Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 1, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

I am preaching an installation service this morning for a pastor friend, Rev. Wes Strebeck, at Arden Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Asheville, NC. As sad as I am to not be worshipping with you, I’m thrilled you have the opportunity to sit under the ministry of our new Assistant Pastor Candidate, Mr. Sebastian Bjernegård, in our ongoing series, 1 Corinthians: Growing Together in Wisdom.

Now, take a moment to read the heartening report below from our dear sister, Liz Taylor, about our newly established Christianity Explored program. —Nate

Over past serval months, we have watched the Lord build a discipleship and evangelism team that is committed to sharing Christ’s gospel.  We are using an evangelistic tool developed by our British ally, Rico Tice, called Christianity Explored (CE). CE uses the Gospel of Mark to explain the identity, mission and call of Jesus Christ.

The CE course is seven sessions long. Each session our guests will read through a section of Mark’s gospel learning about Jesus Christ. The structure of each session is simple: a short Bible study connected to a 15-minute video clip and a discussion based on Rico Tice’s talk. Each week we will cover one topic: the good news, identity, sin, the cross, resurrection, grace, and to come and die.

Cornerstone’s vision encompasses glorifying God in the gospel through worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission. Lord willing, CE will help us fulfill the vision of Cornerstone by becoming disciples and making disciples for the glory of God. We serve a God who delights to save sinners (Micah 7:18-19)!

I mentioned the Lord is at work building our CE Team.  Our team is comprised of eleven members: Austin and Wendy Howell, Lee Davies, David and Leslie Horn, Gabby Shell, Bonnie Snyder, Anna Fieldson, Peggy Lawrence, and Jason Crook.

A brief timeline might prove helpful to let you know where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going:

  • June-August 2023 – Pastor Tony Giles led a training group in evangelism and discipleship called, Gospel 101.

  • January-March 2024 – Pastors Nate and Tony, John Millard, and I begin to discuss the idea of running a seven-week CE course at Cornerstone.

  • April 2024 – God brought 10 folks together to work through the CE leadership training. 

  • July-August 2024 – Our CE Team met to pray. During our first prayer meeting, Leslie Horn provides a wonderful idea: “Let’s try to think of five friends we can invite to our CE class.” And at the next prayer meeting our we came ready to share specific names.

  • September 2024 – We will start asking our friends to join us for the CE course.  Please pray that God will give us courage to ask our friends to join us!

  • October-November 2024 – We will run the CE course October 1 to November 19 (6:00-7:15 p.m. on Tuesdays). 

We want to extend an invitation to you, the Cornerstone family, to join us.  Please reach out with questions (etaylor78@icloud.com). We would love to have anyone join our team! Thank you for letting us a share a bit about what the Lord is doing in our midst. 

Your servant,

Liz Taylor

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 25, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

It’s a special day in the life of our church. Two weeks ago, Mr. Matthew Michaud and Mr. Carl Ware were elected as deacons, and Mr. Sean Kelley and Mr. William Tice Jr. were elected as ruling elders by you, the membership of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. In worship today, we have the joyous privilege of ordaining and installing these men as officers of the church.

In the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America, ordination is defined this way: “the authoritative admission of one duly called to an office in the Church of God, accompanied with prayer and the laying on of hands, to which it is proper to add the giving of the right hand of fellowship” (BCO. 17.2). In other words, ordination is the way we formally recognize the call of God and the church on the lives of these men. We are affirming their qualification and gifting to carry out the functions of the office to which they are called and are conferring to them authority to carry out the ministry of their office as representatives of the church.  

This formal definition of ordination is describing a practice that we witness in Scripture in passages like Acts 6:6 and 13:3, where the Apostles laid their hands on and prayed over chosen men, setting them apart for a particular ministry. Furthermore, it’s a practice Paul references and commands in the pastoral epistles thus normalizing ordination as a good and necessary practice for the existence and health of the church (see 1 Timothy 4:14, 5:12; Titus 1:5).

For today’s special service, we are reentering (finally!) the series we began in the spring, 1 Corinthians: Growing Together in Wisdom. We are reentering 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 in a passage where Paul’s concern is leadership. As we ordain new officers and reflect on leadership, be instructed by the language Paul employs to describe leaders in the church, “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (v. 1). May that always be so of the leaders of Cornerstone.

Shifting gears, we are a few weeks away from the start of Midweek at Cornerstone. Beginning on Wednesday, September 18, we will gather for a delicious meal, table fellowship, Kids Club, Youth Group, Vespers, and choir. Truly, there is something for everyone at Midweek at Cornerstone. 

For our midweek Vespers series, we will take a slow walk through what is arguably the most important prayer ever uttered, the Lord’s Prayer, in a series I’ve entitled, Pray This Way: Letting the Lord’s Prayer Shape Your Prayers. Over the course of ten weeks, we will reflect on each stanza of the Lord’s Prayer in order to better understand the what, how, and why of each petition. We will also practice praying together, letting the Lord’s Prayer shape our communion with the Lord and one another. I’m really looking forward to this. Please join us!

Pray This Way: Letting the Lord’s Prayer Shape our Prayers  

Sept. 18 – Our Father in Heaven

Sept. 25 – Holy is your Name 

Oct. 2 – Your Kingdom Come 

Oct. 9 – Your Will Be Done 

Oct. 16 – Give us our Daily Bread 

Oct. 23 – Forgive us our Debts

Oct. 30 – Lead us Not into Temptation 

Nov. 6 – Deliver us From Evil

Nov. 13 – The Power and the Glory 

Nov. 20 – A Cornerstone Prayer Meeting

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 18, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Today we welcome Dr. Derek Thomas to the Cornerstone pulpit. Dr. Thomas is a native of Wales. He is the Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and the recently retired Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Columbia, SC. 

Before his ministry in Columbia, Dr. Thomas served as the Chairman of the Theology Department at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS), the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, MS, and the Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA).

While I was a student at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, I had the privilege of studying with Dr. Thomas. I had the further privilege of serving alongside him on staff at First Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Thomas is a prolific author with more than twenty books to his name, including Praying the Savior’s Way, Strength for the Weary, and Heaven on Earth: What the Bible Teaches about the Life to Come. At our staff meetings this fall, we are reading his excellent work on Romans 8 entitled, How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home. You will find copies of these books on the Cornerstone Bookshelf in the Fellowship Hall this morning.

Dr. Thomas and his wife, Rosemary (a big Atlanta Braves fan), have two grown children and two grandchildren, as well as two dogs named Luther and Gracie-Spangles, and a somewhat dysfunctional cat named Chloe. Dr. Thomas is passionate about classical music and opera. Ask him about Wagner and the Ring Cycle if you get the chance.  

Before I go, several of you queried this week, “How long before season two of our church podcast, Life at the Corner, releases?” I’m pleased to say, the wait is over. Bright and early tomorrow morning the first episode of season two will drop!

If you are not already a Life at the Corner listener, go to wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify, Apple, etc.) and subscribe to the Life at the Corner podcast. Episodes range from 20-30 minutes, which means you’ll be able to take in a full episode during your morning run or on your commute to school or work.

Over the course of the fall, yours truly will explore a number of important biblical, theological, and cultural matters. I’ll also engage in scintillating discussion and ridiculous banter with a number of surprise guests. So, tell your friends and neighbors and tune in tomorrow and every Monday this fall.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 11, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Welcome to Lord’s Day worship services! Today is Promotion Sunday. This is the one Sunday of the year where our children and youth students are “promoted” to their new Sunday School class and have the opportunity to meet their new teachers and be introduced to what they will learn this year in Sunday School. Needless to say, children’s ministry volunteers have been working all week preparing Sunday school classrooms and planning for a great fall semester.

As a guide to parents of children and to help all of us pray for Sunday School teachers and assistants, our Children’s Director, Meredith Suits, supplied me with the important information below about each children’s Sunday school class.

Our preschool 3s class, led by Joe and Joy Marlo and Faith Crampton, will read stories from the Old Testament this year, as well as singing songs together and memorizing Scripture. Our seasoned preschool leaders have a great weekly routine established for this class. They will meet in room 205.

Our preschool 4s class, led by Ronda Laventure and Teresa Whittaker, will use a Show Me Jesus curriculum called “Serving the Savior,” a series of lessons on the book of Acts. We are adding this 4s class to our Sunday school programming because we have so many sweet preschoolers signed up for Sunday school this year. They will meet in room 204.

Our early and middle elementary classes, led by Alli Faulk, Carl Ware, Sarah Bingham, and Julie Finch, will be using The Biggest Story curriculum again this year. Our teachers really enjoyed using this new curriculum last year! The K/1st grade and 2nd/3rd grade classes will be on the 3rd floor in rooms 301 and 302. 

The upper elementary classes, led by Matt O’Roark, Sean Kelley, Dave Raymond, and Sabrina Brewer, will be continuing with the curriculums we have used the last few years. Matt and Sean will lead the 4th and 5th graders through a study of the Ten Commandments using the Show Me Jesus curriculum. They will meet in room 303. Dave and Sabrina will lead our capstone Sunday school class for the 6th graders using the New City Catechism. This is always a favorite for our oldest kids who are ready to address deeper theological questions. They will meet at The Corner House. 

On the youth side of things, Drew Abercrombie and the youth team will be exploring the Old Testament in a series entitled, The Story of Redemption: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. Leaning on the interpretive principle of Luke 24:44, the youth will study the major movements in God’s plan of salvation with a focus on how all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

For questions related to children’s ministry, don’t hesitate to contact Meredith Suits (865-250-3579; elementary@cstonepres.org). For questions related to youth ministry, please reach out to Drew Abercrombie (407-489-1724; drew@cstonepres.org).

Last but not least, while children and youth are in Sunday School, all adult communing members will gather today in the chapel for an officer election. If you are a communing member of Cornerstone, please make plans to participate in today’s election.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 4, 2024

Dear Cornerstone Family,

In case you missed the announcement two weeks ago, Sebastian Bjernegård, our new Assistant Pastor candidate, his wife, Ainsley, and their two children, Theo and Felicity, have landed on middle Tennessee soil. In between our two services today, please join me for a Q&A with Sebastian as we formally welcome the Bjernegårds to Cornerstone. 

Looking ahead, the next three weeks at Cornerstone are special Sundays. Next Sunday, August 11, is promotion Sunday for our Sunday School ministries. Children of all ages will make their way to their new classes as we focus in worship on the importance of discipleship for every age and stage. In addition, we will conduct an important Officer Election in the chapel during the Sunday School hour. All communing members of Cornerstone are strongly encouraged to participate in the election. Please pray for our elder candidates, Mr. Sean Kelley and Mr. William Tice, and our deacon candidates, Mr. Matt Michaud and Mr. Carl Ware, as they look for the confirmation of the Lord’s call to officership through the election.

The following Sunday, August 18, we’ll have the distinct privilege of sitting under the ministry of Dr. Derek Thomas. Many of you will have benefited from Dr. Thomas’s preaching and writing ministry. Dr. Thomas recently retired as the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. He is a teaching fellow with Ligonier Ministries and a Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology with Reformed Theological Seminary. In addition to his teaching ministry, Dr. Thomas is a regular contributor toTabletalk magazine and Banner of Truth, and he is the author of more than twenty books.

Finally, if the officer candidates are sustained in the election on August 11, we will conduct an officer ordination and installation worship service on Sunday, August 25. This is a special service wherein officer candidates make vows of service, receive the laying on of hands, and enter formally into the work of officership. We will take time that Sunday to be challenged by the Scripture’s teaching on officers as shepherds of the flock of God. We will also conduct a Cornerstone Family Meeting during the Sunday School hour to give an end of the fiscal year report and present the 2024-2025 budget. 

Please be sure these important dates are on your calendar, so you can fully participate in the ministry. Moreover, pray fervently for the effectiveness of the church’s ministry throughout the busy month of August. “Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

May God be glorified in all we do!

Your servant,