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Sunday morning, March 23, I had the joy of serving with Rev. David Dignal and the team at Edgerton Wesleyan Church. Pastor David has served this multigenerational congregation since 2002. When he first arrived at EWC, there were questions about the viability of the church. Today, under David’s leadership, the church is a thriving rural congregation serving families along the Indiana-Ohio border.  Pastor David has also been a terrific member of the district team serving in leadership roles including the DBMD and he is always encouraging our church planters. After the service and a brief meeting with the LBA, I enjoyed lunch with Pastor David, Stevie (his wife), and Jonathan (their son). Pastor David has a baptism celebration planned for this coming Sunday with five believers stepping up to publicly profess their faith in Christ!  Sunday evening, Rev. Steve Cox and the congregation at Dublin Gospel Mission hosted the choir from KMBC for a concert of praise. Pastor Steve and his leadership team are exploring denominational affiliation, and he graciously invited me to join their team at the concert. Our last Pastor and Spouse Fellowship Brunch for this conference year was held at Southdowns Wesleyan Church in Kokomo. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Rennaker for hosting us. We were missing a few who had registered but we had a great time with those who could attend. We did award the last of the 10 travel scholarships and registrations to the Harvest Foundation pastors’ retreat in the Dominican Republic this October. Congratulations to Rev. John and Beth Hannan!  Following the brunch, I met with Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson and Stanley, her husband, and also with Rev. John Hannan and Beth, his wife, for our annual coaching conversations. I left Kokomo heading to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis to check in on Emma Jean Wood and her parents. Thank you for your prayers and support for the Wood family! On the way to Riley, I dropped by Monte de Sion Church in Eagledale. Pastor Walter Martir and his team were hard at work replacing the windows in the auditorium. On Sunday, Rev. Grace Lopez, Assistant District Superintendent for Hispanic Ministries, represented me and the DBA in leading the church through the ritual of becoming an established church.  Exponential Conference in Orlando has become one of the highlights of the year for Wesleyan leaders. This premiere conference on multiplying disciples and churches has seen a growing number of Wesleyans each year. Exponential 2025 welcomed 618 Wesleyan leaders from across North America. This included denominational leaders, pastors, team members, and ministerial students from 4 of our 5 universities. The Wesleyan Pre-Conference was hosted by Dr. Ed Love’s team from HQ and Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent, was the keynote speaker.  The Crossroads District was well represented with 40+ registered. Rev. Michael Hewitt, pastor of Rising Hope Church in Muncie and district champion for church planters, was invited to present as one of the panelists.  The Wesleyans gathered on Tuesday evening for fellowship and a meal in the courtyard. The photo here is of Pastor Terry Vaughn and some of the 18 people in the multi-generational team from The Bridge Urban Church. Pastor Terry brought along high school students, young adults, and grandmothers!  If you’ve not yet been to an Exponential Conference, let me encourage you to consider joining us next year, March 16-19. The theme for next year is “Multiplier: It’s In You.” The Wesleyan Church has a great discounted ticket price when you register as part of our group. If you’d like more information, you can visit this website: https://exponential.org/global-2026/  Congratulations to Rev. Ben Wade on his call to serve as pastor at Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church in Greenfield. Pastor Ben and Katie have been serving there as part of Dr. Theo Griffin’s team. Ben received a strong pastoral vote and has accepted the call to lead. Rev. Rick Carder has accepted the invitation of Lancaster Wesleyan church to candidate on April 6. Rick and Cindy have already been serving at Lancaster as part of Rev. Ron Forsythe’s team. We’re praying with the church and the Carders for God’s direction in this time of transition.  Make plans to bring your students to IWU for FUSION, April 4-5. Thank you to Professor Charlie Alcock and his team for creating this opportunity for students to experience the IWU campus and the impact of worshiping with 1500 other high school students from across Indiana. (“Never Too Young,” the middle-school event, is scheduled for May 2-3.) https://www.indwes.edu/academics/youth-ministry-events/fusion/ Crossroads District Ordination and Conference is fast approaching! We’re looking forward to our time with you at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion on Friday-Saturday, June 27-28. Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. Fairmount Camp has opened registration for its summer youth camps. This year, Fairmount Camp is offering separate camps middle school and high school students. For more information or to register, check out their website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org/teen-camp.html Comments are closed.
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