 Sunday morning, June 2, I was privileged to represent the Crossroads District and join the congregation of Monte de Sion in Indianapolis as they welcomed their new pastor, Walter Martir. Walter and Diana, his wife, are both ministerial students in FLAMA. Rev. Nicholas and Rev. Adriana Zarate (leading Rey de Gloria at Noblesville Circle of Hope) welcomed the Martir family into The Wesleyan Church and started them in the ministerial preparation process.  Rev. Grace Lopez, assisted by Rev. Neftali Lopez, has been serving as the interim pastor for Monte de Sion in the transition after Chris Granados resigned. The church responded well to Pastor Grace’s leadership. Attendance increased (from 50 to 85) and they baptized 6 new believers. Join us in praying for Pastor Martir and his family as they lead Monte de Sion in Great Commission ministry. My last stop of the day was overlooking the reservoir in Brookville, Indiana for the wedding of Rev. Claudia Ruiz and Mr. Stanley Wilson. Pastor Claudia was escorted and presented by her three sons. Pastor John Hannan officiated and attendance included congregation members from Union City and Richmond. Rev. Joe Schmidt, Rev. Grace & Rev. Neftali Lopez, and I were present from the district team along with Rev. Hannan. We pray for God’s blessing on this marriage and their continuing ministry.  Last week’s itinerary was abbreviated with Memorial Day on Monday but I still had the joy of connecting with several pastors for coaching conversations. On Tuesday, I met with Rev. Andy Cole (Lapel Daybreak), Rev. Andy Riemersma (Westfield ONE Church), and finished the day with Rev. Allen Gross (Cicero United Family). Daybreak saw the number of professions of faith double from 15 to 30. Baptisms at ONE Church rose from 8 to 13 with worship attendance increasing from 89 to 115. Worship attendance also increased at United Family Church from 65 to 80. Wednesday morning, I was back in Marion to meet with Michael Wood, District Administrator, and Darah Martin, Dr. Chris Williams’ executive assistant, who is also serving the district team. Plans are coming together for annual conference, June 29, and we can’t wait to see you there! My next coaching conversation was with Pastor John Hannan at CrossRoads Church in Union City. Pastor John and Beth, his wife, planted CrossRoads Church in August 2019 just months before the pandemic. The church is regathering with worship attendance increasing from 32 to 41 this year. They also baptized 12 new believers, up from 6 last year. If life wasn’t challenging enough, Pastor John and Beth obeyed God’s direction in becoming foster parents for two special needs preschoolers over a year ago. After our coaching conversation, Beth and the girls joined us for supper. They are praising God for miracles in their church and home!  Thursday morning, I met with Pastor Jarod Osborne (Warsaw Pathway) and then met with Pastor Ed Friberg (Plymouth Shiloh) in the afternoon. Pathway had another strong year of ministry, including their outreach into the county jail. Pastor Ed is in his first year leading Shiloh and he was encouraged that worship attendance has increased by 20% (from 96 to 116). After a day of reading and rest on Friday, I was back on the road Saturday. My first stop was in Anderson with Rev. Mike Weller who leads Restoration Church. Restoration Church is a unique ministry to the homeless and working poor in downtown Anderson. They offer meals on Sunday evenings with Bible teaching, discussion groups, and prayer. Once each month, Restoration holds an outdoor worship service in the park next door to their rented facility. Space is a serious challenge as worship attendance now averages 52. Rev. Duane Summitt (Fishersburg Wesleyan) and I met for coffee and coaching in Tipton where Duane also works in a local car dealership. Please remember Pastor Duane in your prayers as he consults with doctors over a continuing health concern.  My last stop was in Marion for Elliot Williams’ graduation reception. Dr. Chris (Assistant District Superintendent) and Marietta Williams have had a busy few weeks with this reception and their daughter’s wedding. Elliott will be attending Indiana Wesleyan University this fall. Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn are praising the Lord for another baptism yesterday at The Bridge Urban Church in Mishawaka. They had a record number of baptisms last year and attendance grew from 36 to 100 with the move into a permanent facility. #MadeNew  Pastor Josh Fox and the team at Hartford City Wesleyan Church celebrated 3 baptisms on Sunday. One young lady who was baptized shared her powerful testimony of coming out of atheism to discover freedom in Christ!  Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church celebrated another baptism this week and they’re still thanking God for the powerful revival services they had with Rev. Garner.  Pastor Scott Rhyno and the team at Waterline Church celebrated another baptism yesterday. That makes 3 of the past 8 weeks when they’ve had at least one baptism. Praise God!  The River Church in Marion celebrated baptisms again yesterday. Pastor Matthew Trexler and his team have seen 593 people publicly profess their faith in Christ in the past two conference years. Praise the Lord for lives being #MadeNew!  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!” Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Comments are closed.
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