Monon, Prayer Meetings, and Baptisms

Sunday, November 2, I drove to Monon to join with Johnie Dove, supply pastor, and the faithful little band that have kept the doors open at Monon Wesleyan Church for the past few years. There were eight of us in total for the worship service. Johnie’s message on “The Unseen Road” was timely for the conversation that I led with members after the service.
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I am deeply grateful for Steve and Anne Swain. They have been faithful and generous lay leaders who have held the church together. Steve has been vice-chair and Anne has served as the treasurer. As Steve approaches retirement, they have decided to move to Ohio to be closer to grandchildren. That leaves four members at the church. The DBA will receive a recommendation for discontinuing the church before winter settles in. Pray for the remaining members as they prepare to settle into new church families.

On Tuesday, I met with several of our Plymouth area pastors for “Lunch and Learn.” Following that meeting, Rev. Ted and Julia Dittmer met with me for an update on Davis Wesleyan Church. Rev. Dittmer is an ordained Nazarene evangelist living in Knox who agreed to serve as supply pastor this year.
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The Dittmers have made children’s ministry a primary focus in this revitalization journey. The congregation has responded enthusiastically to Ted and Julia’s leadership. They averaged 22 in worship during the month of August and averaged 39 in October with a recent high attendance of 47. Pray for God’s continued blessing on their outreach.
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Thursday evening, I met with Rev. Ben Jones and the LBA at Beaver Creek Wesleyan Church. This historic congregation is located about 15 miles south of South Bend. The wing in which we met is over 100 years old. The congregation is growing younger as Pastor Ben and Kristen lead the revitalization journey.

Many of our churches hosted outreach events during the past week. I was able to drop on at Greentown Wesleyan Church on Friday night to see their “Hall of Treats.” Thank you to Pastor Eric Roemer and his team for creating this welcoming opportunity to connect with their neighbors.
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I had the opportunity to drop in on two of our churches that host weekly prayer gatherings on Saturday mornings. I stopped by The River for their 9 AM prayer meeting and then joined Rev. Dan Van Cise and his team at West 8th Street Wesleyan for their 11 AM prayer time. Pastor Dan shared some of the recent answers to prayer and reported a recent high worship attendance of 70. Thank you to every church that keeps prayer as a priority!
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We love to share the stories of God at work in people’s lives across the district team. Pastor David Shafer and the North Anderson Wesleyan Church celebrated two baptisms yesterday morning. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Pastor Marc and Heather Ulrich continue to impact their mission field as they lead ReThink Church and launch “missional communities” in their region. They baptized a new believer yesterday morning who came to Christ through the missional community (micro-church) that the Ulrich’s lead in their neighborhood. God is on the move in Merrillville!
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Dr. Steve DeNeff and his team at College Wesleyan Church in Marion had another great day of ministry as they celebrated All Saints Sunday. Six new believers were baptized yesterday in public profession of their faith in Christ. They also celebrated with the two families who presented their children for the sacrament of baptism. Praise the Lord!
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Pastor Jeff Luedtke and the team at Fairmount Wesleyan Church also celebrated six baptisms yesterday. We rejoice as they continue reaching their community and helping people take their next steps in faith.

​Our sympathies and prayers are extended to the family of Rev. Richard Deisler. Rev. Deisler was promoted to glory on Monday, October 26. He faithfully served as a pastor in The Wesleyan Church for more than 40 years and his sons Mark and Rick are both ordained ministers in The Wesleyan Church. Visitation with the family will be on Monday, November 3, 4-7 PM, at Westview Wesleyan Church. The celebration of life service will be held at Westview Wesleyan Church on Tuesday, 11:30 AM. Here’s the link to Rev. Deisler’s full obituary:
​https://www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com/obituaries/richard-deisler
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Hurricane Melissa has caused severe damage across Jamaica and Haiti, including Wesleyan churches and the Caribbean Wesleyan College. Our partners at World Hope International are already on the ground providing emergency aid and supplies. You may join in supporting recovery efforts by giving at: worldhope.donorsupport.co/page/Hurricane-Melissa
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Save the Date: Crossroads District retired ministers and their spouses are invited to join us for our fall brunch and fellowship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Eastview Wesleyan Church in Gas City. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, as our guest speaker. This is the first year since Dr. Lyon officially “retired” but she and Wayne are both staying very busy.
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​Come join us for this special occasion. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling 765-674-8593 and leaving a message with your name and number of guests attending.

Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. I’d welcome your prayers this week as I travel to New Zealand with Dr. Dennis Jackson, Executive Director of Global Partners. We’ve both been invited to speak at the 25th Anniversary of the New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church. While there, we’ll worship at The Well in Christchurch, a church planted by Dr. Clint Ussher, Dr. Jackson’s son-in-law.