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Sunday morning, October 6, I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Chris Taylor and his team at Plymouth Wesleyan Church. Pastor Chris is off to a strong start. The sanctuary has been updated since my last visit with new carpeting and video projection upgrades. Attendance is growing in both services. Most importantly, they’ve launched one-on-one discipleship with 60 more people signing on just last weekend.  The response to the Hurricane Helene relief challenge has been so strong that they may be loading a tractor-trailer just from their community. After preaching in both services, I had the joy of hosting their family for lunch. Lisa Taylor, in addition to being the pastor’s wife, leads the growing childcare ministry that Plymouth Wesleyan offers to the community. Pastor Chris Taylor also graciously hosts the monthly leadership cohort that Dr. Chris Williams facilitates for pastors in the South Bend region.  Sunday evening, I joined Pastor Duncan Prior at Laketon Wesleyan Church for a special LCC (Local Church Conference) to receive new members, elect new board members to fill some vacancies, and to install the new leadership team. I was encouraged to see the progress at the church as Pastor Duncan and Elaine build on the strong foundation that Rev. David and Suzanne Cox laid in this revitalized congregation. God is still doing great things in small towns! Last week began with our staff meeting on Monday before heading out to sign property sale documents for Fort Wayne Three Rivers Church. On Tuesday, I was back on the road for coaching conversations. My first stop was in Logansport with Pastor Zach Szmara at The Bridge. Zach and the team at Immigrant Connection just completed their national conference last week and celebrated the remarkable growth of this ministry in the first 10 years.  The Mexican consulate from Chicago was setting up their remote services again at The Bridge. This program serves hundreds of people in the course of just a few days and The Bridge has hosted the consulate staff for several years. Thank you, Pastor Zach, for your vision and for the incredible first 10 years for Immigrant Connection! From Logansport, it was a quick drive over to Rochester to meet with Pastor Martin Furrow (The Cross) and then on to Plymouth to connect with Pastor Matthew Ohime (Davis Wesleyan) before heading home. Wednesday’s coaching conversations began with Pastor Paul Van Cise (Bryant Wesleyan Church). My next stop was with Pastor David Dignal (Edgerton Wesleyan Church) before heading south to Indianapolis for a meeting with Pastor Ervin Webster (St. Stephen) and then wrapping up the day at SoBro Church (formerly Divine Direction) in a coaching conversation with Pastor Jerome Anderson.  For those of you, like me, who didn’t know, SoBro is the local designation for the South Broad Ripple neighborhood in Indianapolis. The church leaders proposed and the DBA approved the name change to better connect with their mission field. SoBro Church has recently welcomed new families from Nigeria and Honduras. Pictured above is the SoBro team from their recent community clean-up day. Thursday, I was in New Castle for coaching conversations. I met with Pastor Ron Ferguson (Grant City Wesleyan) and with Rev. Mark Wooten (Memorial Drive Wesleyan). Pastor Mark is one of the newer team members in our district, transferring to us from the Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Mark and Pam, his wife, recently launched Castle Kids, a before and after-school program for children that is helping them connect with new families. Please remember that October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Lay leaders can find free resources at this link: https://www.wesleyan.org/event/pam-2024 We love to celebrate the stories of life change that come in from our Crossroads District team. Last week, we had just sent out the team update without any baptism reports. Minutes later, I received good news from Pastor Michael Hewitt that Rising Hope Church in Muncie had baptized three new believers on Sunday, September 29!  Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of Pastor Matthew and Nicole Trexler planting The River Church in their living room. From that small group to more than 1500 that gathered yesterday, God continues to change lives through this dynamic ministry. Eight more new believers were baptized yesterday!  Pastor Andy Cole had Assistant Pastor Naomi Small lead in a special Family Sunday at Lapel Daybreak Church which included the dedication of three babies and one baptism!  God is continuing to write redemption stories at New Journey Church in Wabash as Pastor Rob Tippey and his team reach out into the community. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!  Pastor Sam Maddox and the team at Albion Wesleyan Church are praising God for nine new members joining their church family and another baptism. God is on the move in Albion!  Pastor Nathan Richardson has been praying about ways the Southview Church in Indianapolis could better connect with the growing Hispanic community in their neighborhood. Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson, pastor of the Casa Network, had recently started a home group on the south side of Indy. She and Pastor Nathan are strategizing for the best way to work together to reach these new neighbors. Yesterday, they worshiped together for the first time. Next Sunday, Pastor Claudia will be preaching at Southview. Pray that God will guide and bless this partnership!  Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers are extended to Rev. Don Bayne on the loss of his father, Donald, last week. Pastor Don will take part in the funeral but also plans to lead the response team to North Carolina next Sunday afternoon. Pastors will receive a direct email on funeral arrangements. Thank you to every pastor and each church that has already generously responded to the challenge from our Crossroads District to provide relief to our friends in North Carolina. Special thanks to Dr. Jon Kulaga and his leadership team at Indiana Wesleyan University who generously donated $2000 for this district relief project.   Just a reminder that the most urgently needed items are:
We invite you to collect these supplies and drop them off at Lakeview Wesleyan Church (5316 S Western Ave, Marion, IN 46953) on Saturday, October 12 or Sunday, October 13 before 2:00 PM. Look for the large box truck in the parking lot. Your contributions will make a significant impact on the communities affected by this devastating storm. For updates from district leaders in the affected areas, please visit www.wesleyan.org/helene. Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent P.S. All credentialed ministers appointed to local church service are invited to save the date of December 7 for our Christmas gathering. This Saturday brunch will be hosted on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University and will feature a Christmas concert from the IWU Chorale. More details to follow. Seating is limited, and a link to RSVP will be sent out soon. Comments are closed.
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