Lifeway, Evanston, Casa Network, and Baptisms!

First, can we just say “Thank you, Lord” for this beautiful fall weather! I was on the road just after sunrise early Sunday to join Rev. Andy Jellison and the team at Lifeway Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne for their new two-service schedule. Lifeway has been a healthy, multigenerational church under Rev. Rick Fletcher’s leadership. The growth continues with Rev. Andy Jellison moving into the lead pastor role in the summer of 2023.
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The church averaged 265 last year with 29 professions of faith and 18 baptisms. Their auditorium could hold the current congregation but with growth up 25% from the previous year (211), the leadership team proactively took the step to double their capacity by adding a second worship service. They almost doubled the number of volunteer serving opportunities and created children’s ministry options for both services. Sounds like it was just in time with early reports of nearly 300 in attendance yesterday. Pray for Senior Pastor Andy Jellison and his team (left to right: Rev. Levi Lehman, Rev. Rick Fletcher, Rev. Andy Jellison, and Rev. Kory Christensen) as they lead in this exciting season of growth and impact!
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I was on the schedule to preach in Indianapolis at 1 pm, so there was time to check in on Rev. Jim Weinmann and the multi-ethnic congregation at Evanston Avenue Wesleyan Church. On any given Sunday, the congregation is comprised of Haitians, Hispanics, and Hoosiers. Pastor Jim does an amazing job creating a culture of hospitality. In addition to pastoring the church, Rev. Weinmann leads the team at Wesleyan Pension Fund (his full-time job) and also serves as a volunteer chaplain for the Lawrence Police Department
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Sunday was also a special time at Casa de Dios as Rev. Claudia Ruiz introduced the campus pastors for the newest location in the CASA Network. The CASA Network started with the Richmond campus, and the team Rev. Ruiz leads also serves congregations in Portland, Union City, and now in south Indianapolis. Federico and Maria Falcon will serve on her team as lay pastoral assistants caring for the Hispanic congregation meeting at Southview Wesleyan Church. Rev. Grace Lopez (Assistant District Superintendent for Hispanic Ministries) welcomed the Falcons to The Wesleyan Church and will work with them as they prepare for ordination through the FLAMA program she directs.
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The program concluded with a special time of prayer for the Falcons and a delicious meal. Rev. Dr. Neftali Lopez is always ready to help out in any way he can so it was no surprise when the music audio failed, that Dr. Lopez stepped up to play the piano for the worship team.
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Before the service began for the CASA congregation, I was able to connect with Pastor Benjamin Tuimuk and the congregation of Shalom (comprised of families from Myanmar). This delightful congregation has flourished within the hospitality of Southview Wesleyan Church. They’re now in the process of completing their own worship center with plans to relocate early in the new year. Special appreciation goes to Rev. Nathan Richardson and the team at Southview Wesleyan for their generosity in hosting these startup ministries!
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Last week’s schedule included a delightful Labor Day celebrating Sherry’s (??) birthday with family. I was back on the road Tuesday to meet with Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church) in Plymouth. Pastor Ben has been doing a wonderful job leading the church since 2019 but they are facing real challenges with an aging facility. Pray with them for wisdom!

Dr. Steve DeNeff and I met for lunch on Wednesday at College Wesleyan Church in Marion. It was great to catch up with Pastor Steve after his busy summer. One of his ministry assignments was preaching at Beulah Camp (New Brunswick, Canada) which is where I spent summers growing up. He shared encouraging updates from the ministry at College Wesleyan including their continued impact on Frances Slocum Elementary School. The church staff spent a day on site serving teachers and students there again last week. Thank you, College Wes!
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Wednesday afternoon, I caught up with Pastor Aldean Pablo as his team at ARISE Church in Roanoke hosted a back-to-school event to serve their community. They provided a free meal, a worship concert, and games for children. One of the goals was to raise funds to provide backpacks for children who depend on school lunch programs and need meals on the weekend. ARISE Church will be able to provide 51 backpack meals for this school year!
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Thursday, Michael Wood and I were working together proofing the final draft of our grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment Fund. Dr. Chris Williams and Dr. Mark Rennaker also provided invaluable assistance in the process but no one worked harder and longer than Michael. This grant could have significant impact for our pastors and churches so I’m grateful for the investment each of these leaders made in developing this proposal.

Sherry and I are able to worship together each week now that The River Church offers a Thursday evening service. A new believer was baptized this week who just started attending on the first Thursday night and now, four weeks later, was taking this step of faith. #MadeNew
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Friday night, I checked in with Rev. John Hannan and the team at CrossRoads Church in Union City as they opened their doors to serve their neighbors with a free meal and an evening of family fun. You may recall that Pastor John and Beth Hannan planted this new church in 2019, just before the pandemic. Pastor John drives school bus, has a real estate business, and leads this young church. Their motto at CrossRoads is “Where everyone matters!” and that really expresses Pastor John’s heart. Pray as they continue to make disciples in Union City.
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Rev. Eric George serves as a bi–vocational pastor at our Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church in Muncie. I was encouraged to read his post last week on social media: “For the past 5 years I have not only been the pastor of a small church, I have also been a full time Chaplain at one of Indiana’s largest prisons. Two of our inmates saw a publication from Prison Fellowship, a national prison ministry (started by Chuck Colson). So they wrote Prison Fellowship and nominated me for Outstanding Chaplain Award, and I was presented with that award!” Thank you, Pastor Eric, for serving the Lord as He provides the opportunities!
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Pastor Terry Vaughn (The Bridge Urban Church in Mishawaka) sent another praise report this Sunday. They baptized a new believer this Sunday morning and have three more planning to be baptized next week. God is on the move through The Bridge!

“How can I effectively and ethically use AI in ministry?” “What are the current best practices in youth and children’s ministry?” “What about ministerial taxes or best financial practices for our local church?” — We heard you and are excited to welcome you and your leaders to ReEquip, our district-wide ministry training day on Saturday, September 27, at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City.
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​​Check-in begins at 9:00am with the first round of breakout sessions starting at 9:30. There will be a fellowship break to catch up with friends from other district churches. Then the second round of breakouts starts at 11:00. We’ll gather at 11:45 for door prize drawings and a final challenge before we adjourn at 12:00. The price? FREE. Check out the link for more information and registration:
​https://forms.gle/PaW8vrCNatv17ZD87

Time is running out. You can still register today for the Wesleyan Holiness Connection’s Pastors & Church Leaders Day coming to IWU on Tuesday, September 23. Please click here for more information and registration.

The Wesleyan Church is hosting regional youth events this fall with the closest one coming to Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday, October 24-25. Our own Andy Riemersma is one of the featured artists. For more information, here’s the link:
​https://wesleyan.org/empoweredtour2025
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Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​P.S. MissionInsite is FREE for your Wesleyan church!
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MissionInsite is a comprehensive demographic database tool that equips church leaders with insightful information to help them understand how to impact their community (Jerusalem) and beyond (Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth) with the Gospel. The Wesleyan Church has made this resource available, for free, to local churches. MissionInsite has been providing solutions to churches and regional agencies for over 13 years. Today, they serve over 107,000 faith-based organizations and 175 national and regional church agencies across 20 denominations. Their tool integrates multiple premier data sources including Epsilon, Experian, and Synergos, among other quality demographic research studies. 
Recording of MissionInsite Training