Sherry and I worshiped with the congregation at Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church on Sunday morning, November 27. These are exciting days at Lakeview with Dr. Chris Williams and his team leading the church in growth and spiritual impact. They have witnessed 30 decisions for Christ since September and celebrated 9 baptisms this month. The church has also responded generously with global missions giving exceeding their goal by more than $10,000 so far this year. I brought greetings from the district team and Dr. Mark Schnell brought the first message in their Advent series entitled “Miraculous.” Following the service, Dr. Williams and I met with his board of administration. Dr. Williams, or Pastor Chris, as he prefers to be called, is a blessing to his own congregation but also blesses our district team through serving as Assistant DS and Vice Chair of the DBA, and by leading our Next Level training for church leaders. Last week’s schedule of district ministry was limited to Monday and Tuesday. I met with our district staff team in Marion on Monday and then traveled to Richmond to meet with the pastoral search team at LifeSpring Church. The team is off to a strong start in developing their candidate profile and mobilizing the church to pray for God’s direction in this search process. Tuesday, I was on the road again for coaching conversations with Rev. Jon Noggle in Elwood (Central Wesleyan Church) and with Dr. Morris Jones in Lebanon (Lebanon Wesleyan Church). I had the privilege of connecting with Jim Engelberth on Tuesday afternoon. Jim is a long-time member of Indianapolis Trinity Wesleyan Church and is in his first term as the vicechair of the LBA. I was grateful once again for the significant impact so many lay leaders have in our congregations. Many of you were able to gather with family for Thanksgiving and we shared that blessing as our children came home from Arizona, Florida, and Michigan. Then our extended family gathered at LifeChange Church in Burnips, Michigan on Saturday morning for a celebration of life service. Rev. Dr. Ken Gorveatte (whose ministry included pastoring Wesleyan churches in Fort Wayne, Marion, and Fountain City) passed away on September 17. Only a few of us were able to attend his funeral there in Canada so this service allowed 42 of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to honor his memory and pass along his legacy of faith to future generations. Thank you for your prayers! This will be a busy week as our district team has the privilege of hosting three Christmas gatherings for our local church pastors and their spouses. We’ll be gathering in Fishers on Monday night, Plymouth on Tuesday night, and in Marion on Thursday night. Next week our gatherings will be in Fort Wayne on Monday, Richmond on Tuesday, and Lafayette on Thursday. We’re looking forward to these casual evenings with fellowship over a meal with our ministry colleagues to begin the Advent season. The District Board of Administration is meeting in Marion on Thursday, December 1, and then on Sunday evening, December 4, we have our final district prayer gathering of the year. Rev. Josh Bowlin and the team at Chapel Poke Wesleyan Church in Marion are hosting this prayer gathering at 6 p.m. and we would welcome you to join us. We’re rejoicing with Reverend Lilly Kurker and the team at Carmel Amistad Iglesia Wesleyana as they celebrated five baptisms last Sunday! Pastor Kurker is off to a strong start in her first year of leading this vibrant congregation. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew! We’re also celebrating with Pastor Tony Bye and the team at Marion Brookhaven Wesleyan Church as they witnessed two more baptisms yesterday. What a wonderful way to end Thanksgiving week and move into the Advent season! Our prayers and condolences are extended to the family and friends of Mrs. Phyllis Rinkenberg who passed away on Tuesday, November 22. Mrs. Rinkenberg was the widow of Rev. Robert Rinkenberg and together they served Wesleyan churches across Indiana including Plummer’s Chapel, Fowler, LaOtto, and Fairmount. Their final pastoral appointment was Sheridan Six Points Wesleyan Church where they served faithfully for 10 years until retirement in 1990. Mrs. Rinkerberg served the church well in many capacities including leading women’s ministry, teaching Sunday School, and as office manager for the Central Indiana Camp in Frankfort. Her funeral service will be held on Monday, November 28, at Six Points Church (1545 W. 226 Street, Sheridan) at 7:30 p.m. with visitation from 3 p.m. until the service. Our prayers and condolences are extended to Rev. Jerry Alexander on the passing of his brother Jack Alexander of Frankton on November 22. The funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 1, at 11:00 AM at Circle of Hope Wesleyan Church in Anderson with visitation prior to the service. Please remember to pray for Rev. Dr. Kerry Kind who continues to make progress in a long recovery from a double lung transplant on November 13. Kerry and his family post updates on Caring Bridge. There’s still time to register your team for the Next Level Church Experience led by Dr. Chris Williams. This experience includes the opportunity for your team to develop an updated action plan and receive a $1000 matching grant for your next outreach initiative. Check out the video link for more information. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte P.S. If you’ve not yet acquired your copy of the 2022 Discipline, the free digital version is now available for downloading from this website: https://resources.wesleyan.org/the-discipline-2022 Comments are closed.
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