Brookhaven, Board Meetings, and Baptisms!

Pastor Tony Bye and the team at Marion Brookhaven Wesleyan Church welcomed me to preach for the closing services of their month of missions. Brookhaven has a wonderful missions team led by Assistant Pastor John Walton and they go all out to focus on missionaries and global impact in their February services.
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Following each of the two worship services, I convened the Local Church Conference and the members voted overwhelmingly to extend the call of Pastor Tony Bye. After the last service, it was fun to catch up with Pastor Tony and Amy over lunch.

Sunday afternoon, I chaired the LBA of Lancaster Wesleyan Church in a meeting to begin their pastoral search. Rev. Trevor O’Dell has been a blessing to many in his first experience as a lead pastor. He and Allison have sensed God calling them back into a staff ministry role so Trevor announced his transition to the LBA on Saturday and to the congregation this morning. Pray for the O’Dell’s as they follow God’s calling and for Lancaster Wesleyan as they seek God’s direction for this next chapter.

Sunday evening, I joined with Rev. Jeff and Dr. Heather Brady for Commoners’ Church, the house church that they host with a weekly meal, Bible study and communion. In addition to serving these families, Pastor Jeff is in the process of completing chaplaincy training at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
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Last Monday, I concluded my time at Asbury University and drove home with a thankful heart. Praying that the good work God has begun will carry on and spread across our nation!

Tuesday, I was back on the road for a coaching conversation with Rev. Don Bayne at New Carlisle Wesleyan Church and then met with Rev. Martin Furrow at The Cross Wesleyan Church in Rochester. Rev. Furrow is completing his initial call as lead pastor so I also met with the local board of administration in preparation for their upcoming pastoral vote.
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Following my time in Rochester, I joined the LBA meeting already in progress at Shiloh Wesleyan Church. Rev. Rich VanVuren resigned earlier this month, so the Shiloh team met with me to map out the next steps for their pastoral search process.
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Wednesday was another highlight as I spent the day on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University with Dr. Jim Lo. Dr. Lo invited me to guest lecture in two of his ministry classes 1) Ministry in Context, and 2) Evangelism and Discipleship. It was a joy to serve alongside Dr. Lo and to interact with these passionate students. Dr. Chris Bounds, chair of the School of Theology and Ministry (STM), also arranged for me to have a luncheon with several of the STM faculty. We are grateful for the faithful service of these faculty members. The Crossroads District has approximately 40 students in the undergraduate ministry program at IWU. Pray that God will continue preparing these students to answer His divine calling on their lives.
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Wednesday evening, I joined Rev. Terry Vaughn for supper and for a walkthrough of the facility that they’re leasing for the ministry of The Bridge Urban Church. Pastor Terry and Lennaire are doing God’s work making disciples in South Bend. It was encouraging to see the progress they’ve made in renovating this building and impacting their community.
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Thursday morning, I was back at IWU to join Dr. Matthew Stewart in his Wesleyan Church History and Discipline class. In addition to teaching at IWU, Dr. Stewart also leads the Sweetser Wesleyan Church. As much as I enjoyed meeting with this class, I was even more excited to celebrate with Dr. Stewart sharing that two men were saved at Sweetser today!

After that class, Dr. Yamil Acevedo and I met over coffee at IWU. Over lunch, I had the joy of connecting with a prospective church planter who will be graduating from IWU this year. Thursday afternoon, I met with Micah Walls in Noblesville to hear more about the men’s ministry called “Fight Club.” Micah and other men from Waterline Church have participated in this ministry. Rev. Mike Hewitt and the team at Muncie Rising Hope will be hosting a chapter later this spring. My final connection for the day was with Rev. Wayne Richards who has graciously agreed to serve as an interim pastor for Harvest Church.
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On behalf of our Crossroads District team, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Rev. Brad LeRoy and his family. Pastor Brad and his family stepped out in faith 15 years ago to launch Harvest Church in McCordsville. In spite of battling health challenges for the last 10 years, Rev. LeRoy has led the church to have significant impact in their community. We are praying as he steps away from Harvest Church to focus on recovering his health. We’re also praying for the future that God has in store for Harvest. Thank you, Brad and Heidi!

Sherry and I took Friday and Saturday off to visit with family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Yes, I’ll gladly share pictures of our beautiful granddaughter if you request via direct message.
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Pastor Martin Furrow shared the exciting news that 14 people were baptized and one baby was dedicated at The Cross Wesleyan Church in Rochester on Sunday, February 26! Praise the Lord for spiritual victories!
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Assistant Pastor Dan VanDuyne passed along photos from the previous weekend at LifeSpring Church. Between the two campuses, they baptized 15 people. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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​God is on the move so let’s keep in step with the Holy Spirit and press forward in the cause of Christ!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent