At West 8th Street and Thankful!

Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Daniel Van Cise and the fine folks at W 8th Street Wesleyan Church in Marion on Sunday morning. One of the highlights of the service was Pastor Daniel leading worship with his daughter.
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​Pastor Van Cise noted that they were missing some of the IWU students who normally worship here, and serve on the musical team, due to the Thanksgiving break. The church was beautifully decorated in preparation for the Advent season. After the service, I enjoyed connecting with their LBA before Sherry and I hosted Pastor Daniel, Alana and their children for lunch together.

Rev. Bob Van Cise preached his final message at Parkview Wesleyan Church in Chesterfield this morning, concluding his effective season of interim ministry. Pastor Bob is proof that you never really retire from ministry! Pray with Parkview as they interview a prospective interim minister this week and continue their pastoral search.
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(This photo is compliments of Dr. Jim Lo)

​I’m grateful for the many ways in which our Crossroads District is working together as a team. Pastor Brian Scramlin and the Wabash New Journey Church welcomed Rev. Michael Hewitt (church planter) and commissioned one of their own families (Dale & Carrie Bradford) to join the launch team at Rising Hope Church, our newest church planting project in Muncie. Together we all are stronger as workers in His harvest!
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​Last week’s abbreviated schedule included a district office staff meeting on Monday, connecting on Tuesday morning with Rev. David Bannach (who has just been hired as the manager of the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission’s Thrift Store), and participating in the inaugural meeting of our district’s Investment Committee on Tuesday evening.
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Like many of you, we enjoyed time at home with family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday. With three sons serving in local church ministry, it’s not easy to find a time to connect but this was a very special week for the Gorveatte family. All four of our children, one daughter-in-law, and one fiancee (with a wedding date set for May 26th) joined us in Upland for the Thanksgiving celebration. We couldn’t be more grateful to God for the privilege of being their parents and watching them growing in their faith!

This week, Pastor Matthew Trexler, Chris Williams and I are in Atlanta at the John Maxwell Leadership Center for three days of church consultant training with Tony Morgan and the Unstuck Group. This is a continuation of the partnership that Dr. Aaron Willis launched with Tony’s team a few years ago. We are committed to developing the capacity to better serve the leadership teams of our local churches. The StratOp strategic planning process is a great tool for helping churches reach their full potential. You can learn more about their resources here: https://theunstuckgroup.com/
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​Here’s another exciting opportunity for a select group of Crossroads District pastors who really want to raise the level of discipleship in their church. Pastor Jon Wiest, Director of Multiplication for the Crossroads District will be leading a 9-month learning cohort around the topic of “Disciple Making and Multiplication” beginning in January 2018. If you have interest in joining this cohort, please email [email protected] for more information.

Our Zone Pastors’ Christmas Fellowships are just around the corner. Mark Atkinson’s zone is hosting their Christmas get-together on Monday evening, December 4, at Eastview Wesleyan Church. Rick Fletcher is welcoming the Fort Wayne zone to Lifeway Church for their Christmas party on Tuesday evening, December 5. Check in with your zone leader for details and to reserve your place.

It’s a joy to partner with you in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,
Mark Gorveatte