Dear Cornerstone Family,
It was a blessing to partner with Tent City this winter to help provide coats, hats, and Bibles for our homeless neighbors in Nashville. Below are just a few of the thank-you notes we received from folks who were helped by your gifts.
“Cornerstone church, you are a blessing. Thank you lots!”––Red
“Thank you for blankets coats, hats, etc.”––James Malone
“God Bless you for all you do for us.”––Vietnam Vet, Pops
“At this time of year, those coats were really appreciated. Thank you!”––Jamile Morgan
As always, initiatives like this don’t just happen. They take planning and lots of effort. On that note, I want to thank Sue Gamble for helping organize the coat drive, and I want to thank all of you who emptied closets or purchased items to help serve the needs of our community. I hope you found it true: it’s more blessed to give than to receive.
Did you know that serving the good of the world through acts of mercy is one way the church bears witness to the love of Christ? In the Scripture, there is a symbiotic relationship between word and deed ministries. Take Christ for example. He performed loving acts of mercy––healing, feeding, casting our demons, etc.––but did so right alongside the offer of the gospel. The two went hand in hand.
The same was true in the early church. In Acts 2, the church is sharing their goods and resources with one another in order to care for the needy among them. As they do so, they are taking in the Apostles’ teaching and spreading the good news. New converts are being added to their number day-by-day (Acts 2:42-47).
It is true, of course, that the priority in ministry is on the spiritual. We can feed, heal, and clothe people all day long, but if we never share the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ, those whom we’ve fed, healed, and clothed will die and live eternally apart from the Lord. We care for all needs, but eternal needs we care for the most.
When we bring word-and-deed together, when mercy and evangelism are side by side, a visible and audible testimony to Jesus Christ is extended. Our actions demonstrate in tangible ways our love for God and others. And our words declare in truthful ways the reality of the gospel.
In a word, we want to be a church that gives daily bread and offers the bread of life (John 6:35). We want to be a church that gives cups of cold water for physical hydration while extending the living water that quenches deep spiritual thirst (John 7:37-39). We want to give coats and hats to those who need them, and we want to offer the beautiful, righteous robes of salvation that are available to anyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14).
Your servant,
