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Sunday morning, April 7, Rev. Noah Farmer and the team at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church welcomed me for their 9 a.m. worship service. Pastor Noah brought an encouraging message on getting past your past by the grace of God. They had a great day on Easter Sunday with 363 in worship and 31 people indicating their profession of faith. This Sunday, attendance was over 230 as Eastview celebrated six baptisms. Here is Pastor Noah with the three baptized in the early service.  My second stop of the day was with Rev. Brent Miller and the team at Southside Wesleyan Church. They had a full house on Easter and are rejoicing with the 8 people who prayed to receive Christ. Pastor Brent started a new sermon series called “Lessons from the Road.” He’s logged over 1 million miles driving commercially so he will be sharing lessons from his experiences. Following the service, Southside hosted a fellowship meal for the congregation.  My last stop of the day was with Pastor Jerry Alexander in Anderson. Together, we chaired the Local Church Conference for Living Hope Church (formerly Anderson Central Wesleyan). I’m grateful for Pastor Jerry and Teresa’s loving investment in this turnaround initiative. Pray with them as they prepare for Launch Sunday on May 19.  Last week began with a delightful lunch hosting Rev. Steve Arnett and three of the college students from New Castle Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church who are studying for ministry. Pastor Steve is a great mentor and friend to these college students. If you have people in your congregation who are prayerfully considering a call to ministry, I’d be grateful to connect with them over lunch or coffee to answer questions they might have about The Wesleyan Church and our ordination process. Monday evening, I joined the pastoral search team at Elwood Central Wesleyan Church as they conducted the first of two candidate interviews that evening. Easter was amazing at Central Wesleyan Church with Rev. Mark Atkinson as guest speaker, 187 people in attendance, and 30 people responding to the invitation to become disciples of Jesus Christ!  The Heartland Gathering was held last week in Pigeon Forge, TN. This was the third time that our four Heartland Region districts (Crossroads, Greater Ohio, Indiana South, and Kentucky-Tennessee) have combined to host this retreat for pastors and their families. We had the strongest contingent present among the more than 300 who gathered for the three nights of worship and refreshment. The speakers were inspiring and the fellowship was a little taste of heaven. Thank you to key leaders from our district, including Carla Working, Michael Wood, Seth Bye, and others, who helped make this event possible.  I returned early from Tennessee to participate in the funeral of Larry Trexler, Sr., father to Rev. Matthew Trexler. It was an honor to serve the family in this service alongside Dr. John Ott, one of my heroes and a long-time mentor for Pastor Trexler. Please continue to keep the Trexler family in your prayers.  Friday evening, I joined Pastor Charlie Alcock, 700 high school students, and a chapel full of worshipers at Indiana Wesleyan University for the kickoff rally of FUSION. This was the 20th anniversary of FUSION and I’m grateful for the IWU team that makes this event possible. Pray for the hundreds of students who walked through an open door on Saturday evening to answer the call to follow Jesus.  I took the day off on Saturday and stopped by Northview Church to hear John Maxwell share about the power of mentoring. I’m old enough to remember when Dr. Maxwell worked on staff at the headquarters of The Wesleyan Church. I am grateful for his investment in my life and the lives of so many leaders in our denomination. Pastor Dan Fisher shared the encouraging report that Delphi Wesleyan Church welcomed 118 for Easter Sunday. Then they followed that up by baptizing a new believer and welcoming six new members yesterday. God is on the move in Delphi!  Rev. Andy Riemersma and the team at ONE Church in Westfield welcomed over 200 on Easter Sunday and baptized two new believers this past week in the Westfield YMCA pool. Both young men are athletes that Pastor Andy serves in his part-time role as a chaplain in the Indiana Pacers organization. Pray for God’s favor on Pastor Andy’s unique ministry.  This is shaping up to be another great week in the Crossroads District. On April 11-13, 2024, College Wesleyan Church will host their first-ever Marketplace Multipliers Conference. This conference is designed to empower and equip ordinary people to effectively live out their faith in the workplace. You will hear from clergy and laity alike—practitioners on the front lines of this movement. You can still register for the event at this website.  You are also invited to the OCHLOS Conference, April 13-14, 2024 at Southview Wesleyan Church in Indianapolis. Speakers include Santes Beatty, Director of Next Gen for The Wesleyan Church; Yamil Acevedo, Executive Vice President of Wesley Seminary; Zachary Szmara, Executive Director of Immigrant Connection and Pastor of the Bridge Church in Logansport; and Meg Puello, Executive Director of ASPYRE Inc. Click Here for more information and registration.  Calling on children’s ministry workers! Don’t miss the Crossroads KidMin Huddle, Saturday, April 20th, at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church in Marion. For $25, you’ll enjoy a full day of learning and networking with fellow children’s ministry leaders, volunteers, and pastors. A continental breakfast and lunch is included in your registration. Stephanie Rhyne, Kids Ministry Catalyst for The Wesleyan Church and content creator for David C. Cook (Wonder Ink), will be our guest speaker. Lead pastors who register to attend can bring two additional volunteers for free! Register at this link.  Save the date! Our 2024 Crossroads District Conference will be held at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion on Saturday, June 29th. Mark your calendars now and make plans to join us! 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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