Southdowns, Never2Young, and Baptisms!

Sunday, May 5, Dr. Sherry and I joined Dr. Mark Rennaker and his team at Southdowns Wesleyan Church in Kokomo for the morning worship service. Dr. Rennaker has served Southdowns since 1993 making him one of our five longest-tenured pastors in one congregation. In addition to caring for his congregation, Dr. Rennaker also provides leadership in his role as Chair of the Division of Leadership and Followership Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University.
​

Following the worship service, I connected with the LBA (Local Board of Administration) and then we hosted the Rennakers for lunch. Many of you may know this but pastors in The Wesleyan Church have been blessed and resourced by Dr. Rennaker’s point leadership with the Thrive Financial Initiative, funded by the Lilly Endowment.

Sunday afternoon, I met with leaders at Hope Wesleyan Church in Fowler (northwest of Lafayette). Rev. Judy Hatt has faithfully served this congregation since 2017. During the past year, Rev. Hatt’s husband, John, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Pastor Judy’s family in Ohio has invited her to relocate there so I met with the team at Fowler Hope to receive their recommendation for the coming year. Mr. Harold Holdeman, who has been assisting Rev. Hatt, has agreed to accept the appointment as “Lay Supply Pastor” for this conference year.
​

Monday afternoon, April 29, Dr. Keith Drury’s memorial service was held at College Wesleyan Church with Dr. Steve DeNeff officiating. Dr. Drury had an incredible lifetime of service to The Wesleyan Church and Indiana Wesleyan University. His greatest legacy, by his design, was his beautiful family of whom he was rightfully proud. A close second to that legacy is the impact he had on so many of us who benefited personally from his coaching. Our prayers are extended to Dr. Sharon Drury and the entire Drury family.
​

Tuesday, I was on the road for coaching conversations with Rev. Johnnie Blair (Tipton Trinity) and Rev. Scott McDermid (Sheridan Six Points). It was also fun to connect with Rev. Grace Lopez and the other FLAMA Coordinators who had gathered at Wesleyan headquarters from across the country for two days of training. We are grateful for Rev. Lopez and the others who serve our growing cadre of Hispanic ministerial students!
​

Wednesday found me in the northern tier of our district for coaching conversations with Rev. Matthew Ohime (Hamlet Davis), Rev. Ben Jones (Beaver Creek), and with Pastor Terry & Lennaire Vaughn (The Bridge Urban Church). My final stop of the day was in Albion where I connected with Rev. Sam (Sr.) and Rev. Becky Maddox.

The coaching conversations on Thursday were with Rev. Kyle Horton (Fort Wayne Three Rivers) and with Rev. Paul Van Cise (Bryant). Friday morning, I met with Dr. Tim Kellerman, Nazarene DS for Northeast Indiana. We’ve enjoyed out times connecting for breakfast and prayer over the past year.
​

Friday evening, I dropped in at IWU to thank our pastors and volunteers who brought approximately 200 middle school students for the “Never2Young” conference. Special thanks to Charlie Alcock and his team for hosting 800+ students for this inspiring event.

Saturday morning, I joined Rev. Theo Griffin and the team at Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church in Greenfield as they welcomed Dr. Chris Williams to lead them in a customized “Next Level” consultation. It was encouraging to hear how God has been at work in their church this past year and to see them leaning into God’s best for their future ministry.
​

Saturday afternoon, I met with a couple who are prayerfully considering planting in downtown Indianapolis. This mission field is ripe for harvest. Pray that the Lord of Harvest will send out workers into His field!

We love sharing encouraging news with the Crossroads District team so keep those baptism photos and stories coming in!

This week, we are rejoicing with Pastor Mike Hewitt and the team at Rising Hope Church in Muncie as they celebrated another baptism along with a reaffirmation of baptism. Braxton, the young man who was baptized, was one of Pastor Mike’s contacts through his billiard “trick shots” outreach on Facebook two years ago.
​

Fairmount Camp, Inc. (an affiliate corporation of the Crossroads District) has released the schedule for this summer’s camping season. They have some exciting ministries planned for campers in the Crossroads District and beyond. Special thanks to Fairmount Camp Board Chair Rev. Jeff Luedtke and Mrs. Krista Brown, the new Executive Director, for their commitment to keeping the camp focused on its historic mission and exciting future. For more information or to register, visit the camp’s website: https://www.fairmountcamp.org
​

​We can’t wait to see all of our ministers and lay delegaters 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

​Crossroads District Superintendent

P.S. If you ever hear someone say that Christianity is incompatible with science, you might refer to this graphic from Wes Huff: