Lifeway, Mother’s Day, and Baptisms!

Sunday, May 12, I had the joy of joining Rev. Andy Jellison, senior pastor, and his team at Lifeway Wesleyan as they honored mothers in their morning worship service. Pastor Andy brought the children’s message today and Assistant Pastor Rick Fletcher brought an encouraging message to mothers from the book of Ruth.

Following the service, I met briefly with Pastor Andy and the local board of administration (LBA). This has been an exciting year of ministry at Lifeway with 14 baptisms and a record attendance of 346 for Easter Sunday.
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It was fun to catch up with one of my former students over lunch. Brad Holmes is off to a strong start ministering to students and young adults at Lifeway. He just returned from leading a young adult getaway to the “Ark” experience in Kentucky.
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Pastor Jacob Gibson and the team at LifeSpring Church (Richmond/Fountain City) leveraged Mother’s Day as a wonderful opportunity to dedicate children. They dedicated 23 children to the Lord in the three services between their two campuses on Sunday morning.
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Pastor Aldean Pablo passed along the good news that he and the team at ARISE Church in Roanoke were delighted to welcome 104 in worship for Mother’s Day (including 10 first-time guests). They were even more excited to celebrate another baptism for a new believer!
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Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church also celebrated Mother’s Day with another baptism. This was the second week in a row that they baptized a new believer who came to Christ as a result of their neighborhood “block party” outreach last summer.
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Last week included coaching conversations with Rev. Mark Wooten (New Castle Memorial), Rev. Ron Forsythe (Lancaster), Rev. Shane Wilson (Columbia City New Hope), Rev. Thomas Beck (Larwill), Rev. Sam Maddox (Albion), and Rev. Lyle Breeding (Bluffton Sonlight). So many encouraging stories are being written in our churches. I can’t wait for you to hear more of these stories at our district conference on June 29.
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Speaking of conference, Rev. Carla Working and Rev. Chip Bos hosted several ministers in Marion on Monday. They captured video testimonials of how God had called these people into ministry. This video will be shared at the district conference and then will be a resource for pastors to share with people in their congregations who are exploring God’s call.

Saturday morning, I had the privilege of joining Rev. David Cox and the LBA at Laketon Wesleyan Church for Pastor David’s last official meeting as chair. I joined the team in congratulating Pastor David on his 10 years of impactful ministry. Rev. Cox will complete his call on May 31 and then he and Suzanne will be retiring in Florida. The LBA is making progress in its pastoral search process. Pray for God’s direction in this transition.
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My final coaching conversation of the week was over lunch on Saturday in Fort Wayne with Rev. Mike and Hannah Henry. Pastor Mike is another one of our faithful bi-vocational pastors serving the community in EMS. The congregation has been working on their vision, mission, and ministry strategy. That process included a name change from Level 13 Church to become Inspire Church. After lunch, I toured the rebranded and updated facility with Pastor Mike.
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Keep those praise reports coming in. Last week’s team update was released before I received the photo from Tipton Trinity Wesleyan Church where Pastor Johnnie Blair and the team celebrated another baptism. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Fairmount Camp, Inc. is getting ready for another busy season of camping. For more information or to register, visit the camp’s website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org
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​We can’t wait to see all of our ministers and lay delegates gathering for the Crossroads District Conference on June 29 at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. We are “CALLED!”
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Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

​Your servant in Christ,
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Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent