guess from as far away as Lafayette.
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Nothing is more exciting than the stories of lives being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You may recall last week’s report from Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in New Castle. Our team update was released before we were able to pass along this photo of one of the 18 baptisms. We’re rejoicing with Pastor Steve Arnett and the Mt. Zion team on this historic celebration!
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Pastor Shane Wilson and the team at New Hope Wesleyan Church in Columbia City just completed a sermon series on Holiness. This Sunday they launched a new sermon series “Share Your Story, Shine Your Light.” Eleven new believers shared their conversion stores and publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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God has been blessing The River Church (Marion) with new converts requesting baptism that they’ve now designated the first Sunday of each month as “Baptism Sunday.” This weekend, 8 more new believers publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism!
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​​Just a reminder that we’ll be hosting “Lunch and Learn” with lead pastors in Marion on Wednesday and in Fort Wayne on Thursday. If you’ve not yet signed up there is still time to join us for a free lunch, a free book, and great fellowship!

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte