 Sunday morning, March 19, I had the privilege of ministering with the team at Carmel Amistad Iglesia Wesleyana. This vibrant congregation has been the anchor church for much of our district’s Hispanic ministry. Rev. Lilly Madga Kurker is the pastor of this growing church family. Pastor Lilly has been away for a few weeks caring for family in Mexico, but the congregation is excited to welcome her home later this week. They are launching into 21 Days of Prayer leading up to their Easter celebration. Amistad has helped develop leaders who have gone on to help in other ministries and the church hosted the most recent FLAMA course with 14 students gathering from across our district. Before the service, I was blessed to be prayed over by the intercession team pictured below.  Sunday afternoon, I was in New Castle to meet with the LBA at Memorial Wesleyan Church as they begin their pastor search process. Following the meeting with the search team, I dropped in on Dr. Joe & Kathy Harmon and the team hosting a family fun night in their gymnasium. Dr. Harmon has done a terrific work in revitalizing this congregation. Pictured below are Dr. Joe and Kathy with two of the teenagers who’ve come to Christ under their ministry. Pray with the church as they seek the next leader to build on this momentum.  Sherry and I flew back from Arizona last Monday and then I hit the road here in the district on Tuesday. Pastor Andy Riemersma and I had a productive meeting with Kevin Batman, General Treasurer of The Wesleyan Church, in his office in Fishers. Kevin also serves as local church treasurer and as prayer team member for ONE Church in Westfield, the new church that Pastor Andy and his team are planting. Wednesday morning, I connected with Rev. Shane Wilson, pastor of New Hope Church in Columbia City. It was encouraging to hear the good report of how God is on the move at New Hope. Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Michael Hewitt, pastor of Rising Hope in Muncie, invited me to spend time with Marcos Cruz, Rising Hope’s campus pastor in Sevilla, Spain. It was inspiring to hear how God is at work through this partnership with two campuses already launched and the next one getting ready to start in Madrid. The picture below shows Pastor Michael on the left, Pastor Marcos in the center, and Alberto, one of the new believers who is helping to lead the first Bible study in Madrid. If you’ve not yet met Marcos, you’ll have the opportunity in December when he returns as a guest artist for the Follow ’23 Youth Convention in Cincinnati.  Thursday, Rev. John Hannan and I met for our annual coaching conversation. Pastor John and Beth Hannan planted CrossRoads Church in Union City. Last year, this new church welcomed 7 new professions of faith and baptized 8 new believers. Their baptism rate was one of the highest in our district at 18.6% of their weekend worship attendance! Thursday afternoon, I met with Larry Moore, vice-chair of the LBA at Harvest Church, as they move forward in the search for their next pastor. In addition to his leadership role at the Wesleyan Investment Foundation, I am grateful for the way that Larry serves and leads in his local church. Our acquaintance dates back around 40 years to the time when his father, Rev. Fred Moore, hosted my father for a week of evangelistic services in Falconer, New York. We are both blessed by the legacy of godly fathers who served the Lord so well.  Friday morning, Dr. Jim Lo brought the closing sermon in the Cox Holiness Series at Indiana Wesleyan University. Dr. Lo’s message was anointed and many students responded to the invitation for God to begin His revival in their hearts. Following the chapel service, I joined Dr. Chris Bounds, chair of IWU’s School of Theology and Ministry, for an exciting conversation about a new initiative to place interns and residents in smaller churches. You’ll be hearing more about this initiative at district conference. Friday evening, our home was blessed by the presence of amazing pastors and spouses who gathered for food, fellowship, and prayer. Rev. Phil Carder (Lafayette The Branch Wesleyan Church), Rev. David and Suzanne Cox (Laketon Wesleyan Church), Rev. Michael and Liana Gallant (Mt. Etna Community Life Church), and Dr. Matthew and Jennifer Stewart (Sweetser Wesleyan Church) all shared encouraging praise reports of how God is at work in their families and in their congregations.  Saturday afternoon, I joined the leadership team at Lancaster Wesleyan Church as they mapped out their pastor search process and conducted an initial interview with a prospective candidate. Pray that God grants wisdom and unity for these important decisions.  One of the highlights of this coming week is a meeting in Ohio on Tuesday with the other three district superintendents serving together in the Heartland Region (Greater Ohio, Indiana South, and Kentucky-Tennessee). Please make plans to attend and join us in praying for move of God among our next generation of Wesleyan leaders who will be gathering in Cincinnati this December. There will also be seminars and workshops for pastors and parents so make every effort to attend!  Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent  Comments are closed.
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