Colfax, The Gathering, and 21 Days of Prayer

Pastor Dan Clark and the team at Colfax Wesleyan Church graciously welcomed me to worship with them on Sunday morning, January 8. I had the privilege of leading the pastoral prayer and bringing greetings from our Crossroads District team. Following the morning service, Pastor Dan and I met with the Local Board of Administration for Q & A and prayer. Both Rev. Dan and Amanda have health concerns and appreciate the prayers extended on their behalf.
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Sunday evening, I dropped in on Rev. Mike and Elizabeth Weller at Restoration Church in Anderson. Pastor Mike and his team hold services over supper each Sunday evening at 5. Starting with just a handful, Restoration Church welcomes as many as 40 people for this meal, preaching, conversation, and prayer. It was also good to catch up with Rev. Ron and Joy Weller, Mike’s parents, who have been key team members from day one. Restoration Church is playing a vital role in the advancement of the Kingdom among people living on the margins in downtown Anderson.

We’re celebrating with Pastor Tim Becker and the team at Elwood Main Street Wesleyan Church as three people publicly professed their faith in Christ yesterday through baptism! What a great way to begin the new year! Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!
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Last week, Sherry and I joined more than 1500 Wesleyan leaders, and their families, in Orlando for The Gathering. We had strong representation from the Crossroads District both in attenders and presenters. Mr. Joel Hunt, a lay member of our Crossroads District Board of Administration hosted the lunch meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Network held on Thursday. You’ll be hearing more about the Wesleyan theological and discipleship resources to be created and curated by this new initiative led by Rev. Matthew LeRoy and supported by a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation.
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Rev. Carla Working, Assistant District Superintendent of the Crossroads District, served on the steering committee for the Wesleyan Women in Ministry breakfast held on Friday morning. Dr. Wayne Schmidt and Dr. JoAnne Lyon addressed this group. In addition to her work on this denomination-wide team, Rev. Working also leads our District Board of Ministerial Development.
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Rev. Danielle Freed, who helped plant Fishers Waterline Church, was one of the main rally speakers. She shared a compelling story of personal evangelism from her days growing up in Lapel.
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Dr. Steve DeNeff, pastor of Marion College Wesleyan Church, brought a powerful and timely message for pastors from the book of Jeremiah on Thursday morning.
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One of the highlights of The Gathering is reuniting with ministry colleagues from around our denominational family. I enjoyed reconnecting with Dr. Laurel Buckingham (founder of the Buckingham Leaders Network), Rev. Troy Evans (author and church planter of The Edge), and Rev. Brett Jones, pastor of Auckland’s East City Wesleyan Church and the newly-elected national superintendent of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church.
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Sunday, January 8, began the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting that Crossroads District pastors and churches are marking again this year. If you’d like to follow along and join in this prayer focus, you can access the free resources from the Church of the Highlands:
https://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/

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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Please mark your calendar for Saturday, June 24, when our Crossroads District Conference will convene at the Madison Park Church of God in Anderson for our annual conference and ordination service.

Join us in praying that 2023 will be a year of breakthroughs for our Crossroads District churches!

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. Chris 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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