Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 8, 2021

Dear Cornerstone Family,

When I think back to some of the most formative spiritual moments of my childhood, I’m more times than not in a small brightly colored classroom with tiny chairs and some dear saint—like Kathy Morgan or Chuck Thompson—sharing stories and truths from God’s Word.

No, I wasn’t always listening. To be honest, I was often more excited about the snacks. But somewhere between my general distractedness and the consumption of vanilla wafers, the Lord was at work in a powerful way. In fact, as I was preparing for today’s sermon, I thought of something that one of my Sunday School teachers taught me 30+ years ago. I’m actually going to include it today’s sermon, so be listening for it!

Our fantastic Children’s Coordinator, Meredith Suits, has been hard at work getting ready for the fall term of Sunday School. I asked her if she could tell us a bit about what to expect. Here’s what she wrote:

The children’s ministry will kick off our new semester of Sunday school on August 15. We hope your kids are registered and are excited to see friends and teachers again. If you haven’t registered yet, we would love to add your kids to our rosters. Email meredithsuits@gmail.com or search our online church directory for the registration form.

Our PreK-Kindergarten class (led by Joe Marlo, Joy Marlo, and Eleanor Ware) will spend the fall learning Bible stories from Genesis, singing songs, and memorizing scripture. The 1st-2nd grade class (led by Katie Patton and Poppy Driskell) is learning a different name of God each week and what it tells us about who He is through stories in the Bible. The 3rd-4th grade class (led by Ellie Terrell and Abigail Hicks) will continue their study of Acts from the summer and learn about God’s growing church. The 5th-6th graders (led by Dave Raymond and Sabrina Brewer) will study questions 1-7 of the New City Catechism, spending about 2-3 weeks on each question and engaging in discussion of the core doctrines of the Christian faith.

We are thankful for the teachers and assistants in these classes who are sharing their time and talents with our Cornerstone kids and hope that you will join us in encouraging them and our parents as we teach our children to love God and grow in their faith.

If you have children, I encourage you—no, implore you—to make Sunday School a priority for your kids this fall. Your children need the Bible. They also need to see the body of Christ at work. By taking kids to Sunday school, both of these realities come together in a special way. In 10 or 20 years from now, what will your children look back on and say, “That’s when everything changed for me spiritually.” By God’s grace, it might just be Sunday school this fall.

Your servant,

 



Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 1, 2021

Dear Cornerstone Family:

Can you believe it? It’s already August! I guess time (summer!) flies when you’re having fun.

Just as families are busily preparing to start back to school, we are busily preparing for the launch of our fall Sunday School ministry. Next week you’ll hear from our Children’s Coordinator, Meredith Suits, about all the plans for children’s Sunday School. Today, however, I want to encourage every Cornerstone adult to attend our important opening Sunday School series of the fall term.

The series is titled, The Lay of the Land: Reflecting on the PCA and the 2021 General Assembly. This class will teach you about the foundations and story of our denomination in light of the key business of this year’s General Assembly. Special attention will be given to the study committee on sexuality and the issue of same sex attraction. You will walk away from this class with a better understanding of the issues biblically and in light of the PCA’s history and distinctive. I hope to see you in the chapel during Sunday School on August 15th!

Before I wrap up, I have some great news to share with you. We hired a new Office Administrator at Cornerstone! Her name is Laura Sessions. Yes, some of you will recognize that last name. Laura is the wife of Rev. Richie Sessions, who is the campus minister with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Vanderbilt.

Laura was born and raised in Jackson, MS. She graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a particular emphasis in management of informational systems. While at Baylor, she met Richie, and they were married in 2000. After spending a few years in Cleveland, MS, and Memphis, TN, Laura moved to Franklin in 2015 when Richie accepted a call to be the Campus Minister at Vanderbilt.

Laura has served in a variety of administrative roles over the years. Most recently, she’s been an Administrative Assistant with RUF. She’s also volunteered her skills on a number of boards, serving as president and treasurer. For the last nineteen years, however, Laura’s primary work has been at home raising their three children: Mamie (19), Griffin (17), and Margaret (14).

If you would, whisper a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the provision of Laura. We are very excited to see how the Lord will use her in our midst. Also, pray for Laura! Pray her transition on staff will be smooth, and that the Lord will use her to help us accomplish our vision, “To glorify God in the gospel as disciples who make disciples.”

Your servant,

 



Pastoral Notes for Sunday, July 25, 2021


In this week’s Pastoral Notes, I asked Pastor Ben Griffith to give us an update on the youth group’s recent trip.

Dear Cornerstone family,

Last week, our senior high students had the privilege of attending the RYM (Reformed Youth Ministries) Summer Conference in Panama City, Florida. You could probably tell who attended by noticing who was sunburned and peeling last Sunday! Our 14 students and three leaders enjoyed a week with youth groups from all over the Southeast, the majority of them coming from PCA churches. Rev. John Stone was our main speaker Many of you may know John from his years as the RUF campus minister at UT Knoxville. He spoke on the topic of unity in a divided world (a timely subject), and how the message of the Gospel equips and empowers God's people to be agents of reconciliation and peace in the fractured world into which God calls us. Our students spent every morning in different elective seminar classes taught by various PCA pastors, and we spent the afternoons playing volleyball, getting stung by jellyfish, and apparently not applying enough sunscreen.

Here are some reflections on the week from a few of our students:
“RYM taught me that we should be the ones pursuing peace and spreading the word in such a divided and difficult world. It was such a fun week, and I feel like I really connected and made relationships throughout the trip.” -Eva Brooks

“I would recommend going to RYM because you don’t only grow spiritually but also socially. I learned how to be more outgoing due to the activities and games we did. RYM was a unique and fun experience where I got to learn how to deal with problems going on in the world and back them up with Scripture."”-Katie Shurden

“RYM was a life-changing week for me, and I grew in every way. At RYM, not only did I get closer to God, but I also made friends and memories."”- Natalie Bordulis

We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone who helped us get to RYM! So many of you gave online during our fundraising week in June and gave above and beyond at the women's Bible studies on Tuesday nights. Thank you for your generosity! You eased the financial burden on families and provided scholarships allowing students to attend who might not have otherwise. We’re deeply grateful.


Pastoral Notes for Sunday, July 18, 2021

Dear Cornerstone Family:

All of us have (or will at some point) received a gift we don’t want. For some of us, these gifts come from a well-meaning grandmother: “Ah, another knit cardigan!” For others, it’s an obligatory Christmas gift from a boss: “Gee, a subscription to ‘Birds & Blooms’ magazine. How could I ever deserve this?”

When an unwanted gift comes our way, we all do the same thing. We promptly stuff it in a box in our closet to be regifted. “Surely someone, somewhere will like this!” Well, probably not. Truth is, the poor soul who receives your regift is going to do exactly what you did with it—pawn it off as a gift on some other unsuspecting victim.

In order to avoid this cycle, some of us cut through the guess work and just ask the person what they want. We say, “Hey, your birthday is coming up. Any hints?” They respond, “I want a new watch or a tie.” And we promptly go out and get it. It’s as easy as that.

As convenient as this arrangement is – and it is convenient – it diminishes the impact of the gift-giving experience. The expression of love that the gift symbolizes is unavoidably lessened when the thoughtfulness and surprise elements in the gift-giving experience are missing.

The gifts that have meant the most to me over the years are the ones I’ve never asked for and came as a total surprise. I have been gifted, for instance, quite a few original self-portraits over the years, thanks to the dear children of Cornerstone. These splendid crayoned creations have brought me tremendous joy (and more than a few laughs!). These uncommission masterpieces are unbidden surprises, heartfelt expressions of love for me from the hands of little artists.

As I’ve thought about this today, it seems to me that God’s gifts work similarly. How so, you ask? Well, last week our little Lila—now six months old—rolled over for the first time. I wish you could have heard the cheers of her parents and siblings. It was quite the event. As the Lord would have it, Christy and I celebrated 20 years of marriage last week as well. You read that right: 20 years! If you had told me in our first year of marriage that on our 20-year anniversary we’d be hootin’ and hollerin’ over our sixth month old rolling over, I would have done the math and surmised that something had gone terribly wrong. But that, of course, is not the case, for our little Lila is one of the most precious gifts we’ve ever received. No, we didn’t ask for her, and, yes, she came as a total surprise, but with every passing day we realize more how this unbidden gift from God is a living expression of His tremendous love for us.

When you are surprised by life’s unwanted gifts (we usually call them “trials”), consider the Giver. Consider His love for you. Consider His purposes. He knows the gifts you need. And even if what He gives you doesn’t feel like a gift, go ahead receive it as one. For in due time, you’ll discover—that’s exactly what it is. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

Your servant,

 



Pastoral Notes for Sunday, July 11, 2021

Dear Cornerstone Family:

I’m so glad I get to introduce you to my friend, Rev. Josh Rieger, today. Fifteen years ago, or more, I met Josh in Jackson, MS. We both were being trained for pastoral ministry and serving together on the staff of First Presbyterian Church at the time, and we both just hit it off, so to speak. Through the many years and miles, we’ve stayed in close touch, often learning from and praying for one another in the work of ministry.

Several years ago, the Cornerstone Mission’s Team approved Josh and Gina Rieger for missionary support, which has woven us together even more. Today, Josh comes to preach the Word to us for our summer Mission Initiative Sunday and to tell us about the work in Hexham, England.

To help you get to know Josh a little better, I asked him to tell us a bit about his story. Here’s what he wrote:

Josh Rieger was raised in a pastor’s home in Burke, Virginia. Even as a teenager, he was involved in missions and ministry. While studying at the University of Arizona, Josh interned at a local PCA church and also helped start the RUF during his senior year. After graduating he was commissioned an officer in the US NAVY and served for 7 years, but during that time he also served as the Protestant lay leader on both of his ships. God used all of this experience to cultivate a heart for the ministry. While in the NAVY, Josh met and married Gina Cates, of Columbia, South Carolina. He began studies at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, during his time in the NAVY and then completed his studies at RTS, Jackson, after getting out. Following seminary Josh and Gina served at First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi. They were involved with missions there and began to develop a relationship with the church’s missionaries in Newcastle, England, that led to a call to church plant in Hexham, about an hour from Newcastle. Seven years ago Josh, Gina, Jackson and Riley Cates moved to Hexham to begin the work of church planting. Just under a year later, Rutherford was added to the family. Hexham Presbyterian Church has been meeting for the last 6 years and is growing towards particularisation. The Riegers have been back in the US for the last 10 months, while Gina has received treatment for a battle with breast cancer, but they are looking to return to Hexham this Autumn.

Please give close attention to the word Josh has prepared for us today from Acts 18. Your servant,