Sunday morning, November 23, I was with Rev. Zack Working and his team at Hope Rising Church in Huntington. Rev. Carla Working led the worship team (with my new friend Drew, their 4th grade guitar player). Pastor Zack preached a powerful message on stewardship and then shared the important but emotional announcement that he will be stepping out of pastoral leadership for a season.
​

Both Zack and Carla are deeply loved by the Hope Rising congregation so this was hard news to hear. I affirmed the support that the district team will bring to the church in the transition and then led the time of prayer for the Working family. Rev. Carla Working continues to serve at Wesleyan HQ in the Education and Clergy Care office. We celebrate the 137 people who professed Christ and nearly 100 people who were baptized at Hope Rising in just over 7 years under Zack’s ministry. I’m confident God has an exciting new chapter ahead as Pastor Zack steps back for a season of rest and renewal. Please be in prayer for the search process, for Assistant Pastors Mason Yopp and Angela Spangler, and for the LBA as they lead through this transition.
​

Sunday evening, Sherry and I attended the Local Church Conference at The River in Marion. The members approved (by 190 of 193 votes) the loan authorization for $4.8 million from WIF to begin renovations at the South Campus (formerly Lakeview) in January. I know Pastor Trexler and his team would welcome your prayers for this project and capital campaign. More space is essential as the NextGen ministry serves 600 (nursery through middle school) on Sundays and worship attendance runs 40% ahead of last year.
​

Monday morning, Michael Wood and I shared lunch with members of the two monthly leadership cohorts that gather in Marion for coaching/mentoring with Dr. Chris Williams and Pastor Trexler. The leadership lessons are valuable, but I’m most grateful for the relationships that have developed among these pastors. We are better together!

​Monday evening, I was in Indianapolis to meet with Dr. Richard and Rev. Carol Schenck. Rich and Carol serve as bi-vocational pastors for Circle of Hope Church in Noblesville. Dr. Rich also serves as a hospice chaplain and Pastor Carol works with IWU at the Indy North campus. They’ve been a blessing to our district board and global outreach team.
​
Tuesday, I was at IWU along with 21 of the 22 districts superintendents. We were invited to join the General Board of The Wesleyan Church for a discussion of proposed memorials that may be considered at the upcoming General Conference (May 17-20, 2026). The announcement of the board’s General Superintendent nominee created the most buzz. The General Board has nominated Dr. Jim Dunn (current president of OKWU) to be our next General Superintendent. The election of the new GS will be among the first action items of May 18. Pray for Dr. Dunn and OKWU.

The General Board meeting carried over into Wednesday. Another of the highlights was the excellent presentation by Dr. Jeff Clark (IWU) on the momentum that is building around “Praying on Offense.” Delegates from last year’s district conference will be receiving an email communication from General Superintendent Dr. Schimdt with an invitation to join.
​
Our Crossroads District Board of Administration met on Thursday at Waterline Church in Pendleton. Special thanks to Pastor Scott Rhyno for graciously hosting. The DBA covered a variety of topics with most attention to the transition with Dr. Chris Williams becoming our full-time Interim DS effective January 1.
​

​We have a rich diversity of voices on the board, both women and men, lay and clergy, from our largest and smallest churches, from our oldest church (Fountain City - LifeSpring) to one of our newest churches (Indianapolis - The Encounter). This was my last official meeting with them as DS and I’m deeply grateful for the privilege I’ve had serving with them.
​
Friday morning, the Retired Ministers and Spouses Fellowship gathered for brunch at Eastview Wesleyan Church. Our guest speaker was Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, GS Emerita. Wayne Lyon not only came along with Dr. Lyon, but he also presented handmade gifts to every attender. Special thanks to Cindy Horn and Rev. Ken Dykhoff for graciously hosting us!

Saturday evening, Rev. Grace Lopez, our Assistant DS for Hispanic Ministries, gathered several of our Hispanic pastors and their congregations in Union City for a night of worship. Pastors took turns praying and sharing from scripture. The highlight of the evening was sharing The Lord’s Supper led by Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson, leader of the Casa Network. It was also good to connect with Pastor John Hannan, our church planter in Union City. We’re praying with him for his upcoming surgery and recovery.
​

Pastor Sam Maddox sent along the encouraging news that another new believer was baptized and three new members joined the church. God is on the move in Albion!
​

Pastor Dan Fisher and the team at Delphi Wesleyan Church are rejoicing with four young people who publicly professed their faith in Christ through water baptism. Praise the Lord!
​

Pastor Andy Jellison and the team at Lifeway Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne had a wonderful celebration yesterday with four baptisms and 385 in worship. Lifeway added a second service this fall. Now they are putting out more chairs to accommodate the growth. Praise the Lord!
​

We’re praying that you enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones this week. Then next week, December 3 & 4, we’ll be on the road for Lunch & Learn in Lafayette and Anderson. There’s still time to RSVP. Our last district event together will be the Crossroads District Christmas Gathering at IWU on Friday, December 5. Michael Wood can still find tickets to Handel’s “Messiah” presented by the IWU Chorale but don’t delay.

Thank you for all you do in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads DS

I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel with Dr. Dennis Jackson and be part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church. New Zealand is a beautiful country but the spiritual need is undeniable. It was encouraging to see how the Lord is working through our Wesleyan churches in powerful ways. One special highlight for me was reconnecting with Dr. Richard and Jane Waugh. Dr. Waugh, now retired, served as pastor of East City Wesleyan Church in Auckland for more than 2 decades and led the NZMWC through its formative years. He also hosted two of our sons, John and Joel, who had the privilege of completing internships under his supervision at East City Wesleyan. Thank you, Dr. Waugh!
​

Dr. Dennis Jackson and I wrapped up our quick trip to New Zealand on Tuesday, November 11 with an overnight flight back to the USA. With the crossing of the dateline, we ended up with two Tuesday nights. The first night was spent in a Boeing 777 traveling around 600 mph at 37,000 feet from Auckland to LAX. The second Tuesday night was back home in Indiana,  gratefully landing before midnight on Tuesday. 
​

Thursday night, I was able to join Pastor Ben Parker and the team at Back Creek Wesleyan Church as they welcomed back Dr. Joe Harmon for their fall revival. Dr. Harmon was Ben’s pastor when Ben answered God’s call to ministry. If you need an anointed revival speaker, you can’t do better than Dr. Harmon!
​

Friday morning, I was back in Indianapolis for two coaching conversations. My afternoon connection was with Rev. Seth Bye who leads the 317Church restart project in Avon. My morning appointment was with Pastor Gawin (Jerome) Anderson who leads the ministry at SoBro (South Broad Ripple) Community Church. There are many things I’ll miss about serving as district superintendent but the one I’ll miss most is working alongside pastors who are taking big risks for God’s Kingdom.
​

Sherry and I attended Saturday morning prayer meeting together at The River and then sat in on a vision conversation about the exciting renovation project planned for the south campus. Saturday evening, Pastor Jacob Gibson and the team at Richmond LifeSpring Church welcomed Dr. Jim Dunn, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, as guest speaker. Dr. Dunn and I go back a few decades working in the Wesleyan youth movement. I was glad to catch up with Pastor Gibson and to hear Dr. Dunn preach the Word. It is inspiring to see how God is blessing his leadership at OKWU!
​

Sunday, I began the day with Rev. Nicholas Hect and the team at Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church. Pastor Hect announced his resignation, effective December 31. I was present to walk the congregation through our next steps and to lead in prayer. Following the service, I met with the LBA and we’ll begin the pastoral search process in the next few weeks. Our prayers for God’s blessing are with the Hect family as they head back to South Dakota. Please also remember Trinity Wesleyan in your prayers as they adjust to this unexpected transition. God is still on the throne!
​

Across town, Pastor Jerry Smith leads the smaller but faithful congregation at Ash Street Wesleyan. I was able to drop in on their worship service. Pastor Smith graciously welcomed me to bring greetings and I enjoyed singing a trio with Jerry and Beth, his wife. Never forget that it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. Every church matters.
​

Sunday evening, I had the joy of joining Rev. Jerome Bell and the team at Autumn Hills Church (Pendleton). Pastor Jerome and Anita (his wife) launched this new church in 2021 while we were still emerging from the worst of the pandemic. They hold their services around tables on Sundays at 5:30 PM but recently began a Sunday morning Bible study that has already grown from 4 to 14.
​

Last night, they celebrated two more baptisms! One was a young man who was reaffirming his baptism as an infant. The other was a man who came to the Lord through the faithful witness of Kevin, a faithful lay leader in the church. Praise God for changed lives!

This had been another exciting month of baptisms across our district. Pastor Eric & Amanda Roemer and their team at Greentown Wesleyan Church baptized 8 new believers on November 16. They also welcomed a recent high attendance of 145 for worship. God is on the move in Greentown!
​

Pastor Andy Riemersma and the team at ONE Church in Westfield continue to make good use of the largest baptismal tank in our district. (They meet in the YMCA). Praise God for two more baptisms this morning at one of our newest congregations!
​

Pastor Mark Wooten and the team at Memorial Wesleyan Church in New Castle are rejoicing with four new believers who publicly professed their faith in Christ through water baptism on November 9. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
​

Pastor Mike Colaw and the team at Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church continue to see young people coming to Christ and moving forward in discipleship. Four more new believers were baptized at Trinity last weekend (November 9). Amazing grace!
​

Pastor Ryan Budde and the team at Westview Wesleyan Church in Jonesboro celebrated 4 more baptisms yesterday. Praise the Lord!
​

Please remember key meetings in your prayers this week. The General Board of The Wesleyan Church will be meeting at IWU this Tuesday through Thursday in preparation for General Conference. Our own Crossroads District Board meets in Pendleton on Thursday and will be working with Dr. Chris Williams in preparation for his service as our interim DS from January through June.
​

Then, on Friday, Sherry and I will host our Retired Pastors and Spouses Fellowship Brunch at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan with Dr. Jo Anne Lyon as our guest speaker. It will be a full week, so join us in seeking God’s will for every moment and every meeting. Your prayers matter!

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

Your servant in Christ,

​Mark

The Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand gathered in Palmerston North on November 7-8 for their national conference and the celebration of their 25th anniversary. Rev. Brett Jones, National Superintendent, convened this assembly of 30+ churches for this special occasion. Dr. Dennis Jackson, Executive Director of Global Partners, and I were invited to be guest presenters. It was a delight to return after an absence of 15 years and to witness the beautiful multi-cultural ministry that God is blessing here in the South Pacific.

This national church was launched by a courageous band of 6 ministers who left behind a denomination that was increasingly hostile to evangelical Methodism. They joined themselves to The Wesleyan Church after early conversations with the Australian National Conference. 25 years later, those original churches have become an established national conference and, together with Australia, for the South Pacific Regional Conference of The Wesleyan Church.

There were so many highlights including the introduction of new ministers to be ordained and church planters to be celebrated. Living Streams Church generously hosted our celebration. They not only cared for the meals and the logistics for this gathering but they also provided special music. If you’ve not yet enjoyed the singing of Pacific Islanders, listen to this clip:
​

It was in 2009 that Dr. Richard Waugh, then National Superintendent of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church, invited Dr. H.C. Wilson, Dr. Brent Dongell, and me to accompany him to ChristChurch. This strategic visit was an opportunity for vision-casting and prayer. While the Wesleyans were growing and multiplying in the north island, the south island was ripe for a resourcing church that could become a center for leadership development and multiplication.
​

One of the memorable moments of that experience was praying together on Cashmere Hill Lookout. You can see a stunning panorama of this thriving city from this strategic point. This sprawling metropolis of more than 500,000 people is the second largest city in the nation and the largest city in the south island. At that time, there were a few interested former Methodist laypeople open to helping but God had not yet provided the church planter. Today, I had the privilege of standing on that very same spot 15 years later with the pastor of that first church.
​

God began writing an exciting new chapter in Christchurch in 2013 when Dr. Clint and Jamie Ussher answered God’s call and planted a new Wesleyan Church called The Well. The church built deep roots before it began to expand but today they average more than 300 in their two weekend worship services. Even more exciting than that is the new daughter church that they launched this year by sending out planters from their own team along with 30 launch team members. Dr. Ussher has two more planters-in-process serving on the staff at The Well. The Lord is sending workers into the harvest field!
​

All of us believe in giving to missions. Dr. Jackson doesn’t just preach it, he practices what he preaches. One of the special joys of this trip with Dennis was watching him celebrate his own daughter Jamie as she serves in this mission field alongside Clint, her husband, and their two amazing daughters. It was a tender moment this morning in the worship service as Dr. Jackson went forward to receive communion and his daughter served him.
​

​Church planting is just an accelerated process of disciple-making. If you’re not making new disciples in a church plant, you’re just rearranging the saints. The Well is making new disciples. What a delight it was to hear the testimonies yesterday morning of the seven new believers being baptized, some of whom have just come to the Lord in the past few months.

Indiana has had a special investment in the mission field of New Zealand with Rev. Amber (Livermore) Cook and Rev. Josh Bowlin both playing key roles in the development of this new work. Pray that God will continue to bless the NZWMC as they make disciples and multiple churches!

We're also celebrating back home as Pastor Eric George and the team at Memorial Drive Wesleyan in Muncie celebrated three baptisms yesterday morning. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!

​Hurricane Melissa has caused severe damage across Jamaica and Haiti, including Wesleyan churches and the Caribbean Wesleyan College. Our partners at World Hope International are already on the ground providing emergency aid and supplies. You may join in supporting recovery efforts by giving at: worldhope.donorsupport.co/page/Hurricane-Melissa
​

Save the Date: 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.
​

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

Sunday, November 2, I drove to Monon to join with Johnie Dove, supply pastor, and the faithful little band that have kept the doors open at Monon Wesleyan Church for the past few years. There were eight of us in total for the worship service. Johnie’s message on “The Unseen Road” was timely for the conversation that I led with members after the service.
​

I am deeply grateful for Steve and Anne Swain. They have been faithful and generous lay leaders who have held the church together. Steve has been vice-chair and Anne has served as the treasurer. As Steve approaches retirement, they have decided to move to Ohio to be closer to grandchildren. That leaves four members at the church. The DBA will receive a recommendation for discontinuing the church before winter settles in. Pray for the remaining members as they prepare to settle into new church families.

On Tuesday, I met with several of our Plymouth area pastors for “Lunch and Learn.” Following that meeting, Rev. Ted and Julia Dittmer met with me for an update on Davis Wesleyan Church. Rev. Dittmer is an ordained Nazarene evangelist living in Knox who agreed to serve as supply pastor this year.
​

The Dittmers have made children’s ministry a primary focus in this revitalization journey. The congregation has responded enthusiastically to Ted and Julia’s leadership. They averaged 22 in worship during the month of August and averaged 39 in October with a recent high attendance of 47. Pray for God’s continued blessing on their outreach.
​
Thursday evening, I met with Rev. Ben Jones and the LBA at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church. This historic congregation is located about 15 miles south of South Bend. The wing in which we met is over 100 years old. The congregation is growing younger as Pastor Ben and Kristen lead the revitalization journey.

Many of our churches hosted outreach events during the past week. I was able to drop on at Greentown Wesleyan Church on Friday night to see their “Hall of Treats.” Thank you to Pastor Eric Roemer and his team for creating this welcoming opportunity to connect with their neighbors.
​

I had the opportunity to drop in on two of our churches that host weekly prayer gatherings on Saturday mornings. I stopped by The River for their 9 AM prayer meeting and then joined Rev. Dan Van Cise and his team at West 8th Street Wesleyan for their 11 AM prayer time. Pastor Dan shared some of the recent answers to prayer and reported a recent high worship attendance of 70. Thank you to every church that keeps prayer as a priority!
​

We love to share the stories of God at work in people’s lives across the district team. Pastor David Shafer and the North Anderson Wesleyan Church celebrated two baptisms yesterday morning. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
​

Pastor Marc and Heather Ulrich continue to impact their mission field as they lead ReThink Church and launch “missional communities” in their region. They baptized a new believer yesterday morning who came to Christ through the missional community (micro-church) that the Ulrich’s lead in their neighborhood. God is on the move in Merrillville!
​

Dr. Steve DeNeff and his team at College Wesleyan Church in Marion had another great day of ministry as they celebrated All Saints Sunday. Six new believers were baptized yesterday in public profession of their faith in Christ. They also celebrated with the two families who presented their children for the sacrament of baptism. Praise the Lord!
​

Pastor Jeff Luedtke and the team at Fairmount Wesleyan Church also celebrated six baptisms yesterday. We rejoice as they continue reaching their community and helping people take their next steps in faith.

​Our sympathies and prayers are extended to the family of Rev. Richard Deisler. Rev. Deisler was promoted to glory on Monday, October 26. He faithfully served as a pastor in The Wesleyan Church for more than 40 years and his sons Mark and Rick are both ordained ministers in The Wesleyan Church. Visitation with the family will be on Monday, November 3, 4-7 PM, at Westview Wesleyan Church. The celebration of life service will be held at Westview Wesleyan Church on Tuesday, 11:30 AM. Here’s the link to Rev. Deisler’s full obituary:
​https://www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com/obituaries/richard-deisler
​

Hurricane Melissa has caused severe damage across Jamaica and Haiti, including Wesleyan churches and the Caribbean Wesleyan College. Our partners at World Hope International are already on the ground providing emergency aid and supplies. You may join in supporting recovery efforts by giving at: worldhope.donorsupport.co/page/Hurricane-Melissa
​

Save the Date: 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.
​

​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. I’d welcome your prayers this week as I travel to New Zealand with Dr. Dennis Jackson, Executive Director of Global Partners. We’ve both been invited to speak at the 25th Anniversary of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church. While there, we’ll worship at The Well in Christchurch, a church planted by Dr. Clint Ussher, Dr. Jackson’s son-in-law.