Dear Cornerstone Family,
When asked by friends and family about Holy Week and Easter services, I’ve found myself a bit like Paul when he was taken up to the third heaven and was unable to put the experience into words (see 2 Corinthians 12). Truly, a transported to heaven week of worship for me, and from what I’m hearing, I wasn’t alone in that. Praise the Lord.
As you know, God loves to use his people in the work of ministry. Recognizing this, I’d like to thank a number of folks who served faithfully during Holy Week. First, I’d like to thank Jessica Michaud and the volunteers around her for leading our children’s choir. It was a joy on Palm Sunday to hear the truth out of the mouth of babes! Second, a big “thank you” to the New College Franklin Choir for blessing us on Maundy Thursday, and for the Cornerstone choir and musicians who tirelessly served for Good Friday and all three Easter services. Your labors were not in vain! We were edified, and Christ was exalted. Third, I want to thank our pastors and leaders for stepping toward the efforts of ministry with eagerness and gratitude. It’s a joy to serve with these brothers! Finally, I want to offer a very special thanks to Greg Wilbur for his long faithfulness in leading us in worship. So much of what we do each week in worship, but especially during Holy Week, is due to his service. What a gift he is!
Before we close this week’s pastoral notes, our Children’s Ministry Coordinator, Meredith Suits, wants to get you thinking about the summer. Take a look at what she and her team are cooking up for our kiddos:
Spring is here! And while it’s beautiful to see the flowers blooming and the lovely shades of green appearing, I’ve spent the recent sunny afternoons daydreaming about summer adventures. For the children’s ministry, our biggest summer adventure will be VBS at Jim Warren Park on June 1-3 (I know––technically still spring, but we all know that June in Tennessee feels like summer!)
Our theme is “Rooted,” and we will focus on the truth that God plants seeds in our hearts which grow the deep roots of our faith. These roots later yield the fruit of the Spirit as God sanctifies us and makes us more like him. Our prayer is that the children who attend will see the ways God has planted seeds in their hearts and believe that God will nurture and care for them, yielding good fruit throughout their lives!
We currently have several volunteers signed up to help with VBS, and our team is so grateful for all the interest and enthusiasm. But we still need more help! We need a few more volunteers each night, but even if you can’t attend VBS, there are simple but important ways you can serve. Please click HERE to learn how you can help or HERE to register your child for VBS.
Mark the evenings of June 1-3 on your calendars! (In fact, mark May 31, too, as we will have a VBS kick-off for families to fellowship together and get kids ready for the rest of the week’s activities.) Begin praying for the children of Cornerstone! We want VBS to be a time for our children to reflect on their relationship with God and one another, and a time when they feel deeply loved and cared for by the church. ––Sincerely, Meredith
Your servant,
