 Sunday morning, March 9, Pastor Dave Leitzel and the team at Hamilton Wesleyan Church welcomed me to worship with them and to bring the morning message. Pastor Dave and the Local Board of Administration met with me over lunch. They are prayerfully considering the best path forward as Pastor Dave and Carol look toward retirement in a few years.  Sunday evening, Dr. Tony Bye and Brookhaven Wesleyan Church welcomed the Kentucky Mountain Bible College Chorale for an evening of worship. I was able to attend and was glad for the opportunity to catch up with President Rob Pocai, a friend from our mutual connection at Wesley Biblical Seminary.  Highlights of last week included our district nominating committee meeting online on Tuesday evening. I’m grateful for the work of these committee members. This meeting is a great reminder of how many people participate in the life of our district team. Thank you to those who have served and also to those who are willing to be considered for office this year!  Wednesday, I was in Lebanon to meet with Dr. Morris Jones for a helpful conversation about future opportunities for church planting along the fast-growing I-65 corridor. In addition to pastoring Lebanon Wesleyan Church since 1995, Dr. Jones has also served on the city council with valuable insights into commercial and residential development planning. My last stop on Wednesday was with Rev. Dan Fisher and the LBA at Delphi Wesleyan Church. The board unanimously affirmed Pastor Dan’s extended call.  Thursday included signing property sale documents for North Anderson Wesleyan Church’s old parsonage. Friday was set aside for sabbath. I’m continuing to work my way through Wesley’s sermons. This week’s reading were The Spirit of Bondage and of Adoption (#9), The Witness of the Spirit – Part 1 (#10), The Witness of the Spirit – Part 2 (#11) and The Witness of Our Own Spirit (#12). These sermons make a strong case for the necessity and possibility of having God’s Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirits that we truly are God’s children. We sometimes forget how controversial this doctrine of assurance was in Wesley’s time. Saturday morning, I was in Muncie with Pastor Michael Hewitt for a conference featuring Ron Blue that focused on the role of churches in providing financial wisdom for their communities. Pastor Hewitt served on a panel along with other area leaders who are implementing this strategy in their congregations. You can learn more about this initiative at this website: https://ronblueinstitute.com/fwn/  Saturday afternoon, I was in Indianapolis to meet with some of our pastors who are focused on urban ministry. My first stop was with Pastor Barry and Joyce Dixon (Calvary Family Church). They’ve been fellowshipping with another ministry couple and invited me into their conversation about future ministry opportunities.  My last stop on Saturday was in the Fountain Square neighborhood with Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn. They have accepted the challenge of relaunching ministry in what was formerly the Central Wesleyan Church building. They introduced me to their friends who are prayerfully exploring the call to plant with us in Indianapolis. God is on the move!  Pastor Scott McDermid and Sheridan Six Points Church celebrated another baptism on March 9. They’ve had five baptism services in the new calendar year. Most of these recent baptisms have been the fruit of their effective student ministries.  Pastor Matthew Trexler and the team at the River Church in Marion celebrated 18 baptisms on Sunday, March 2. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!  Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church congregation voted unanimously to renew the call of Rev. Ben Jones and New Carlisle Wesleyan Church congregation voted unanimously to renew the call for Rev. Don Bayne. We’re grateful for the faithful ministries of these pastors and celebrate these strong partnerships with their congregations! We’re also praying for churches that are in the pastoral search process. Mt. Etna Community Life Church and Sweetser Wesleyan Church have both recommended candidates coming to preach this month. Pastor Ben Thomas has accepted the pastoral appointment to The Branch (formerly Schuyler Avenue) in Lafayette. The Branch is currently a developing church but is working toward established church status with a pastoral vote following.  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/ Krista Brown, Executive Director of Fairmount Camp, has opened registration for summer youth camps. This year, Fairmount Camp is excited to be able to offer separate middle school and high school camps. For more information or to register, check out their website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org/teen-camp.html Thank you all for 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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