eNewsletter

By Dr. Donn S. Chapman, Senior Pastor

"One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.... They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." Psalm 145:4, 7

Dusty carpets with white footprints ... plywood walls ... and mud, lots of mud ... sometimes it feels like we have been in construction mode forever. It's been a long haul, to be sure. The end, though, is in sight - and the times of celebration are at hand! But before I tell you about our celebration events, let's take a moment to remind ourselves of all the reasons we have to cheer before God.

First, we need to praise God for the vision of our leaders. It takes courage and foresight to not just be content with being a good church, but to believe that God is calling us to be great for Him. Our leaders have led by following God's mandate to see the fields that are ripe for harvest around us - and to passionately respond to Jesus' radical "go for it" attitude in seeking lost and hurting people. We need to celebrate that God has given us leaders willing to lead.

Second, we need to celebrate the faithfulness and adaptability of our people. Wussy churches would have never continued to grow through all of the challenges that have come with a building project like ours. Our people have done it with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step. When God's people understand His call and purpose for our church, a little inconvenience and the major sacrifice of giving cannot keep us from God's call.

Cornerstone Ministries is a church of incredible people - not because we are perfect people, but because we have turned God's grace in our lives into a deep commitment to make a difference for Him. Growing through the construction phase, and the continued level of giving toward the project - both are great testimonies to the faith and fortitude of our people.

Third, we need to celebrate the goodness of God displayed in the leadership team that He commissioned to lead us in our building project. Here we need to be specific. General Contractor Paul Sobota, Lead Engineer Ken Grove, Architect Jeff Schroder, and our Executive Director Michael Printz are all gifts from God. Their talents and abilities are all God given, but their sacrificial work shows their desire to make their lives count for Christ. In serving Him, they have blessed all of us.

Fourth, we need to celebrate the opportunity that now stands before us. All that's been done has only opened the door for all that God desires to do through us. So many people around us need Jesus - and coming up behind us is a whole generation that must hear the claims of Christ in a way to which they can relate. We are now positioned to reach out to both of these groups. This is an opportunity we must not miss!

Finally, we must simply celebrate God Himself for His greatness, goodness, and love. Psalm 145 speaks of His mighty acts and awesome works, as well as His grace and compassion. We have a God worth celebrating, and the opening of our new space is a milestone for which to bring praise to Him. I hope all of you can join in this great celebration in two ways.

First, come and pray over the bodacious cross with us the first week in August.

The Bodacious Cross Prayer/Blessing Service
Tuesday, August 5, at 7 p.m.
Church Parking Lot
Everyone Invited to Attend
[weather permitting - check back here for updates]

The cross raising is still scheduled for Wednesday, August 6 at 8:30 a.m.  [NOTE: For safety reasons, this is not open to the public. PRESS ONLY invited to attend.]

Then, join us for UltraFest @ Cornerstone on Saturday, September 6. Literally dozens of activities and events will take place that day - but most important, we are calling on all of our people to join in one grand outdoor worship service for the entire weekend at 6 p.m. that evening. We want to celebrate together in a fashion that's worthy of our great God, and we want each of you to be a part of this great day. God really has given us much to celebrate!

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Saturday, August 16
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Each year Cornerstone Ministries sends invitations to families from our Food Pantry that could use some help with back-to-school supplies for their children due to tough economic circumstances. If you would like to be a part of reaching out to these children and their families, there are several ways to get involved:

• Thursday, August 14 (2 hours) stuff backpacks with school supplies;
• Saturday, August 16 (2 - 4 hours) set up, serve food, help with games, clean up;
• Donate supplies: Last year we gave out over 100 backpacks with school supplies. Suggested donations (backpacks, pencils, colored pencils, notebooks, pens, markers, crayons, glue sticks, safety scissors, lunch boxes). Donations can be dropped off inside the gymnasium doors at the church.

For more information about getting involved, contact Pastor Mark Thomas at mthomas@cornerstonelive.net or 724.733.0070 x217.

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By Mark Thomas, Pastor (Discipleship/Missions)

India is a country of more than one billion people, one of the largest and most populous countries in the world. While India can boast of a growing economy, an abundance of natural resources, and a rich history, it is also a nation trapped in poverty and illiteracy; where the caste system still holds sway; where millions of women and children are victims of human trafficking and sexual slavery; and where the good news of Jesus is desperately needed.

One of the organizations making a difference in India is Charasia, a non-profit organization led by president and founder Ralph Borde. Charasia is dedicated to empowering kingdom leaders through church planting, orphan care, and micro-enterprise. Church planting is accomplished through the New Testament Bible Institute. Its purpose is to train and equip young men to plant churches and raise up leaders in those churches. Charasia also oversees Grace Children's Home where they care for 42 girls. It currently has plans for an additional orphanage that will care for more than 150 girls. The micro-enterprise arm of Charasia functions by offering loans to men and women to start small businesses so that they can provide for their families and contribute to their local church body. By meeting the needs of poverty-stricken families, Charasia enables them to meet the needs of others. The long-term goal of micro-enterprises is to build toward the self-sufficiency of the local church in India.

Through your faithful giving, Cornerstone is able to support Ralph Borde and Charasia through our mission outreach fund. Thanks for helping your local church to have a significant impact around the world.

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Ordinary Women/Extraordinary Grace
Evidence of God's Transforming Work in Everyday Lives

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What is OUTLOUD? OUTLOUD is the children's worship team that helps lead Elementary Sunday School. This team is comprised of fourth and fifth graders who lead worship, help run sound and Power Point, and welcome new visitors to our church. We will have a training session on Friday, August 1, at 10 a.m. in the Rec Room for children who want to join OUTLOUD. We will learn new songs and motions and go over the guidelines for the group. The OUTLOUD service schedule is prepared quarterly. If you have a fourth or fifth grader who would like to be part of a team, use their talents to minister to others, and learn about commitment, please watch the bulletin for registration and training session details. God has great plans for the children of our church, and this is a great opportunity for them to learn that they can be used of God.

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By Melanie Clark,
Communications Team

The pre-school mini-camp, titled "The Sonshine Express," took place here at Cornerstone on June 17, 18, and 19. I asked Jenny Marsalese, Children's Ministry Director, to tell me what this camp was all about. Each day the children, ages 3 to kindergarten, participated in worship, games, and crafts. All of the activities and teachings centered on trains.

Jenny said that every day had a specific message. On the first day, the children learned that each train has a first car and that a conductor must lead the train. The teachers taught the children that we want God to be our conductor and to lead us through our lives. On the second day, the theme was "tooting our horn of praise." Children learned about the sounds of trains. Then they learned that God wants to hear our praise, and He wants to hear good things, not bad things. On the last day, the children learned that there are different cars on a train that have different purposes. Like these cars, each of us is important and has a specific, God-given purpose. Teachers gave many examples of people from the Bible, their importance, and their purpose.

To conclude the camp, parents were invited to a special program on Friday afternoon. Each class presented something to the audience. The three-year-olds showed pictures of the story of Daniel. The four-year-olds answered questions about what they learned throughout the week. The five-year-olds acted out one of the stories of the Bible. The kindergartners sang songs. There were 75 children at the mini camp this year and 65 volunteers. It was another successful and excellent program.

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By Melanie Clark,
Communications Team

Inviting. Exciting. Welcoming. Kid-friendly. These are the words you hear when asked what people think about the New Children's Wing. Great things are happening here at Cornerstone Ministries. People are impressed with the new Children's Wing, from the way it looks, to the way it is organized, to the registration system. "I love it." "The kids love it." "The kids are excited about coming."

The new space is great for children and teens alike. Joy Pritts, mother of two elementary-aged children, really appreciates the Kid's Room. She said, "It makes things more convenient to do ministry, and [the experience is] more of a pleasure for the whole family." The kids are all too happy to spend time in this space made just for them. Kids are more willing to bring their friends to church now, too. Upstairs, the teens also love their new space. It's great to hear them say that their church is the coolest church around.

While the kids are still getting a great quality Sunday School Program, they also feel more welcome in this fun new place. Parents and kids love the new Registration Area. While parents are checking their children in, children can be busy playing with the activities on the wall. "I love the mirrors." "Mommy, can I have a lollipop?" Additionally, the artwork on the walls adds color and beauty to the space. Artist Charity McBride and her team did an incredible job. Maybe that's where this child's comment came from, "It feels like Disney."

One child asked, "This is all for us?" The space is all for the children, there is no doubt about that. However, it is also parent-friendly, from the easy check-in and check-out, safety-assuredness, and positive and friendly greeters. It is now much easier to get our children to and from their classes, even when you have 3 or 4. There is no more fighting through the crowds, waiting in line, or being late in picking up a child. What a blessing!

In the new Children and Students' Wing at Cornerstone Ministries, you can see lots of smiles on children's and parents' faces. You see children bouncing, running, or skipping down the halls. Mother of several elementary children, Barb Kappel, summed it up best by saying, "I think it sends a really strong message to the kids that we value them, and they are worth all the hard work and sacrifice that went into the new building. It's more than a building, of course, and we are using it to help us reach our goal of building lives and families on lasting values."

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Student ministries at Cornerstone has been blessed with a growing number of excellent volunteer leaders. These leaders have displayed an incredible willingness to get involved and use their gifts and talents to serve in a variety of roles with the opening of our new student facility called The Zone.

One such leader that deserves notice is Sally Blackall. Sally responded to an appeal for volunteers in the spring of 2007 during Pastor Donn's sermon series, "Living Beyond Myself". She simply filled out a card which indicated her desire to serve within her giftedness of hospitality. From there Sally began helping out by overseeing our fall Ignition rally which had an attendance of over 600 area students. She helped by serving pizza and drinks to the students who attended the event.

The great thing about Sally was that when she signed up to get involved, she under-promised and over-delivered. After Ignition, she began coordinating our twice per month "Hot & Cold Nights" for high school students during our Wednesday night program. For each event, Sally helped coordinate the menu, organized other volunteers, prepared the food, served it, and cleaned up after the event was over. Her dedication to these special nights was greatly appreciated by students and leaders alike.

With the opening of our new student facility, a need arose for key volunteer leaders to oversee our student café - The Zone Café. Sally jumped right in, serving as the Café Coordinator. She was quick to assemble a team of additional volunteers to serve alongside of her, and worked with student ministry staff to make sure we offered a café which everyone would be proud. Each Sunday morning, you can usually find Sally behind the café counter serving up a cup of coffee, stocking chips and candy, cleaning the counter tops, or interacting with students as they place an order for one of our tasty milkshakes.

Sally is a true example that a person can have a variety of gifts and talents and still be effectively used in student ministry. We are grateful to have her and many other dedicated volunteer leaders on our student ministry team.

If you are unsure how your gifts and talents could be used to serve middle and high school students, please feel free to contact Pastor Brent Squires to discuss volunteer leadership opportunities that exist within Student Ministries (724.733.0070 x218 or bsquires@cornerstonelive.net).

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