 Sherry and I had the privilege of welcoming Rev. Jon and Lindsey Noggle as the new pastor and family at Elwood Central Wesleyan Church on Sunday morning, July 17. Pastor Jon brought the morning message on prayer and I represented the Crossroads District by leading the installation service. Pastor Jon, Lindsey, and their girls, Payton and Paisley, are coming to us from serving with the Nazarene Church in Missouri. Lindsey is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and they have family both in Indiana and Ohio. We’re excited to welcome them to the Crossroads District team and encourage you to get to know them as they’re getting settled into this new ministry appointment.  I enjoyed a great week of vacation with my three siblings visiting our 86-year-old father, Dr. Ken Gorveatte, at his summer home in Canada from July 6-13. DS Peter Moore and the Atlantic District of The Wesleyan Church honored him along with his classmate and friend, Dr. Laurel Buckingham, for more than 60 years of ordained ministry in The Wesleyan Church.  Joel, my brother, is pastor at Moncton Wesleyan Church where my father was discipled as a teenager and where Dr. Buckingham pastored for 42 years. Ruth, my sister, teaches at a Christian school in Macon, Georgia. Beth, my younger sister, and her husband, Steve Jones, pastor LifeChange Wesleyan Church in Burnips, Michigan. This was the first time that the four of us had been together for Beulah Camp in more than forty years. It was good to be together with family and friends in a place that is so rich with family memories and spiritual milestones.  I was back on the road here in the district on Thursday meeting with Rev. Seth and Cassidy Bye as they lead the church restart in Avon. Seth has been working diligently in preparing their launch team and their next outreach event is a community festival planned for August 27. If you have friends or relatives in the Avon area looking for a church family, help connect them to 317Church! https://317church.org  Thursday afternoon, I was able to connect with Pastor Andy Riemersma for another exciting update on the ministry of ONE Church in Westfield. They just received unanimous approval from the city for expansion of their parking lot to accommodate their growing church family. Friday morning, I met with our new district treasurer, Rev. Matthew Trexler, and we dropped in on Dr. Matthew Stewart at Sweetser Wesleyan Church. Dr. Stewart and the team at Sweetser Wesleyan Church have made significant progress in their revitalization project. The most recent upgrade happened just last week when they replaced their benches with stackable, padded chairs. In addition to being more comfortable, this flexible seating will provide more options for ministry use in their auditorium. (If your church is looking for 80 chairs, one of our larger churches has them available for donation. Reach out to the district office and we’ll help make that connection.)  I met with Pastor Jon Noggle for lunch in Elwood and then connected with Dr. Joe Harmon on Friday afternoon for an update on the ministry in New Castle and his plans for the upcoming Intro to Theology class he’ll be offering for ministerial students in our district this fall. Friday evening, I dropped in to worship with our friends at Frankfort Camp. Several of our pastors serve in the family camp program and it was good to connect with them. Phil and Ronda Foley have a wonderful ministry through hosting a variety of camps in this facility.  We’re praising the Lord for more stories of changed lives from across our district family. Rev. Bob McHenry leads the ministry at Marion Nelson Street and shared the exciting news of three baptisms yesterday. Pastor Bob was able to tell me a little about the miracle redemption stories these represent. We’re celebrating with Rev. McHenry and the team at Nelson Street for these lives being #MadeNew!  Rev. Sam Maddox, Jr., who was recently ordained at our 2022 district conference and who leads the Albion Wesleyan Church, shared exciting news from their ministry. In the month of June, they baptized nine new believers in a congregation that averaged 46 in worship attendance last year (up 26 from the previous year). Praise the Lord for this turnaround church and these lives being #MadeNew!  Dr. Joe Harmon stepped in to help New Castle Memorial Wesleyan Church on an interim basis back in 2020 and has since accepted the call to lead the church through at least 2024. God has been blessing the ministry with rebounding attendance and faithful financial support. They reported 2 baptisms last conference year, and then celebrated five last month with two more on Sunday, July 17. They’re off to a great start in this new conference year. We’re rejoicing with Dr. Harmon and his team as they see more lives being #MadeNew!  Congratulations to Rev. Dan Clark and the Colfax Wesleyan Church. Pastor Dan has accepted a two-year call to lead this ministry after resigning from his previous appointment at Monon Wesleyan Church. Pleased remember the Monon church as they continue in their pastoral search process. Please join us in prayer for Pastor Scott McDermid’s father, Gary, who has been hospitalized for more than a week with a life-threatening heart condition. And join with us in praying for Rev. Patty Bray who shared her cancer diagnosis with friends and family last week. We serve a God who still hears and answers the prayers of His people!  Rev. Angela Spangler and her team at Fairmount Camp are hosting their annual family camp this week with some familiar faces serving as the ministry team. Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant DS and pastor at Lakeview Wesleyan Church, is preaching in the evening services through Wednesday night. Rev. Mike McNeil, a faculty member that I served with at Kingwood University, will be preaching on the remaining evenings. Rev. Carla and Rev. Zach Working (Huntington Hope Rising) are speaking in The Bridge venue. Dr. Matthew Stewart (Sweetser Wesleyan) is leading the morning Bible studies. Rev. Johnnie and Rev. Amanda Blair (Tipton Trinity) are leading worship. For a full schedule and more details, visit the website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org  Make plans now to join us for the Celebration of Holiness one-day event at College Wesleyan Church on Friday, September 30. Great preaching, helpful discussions, and current resources to encourage you in proclaiming the message of Perfect Love! Registration is now open: https://www.crossroadsdistrict.org/holiness 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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