Brown’s Chapel, GROW, and Baptisms

Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Theo Griffin and his team at Greenfield Brown’s Chapel on Sunday morning, July 31. God has been answering prayer in Greenfield with people coming to Christ, baptisms, new members, and financial miracles. It was good to connect with key lay leaders and share the morning message. In addition to leading this growing church, Rev. Griffin is in the final stages of completing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Wesley Seminary.
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After the service, Pastor Theo and Randy Griffin joined us for lunch. One of the things we have in common is being new grandparents. We shared lots of stories and pictures including this one from the day that Rev. Griffin had the privilege of dedicating his grandson to the Lord.
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Sunday afternoon, Sherry and I met with Rev. Neftali and Rev. Grace Lopez to catch up with them since concluding their ministry at Carmel Amistad. They’ve been attending the launch team meetings with Rev. Seth Bye at 317 Church in Avon and also helping out at Monte de Sion in Indianapolis. Pastor Neftali has agreed to visit our Hispanic churches this year on my behalf and I’m grateful for the encouragement that he will bring to these pastors.

Sunday evening, I had the joy of installing Rev. Phil Carder as the new pastor at The Branch Wesleyan Church in Lafayette. Rev. Carder is another one of our pastors who is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Wesley Seminary. Pastor Phil is off to a strong start in his ministry at The Branch and it was encouraging to see the youth of the church come back for this special occasion.
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Last Monday, I met with our district staff over lunch and then finished out the day by connecting with Dr. Jim Lo, one of our circuit riders and the leader of our district prayer team.
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On Tuesday, Sherry and I joined the staff of The River Church in Birmingham, Alabama at the Church of the Highlands for the GROW Conference. Last year we were privileged to attend with a large group from our district and we were delighted to return. Pastor Chris Hodges and his team do a great job of outlining the core principles that have fueled their growth from 0 to 50,000 in the last 20 years.
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Dr. John Maxwell, a long-time mentor for Pastor Chris, was also back again this year with humor and leadership insights. Church of the Highlands has a contagious culture of excellence and generosity. I encourage you to explore the helpful resources that they make available on their website: https://resources.churchofthehighlands.com/
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Good news! The GROW Conference is coming to Indianapolis! Pastor Chris Hodges and his team from Church of the Highlands are bringing a one-day version of their GROW Conference to Heartland Church, on Tuesday, March 7. Here’s the link where you and your team can register: https://brushfire.com/highlands/glregional22/536187/register

We love to hear the stories of changed lives and baptism reports from across our district family. Pastor Ryan Budde and the team at Westview Wesleyan Church in Jonesboro reported six baptisms over the past three weeks and have three more scheduled for August!
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Pastor Zack Working and the team at Huntington Hope Rising Church had their annual outdoor baptism and church picnic yesterday afternoon. Five people stepped forward to publicly profess their faith in Christ through baptism!
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Rev. Johnnie Blair, Rev. Amanda Blair, and the team at Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church celebrated 7 baptisms yesterday including Johnnie and Amanda’s youngest daughter.
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​Rev. David Cox and the team at Laketon Wesleyan Church celebrated another baptism yesterday at their annual church picnic. Praise the Lord for these wonderful reports of lives being #MadeNew!

There is still time for your church to join in with us on the 21 Days of Prayer opportunity. Here’s the link to the prayer guide and other resources:
​https://www.crossroadsdistrict.org/prayer.html

Join us for a day-long celebration of Christian Holiness, or what John Wesley called our “Grand Depositum.” This one-day Crossroads District event is hosted by College Wesleyan Church and co-sponsored by Wesley Seminary. The cost if $20 which includes your lunch and a copy of Dr. Kevin Watson’s new book, Perfect Love. The lineup of speakers include Steve DeNeff, Jonathon Morgan, Carla Working, Chris Williams, Jim Lo, and Chris Bounds. This event is open to pastors, laity, and students. Here’s the link: https://www.crossroadsdistrict.org/holiness.html
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Next Level is an intentional training day designed for pastors and a core team of 2-6 lay leaders. This training focuses on empowering church health and effectiveness by engaging with essential growth engines that every church needs. Each church will be trained in five key growth engines and will receive coaching for six months following the training day to develop customized action plans for your local church. This year’s event will be held in Marion on Saturday, September 17. Here’s the link for more information:
https://www.crossroadsdistrict.org/nextlevel.html

Thank you for all you do to advance the Kingdom!
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​Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent