Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 13, 2020

Dear Cornerstone family,

Today is an important day in the life of our congregation! At the conclusion of each worship service this morning, we will immediately enter into a congregational meeting for the election of new officers. If you are a communing member of Cornerstone, we urge you to participate in today’s officer election. Through your vote, we believe God is confirming the call of new shepherd leaders at Cornerstone.

Because we’re meeting for election three different times, we will not be able to announce the outcome of the election this morning. After the final election and votes are tabulated, the election results will be emailed out to the membership of Cornerstone later today.

In other news, I’d like to publicly thank our staff for the hard work they’ve put into drafting additional COVID-19 guidelines as we expand in-person ministries. If you’ve not yet reviewed our expanded in-person ministry guidelines, please do so before the start of Sunday School next Sunday, September 20. It’s especially important that families with children who plan to participate in Sunday School read the guidelines before you attend next week. You can find a link to the guidelines on the front page of our church website and app.

Also, please note that next Sunday is the beginning of our new Sunday morning schedule. We will worship at 8 a.m. (50% capacity), 10:45 a.m. (75% capacity), and 12:30 p.m. (50 % capacity and mask required) with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. We are maintaining our current worship guidelines and capacities through September 20. We will continue to evaluate things from week to week and make changes as wisdom and expediency dictates. Please stay tuned into the latest information from Cornerstone!

Finally, will you pray for the church? Even now, would you pause and pray?

  • Pray God would broaden the reach our ministry (Matt. 28:29-20)

  • Pray God would strengthen our faith and commitment (Heb. 11:6)

  • Pray God would give us joy and perseverance during trials (James 1:12)

  • Pray we would submit to God in all things and resist the devil (James 4:7)

  • Pray we would devote ourselves to reading the Scriptures and to prayer (Acts 2:42)

  • Pray we would live lives of loving sacrifice for one another (1 John 3:16-28)

  • Pray we would grow daily in astonishment of God’s love for us (Psalm 103:11-12)

  • Pray that we would pray in faith knowing that God hears and answers (1 John 5:13-15)

Your servant,

Nate signature.jpg
 


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