Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 6, 2020

I asked Ben to write the Pastoral Notes this week to give more information about the upcoming Men’s retreat.

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Let’s be honest—the last few months have been hard, for so many reasons. Across the board, people are experiencing more loneliness and disconnectedness than ever before, and my guess is that you’ve felt it, too. While “social distancing” may be a necessary short-term strategy for keeping a virus under control, we can probably all agree that it is a poor long-term strategy for living the Christian life. We need each other!

With this in view, brothers, I would love for you to join us for our Men’s Retreat on Saturday, September 26th. We’ll be spending the morning and early afternoon together at the Rau-Wood Retreat Center (just west of Franklin on Highway 96), enjoying fellowship with each other, good food, and time in God’s Word. Don’t underestimate the encouragement and refreshment that is available to us simply by being in each other’s company for half a Saturday! I believe you have something to give and to receive by being present with your brothers in Christ this weekend. Whether you’ve been a Cornerstone member for years, for a few months, or you’ve been visiting for a few weeks, you are welcome and encouraged to join us.

Our theme this year is “Straight Paths: On the Road with Proverbs.” In our two teaching sessions, we’re going to explore the pervasive imagery we find in Proverbs of life as a road, a path, a way that we walk. It’s really not a question of if we’re going somewhere, but where we’re going and how we’re getting there. Proverbs assumes that God made us as travelers on a journey, and throughout the book we find wisdom for how to travel well. We’re going to unpack together how God “makes our paths straight” on a journey that never seems to present us with straight paths, and hopefully discover some new and fresh ways Christ is calling and equipping us to follow him on the path he has us on now.

So please join us! You can register by going to the Cornerstone website or app. The cost is $20, and scholarships are available (please contact Ron Moffat, men’s ministry coordinator). If you’re a college student, you come for free! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Pastor Ben Griffith

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 30, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

For the last three years, Mr. Larry Thompson has served as chairman of the deacons. In that time, Larry has shown himself to be a servant’s servant, organizing and mobilizing the deacons for the physical care of the church and the community. Without a doubt, our diaconate has grown in health and effectiveness under his watch. In a word, Larry has been God’s man of the hour for us, and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for his example of Christ-like leadership.

As with all good things in life, Larry’s term as chairman is coming to an end, and it’s time for one of our other qualified deacons to take the helm. I’m pleased to announce that Mr. Todd Russell is that man. Todd was approved to be the next chairman of the deacons at our August meeting. He will start officially on September 1st. We look forward to seeing how God will use Todd to build on the foundation in place and help us “carry the ball forward” in diaconal ministry. Please pray for Todd as he takes the mantle and leads in this mission critical role.

Speaking of the diaconate, I want to take a moment to publicly thank our deacons and the army of Cornerstone volunteers who make in-person worship at Cornerstone a possibility each week. It’s a tremendous amount of extra work to prepare, execute, and clean for worship, but these dear saints have served tirelessly with a smile on their face. So again, I want to thank you, brothers and sisters of the Reopening Team, for loving the Cornerstone family so well during this season. Your steadfast and cheerful ministry is reflective of the Savior and a wonder to behold.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve slowly expanded in-person ministry opportunities at Cornerstone throughout August. Four weeks ago, we reopened the nursery at 8 a.m. Today we expanded the 10 a.m. service to 75% capacity. As you can tell from the announcement page, there are several new opportunities for men and women to gather in-person throughout the fall.

One question I’ve been hearing the last couple of weeks is, “When will we start Sunday School back?” We have circled Sunday, September 20 as a target date for the relaunch of in-person Sunday School! As you’d imagine, there’s a lot to figure out between now and then. Your staff is gathering information from you and other churches. We’re pulling together additional guidelines and protocols. Once everything’s in place, we’ll be ready to communicate particulars. In the meantime, please pray for God to give us wisdom and supply our many needs.

In closing, let me say one last thing. The expanded reopening of in-person ministry is not intended to imply that now is the right time for everyone to return to in-person ministry activity. Yes, the Scripture makes it clear that in-person gathering is the priority and norm of God’s people (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25), but in the present circumstances, we understand that gathering in-person may not be the wisest option for some in our midst at this time. Therefore, we continue to urge each Cornerstone member to act in good conscience before the Lord as you make decisions regarding in-person ministry activity. We will continue to maintain livestream worship and Zoom options for at-home ministry activity during the fall. Whether we’re present at home or in-person, let’s remember we’re one body, worshiping and serving the Lord together (Ephesians 4:4-6). To that end, let’s worship our King right now!

Your servant,

Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 23, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Nearly two weeks ago, the elders of Cornerstone called a congregational meeting for the election of new officers on Sunday, September 13th. Today you’ll find a page of pictures and bullet point bios of each candidate in the back of the bulletin. We hope you find this information helpful as you prepare to vote. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the candidates personally. Feel free to ask them to share their testimony of faith or sense of call to officership at Cornerstone. I can assure you—they would be delighted to hear from you.

For the election, we’re working on a plan that’s consistent with the parameters laid out in the Book of Church Order and gives the greatest number of communing members of Cornerstone an opportunity to vote in a safe, convenient, and efficient way. On September 13th, the plan is to call the congregational meeting to order immediately after the first service and hold a (very) brief election after each worship service. This gives every communing member who is present for in-person worship the opportunity to participate in the election with no additional meetings, registrations, or cleanings necessary.

Additionally, we are exploring ways for communing members of Cornerstone to vote electronically during the public livestream. We’re looking into an electronic voting option that satisfies the parameters of the Book of Church Order, ensures the integrity of the election, and allows communing members who are present-at-home the opportunity to participate. As September 13th draws closer, you can expect more specific information and direction from the church.

Finally, we’ve got a problem. It’s a good problem, but a problem, nonetheless. Each week the worship registration for the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. worship services reaches capacity within roughly 12 hours of opening registration. By 24- 48 hours, the overflow for 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. fills up. Though we’re usually at less than half capacity at the noon service, a sizable number of our folks are unable to attend that service. In order to accommodate the increased demand for in-person worship, we are expanding the worship capacity of our 10 a.m. service from 50% to 75% next Sunday, August 30th.

What does this mean? In the 10 a.m. service, we’ll be placing people on every row in the chapel, and instead of six feet of social distance, you’ll have a minimum of three feet between household units. So, if you’re comfortable edging a little closer to others, please consider attending the 10 a.m. service. If that’s not you, don’t despair! The 8 a.m. service will remain socially distanced as normal, and our noon service will remain mask required. We will also maintain our overflow options at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

While we’re on the subject, your session is working with your staff and ministry leaders on what it would look like to begin expanding the reopening of in-person ministry in September. As local officials approve the reopening of schools and colleges for in person academic education, your session desires to see more opportunities available for in-person spiritual education and discipleship. In that spirit, the session and staff have begun working on additional guidelines that seek to protect the physical health of the flock while maintaining the priority of discipleship for the spiritual health of the flock.

There will be more to say on this soon, but, in the meantime, we would ask you to join us in prayer as we look to our God for help and carefully plan to move toward more in-person ministry opportunities in September.

Grace & Peace,

Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 16, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

In case you don’t know, Cornerstone is privileged to host a small classical Christian liberal arts college right here at the chapel. New College Franklin (NCF) is a four-year Christian liberal arts college dedicated to excellent academics and a community of discipleship. Believing all truth is God’s truth no matter where it’s found, NCF trains students through the liberal arts for wisdom, virtue, and service for the glory of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

If you’re unfamiliar with NCF, I’d encourage you to check them out online at newcollegefranklin.org. You might also speak with our very own Greg Wilbur, who, in addition to his work at the church, serves as President of the college. I, too, would be more than happy to speak with you about the special partnership Cornerstone enjoys with NCF.

The academic year for NCF commences this week. Faculty and students are returning to the chapel for in- person classes in a safe, socially distant way. Please join us in praying that the Lord would bless NCF in every way this year!

If you’re a new student at NCF, we warmly welcome you to Franklin and Cornerstone Presbyterian Church! We can’t wait to get to know you better and look forward to serving you in a variety of ways during your time at NCF. If you’re a returning student, we’re so glad to have you back! We’ve missed you and can’t wait to continue the journey with you this year.

Finally, this past Wednesday, the session called a congregational meeting for election of new officers. Mr. Brent Roberts, Mr. Casey Taggart, Mr. Dan Fiedler, Mr. Matt Faulk, Mr. Matt Suits, and Mr. Wes Pittman are unanimously recommended for election as deacons, and Mr. Will Kesler, Mr. John Millard, and Mr. Ron Moffat are unanimously recommended for election as elders. All communing members are welcome and encouraged to participate in the election which will be held on Sunday, September 13th.

These men were nominated for office by you in January of this year and successfully completed officer training at the end of July. In August, they underwent written and oral examination by the session in the areas of Christian character, Bible knowledge, the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, the PCA Book of Church Order, and the qualifications for church office (1 Timothy 3:1-13).

Next week, we will provide more information about the candidates so you can get to know them at a deeper level and prepare to vote your conscience on Sunday, September 13th. If you would, pause right now and whisper a prayer for these brothers, asking God to accomplish His will through the election.

Your servant,

Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 9, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Just like that, we’ve come to the end of our summer Psalms series. Today marks the close of at least this portion of “Finding our Way to God: A Study in the Psalms.” I believe we can say with confidence—we have found our way to God this summer. Or, more properly, He has found His way to us. If your reflections and comments are any indication (and I believe they are), this series has been just what the Great Physician ordered.

But it’s time to look ahead, and it’s appropriate that we do so now. Summer is winding down. Kids are preparing to start school. The predictable fall routines will soon fall into place. And yet, this year is different. It’s not back to business as usual. COVID-19 is still a very present reality and likely will be for a while. Economic and financial stresses remain and, in some cases, are escalating. A significant national election is on the horizon, and the battle lines are firmly in place. I told someone this week, “You can literally feel the uneasiness in the air.”

In a time like this, where does God want us to set our focus? When I asked that question, my mind immediately returned to the foundation of our faith, to the Cornerstone on which everything we believe is based (Ephesians 2:19-22). We need a sustained look at the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the last five years, we’ve coursed through a litany of Bible books from the Old and New Testament including Daniel, Philemon, Jude, Habakkuk, Galatians, Jonah, Psalms, Genesis, and Philippians. In addition to these, we’ve tackled short topical series on prayer, freedom, love, church, relationships, and discipleship. This is not to mention five different Advent series, two Lenten series, and four vision renewal series at the start of each calendar year.

As I looked over the content and themes of what we’ve covered, and then looked out at the pressing needs of our time, I was convinced: now is the time to enter the life of Jesus Christ proper. Starting August 16, we will begin a series entitled, Follow Me: The Gospel of Mark.

Of all the gospel writers, Mark is the punchiest. A fast-moving, action-packed narrative that focuses on what it means to be a disciple of King Jesus, who came to establish a kingdom not of this world. In a time where it feels like the world is falling apart, what a comfort to know that the kingdom we’re living for— the kingdom that will last—is not of this world.

Moreover, King Jesus often does his best kingdom building work in the midst of things falling apart. Yes, it’s still 2020. More importantly, Jesus is still on the throne. And He always will be.

So, take heart. Things are looking up, friends.

Your servant,

Pastor Nate