Cicero United, DBMD, and Baptisms

Sunday morning, January 15, 2023, Rev. Allen Gross and the Cicero United Family Wesleyan Church team welcomed me to preach and bring greetings from our district family. The worship team (including Pastor Gross on the bass guitar) led us in a powerful time of worship and it was good to see the growth in the church since my last visit.
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The church is active in serving the community, including hosting a free after-school tutoring program and providing community meals every third Friday evening. Pray with Pastor Gross and their team as they work toward becoming an established church before the end of this conference year.

On Monday, after meeting with our district staff, I headed north to Columbia City. Rev. Shane Wilson and the Local Board of Administration (LBA) at New Hope Wesleyan Church welcomed me to their regular meeting for a conversation about the new extended call for pastors. I enjoyed connecting with this team and hearing more about the fun they had at their recent LBA Christmas party.
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Rev. Sam Maddox and the LBA at Albion Wesleyan Church welcomed me to drop in toward the end of their Monday evening meeting. Pastor Sam is in the second year of his initial call and the board unanimously recommended him to the Local Church Conference for an extended call.

I was off the road Tuesday through Thursday for medical leave but was able to connect with pastors via email and phone calls while working from home. I also attended two webinars, one on leading breakthroughs featuring Shawn Lovejoy and the other on church revitalization featuring Thom Ranier.
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Rev. Carla Working, chair of the District Board of Ministerial Development, led our team in interviewing ordination candidates and ordained ministers in process of transfer at College Wesleyan Church through the day on Friday. Members of our DBMD team had the special privilege of interviewing with and praying for Rev. Dr. Jon Kulaga, our new president at Indiana Wesleyan University. Just a reminder that our ordination service this year will be at 10:30 on Saturday morning, June 24, at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson.
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Saturday morning, I dropped in at Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church as Dr. Christopher Williams (Senior Pastor and Assistant District Superintendent) continued to lead the congregation through “21 Days of Prayer.” Pastor Chris arrived earlier that morning (around 3:00 am) to pray with the short-term missions team that was heading out to Mexico.
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Pastor Matthew Trexler (senior pastor and district treasurer) is also leading the congregation at The River Church through the “21 Days of Prayer” and I was glad to drop in on their Saturday morning prayer gathering before heading on to Indianapolis.
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Saturday afternoon, I represented our district family at the funeral of Rev. Arthur Davis, father of Dr. Randy Davis and Gary Davis, and stepfather to Dr. Carl Shepherd and Jerry Shepherd. Rev. Davis passed away last week at age 93. He was an effective pastor and evangelist with a special heart for mentoring younger leaders. Rev. Mike Summers brought the sermon and Don Cady led the singing. Our prayers are extended to the family of this faithful servant of God.
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Revs. Zach and Carla Working shared the news that the congregation at Huntington Hope Rising Church celebrated two more baptisms on Sunday morning. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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Rev. Noah Farmer, senior pastor at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church, reported that they were back up over 200 in worship attendance this weekend (205) and celebrated another baptism. Praise the Lord for every Kingdom advance!
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Save the date and plan to bring your teens to the 2023 Crossroads District All-Nighter in Fort Wayne on Friday, February 17. Click the image below for more information or to register your youth group.
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Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. – There’s still time to register your team for the Next Level Church Experience led by Dr. Christopher Williams. This experience includes the opportunity for your team to develop an updated action plan and receive a $1000 matching grant for your next outreach initiative. Check out the link below for more information.
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