Sunday morning, December 17, I had the honor of representing our Crossroads District at Monte de Sion as the congregation honored Sister Tomasa Granados for her faithful service to the church. Sister Tomasa Granados and Jose, her husband, moved from California to plant a new Hispanic church in partnership with Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church. That congregation was Iglesia Wesleyana Amistad Cristiana, now meeting in Carmel.
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Pastor Jose and Sister Tomasa handed off that ministry and stepped out in faith again to plant Monte de Sion in the Eagledale neighborhood. Sister Granados, about 2 years ago, took a leave of absence from leading the church to care for her son in Arizona in his recovery from a stroke. Chris Granados, another son, and Tamara, his wife, have filled in during her absence.
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During the past few months, it became clear that Sister Tomasa would need to remain in Arizona. Chris and Tamara have decided to also move to Arizona after this school year, so a new leader will need to be identified. Today, more than 80 people gathered to honor their founding pastor and this family that has been such a blessing to their congregation. Please join us in praying for the pastoral search at Monte de Sion and for God’s blessing on the Granados family as they move to Arizona.

Sherry serves as local church treasurer for The River Church, so I was invited along as her “plus one” for their Monday evening Christmas party. Pastor Matthew Trexler shared snapshots of how God has been blessing this ministry in recent days, including serving Christmas dinner packages to more than 1000 families during their annual “Big Give.”
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Tuesday morning, I had the opportunity to film an introduction video to the Wesleyan Discipline for ministerial students taking the course online through Campus.edu and Kingswood University. Rev. Jeff Luedtke hosted us at the historic Fairmount Wesleyan Church. Pastor Jeff and I were able to catch up on encouraging developments under his leadership at Fairmount Camp, where Jeff chairs the board, and at Fairmount Wesleyan Church.

Tuesday evening, our district staff hosted the Marion area pastors and spouses for our annual Christmas gathering. Thank you to Dr. Chris Williams and his team at Lakeview Wesleyan Church for hosting this well-attended time of fellowship.
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Participants had a chance to compete for $50 gifts cards from Starbucks and Amazon. We also had parting gifts for every pastor as modeled here by our friends Rev. Tony Bye, Dr. Matthew Stewart, and Rev. Michelle Henry. The food was good but the fellowship was even better!
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Wednesday, I was able to connect with Rev. Duane Seitz (Silver Lake), Rev. Dan VanCise (West 8th Street), and Rev. Gary Bingham (Hillside) for coaching conversations in Marion. Later that afternoon, I had coffee with an IWU student who is prayerfully considering church planting. Pray that God will continue to send laborers into His harvest field. (Matt. 9:38).

Thursday morning, I connected with two of my treasured prayer partners over breakfast and then hit the road for Anderson to meet with Rev. Dan Clark (Colfax Wesleyan) for our annual coaching conversation. Both Dan and Amanda Clark have been battling serious health concerns and would welcome your prayers. Rev. Ron Ferguson (Grant City Wesleyan) and I met in New Castle for our annual coaching conversation.
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Thursday evening, our district staff joined Pastor Scott Ferguson and his team at Harvest Church (Greenfield) in welcoming pastors and spouses from Richmond to Indy for a Christmas fellowship. We had another fun group and a delicious meal. Thank you to Pastor Scott and his team for hosting this wonderful evening.

Friday morning, Dr. Wayne Schmidt and I met for breakfast. It is always good to catch up with our General Superintendent. Please keep Dr. Schmidt in your prayers as he leads our denominational ministries. Dr. Michael Brown and I met for coffee in Marion later that morning. Dr. Brown is making a difference sharing the Gospel on the frontlines in the Ukraine conflict zone. He will be stateside for a few months and would be glad to connect with you and your church to share about this impactful ministry.
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Our last of the four district Christmas gatherings was held at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. Rev. Chris Taylor and his team did a terrific job of hosting our gathering of South Bend area pastors and spouses. Pastor Chris and Lisa, his wife, are new members of our district team this conference year. It was exciting to hear how God is blessing their ministry in Plymouth.

Thank you to all of our host churches for their generous hospitality. Thank you also to each of the pastors and spouses who made it a priority to join us for these fellowship gatherings. We really are stronger together!

Nothing brings us more joy than celebrating the stories of lives being made new by power of the Gospel! Pastor Mike Henry shared this photo and an amazing story of answered prayer that resulted in this young mother’s public profession of faith at Level 13. Praise the Lord!
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In just 10 more days, thousands of Wesleyan students and their leaders will be gathering in Cincinnati for the Follow ‘23 Conference. Please pray that our next generation leaders will powerfully encounter God at this dynamic event!
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Don’t miss the 2024 Heartland Gathering, April 2-5, 2024, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each district church, designated to cover a significant portion of the registration cost for one pastoral family per church. Details regarding the scholarship were sent to lead and solo pastors. If you are a lead or solo pastor and did not receive that email, please reach out to us at [email protected]. For more information and registration, visit gathering.heartlandregion.org.

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

Your servant in Christ,
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Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. The district office will be closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Our next Team Update will be released on January 2. Pastors, in cases of emergency, you can reach Michael Wood, District Administrator, or Mark Gorveatte, District Superintendent, by cellphone.

Sunday morning, December 10, Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Clifton Ashlock and the congregation of Parkview Wesleyan Church in Chesterfield. Dr. Dick Hines (who previously served on our District Board of Administration) and Sherry, his wife, brought the special music. It was good to connect with several Wesleyan ministers like Rev. Tony Casey, Rev. Bill Barlow, and Rev. Dennis Hilton, who now call Parkview their home church. Pastor Clifton also welcomed two new members into the fellowship of the church.
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Following the morning service, I was able to briefly connect with the members of the Local Board of Administration. Parkview continues to have meaningful ministry to the community including a free meal for their neighbors on Tuesday evenings and a midweek youth group that has an average of 15 teenagers attending.

Sunday evening, I was able to drop in at Trinity Wesleyan Church in Indianapolis as they wrapped up the third night of their Christmas connection experience. Pastor Mike Colaw and his team welcomed more than 1000 neighbors for “The North Pole Experience.” Carin Hines led an enthusiastic group of volunteers, including DBA member Reva Schultz, who helped point families to the real meaning of Christmas.
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On my way back home from Indy, I dropped in on the evening service at Autumn Hills Church. I appreciated the message that Rev. Jerome Bell shared on the wise men. Please keep Pastor Jerome and this new congregation in your prayers as they reach out to Pendleton.
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Last week’s district ministry calendar included the Christmas gathering with Fort Wayne area pastors and spouses on Monday evening at Lifeway Church. Special thanks to Rev. Andy Jellison, senior pastor, and his team of volunteers who did a wonderful job of hosting this evening of fellowship, food, and fun. We have three more opportunities coming up this week: Tuesday evening at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion, Thursday evening at Harvest Church in Greenfield, and then on Friday evening at Plymouth Wesleyan Church.
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Wednesday, I was in Avon with Rev. Seth Bye (317 Church) and then in Indianapolis to connect with Rev. Barry Dixon (Calvary Family Church) for our annual coaching conversations. Every one of these conversations reminds me of significant, life-impacting ministries that our churches offer in a wide variety of contexts. I am grateful for our pastors and their teams!

Thursday morning, I checked in with Rev. Carla Working and our district’s Women in Ministry cohort that was meeting at The River Church in Marion. In addition to her leadership responsibilities at Wesleyan headquarters in the Education and Clergy Development Department, Rev. Working leads our District Board of Ministerial Development and this monthly cohort. We have a growing number of gifted women serving in ordained ministry in a variety of roles across our district family. God’s promise in Joel 2:28-29 is being fulfilled!
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Thursday, our District Board of Administration gathered at College Wesleyan Church for our quarterly meeting. We received ministry and financial reports. Thank you to our churches who are faithfully supporting the United Stewardship Fund. We stand at 91% for the first half of the conference year. The board engaged in meaningful discussions and in an extended time of prayer for our churches and pastors. Following our regular session, we enjoyed a delicious Christmas meal prepared by Velvet Haisley. We are blessed to have these lay and clergy, women and men, who serve together to provide oversight to our Crossroads District ministry of equipping leaders, revitalizing congregations, and planting new churches.
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The reason why we do what we do is to glorify God by making disciples who make disciples. Dr. Chris Williams and the congregation at Lakeview Wesleyan Church are doing just that. On Sunday, December 10, they celebrated six more baptisms with new believers publicly professing their faith in Christ and one more student reaffirming his baptism. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Please lead your congregation in prayer this Sunday, December 17, for our Follow ‘23 Youth Conference happening in Cincinnati in just three more weeks. Pray that our next generation leaders will powerfully encounter God at this dynamic event!

Registration is open for the 2024 Heartland Gathering, April 2-5, 2024, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each district church, designated to cover a significant portion of the registration cost for one pastoral family per church. Details regarding the scholarship were sent to lead and solo pastors. If you are a lead or solo pastor and did not receive that email, please reach out to us at [email protected]. For more information and registration, visit gathering.heartlandregion.org. 
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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

Sunday morning, December 3, Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Mike Henry and the team at Level 13 Church. Level 13 has experienced lots of change in the past few years and is experiencing God’s blessing as the church moves into a rebuilding phase.
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Pastor Mike is another one of our faithful bivocational pastors. In addition to leading the church, he works several days per week driving an ambulance. It was fun to meet two new families that have come to Level 13 through Pastor Mike’s participation in a nearby pickleball league. Following the service, I met with the LBA for an update on their plans to relaunch this spring. Sherry and I hosted Pastor Mike and Hannah for lunch and met more of the community members with whom they are building relationships.

I was back on the road from sabbatical on December 1. I stopped in at New Castle Memorial Wesleyan Church to check on our new pastor, Rev. Mark Wooten. He and Pam are getting settled into their new community and church family. Over lunch, I met with Rev. Ron and Fay Ferguson who are serving our Grant City Wesleyan Church congregation.
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My next stop was in Ingalls to see the progress that Waterline Church is making on the facility into which they’ll be moving in a few months. In addition to the build-out of their new space, they are making a spiritual impact through prayer walking the nearby neighborhoods.

Friday evening, Sherry and I were in Fort Wayne to connect for supper with Rev. Sam and Jen Maddox (pastoring Albion Wesleyan Church). It was encouraging to hear how God is at work in their family and ministry.

Saturday, Rev. Grace Lopez (FLAMA Coordinator) and I met with the leadership team at Monte de Sion Iglesia Wesleyana in Indianapolis. I’ll be back at Monte de Sion on December 17 as the church celebrates the faithful ministry and retirement of Sister Tomasa Granados. She and her husband (now deceased) were instrumental in the launching of the Wesleyan Hispanic ministries in the Indianapolis area. Rev. Lopez has been providing valued leadership in this time of transition.
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We love sharing the stories of how God is moving across our district. Rev. Mike Hewitt and the team at Muncie Rising Hope had a wonderful baptism celebration last month and shared these photos of the five new believers who publicly testified to their faith in Christ.
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Pastor Dan Fisher and the team at Delphi Wesleyan Church celebrated 6 baptisms on Sunday, November 26. This photo captures the moment that Pastor Dan and Amy, his wife, baptized Amy’s sister for whom they’d been praying for more than 30 years!
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Pastor Matthew Trexler and the team at The River Church in Marion now schedule the first Sunday of each month for a baptism Sunday. Praise God for these new believers who testified publicly to the change that Jesus Christ is making in their lives!
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Sherry and I can’t wait to see so many of our pastors and their spouses at one of our four Christmas gatherings coming up beginning tonight in Fort Wayne and in three more locations next week. We’ll also be meeting with our Crossroads District Board of Administration in Marion on Thursday for our quarterly session and for our Christmas fellowship.

Please join us in prayer for our Follow ‘23 Youth Conference happening in Cincinnati later this month. Pray that our next generation leaders will powerfully encounter God at this dynamic event!
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Registration is open for the 2024 Heartland Gathering, April 2-5, 2024, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each district church, designated to cover a significant portion of the registration cost for one pastoral family per church. Details regarding the scholarship were sent to lead and solo pastors. If you are a lead or solo pastor and did not receive that email, please reach out to us at [email protected]. For more information and registration, visit gathering.heartlandregion.org. 
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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