Pastoral Notes for Sunday, June 23, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

I have big news! But let’s review a little history first.

At the beginning of this year, following the recommendation of our Personnel Committee, the elders of Cornerstone voted unanimously to begin a search for another Assistant Pastor. At our last Cornerstone Family Meeting in early March, I gave an update on the search process mentioning that a job description for the position had been written and approved, and that the Personnel Committee, which was serving as the search committee, was collecting applications, resumes/CV’s, and ministerial data forms from qualified ministerial candidates. 

Over the last three to four months, we conducted interviews, listened to sermons, called references, conducted more interviews, and prayed, prayed, prayed. We saw doors open and close. We saw candidates enter and depart from the process. But with each step, we sensed the Lord’s guiding hand leading us to his man.

Three weeks ago, one of our lead candidates and his wife were invited for an on-site visit. Over the course of three days, in a variety of formal and informal contexts, the search committee, the staff, and the elders met with the candidate and his wife. With each meeting, we felt more and more confirmed that this was God’s man for us.

After their departure, we took time to collect feedback, deliberate, and—you guessed it—pray, pray, pray. At the end of that process, the session voted unanimously to extend a call to Mr. Sebastian Bjernegård to be an Assistant Pastor at Cornerstone. In very short order, Sebastian and his wife, Ainsley, responded to our offer and accepted the call.

As you probably surmised from the last name, Sebastian ain’t from around these parts. Sebastian grew up in Sweden. While in high school, he was an exchange student and lived for a year in Fort Payne, AL. In God’s kind providence, he lived with a PCA pastor’s family, and over the course of that year, he came to know the Lord. Soon thereafter, he enrolled at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS, which is where he met his future wife, Ainsley, a Miami native. After graduation, sensing a call to ministry, Sebastian enrolled at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson and worked at First Presbyterian Church. After completing his MDiv, he crossed the pond again to begin work on a Ph.D. that he’s nearly finished with at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Sebastian and Ainsley have two young children, Felicity and Theo, and one on the way (due in September). They are eager to get to know the Cornerstone family! Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to meet them. If all goes according to plan, the Bjernegård’s will be on middle TN soil mid to late July! Needless to say, they have a big move ahead of them, and a lot to figure out in a short period of time. As timelines and needs become clear, we will share more with you. In the meantime, please pray for the Bjernegård family as they transition to Franklin and prepare to partner with us in the work of ministry.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, June 16, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Since 1909 the United States of America has in some form celebrated Father’s Day. As a complement to Mother’s Day, the third Sunday in June was set apart in order to specifically honor the role of fathers in families and more generally the institution of Fatherhood for the good of society.

Statistically, it is a well-established fact that a home with a father fairs better than home without a father. From alleviating poverty to children’s academic performance and future success in life, the presence of fathers is a blessing to families and communities bearing generational dividends.  

More than a secular holiday, however, Father’s Day provides Christians with a unique opportunity to honor, not just earthly Fathers, but the only perfect Father, our Heavenly Father. Providing everything we need––most importantly, salvation––and ensuring our complete maturity, our Heavenly Father is second to none and is the model for what it means to be a godly father.

Today, we give thanks for our earthly Fathers for the many ways they love, care, and serve the best interest of their families. But more than this, we give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father, who loves, cares, and serves the best interest of his family eternally. May he be glorified in all we do today in worship!

Secondly, I want to extend a brief word of thanksgiving to the many of you who are avid listeners to the new church podcast, Life at the Corner. I’m not going to lie; I debated for a long time whether to enter the podcast world. In large part because I wasn’t sure (1) whether the effort was worth the investment and (2) whether I could add something else to my already overloaded plate. Nevertheless, your excitement and interest, coupled with the steady stream of comments and encouragements I have received along the way have convinced me of the podcast’s ministerial benefit.

That said, breaks are important. A few weeks ago I decided the first season of the podcast will come to a close at the end of June. That means the last episode of the first season will drop on Monday, June 24. I will take off July and return for a second season of the podcast in August, Lord willing. If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen in to the podcast, please consider taking time over the month of July to explore the wide variety of important topics we’ve addressed thus far, including deconstruction, kingdom prayer, Israel and the church, transgender weddings, and, most recently, the conscience.

Finally, and, briefly, thank you for praying for Randy Allen, Jim Payne, Tony Giles, and yours truly as we served this week in Richmond, VA, at the 51st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. I look forward to sharing a few highlights from this week’s business during the Sunday School hour today. Please join me!

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, June 9, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

One of the many joys of being a minister at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church is having the chance to work with young men and women who have interest in pursuing ministry vocationally. Though everyone’s story in being called to ministry is different, it is often true that interest in vocational ministry grows over time as one begins to exercise spiritual gifts and serves in the church.

In order to help assess a call to and aptitude for ministry, Cornerstone developed an internship program early on. The Cornerstone internship program is designed as a training ground for the work of ministry. Internship training includes but is not limited to theological, ecclesiological, and practical on-the-job ministry training. Over the course of a year or more, the intern will read, write, discuss, and be involved in practical ministry in order to test their head (intellectual), heart (spiritual), and hands (practical) in the work of ministry.

Over the nearly 13 years of Cornerstone’s existence, the Lord has blessed Cornerstone with ten interns. Currently, we have former interns serving as either pastors, counselors, or lay church workers in Oregon, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Two of our interns, Mr. Ethan Vroom and Mr. Tucker Alexander, recently drew their ministry at Cornerstone to a close. Both men are headed to seminary in order to pursue full time vocational training for the pastorate.

Mr. Ethan Vroom is a New College Franklin graduate originally from Vancouver, BC. He became a member at Cornerstone in 2020. He came on staff as a youth intern in 2021. He continued to serve in youth ministry but increased his role at the church as a pastoral assistant following graduation from NCF in 2023. Ethan has been accepted to Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He will be departing later this month to begin work on summer Greek.

Mr. Tucker Alexander is a graduate from Reformation Bible College and a native of Franklin. Tucker became a member of Cornerstone in 2022 and served as a general pastoral intern this past year. He has been accepted to Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. He departed last week to begin settling into life in Jackson, find gainful employment, and prepare for summer Greek.

We are very grateful for the growth we’ve seen in the lives of these two young men while serving as interns. Please join us in praying for Ethan and Tucker as they continue to have their call to ministry assessed in the next season of ministry preparation.

Your servant,

 
 
 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, June 2, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

You made it. You survived the blitzkrieg of May! I know, it was touch and go there for a bit, but it’s June now and you’re still clothed and in your right mind. Let’s call that a win.

The pool is (finally) open. The fishing pole is in the back of the truck. The soon-in-coming beach vacation is circled on the calendar. You’re settling into a schools-out-for-summer state of mind.  

But before you dive headfirst into summer, may I offer a caution? Summer is an opportune time to slow down, spend quality time with family, and enjoy some R&R. At the same time, summer is an easy time to lose our way spiritually. Our Bible reading takes a backseat to beach reading. Our church attendance is replaced by pool time. Generally, we have a tendency to ease up on the accelerator spiritually speaking. If I boiled it all down, the temptation to live for self is stronger during summer than at any other point in the year.  

It is true; this temptation is always present, lurking underneath each moment of every day. But there are certain times—like summer vacation—that are literally designed for us, so to speak. Think about it. Why do we go on vacation? We go for our own rest and enjoyment. In fact, our friends actually tell you, “Go enjoy yourself.” When we say that, we mean, “Go have a good time,” and that’s right in so far as it goes. But it’s easy for our sinful hearts to hear “Enjoy yourself” and slip into “Live for self” mode. Ironically, when we do this, we cut the legs out of true rest and enjoyment. The pleasure we gain when living for self is shallow and fleeting. It leaves us disappointed and discontent.

Truth is, God has not designed us to enjoy ourselves by living for self. This is where we go wrong. We go on vacation, and we try to rest like the rest of the world. If we’re honest, many of us “rest” from our Christian commitments on vacation. It’s crazy, but we go on vacation to rest, and we walk away from the Lord of rest! Not surprisingly, our vacations end up restless. We wind up needing vacations from our vacations (!) because we neglected the true rest our souls need.

With all this in mind, I want to challenge you to commit to move through summer differently this year. By all means, keep catching those lightning bugs and sipping that sweet tea on the back porch. Enjoy the good things God designed summer for. But as you do, enjoy the Lord of the summer most of all. If you do that, you might just have the best summer yet.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, May 26, 2024

For the Pastoral Notes today, I’ve asked our Children’s Coordinator, Meredith Suits, to update us on the work of the children’s ministry this past semester.

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Amidst all the graduations and end-of-year celebrations in this busy month of May, the children’s ministry also celebrated the end of another school year. We’ve enjoyed several months of Sunday School and Midweek classes and have so much to report and so many volunteers to thank.

In August, we began our Sunday School year in new classrooms on the second floor. Our preschoolers, led by Joe and Joy Marlo and Faith Crampton, explored the Old Testament, learned several songs, and memorized Psalm 1. Watching them recite this chapter with hand motions is surely one of the most precious things you will see.

Our kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders began The Biggest Story, a new curriculum based on the corresponding Bible storybook by Kevin DeYoung. Lisa Fielder and Colleen McGarry focused on the Old Testament stories in this curriculum with their kindergarten class, and Alli Faulk and Carl Ware led the 1st and 2nd graders through most of the New Testament stories. If you’ve walked through these classrooms on the second floor, you’ve seen some of the incredible artwork that goes with these stories and the curriculum you’ve likely heard in passing all the laughter and joy that these teachers encourage in their kids. It is great fun to watch these teachers love their students so well.

In the 3rd and 4th grade, Matt O’Roark and Sean Kelley recently finished a unit on worship—who and why we worship, the Lord’s prayer, and elements of worship. We’re so thankful for this inquisitive group of kids and the leadership of Matt and Sean. Similarly, our 5th and 6th graders were engaged in lots of great conversations about the New City Catechism with Mike and Sabrina Brewer and Katie Ewing. This class met at The Corner House throughout the year and was one of the first groups to use our new building regularly, which was a fun change for our oldest children.

Our midweek programming in the fall and spring was the first time we used a rotational learning curriculum in which the same Bible story or theme was the focus for several weeks in a row. Jessica Michaud and Alli Faulk wrote the entire curriculum for the fall over the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) and the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15). Nic and Kayce Lane, Joanie Pittman, and Jen Westerbeek rotated to a different class each week, teaching lessons about these stories and reinforcing important Bible truths through art, acting, science, and history. Jessica also wrote the entire spring curriculum for our Midweek sessions about the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). Oh, and Jessica led our kids in a wonderful Advent Children’s Choir concert in December. I think it’s safe to say Jessica has spent most of this year sharing her many talents with our children’s ministry, and we are truly thankful!

I would also like to thank our Midweek assistants: Rebecca Hassee, Karen Koellein, Mary Lynn Giles, Ronda Laventure, and Rachel Taggart. They helped keep all our midweek activities running smoothly. There were many more of you who stepped in to sub for our Sunday School and Midweek classes and who provided much-needed support to our children and parents—we so appreciate you. Any time you can be involved in the children’s ministry here at Cornerstone, you are doing important, kingdom-building work and preparing the next generation of the church to love and serve God.

Please find these volunteers today or in the coming weeks and encourage them in the work they have done. Not only do we have a wealth of talents in our Cornerstone body, but we have talented people who hear the call to serve and love our children and answer it with humility, commitment, and joy.

We are looking forward to VBS and summer Sunday School. Stay tuned for more updates about the work God is doing through our volunteers and through you as you pray for us.

Sincerely,

Meredith Suits