Sunday morning, July 21, I had the privilege of worshiping with Dan and Amanda Clark at Monon Wesleyan Church. It was my joy to bring greetings from our Crossroads District team and to officially install Dan as their new pastor. Pastor Dan preached on “Transitions” from the book of Ezra. After the service, I hosted them for lunch and was encouraged to hear of the impact that Eastview Wesleyan Church had on their lives when they were college students at IWU. Dr. Joe Harmon and Pastor Mark Atkinson played key roles in their spiritual growth and their call to pastoral ministry. Dan is on track to graduate with his MDiv from Anderson Seminary in May. Fairmount Family Camp is on this week, July 21-28. The Fairmount Wesleyan Church moved their morning worship service to the campground to help the week get off to a great start. Pastor Jeff Luedtke brought the morning message and the band from FWC led in worship. Services continue each evening this week at 7 p.m. with Rev. Christy Lipscomb (City Life Church) and Rev. Nathan Metz (WGM-Uganda) as our guest speakers and with Josh Lavender (Indy Trinity) leading worship in song. Our Crossroads District team is praying for and joining with Cynthia, her family, and the Lakeview Wesleyan Church congregation in grieving the loss of Pastor Tim McClellan who passed from the land of the dying into the land of the forever living on Thursday, July 18, just 4 days after his 68th birthday. Pastor Tim endured an intense battle with cancer after first being diagnosed earlier this year. I was available to share one last time of prayer with Tim and Cynthia in their home on Tuesday afternoon. He was a beloved husband, father, friend, and servant of the Lord. Our team will gather at Lakeview Wesleyan Church this Saturday, July 27, at 4 p.m. for the memorial service. Link here for a full obituary: Chronicle-Tribune Obituary I began last week in Columbus, OH, at Cypress Wesleyan Church on Monday for the Greater Ohio District Conference with DS Les Crossfield. I concluded the week on Friday in Lexington, KY with DS Aaron Sherman at the Kentucky-Tennessee District Conference. It was encouraging to hear the exciting reports of progress in these districts, including a new church plant in Ohio and revitalization initiatives in KY-TN. Our Heartland Region is working together to provide our first cooperative four-district Pastor and Family Retreat in Pigeon Forge, TN on March 10-12, 2020. Here’s the link for our shared website: The Heartland Region of The Wesleyan Church Tuesday included staff meetings in Marion, a site visit with Dr. Max Kingsolver at our Wesleyan church in Michigantown, and the day concluded in a meeting with Dr. Jeffrey Boyce and the LBA (Local Board of Administration) at Lakeview Wesleyan Church. Dr. Boyce and the LBA have carried a heavy load in this season of transition and I’m grateful for the prayerful way they’ve handled this process. On Wednesday evening, I was able to be part of the prayer service that they hosted for the Lakeview congregation. Please join them in prayer for wisdom as they lead the congregation through this time of grieving, into this interim season leadership, and as they begin the pastoral search. Baptism reports are coming in! Pastor Eliorgy Guerrero and the team at Cielos Abiertos in Elkhart are rejoicing in six baptisms last month. Pastor Rich Van Vuren reported a baptism celebration this week at Shiloh Wesleyan Church and Pastor David Cox reported another baptism at Laketon Wesleyan Church on Sunday. There is still time to order additional #MADENEW T-shirts by contacting our office. We’re praying, believing, and working together toward a goal of 1000 new believers baptized across our churches this year. God is on the move! We are praising the Lord for answered prayer. Way City Church in Speedway will be launching their public worship services this September in the St. John’s Episcopal Church building (5625 W. 30th Street). Pastor John Miller is excited to be worshipping in a building that he grew up riding his bike past every day of the summer. We are thankful to the Indianapolis Episcopal Diocese for their willingness to lease this strategic space in which to launch a new Wesleyan church. Pastor Matt Ohime and the Davis Wesleyan Church (near Plymouth) welcomed lead consultant Paul James and a team for their Maximizing Impact consultation. Pastor Matt and Kendra have done a wonderful job of mobilizing the church in this first year. Maximizing Impact is an opportunity to build clarity, unity, and urgency as the church moves forward to multiplying disciples in their region. The congregation received the team’s report yesterday and now will be engaged in prayerful discernment over the next few weeks before they vote on whether to move forward with the team’s prescriptions. We are joining Rev. Randy and Carole Yaryan (Winchester Wesleyan) in praising the Lord this week. Janelle Hill, their daughter, survived a near-death experience while serving as a chaperone for their Bible Bowl team at Houghton College. Pastor Randy was on the spot to deliver CPR until the EMT arrived and rushed her to the hospital. Doctors were amazed to see her recovery but the family has no doubt that God intervened miraculously and spared her life. To read Janelle’s account of this miracle, click here. In other exciting news, Bernie Haddad, (a member of Trinity Wesleyan Church and founder of Mercy Unleashed) has received permission to plant a new Kingdom community among inmates inside the Level 1 Dorm at the New Castle Correctional Facility. Their first service is scheduled for August 9. Praise God for the door He has opened for Bernie and pray that God will continue to open hearts to the Gospel. Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent
Judy Chroniak-Hatt
7/22/2019 12:36:57 pm
I was saddened to hear about Paster Tim McClellan. I am excited about Monom Comments are closed.
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