Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 17, 2023

Dear Cornerstone Family,

We believe an important part of a church’s ministry is to raise up pastors for the work of ministry. Toward that end, we established an internship program to help young men explore the call to pastoral ministry. Engaging their head, heart, and hands, pastoral interns enter a course of study, participate actively in the ministries of the church, shadow pastors and officers in their roles, and are given practical opportunities to exercise gifts for ministry.

One of our pastoral interns is Mr. Tucker Alexander. As a part of his internship, I asked Tucker to write a Pastoral Note for us. You will find that note published below.

There has been so much going on at Cornerstone – buying new property, staff transitions, and the Lord adding to our number. With all this change, it can be so easy to get caught up in the happenings and miss some of the things the Lord has for us. In this pastoral note, I want to encourage us to continually be asking the Lord to keep our eyes open to his direction for our lives.

One thing the Lord calls us to everyday is to be obedient to him and “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10), but different challenges cause us to teeter. For some of us, it might be a really challenging season with our spouse. For others, it is caring for an aging parent. I’m not sure what specific context and calling the Lord has placed you in for this season. I do know, however, that whatever you’re facing, he calls you to walk in a manner worthy of Him. I do know that He invites all of us to use our lives as a testimony of His faithfulness.

This challenge might appear burdensome. It might feel like just another brick to add into our backpack of burdens. But He doesn’t ask us to carry it alone. He strengthens us with His power. He gave us His spirit so that as we go, we can be in total communion with Him. He promises us that He never leaves us. It is such a freeing thing to know that He gives us the grace we need to walk in a manner worthy of Him, and His power is most present and sufficient in our weakness.

As we prepare our hearts for worship this morning, take thirty seconds to do a quick inventory. In what ways have you failed to demonstrate your love for the Lord in your walk this week? What sins lay heavy in your mind and heart that you have left unconfessed? Have there been opportunities to walk faithfully that you left undone? Confess these sins now. He promises forgiveness. He promises that He will make us more like Him. His word is true, and He will surely do it.

Please pray for Tucker and our other ministry interns/assistants as they explore ministry as a vocational calling. I’m thinking specifically of our Pastoral Assistant, Mr. Ethan Vroom, and our Music & Worship Assistant, Mr. Maxwill Shell. All of these brothers are a vital part of the Cornerstone team, and I am deeply grateful to be partnered with them in ministry.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 10, 2023

Dear Cornerstone Family,

The wait is over! Today is the official launch of the fall Sunday School quarter. Please take a look at the map and list below for room locations for children and youth classes. If you need any help finding a room, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our officers or volunteers. They will have a Cornerstone name badge.

You can find your classes in these locations today.

  • Nursery: Third Floor (301)

  • 3 years olds-4th grade: Second Floor (see map)

  • 5th & 6th grades: The Corner House

  • 7th-12th grades: Merridee’s

  • Adults: Chapel & Third Floor (302-303)

    If you plan to attend adult Sunday School, and I hope you do, there are two class offerings this term. Check them out below!

  • Delighting in the Trinity led by Tony Giles, Nathan
    Johnson, and yours truly. Leaning on Michael
    Reeves’ excellent work by the same title, this class is
    designed to introduce to the vital importance of the
    Trinity for understanding the Christian faith and living the Christian life. By taking a deep dive in the nature of the Triune God, we will imminently see how practical and relevant this doctrine is for our everyday lives. Meets on the Third Floor.

  • Resolving Everyday Conflict led by Randy Allen, Will Kesler, and John Millard. From marriage, to parenting, to the workplace, we need help knowing how to make peace in a world rife with conflict. Leaning on the work of Ken Sande, this class will help you develop biblical peacemaking skills in order to address the day-to-day conflicts of ordinary life. Meets in the Chapel.

    With so much going, I want to be sure you don’t miss two other important ministry initiatives happening right now.

    First, Midweek at Cornerstone starts THIS Wednesday, September 13! Please check out the schedule posted around the building or on the church website, and make sure you’re registered for dinner and any children’s activities. During our evening service, I can’t wait to walk with you through a topical series entitled, Define Your Terms: The Vocabulary of Salvation.

    Second, Officer Nominations open today! At Cornerstone, the congregation has the joyous responsibility to nominate qualified men for the office of elder and deacon. Please locate the Officer Nomination Booklets at either entrance to the chapel today for more information. Nominations for office will extend from today through Sunday, September 24. You can turn in your nomination in one of two places on the church premises. There is a Nomination Box on the credenza as you pass up the ramp and through the glass doors on the right of the chapel. At The Corner House, as you pass through the side door on Church St, you will find a Nomination Box in the foyer. If you have any questions, please reach out to the church office.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 3, 2023

Dear Cornerstone Family,

I asked our dear brother, Rev. Tony Giles, to tell us about an opportunity we have to be trained in sharing the gospel and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Please give serious consideration to committing a few evenings this fall to this important study.

“‘Disciples who make disciples.’

That’s a phrase that should sound familiar to you. It lies at the heart of Cornerstone’s vision and purpose statement which you encountered in an Exploring Cornerstone Class on your way to membership.

Making disciples always involves the gospel and requires a growing ability to share that gospel with others. That’s all of us, not merely those with a gift for evangelism. We believe that everyone is called to be a disciple of Christ and make disciples for Christ.

So, how are you doing with that? Hesitant? Fearful? Maybe you are asking...

  • How do I share my faith in a manner that is effective but not offensive?

  • How do I become less scared and more confident to do so?

  • How do I deal with a question I’m not sure how to answer?

    This fall you have an opportunity to grow in your readiness and ability to engage in gospel conversations with friends and family.

    It’s a small group study on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 p.m., starting September 5 and concluding December 5. It includes eight lessons with assignments on intervening weeks.

    We will be using Gospel 101: Learning, Living and Sharing the Gospel by Jeff Dodge. This is much more than a book to read. It’s both a study and a workbook. You will be equipped to use survey questions with a friend and trained to listen to their answer and to reply with wisdom and clarity.

    Please consider this opportunity to examine the core tenets of the gospel message, entertain the difficult questions inherent in gospel theology and get you started on developing your own ways to share your faith simply and effectively with family and friends.”

    If you have questions, please contact Tony Giles at tony@cstonepres.org. To register, visit the website.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 27, 2023

Dear Cornerstone Family,

I’m preaching today at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. As some of you will remember, Dr. Harry Reeder, the longtime Senior Minister of Briarwood, died unexpectedly in a car accident earlier this year. It was one of the great privileges of my life to call Dr. Reeder a mentor and dear friend. I am, as always, saddened to not be with you today, but I am grateful for the high honor to serve the Briarwood family in the midst of this difficult season of grief and transition. I cherish your prayers.

In other news, the start of Midweek at Cornerstone is a little over two weeks away! Wednesday, September 13th will be here before you know it! From 5:15-7:00 p.m. each Wednesday this fall, we will enjoy a delicious catered fellowship meal on the Biscuit Love Patio (5:15-6:00) followed by a full slate of children, youth, and adult ministries (6:00-7:00). If that weren’t enough, you can then sing with the Cornerstone choir (7:15-8:30). There really is something for everyone!

While the children are enjoying digging into God’s Word through teaching, crafts, music, and more, and while the youth are being led through a series on God’s design for the church, the adults will be gathering in the chapel for a topical series entitled, “Define Your Terms: The Vocabulary of Salvation.”

Are you often afraid in Bible study or Home Fellowship Group that you will be asked what some very common biblical word means? You are not alone. We use words like regeneration, repentance, and glorification all the time in the church, and we often only have a vague sense of what the terms mean and why they matter. In this ten-week study, we will look at one term each week in the Bible’s vocabulary of salvation. We will tease out the biblical and theological importance of each term, explore how each term relates to the other terms, and identify why each term matters in your daily walk with Christ. We’ll conclude this series on November 15th with a Cornerstone Prayer Meeting, preparing our hearts for Thanksgiving.

Define Your Terms: The Vocabulary of Salvation

  • September 13 – Union with Christ

  • September 20 – Effectual Calling

  • September 27 – Regeneration

  • October 4 – Faith & Repentance

  • October 11 – Justification

  • October 18 – Adoption

  • October 25 – Sanctification

  • November 1 – Perseverance

  • November 8 – Glorification

  • November 15 – A Sacrifice of Praise: A Cornerstone Prayer Meeting

    Please, do not miss this important opportunity to gather with the Cornerstone family. Clear your schedule and make plans to join us!

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 20, 2023

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Mark your calendar! Beginning Sunday, September 10, we will be back with Sunday School offerings for adults, youth, and children.

Our Children’s Director, Meredith Suits, has been busy preparing new classroom spaces for this fall and reviewing some new curriculum in several of our classes. Parents, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect this fall.

  • Our preschool class will be led by Joe and Joy Marlo and Faith Gulliver. They will be reading Old Testament stories as well as singing songs together and memorizing scripture. Our seasoned preschool leaders have a great weekly routine established for this class, and it’s such a joy to see our littlest kids learning Scripture together.

  • Our 1st and 2nd grade classes, led by Lisa Fiedler, Colleen McGarry, Alli Faulk, and Carl Ware, will be using The Biggest Story curriculum this year. You may have seen copies of The Biggest Story on our Cornerstone bookshelf. I encourage you to check out this children’s Bible for your own family if you haven’t already.

  • Our 3rd and 4th grade class will be led by Matt O’Roark. We will continue with the Show Me Jesus curriculum, which teaches key concepts and stories from both the Old and New Testaments helping students connect all of Scripture to the good news of Jesus.

  • Our 5th and 6th grade class will be led by Mike & Sabrina Brewer and Katie Ewing. It will be a study of the New City Catechism, taking 1-2 weeks to discuss each question and study the Scripture that supports it.

Head to the website or follow the link in the Life at Cornerstone midweek email to register your kids for Sunday School, and be on the lookout for additional information in the next few weeks about new classrooms and new check-in procedures.

Also, our new Youth Director, Drew Abercrombie, has hit the ground running. Youth Sunday School will be meeting at Merridee’s and wading through the life-giving waters of the Gospel of John this fall. His prayer for the youth is that they would “come and see” Jesus as he’s presented in the gospel, believe in Him, and have life in His name.

Finally, two adult classes will be offered this fall.

  • Delighting in the Trinity —Why is God love? Because God is a Trinity. Why can we be saved? Because God is a Trinity. How are we able to live the Christian life? Only through the Trinity. Join Tony Giles, Nathan Johnson, and Nate Shurden for this six-week series as we explore the mystery of the Trinity and how it relates to every aspect of our faith.

  • Resolving Everyday Conflict—Conflict is inevitable. The question is: how will we respond to it? Scripture teaches us how to address conflict in a godly way by understanding conflict’s source, our role in it, and how to make peace. Leaning on Kevin Johnson and Ken Sande’s work, Resolving Everyday Conflict, join Randy Allen, Will Kesler, and John Millard for this important six-week series.

Make plans now to join us for Sunday School this fall as we commit to growing in grace together!

Your servant,