Covid-19 | by Pastor David Parker

Downtown Cornerstone,

As of today, King County is still in Phase Two of reopening, which has allowed churches to begin regathering, with restrictions. While these restrictions can feel burdensome, they are a small sacrifice to ensure the safety of one another and our city.

As Pastor Adam shared a few weeks ago, we first started opening our doors by extending an invite to our members on a three-week rotational basis. Since then, we’ve had extra room and more seats available that we can fill!

Therefore, we want to go ahead and begin opening up these remaining seats to other non-members and guests who may feel comfortable participating with us.

If you are interested in participating with us on a Sunday:

1. First, please read these guidelines to ensure you understand the limitations, risk, and are able to meet the requirements for gathering with us.
2. Please fill out this Request to Join a Sunday Gathering Form (please note that filling out this form does not register you for a Sunday Gathering.)

Once you have submitted a request to participate, someone will reach out to you with availability and next steps for joining us on a Sunday.

During this pandemic, our Sunday Livestream will continue indefinitely for those of you who are uncomfortable gathering, for families with young children, or for those with underlying health issues.

Let’s continue to pray that God would be glorified through this unusual season and that he would give us wisdom each step of the way.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing .

For the King,
Pastor David

Update: You can now pre-register directly for a Sunday Gathering by visiting this page.

Event, Teaching

We are living in an increasingly politically divided age in America. Today, there are deep, partisan differences on most issues that face our society—including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic response and current racial tensions. With the upcoming presidential election, these divisions only seem to be further intensifying.

As Christians, we know that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:18; 1 Pet. 2:9). Jesus—through his life, death, and resurrection—has secured our glorification (1 Cor. 12:20; Phil. 3:21). We will enter into his righteous rule and reign, an everlasting kingdom to come (Is. 32:1; Dan. 7:1; Rev. 21:3-5).

While we wait for Jesus’ return, how do we, as Jesus’ people, view and relate to present rulers and authorities that God has placed us under? How do we go about seeking to uphold God’s perfect justice and righteousness in our imperfect and messy political environment? How do we guard against political divisions of the world from causing divisions in the church?

These are important questions for Christ-followers because there is a lot at stake here—including the spread of the gospel.

Jesus said that all people will know that we are his disciples, if we have love for one another (Jn. 13:34-35). In his most difficult hour, he prayed that we will become perfectly one (Jn. 17:23). The early church needed regular exhortation and practical teaching on how to love one another amidst differences—and so do we (1 Cor. 8, 13; Rom. 12, 14; Eph. 4; 1 Jn. 3).

Our main speaker, Jonathan Leeman, is the editorial director for 9Marks and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age. Watch a short invitational video from Jonathan below.

 
Want to better understand the relationship between faith and politics? Are you desiring to engage politically in ways that reflect our common citizenship in heaven? Are you thinking about how to approach political conversations within the church?

We invite you to join us for an afternoon of careful thought, practical advice, and encouragement as we consider the unchanging political task of Jesus’ church: to become the salt and light he calls us to be, and offer the hope of his kingdom to the nations.

Date: Sunday, August 16th, 1–4 PM PDT
Location: Virtual
Registration: Free

Sessions will cover how to engage with politics and the government, and how to love church members when we disagree politically—followed by Q&A.

REGISTER NOW
Note: Due to Covid-19 gathering restrictions in Washington state, this event will be primarily livestreamed.

Covid-19 | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Downtown Cornerstone,

Jesus’ church is unstoppable. Nations rise and fall, but His Church remains. Wars uproot and destroy, but His Church remains. Secular ideologies come and go, but His Church remains. Hostile opposition persecutes and rages, but His Church remains. Human pride boasts and flexes, but His Church remains. Pandemics spread and kill, but His Church remains.

Jesus put it this way, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18). There is no stopping what God is doing, no matter what might be happening. It is important to remember that in a season like ours. We are hindered, but Jesus is not.

As of last Friday, King County is now in Phase Two of reopening which has brought with it greater flexibility for churches to re-gather—though, in a limited fashion.

Churches are now allowed to gather at 25% of the maximum capacity of their meeting space, while social distancing and wearing face masks. For us, that means we can host 54 households (i.e. whether a single, couple, family, or housemates), allowing for 54-110 people to gather for worship.

Therefore, beginning this Sunday (6/28) we will resume gathering at 10am within these limitations. For now, our plan is to hold one gathering throughout July for DCC members on a rotating basis (allowing for Sunday participation approximately once every three weeks). We are considering moving to two gatherings in August. Please note that you will need pre-register to attend.

Why only members at this point? Church membership is not parallel to a Costco membership. To be a church member is to formally unite yourself as a member of a specific body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-26) and member of a specific local family of God (Eph. 2:19). It’s a visible and visceral way of putting flesh on gospel realities.

In that sense, the members are the church. Members are those who have committed themselves to one another for the sake of discipleship (1 Thess. 5:11), accountability (Mt. 18:17), pastoral care (Heb. 13:17), guarding of the gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), and the glory fo God (1 Cor. 10:31). Therefore, it makes sense to start with the members—at least, at first. If you want to learn more about the local church, and the biblical rationale for membership, you may find this sermon on The Wonder of Jesus’ Local Church helpful.

Members, you will be receiving additional information this week that outlines how to sign-up for an upcoming Sunday gathering and what to expect when we get together.  We understand this raises all sorts of questions, so we ask for grace and flexibility as we navigate these uncharted waters together.

Our Sunday livestream will continue indefinitely for those who are not yet members, for members who are uncomfortable gathering, for families with young children, for those with underlying health issues, and those exploring the person and work of Jesus. We’re not out of the woods yet, so let’s keep praying.

Christ is all,
Pastor Adam

P.S. Here are two important documents for your reference:
1) An updated version of Our Tentative Plan for Resuming Life Together
2) Our COVID-19 Gathering Instructions