Sonlight, 21 Days of Prayer, and Baptisms

Sherry and I had the privilege of worshiping with Rev. Lyle and Pat Breeding at Sonlight Wesleyan Church in Bluffton on Sunday morning, August 4. I brought greetings from our district team and the message from God’s Word. After the service, I met briefly with the board and then toured the remodeling work they’ve been doing in their youth wing. The Breedings joined us for lunch along with special guests, Rev. Jim and Jeanette Vermilya, who were representing the ministry of Shunem House
(https://www.shunemministries.org/).
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It was encouraging to see first hand the good work that God is doing through Sonlight. Last year, worship attendance grew from 167 to 202 (+21%) with 28 professions of faith and 12 baptisms. Just last week, they baptized 6 more new believers. They have another baptism service coming up on October. God is on the move in Bluffton!
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Dr. Chris Williams and the team at Marion Lakeview Wesleyan Church hosted Pastor Janiel Caraballo to share the vision of Exit Church, the new church plant in Anderson. Dr. Williams and Lakeview tapped into their 1% church multiplication fund to donate $5000 to help this new ministry get off to a strong start. With the 1% church multiplication initiative approved by district conference in 2023, that investment will be matched with another $5000 from the Great Commission Fund. Has your leadership team decided which church multiplication project you’re going to invest in this year?
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Monday included a district staff meeting, a Christmas planning team meeting, and then I was on the road to meet with Rev. Jerry Alexander and the leadership team at Living Hope Church in Anderson. The board welcomed Rev. Mike Weller (Restoration Church) and Pastor Janiel Caraballo (Exit Church) to consider a proposal to host both of these ministries in their community building known as “The Bateman Center.”
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The concept was unanimously approved by the board of Living Hope and details are being worked out this week. Exit Church would launch their worship services onsite in September and Restoration Church would move their services there in October.

Tuesday morning, I met with Rev. Michael Gallant in Marion for an update on the progress at Mt. Etna Community Life Church, Sherry and I had lunch with recent IWU grads in Fort Wayne on Tuesday to share about the ministry opportunities in our district. We ended the day in Shipshewana enjoying an evening of worship with CeCe Winans.
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Thursday afternoon, I was back in Fort Wayne at Sweetwater’s cafe to meet with Rev. Sam Maddox, Jr., Rev. Sam Maddox, Sr., and a friend who has helped out with their ministry at Albion Wesleyan Church. They’ve been praying together about ministry multiplication opportunities in surrounding communities including Kendallville.

Friday morning, I met with Rev. Tim Kellerman, DS for the Church of the Nazarene in this region. We’ve been connecting about every other month for the past year. I’ve appreciated our times of fellowship and prayer. Dr. Arron Perry and I met in Marion. Dr. Perry has agreed to serve as interim pastor for Sweetser Wesleyan Church. Sunday evening, Dr. Perry was there for the back to school party that Sweetser hosted for children in their neighborhood.
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Yesterday was another amazing day of baptisms across our district. Pastor Tony Bye and the team at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church gathered outside last evening for a baptism service. Ten people entered the waters of baptism to publicly profess their faith in Christ!
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Pastor Matthew Trexler and The River Church team celebrated baptisms in the worship services and then out on the lawn. A total of 16 people publicly professed their faith in Christ!
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Pastor Brent Miller and the team at Gas City Southside Wesleyan Church took their baptism service down to the Mississinewa River for the first time in many years. They are rejoicing with 17 people who obeyed Christ’s command to be baptized in witness to their hope in Jesus. Pastor Brent shared that a few others came up to him after the service to be included in their next baptism service. Praise God for lives being #MadeNew!
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Several of our churches are participating in the 21 Days of Prayer initiative resourced by Church of the Highlands. If you or your church would like to get involved, you can access the livestream and free resources at this site: https://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/
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Don’t miss the Celebration of Ministry on September 15, 5 p.m., at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion. The ordained ministers will meet promptly at 4:30 for our group photo and directions for our participation in the service. The service begins promptly at 5 p.m. led by our General Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Schmidt. We will share in the ordination of twelve persons approved by this year’s district conference. We will also celebrate retiring ministers and those who have achieved decadal milestones in their ministry. The service will be followed by a reception to greet those newly ordained and for a time of fellowship. Plan to join us!
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Each year, our district conference receives reports from our various ministry champions. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing several of those reports for you to enjoy. Every ministry matters and we’re grateful for the outstanding ministers who generously provide point leadership for these initiatives. This week’s excellent report is from Rev. Jessica Folz, district champion for youth ministry. Here’s the link:
​https://drive.google.com/file/d/18m6rLxeagHJ8dyurwjD58zdgQ2z-lQEN/view?usp=sharing
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​Thank you for all you do to make a difference for eternity!

Your servant in Christ,

Mark Gorveatte

​Crossroads District Superintendent
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P.S. We’re excited to partner with our friend Shawn Lovejoy and his organization, Courage to Lead, to offer this leadership training event for pastors and business leaders on September 17, right here in Indianapolis. Shawn has been both a successful commercial real estate developer and an effective church planter. We’re grateful for Shawn’s willingness to offer a 30% discount for our district pastors. Sign up early and use the discount code “Wesleyan” when you register and let’s learn to be more courageous leaders. https://www.couragetolead.com/oneday