 Sunday morning, September 8, I had the joy of worshiping with Pastor Shane Wilson and the team at New Hope Wesleyan Church in Columbia City. This is one of our stronger congregations located right on Hwy 30 just west of town. Pastor Shane is doing a wonderful job of following in the footsteps of strong pastors like Rev. Barry Faucett and Rev. Jason Tash. I appreciated the opportunity to connect with the local board members after the second service. Pastor Shane, Jill, and Rhett (their younger son) joined me for lunch and it was encouraging to hear how God is at work in their family and ministry. Last year, New Hope baptized 20 believers. Their faith goal for this year is 35 baptisms!  Assistant DS Chris Williams and our consultation team were with Pastor Steve and the congregation at Lone Oak Wesleyan Church in Anderson this weekend. I was able to join them for lunch on Friday and for the closing session on Saturday. In addition to Chris, Rev. Don Bayne, Rev. Matthew Ohime, and Rev Matthew Stewart joined Rev. Paul James, our lead consultant, for this important weekend of training and vision casting. Pastor Binns and the folks at Lone Oak received the consultation team’s report on Sunday morning and will take the next few weeks to pray as they seek God’s direction for greater Kingdom impact in the days ahead.  Last week’s schedule included our office team meeting on Tuesday morning, coaching conversations with Pastor Rick Fletcher (Lifeway Wesleyan Church) and Pastor David Dignal (Edgerton Wesleyan Church) on Wednesday, a day of study and correspondence on Thursday, and hosting the Region 3 South Zone pastors and spouses at our home on Friday evening. One of the highlights for me last week was joining Pastor Matthew Trexler, Region 1 Assistant DS, and his team at The River Church on Tuesday morning, 6 a.m., for day 16 in their 21 Days of Prayer. I was glad to bring encouragement from God’s Word on prayers of freedom. Thank you to each of our pastors who make prayer a central focus in the ministry of your church. The Kingdom of God advances on its knees!  Please pray with us for Rev. Lloyd Moore, one of our retired pastors. Rhonda, his wife, has been posting updates to let friends know that Lloyd has battled cancer before and just last week they found lymphoma cancer of the brain. They did a biopsy of the liver to see if the lesions there are also lymphoma. They have released him to await test results. Pray for Pastor Moore’s healing and for Rhonda’s strength as she walks with him. Please remember Pastor Craig Thurmon (Encounter Assembly) and his family in prayer with the passing of his mother in Chicago last week. Funeral arrangements are awaiting the return of a granddaughter coming from overseas. We’re grateful for Pastor Craig and Tiffany, his wife, as they make disciples and build a team to launch this new Kingdom community on the eastside of Indianapolis. We’re celebrating with Pastor Randy Yaryan and the Winchester Wesleyan Church as they had the joy of baptizing two new believers this week. Crossroads District pastors have set a faith goal this year for more than 1000 baptisms.  This coming Sunday will mark the “Grand Opening” for Rising Hope in Muncie after a year-long project of community outreach and facility remodeling of the old Northview Wesleyan Church building on Cowing Avenue. Thank you to the pastors, lay volunteers and youth groups from across the district who pitched in to help remodel the space and serve the community. They are looking forward to a full house this Sunday. This coming Sunday will be “Launch Day” for Way City Church in Speedway. Pastor John and Heather Miller have been working faithfully to build a team and make disciples for the launching of this new Kingdom community. We are grateful for the churches and individuals who have generously supported the Miller’s in the prelaunch season. We are joining them in praying that the seeds that have been planted will bring a harvest of lives changed by the Gospel!  There are some wonderful opportunities coming up for leadership development. Pastor Mike Colaw, Assistant DS for Region 2, is inviting us to join them on Tuesday, September 24, 10 until noon, at Trinity Wesleyan Church to hear Dr. Bob Whitesel and a panel share on the subject of “How to Change Your Church Without Getting Fired.” Change leadership is challenging in every environment but there are lessons we can learn to help navigate change in our congregations. Roger Gross, Wesleyan Men’s Director, and Jim Dodge, event coordinator, invite all men of the Crossroads District to the 2019 Wesleyan Men’s Banquet at United Wesleyan Church in Cicero on Saturday, October 5, (5:30 p.m.). Kevin Freeman, host of the WFMS radio morning show will be the guest speaker. You may RSVP directly to Roger Gross by September 25 either by e-mail (rogerjanetgross@gmail.com) or by phone: 317-753-0270. The cost is $15 per person.  October 5 is also the date for our stewardship seminar with Dr. Bob Hallett. The event will be hosted at Eastview Wesleyan Church (9-3 pm) in Gas City. All pastors have received their registration information directly. Lay leaders are invited to join their pastors for this helpful event. If your church could use additional financial resources to pursue God’s vision, encourage your pastor to attend and join them for this seminar. Tickets are free but you do need to sign up in advance. Here’s the link for registration: Resourcing God’s Vision Registrations opened last week for the first Heartland Region Gathering. 45 registrations were received by noon on the first day so don’t delay in saving your place. We have a great lineup of speakers and a wonderful site for you and your family to be inspired and refreshed. If you are a lay leader, consider this as a Pastor Appreciation gift next month! https://gathering.heartlandregion.org  Thank you for all you do to advance God’s Kingdom! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Comments are closed.
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