Pastor's Corner

Dear Friends,One of the questions that I'm often asked in my short time here at Cornerstone is, "When are we going to start (fill in the blank) ministry?"I want you to know first and foremost that I am just as anxious as you to start ministries of all kinds in our church! However, it is important that we first grow and mature as a church and that we seek God's will for Cornerstone one baby-step at a time. Your leaders are hard at work putting together plans, policies, and strategies to move the vision of Cornerstone forward. For instance, a few of the things we would like to accomplish in 2015 are: a short-term mission trip, Vacation Bible School, and send our youth to a summer conference. All of these things take time and planning. If you are interested in these things, let us know so that when the time comes to begin planning, you can use your gifts to help us move forward.One area of ministry that we are just beginning to develop is small groups. I believe in an organic model of small groups. In other words, I don't think the church should systematize and organize every small group meeting that happens among its members. Frankly, this is hard to do - especially for a church with no building! By organic, I mean that small groups can and should occur naturally and according to life-stages or weekly rhythms. For instance, if you want to start a couples Bible study/small group, it would be much easier for couples who are empty-nesters to gather together in the evening for food and fellowship than families with small children trying to re-create the miracle of getting kids fed, bathed, and to bed every night. (Yes, I speak from experience!)As an example, we have begun several mens small groups early in the morning during the week. We hope to begin another group very soon but are looking for a facilitator - someone to send out emails and reminders. Please contact me if you are interested. Additionally, we are in the early stages of planning for a weekday morning Bible study for moms with young children. More details to come on this!All that to say, your elders, and I want to help you start a small group. If you want to get plugged in to a small group, then come talk to us and let us help you get started. Should you feel led to lead or facilitate a small group, please let us know. I would love nothing more than to have you come by the church office and we discuss how you can start a group.The only requirement of your session for starting a small group is ... let us help you! I personally would love to help groups get started and help you select solid, reformed, and biblical material to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.Gathering together in small groups to pray and study God's Word is a great blessing and can happen in a variety of settings in a variety of ways. Again, if you have an idea, share it with us. I look forward to hearing from you!Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV)Your friend,Wilson