Pastoral Notes for Sunday, April 27, 2025

Dear Cornerstone Family,  

For the Pastoral Notes this week I’ve asked our dear sister, Liz Taylor, to report on our returning Christianity Explored program. —Nate

 

We are excited to announce that Cornerstone will offer Christianity Explored (CE) Evangelism training on Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9, 5:30-8:30 p.m. CE uses the Gospel of Mark to explain Jesus Christ's identity, mission, and call.

You may recall our seven-week CE course that occurred last fall. Before we invited our friends and neighbors, we trained and prayed. In God’s faithfulness, He led us every step of the way. We had about ten consistent attendees, and it was incredible seeing God work in our hearts and in those of our guests. We addressed questions about God’s goodness and the problem of evil, we walked carefully through the Gospel of Mark, and we tried to handle objections to Christianity—specifically the exclusivity of Christ unto salvation. Praise God that He delights to change our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh (Ezekial 36)! 

Being a part of CE was an eye-opening experience to watch the Lord work. We want you to join our 2025 CE Team! We will again train and pray before running our CE course. Below is an overview of our timeline:

  • Train: May 8-9 (5:30-8:30 p.m.) – For Cornerstone members to learn about evangelism and get familiar with CE.

  • Pray: July-August (6:00-7:00 p.m.) – Four prayer meetings for our CE Team to pray for invitees.

  • Run the Course: Seven-Week Course, Tuesday evenings October-November (6:00-7:15 p.m.) – Invite friends and neighbors to explore the identity, mission, and call of Christ through the Gospel of Mark.

So, please join us! We currently need help with hospitality (coordinating food/snacks and welcoming attendees). CE training is a valuable resource both inside and outside the church. We serve a God who delights in saving sinners (Micah 7:18-19). 

If you have any questions, please reach out to me at etaylor78@icloud.com or (615) 424-5946.

Liz Taylor

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, April 20, 2025

Dear Cornerstone Family,

We are thrilled to have you with us for the celebration of Easter. Our sincere prayer is that through today’s worship service, you will encounter by faith the risen Savior and come to know in a real and fresh way the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10).

To that end, take a few minutes now to thumb through the worship bulletin orienting yourself to the service. Then, come back here to meditate on the quotes below, reflecting on the eternal significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the foundation stones of Christianity. It was the seal of the great work that he came on earth to do. It was the crowning proof that the ransom he paid for sinners was accepted, the atonement for sin accomplished, the head of him who had the power of death bruised, and the victory won.”—J.C. Ryle

“You are not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.”––D.A. Carson

“The stem bent, pent in seed, grows straight
And stands. Pain breaks in song. Surprising
The merely dead, graves fill with light
Like opened eyes. He rests in rising.”—Wendell Berry

“Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion.”—John Stott

“The cross of Christ only triumphs in the breast of believers over the devil and the flesh, sin and sinners, when their eyes are directed to the power of His resurrection.” —John Calvin

“Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:
    may it rule me,
    may I walk in its power,
    and be strengthened through its influence.”
                                            —The Valley of Vision

Having prepared our hearts, let’s approach the throne of grace and worship the risen Savior together!

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, April 13, 2025

Dear Cornerstone Family, 

Today is the official beginning of what the church has traditionally called Holy Week. It’s the Sunday where we remember Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry to Jerusalem. Seeing Jesus mounted on the foal of a donkey and ride toward the city gates, Jewish pilgrims on their way to celebrate Passover began laying down their cloaks on the ground and waving leafy branches shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:25-26).

The Greek word, “Hosanna” is derived from the Hebrew word, “Hashiana,” which means, “Save us!” In its original context, it was a cry for help. But as words often do, the meaning shifted ever so slightly over time. In fact, by the time of Jesus’s triumphal entry, Hashiana was less a cry for help and more a hopeful shout of expectation. In other words, when the people cried, “Hosanna!” they were saying, “Save us!” but what they meant was, “Salvation has come!”

The vision of Jesus Christ on a donkey riding into Jerusalem signaled a fulfillment of what God promised through the prophets long ago (see Zechariah 9:9). In Jesus Christ, God has brought salvation to His people. As those on the other side of the cross and resurrection, we can confidently say, “Salvation has come!” Today, we remember and celebrate our promise-keeping God and the salvation won for us by King Jesus.

One of the many evidences of God’s gracious salvation is his faithful daily provision for all our needs. We certainly experience this individually in countless ways over the course of our lives. We also witness this corporately as the body of Christ as he abundantly provides all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

One of the tangible ways the Lord’s provision is seen week after week is through your faithful giving to the work of ministry at Cornerstone. On the behalf of the leadership of Cornerstone, thank you for giving faithfully to the Lord’s work. Through your sacrificial giving, we are not only meeting all our needs; we are able to expand the work of ministry through Cornerstone. By God’s grace, we might yet see Christ’s kingdom advance even further in our time. 

We have just closed the books on the third quarter of our fiscal year. Below you will find a report on where we stand as a church. As we move into our fourth quarter of our fiscal year, making prayerful preparations for future expansion, let’s continue to press forward together in the mission Christ has given us and finish this fiscal year strong.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, April 6, 2025

Dear Cornerstone Family, 

I wish I could be in two places at once! Alas, if I must be away from Cornerstone on a Sunday, I am grateful to be gathered with a like-minded sister church in our beloved denomination. I am in the “holy city” of the south, Charleston, SC, preaching at Church Creek Presbyterian Church where my friend, Rev. Nick Batzig, is the minister. Pray I’ll serve these dear saints well. I look forward to being back with you next Sunday, April 13, for Palm Sunday!

Speaking of next Sunday, we will have a Cornerstone Family Meeting during the Sunday School hour to discuss advances in our shepherding ministry and ministry expansion. If you’re a member of Cornerstone, please make plans to join us.

One issue I’ll mention now and discuss a bit more next week is parking. As some of you have read in the Williamson Herald, the city of Franklin is moving forward with plans to rebuild Franklin City Hall across the street from the Chapel. The new 115,000+ square foot City Hall will be multi-story with an underground parking lot and an adjoining one-acre park, which will be directly across from the Chapel. If the finished product turns out anything like the plans, it will be an impressive upgrade to downtown Franklin!  

We’ve met with the city multiple times now to learn as much as we can about how our ministry will be affected during the building phase. Unfortunately, during the demolition and construction phase, which is slated for completion in spring 2027, we will lose the parking lot across the street from the Chapel as well as the parallel parking (roughly 15 spots) on 3rd Ave. between Church St. and Main St.

To help address this challenge, the deacons formed a Parking Team, led by Mr. Matt Michaud, to perform a parking study and investigate options for securing additional parking for Sunday mornings. Through their efforts, we were able to get an accurate accounting of how many parking spots we need on a Sunday morning and assess parking availability between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. within a block of the Chapel.  

The good news is there’s plenty of parking to meet our parking needs. It will take a minute or two longer to walk to church, but between both parking garages on 2nd Ave. and 4th Ave. and street parking, there are plenty of parking spots for Sunday morning.

For those who are older with mobility issues or moms with young children, we have secured the judges parking lot (17 spots) directly behind the Chapel for Sunday morning. In addition, we are expanding the gravel parking lot (roughly 20 spots) behind The Corner House, which will be complete—Lord willing—before Easter.

The date for the beginning of City Hall’s demolition has moved several times. If there are no more changes, our last Sunday with access to the parking lot across the street and street parking on 3rd Ave. between Church St. and Main St. will be Easter Sunday, April 20. Once the new City Hall is complete, we will have access to the underground parking lot on Sunday mornings.

As we move through this time of transition, the deacons will monitor the need for any additional parking measures including the possibility of designated drop off and/or pick up locations. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback to offer related to parking, please contact Mr. Matt Michaud at michaudba@gmail.com.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, March 30, 2025

Dear Cornerstone Family, 

Thanks to all of you who attended The Praying Life Seminar last weekend with Rev. Dax Gibson from Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. It was a wonderfully rich time of instruction and prayer practice based on Paul Miller’s excellent work, A Praying Life. If you missed the seminar, do not despair! There will be several opportunities over the next few months to glean the foundational teachings from the seminar and the book.

On that note, please pop by the Cornerstone Bookshelf in the Fellowship Hall this morning—there are copies of A Praying Life for purchase. In addition, there are quite a few new titles available, including several seasonal offerings like Tim Chester’s Our Radiant Redeemer and Jonathan Gibson’s O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Don’t leave today without adding to your library!

Speaking of guest speakers, it was a treasure to have my dear friend and one of our supported church planters, Rev. Andy Young, with us this past Wednesday night. In 2018, Rev. Young was called by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales (EPCEW) to begin the work of planting Oxford Presbyterian Church in England. The Lord has slowly but surely—and certainly more significantly over the last three years—grown the work of ministry. Today, Oxford Presbyterian Church has well over a hundred worshippers on any given Sunday, including upwards of 60 university students who meet for their college student fellowship meeting during the week.  

In 2023, Oxford Pres. Church secured a long-term lease (a very hard thing to do) on the North Gate Hall on St. Michael’s St. right at the center of the city. Originally a Methodist chapel built in 1871, the building was used for nearly 60 years as the Oxford Intercollegiate Christian Union before becoming a community center and later a pub. It’s a beautiful sight to see this lovely old church building restored to its original purpose under the ministry Rev. Young and Oxford Presbyterian Church.

Please pray for Rev. Young and for Oxford Presbyterian and for the UK more generally. The UK is showing signs of spiritual renewal. Having been there three years ago, I can testify firsthand to the growing spiritual hunger in the UK—especially among the younger generation. Oxford Pres. is strategically positioned to make a strong impact for the gospel in a place where the greatest minds from all over the world come to study. Which means that to make an impact for Christ in Oxford is to make an impact for Christ on the world.

As we pray for the gospel to spread in the UK and all over the world, don’t forget to pray for the ministry right here at Cornerstone. Pray even right now for this worship service—that the gospel would go forth with clarity and power. Pray that, by God’s grace, today would be the day of salvation for someone, maybe many, in this room, in overflow, and through the livestream.  

Until Christ becomes the praise of all the earth!

Your servant,