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Rev. John Hannan and the team at CrossRoads Church in Union City celebrated the 5th anniversary of this church plant on Sunday, September 29. I was honored to be there on their launching Sunday and it was exciting to be back with them again yesterday for this special celebration. Pastor John and Beth, his wife, started casting vision back in 2019 with just a handful of followers around tables in a local restaurant. This new congregation made it through the pandemic and continues to make a difference in this small community straddling the border of Indiana and Ohio.  CrossRoads Church has baptized more than 40 new believers since launching. The auditorium was packed yesterday to celebrate this ministry milestone. Pastor Hannan and Rev. Claudia Ruiz Wilson have partnered in Hispanic ministry in the area. Pastor Claudia was present with members of the Casa Network for this special occasion. Following the service, we crossed the state line for a delicious fellowship meal provided by the Casa Network.  Sunday evening, I joined Pastor Ryan Budde and the congregation at Westview Wesleyan Church for an evening of praise through songs and testimonies. Members shared stories of God’s faithfulness and healing touch. Assistant Pastor Brian Holland praised the Lord for the growth of their youth ministry from 10 to more than 50 in the past few years. Many of these students were previously unreached by any church. Now their families are also connecting.  Last week included coaching conversations and a variety of other connections but the highlight of the week was our first quarterly meeting of the DBA (District Board of Administration). The DBA cares for all business of the Crossroads District Conference between the annual meetings. This business includes a range of items from property transactions to pastoral appointments to approving new church planting projects. This meeting was held at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion on Thursday afternoon with all but three of our 14 members attending. Rev. Neftali Lopez stepped down from his at-large position when Rev. Grace Lopez accepted appointment as Assistant District Superintendent for Hispanic Ministries. Rev. Matthew Trexler was elected on a three-year term to fill this at-large vacancy. Rev. Scott Rhyno (Pendleton Waterline Church) was elected to serve as District Treasurer. We also welcomed Dr. Dale Sloan (Fort Wayne Three Rivers Church) as a new lay member of the DBA. Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant DS, led the board in a governance exercise around the Four Helpful Lists that is part of the StratOp process.  In other news of interest, the DBA approved Property Improvement Matching Grants (pastors will be notified this week), funding for 10 scholarships to the Harvest Foundation Retreat in the Dominican Republic (both October 2025 and April 2026), and welcomed Dr. Eddy Shigley (IWU professor) as the newest member of our Circuit Riders. Our meeting closed with a special presentation from Rev. Joshe Bose. Joshe served as national superintendent for The Wesleyan Church in Bangladesh from 2012 to 2024. During his leadership, the number of churches and preaching points grew from 12 to 77. Now, Joshe has accepted the invitation of Global Partners to launch the South Asia Development Project. The DBA was challenged by the reality that 25% of the world’s population lives in that region and less than 2% are Christians. Our meeting closed with prayer for Rev. Bose and this new initiative.  Several areas of the southeastern part of our country experienced flood surges and massive flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Effective ministries like Samaritan’s Purse are already on the ground bringing relief. You can learn more about ways to help at this site: https://samaritanspurse.org/article/pray-for-those-in-helenes-path/  I have already been in contact with Rev. Jerry Lumston, District Superintendent for our North Carolina West, and we’ll pass along additional information directly to our pastors about opportunities for our churches to respond to the crisis. Please keep our Wesleyan churches and their leaders in your prayers as they work through the recovery efforts and bring aid to their communities. Just two more weeks until FUEL is coming to Indianapolis (October 11-12). Rev. Santes Beatty, Director of NextGen Ministries invites all youth and children’s workers to attend this convenient and helpful training event. This year’s event is held right here in our backyard so make tracks, not excuses. (Scholarships are available from the district office if finances would keep you from participating.) Here’s the link to register for the two-day event.  Our friends at Fairmount Camp have released their program dates for next summer. Mark your calendars and take advantage of the life-changing ministries offered at Fairmount Camp! https://www.fairmountcamp.org/  Each year, our district conference receives reports from our various ministry champions. Every ministry matters and we’re grateful for the outstanding ministers who generously provided point leadership for these initiatives last year. This week’s excellent report is from Rev. Steve Mathews & Dr. Rich Schenck, District Global Partners Co-Directors. Click here to read their report. 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. Also, just a friendly reminder that next month (October) is Pastor Appreciation Month! Free resources can be found at this link: https://www.wesleyan.org/event/pam-2024 Comments are closed.
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