Beaver Creek, DBMD, and Baptisms

Sunday morning, January 12, I had the privilege of worshiping with Pastor Ben Jones and Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church, just outside of North Liberty. I brought the message for the morning service. Then, after a brief meeting with the board of administration, Ben and I caught up over lunch. This is Ben’s first pastoral appointment and he’s enjoying the learning journey with a very supportive board and congregation.
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Pastor Ben and Kirsten are looking forward to their June wedding. He also shared the encouraging news that three new members have joined the church in the past few months. Ben is another of our faithful bi-vocational pastors and time management is one of his prayer requests.

Last week’s calendar included a Memorial Sub-Committee of the General Board meeting on Monday. There are a number of interesting proposals making their way from several districts through the General Board and on to General Conference. You can read more about the GenCon 2020 at this website: https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed

After teaching at IWU on Tuesday morning, the district office staff met in Marion for planning and prayer. I am blessed to work alongside Rev. Chris Williams, Mrs. Roxene Lo, and Rev. Seth Bye in serving our district pastors and churches. Tuesday afternoon, I was in Fishers to meet with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent.

Wednesday, I was in Anderson to meet with Pastor Steve Binns (Anderson Lone Oak) and then with Pastor David Shafer (Anderson North Wesleyan Church). The last meeting on Wednesday was at Silver Lake Wesleyan Church with Pastor Duane Seitz and the leadership team as they prepare for the Maximizing Impact consultation.

Thursday morning, I met with Pastor Paul VanCise (Bryant Wesleyan Church) before heading back to Marion for a planning meeting with our Assistant District Superintendents, Rev. Mike Colaw, Rev. Chris Williams, and Rev. Matthew Trexler. My final meeting on Wednesday was with Pastor Barry Dixon (Calvary Family Church) in Indianapolis.

Sherry and I hosted the Region 1, South Zone 2 pastors and spouses in our home for supper and fellowship on Friday evening. We sang, laughed, and prayed together with these wonderful couples. Special thanks to Pastor Jeff Luedtke who chairs this zone.
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Saturday morning, I joined with Dr. Jim Lo and the Region 1 DBMD (District Board of Ministerial Development) at College Wesleyan Church to interview licensed ministers. We are blessed with dedicated team in each of our zones and regions who volunteer for this important ministry.

Saturday afternoon, I represented our Crossroads District team at the funeral of one of our ministerial colleagues, Rev. Paul Gafford. Rev. Gafford would have been 90 years old next month. He was a gracious pastor and beloved father who served district churches in Lafayette, Thorntown, and Winchester. Rev. Doug Hinton, son-in-law to Rev. Gafford, officiated the funeral service. Rev. Jim and Caroline (Gafford) Staley, worship pastors at Brooksville Wesleyan Church, led the music.
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It’s always inspiring to hear the stories of life change and baptisms from our churches. This week’s baptism photo was shared by Pastor Mark Atkinson from Eastview Wesleyan Church. If you’ve not yet scheduled a baptism service for the spring, please consider Palm Sunday or the Sunday after Easter. We’re looking forward to a wonderful team celebration at District Conference for a record-breaking year of baptisms.
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This coming week will include meetings with LBAs and the district-wide DBMD. Next Sunday I’ll be with Pastor Dongell and the team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. This week will also be Summit Week at Indiana Wesleyan University. Please pray for Rev. Matthew LeRoy who will be the keynote speaker for these spiritual renewal services.

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

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent
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There’s still time to register for the Heartland Gathering. We’re going to have a great time and would love for you to join us! https://gathering.heartlandregion.org/