Community, City Life, Event, News

Whether you’ve been running with us for some time now or are just beginning to check things out, you might be asking the question – what’s the best way to stay connected to all that’s happening at DCC? That’s a great question. Lots of ways actually. And we wanted to highlight a few of those for you this week!

#1 Blog and Website – www.downtowncornerstone.org

We are regularly updating our blog with events details, updates, answers to FAQ’s, and stories of the ways Jesus is at work in our church and across our city. If you’re reading this now, you’ve likely found our blog. That’s great. And we’d recommend checking back often for helpful info and snapshots into the life of our church here in Seattle.

#2 The City Network – dcc.onthecity.org

The City is an online social networking tool that we use to stay connected with one another throughout the week. It’s kind of like a virtual neighborhood. Event invites, casual meetups, prayer requests, and pastoral notes are just a few of the things you’ll find and enjoy about being connected to The City. To get connected to The City, drop by the Connect Desk on Sunday mornings or talk to your community leader. We’d love to invite you into our online network!

#3 Facebook – www.facebook.com/downtowncornerstone
Twitter – @DCCseattle

You’ll find a lot of useful information and updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Our desire is to make these channels useful as a resource for you to learn of creative ways to enjoy our city (e.g. festivals, spray parks, concerts, events), as well as keep you updated on what’s happening at DCC. You’ll also find regular quotes and verses to encourage your soul throughout the week. Like us or follow us online to get fun ideas, encouraging quotes, and event updates!

#4 DCC App – http://get.theapp.co/7c78

We are also thrilled to be able to offer our official DCC App! You can listen to past sermons, check out videos, read the blog, find a community, and even see the previous Sunday’s handout. Our app is available for iPhones/iPads, Windows and Android phones.

There are lots of great ways to stay connected! And if you are interested in learning more or even being a part of our newly-forming family in the heart of Seattle, we’d encourage you to visit us on Sunday mornings for our weekly gathering at 10am. You’ll get the best flavor for who we are as a people, what we value, how we do life together, and more by gathering us and getting connected to one of our community scattered across the city. For more information on our weekly gatherings or to get connected to a community in your area, feel free to visit our webpage HERE or email us at . We’d love for you to join us!

Kids, News

Our desire and mission in Cornerstone Kids is to build a great city through the gospel for the glory of God, beginning with our kids. We love our kids, and we’ve been prayerfully considering how to better serve our families through our check-in process, space layouts, content and more. With that in mind, we wanted to let you know of a few changes and resources for families who are gathering with us on Sunday mornings.

“Pre-registration” is now available.

If you know your family will be attending the service on Sunday, you can fill out this form to pre-register your kids for the service each week (up until an hour before the service start). We recommend you create a bookmark to the link on your web browser. When you arrive at the check-in desk on Sunday morning, we will have your children’s name tags printed and a pager ready for you. If you’d like us to send you a weekly email reminder to pre-register on Saturday, you can click HERE to sign-up. The preregistration process helps to streamline the check-in’s on Sunday morning and allow you more time to get settled for the gathering.

Check-in’s open at 9:45am – come early!

We know it can be a challenge to get the kids all packed up, arrive downtown, navigate the elevators and escalators, check in your kids, grab a cup of coffee, and still make it upstairs with enough time to find a seat. For that reason, we want to help by encouraging you to check-in your kids early. This also helps our families who may be running late due to unforeseen circumstances. Our check-in’s are open at 9:45am (sometimes even a little earlier!), so please feel welcome to come early, check in your kids, and grab a cup of coffee without having to rush into the gathering.

We validate parking.

We validate parking for all Cornerstone Kids families in the Pacific Place garage for up to 3 hours! The Pacific Place garage is conveniently located in the same building as AMC theater. Please just bring your parking stub with you and stop by the Cornerstone Kids Check-In Desk to get your parking validated.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at . We count it a privilege to partner with you each week for the good of our kids and the glory of Jesus in our city. We are excited to continue witnessing Jesus’ unfolding story being written in the lives of every child within Cornerstone Kids. 

By His grace,
Pierce and Bonnie Martin for Cornerstone Kids

City Life | by Pastor David Parker

If you don’t live in Downtown Seattle, you know that coming downtown on a Sunday to gather with the church can be a challenge. Sometimes it’s a Seahawks game; sometimes it’s a parade or race downtown. Whatever the challenge may be, I want to encourage those of you who drive in to worship with us in a few ways:

First, you’re coming to worship the King of Kings. You’re not just parking for an event, you’re coming to worship Jesus with other blood-bought, ransomed saints, who need the gospel, and need you. Let’s not forget how blessed we are to gather together as God’s people and worship openly and freely in our city.

Second, you’re fighting for the Gospel in the City. It would be so much easier if our church wasn’t in the downtown core, but frankly our city, and especially the core, needs the gospel. For decades, the church has been entrenched or on retreat in downtown Seattle. We feel called to pray for and work toward the reversal of that trend through the power of the gospel at work among his people, from the avenues to the alleyways. So when you are waking up early Sunday morning, parking, walking, taking escalators, etc. don’t lose sight of the fact that the glory of God and the spread of the gospel are at stake in our city – particularly in the downtown core.

Third, it’s really not that bad. It wasn’t too many years ago that whole families piled into carts and buggies or walked many miles to be with the church. Because times have changed we can lose sight of all the grace that we have received. One of the things that I’m constantly reminded of is how our Savior endured the cross so that we might be brought into relationship with Him. He endured the ultimate suffering so that we wouldn’t have to.

So when you park, park to the glory and praise of our King. Thank Jesus for the times His lavish grace gives you a close parking spot. And when you have to walk a half-dozen blocks, remember how much Jesus endured to bring us into relationship with Him!  

For those of you who do drive, we want to make being with us as easy as possible, so we’ve pulled together a few resources below that can help you navigate the downtown are, and arrive at our gatherings on time.

Parking at Pacific Place

The Pacific Place garage is in the same building as AMC theater, and is a great option for parking downtown for our gatherings. If you have children or special needs, we will validate your parking for up to 3 hours! Just stop by the Cornerstone Kids Check-In Desk to get your parking validated. If you don’t have children or special needs but would like to enjoy the convenience of parking in the Pacific Place garage, parking is $7 for 2 hours, $9 for 3 hours or $10 for all day parking on weekends. Be sure to allow at least 5-10 minutes to get from the parking garage to the theater.

Street Parking

Did you know street parking is FREE in downtown Seattle on Sundays? Street parking is available on the streets immediately surrounding AMC, however weekend events can sometimes make street parking more scarce around the shopping/business district of downtown. For more dependable street parking options, we would suggest some of the following streets and areas that are still within easy walking distance to AMC Pacific Place:

• From Pacific Place, head east or west on Stewart Street towards the waterfront or towards I-5.
• From Pacific Place, head north on 6th Street and look for parking within the Belltown neighborhood.
• From Pacific Place, head east on Pine Street and cross the overpass to the lower-Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Additionally, many parking spots downtown are restricted Monday-Saturday (30 minute, 3 minute, commercial vehicle only, etc) but the signs specify “except Sundays and Holidays”. Be sure to read the signs carefully on these restricted spots before passing them up. For more information, here is a full parking map of downtown Seattle.

Public Transportation

Taking the bus or light rail is a great option if you live in one of Seattle’s outlying neighborhoods. To find the best public transportation routes, just enter your starting location into Google Maps here to see the best available routes to AMC Pacific Place. If you are coming from University of Washington, the 43, 49, 72 and 73 Buses will takes you to downtown Seattle on Sundays. If you are coming from Seattle Pacific University, the 13 Bus route will take you downtown on Sundays.

Discipleship, City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

You know how it happens. You have every intention of being with the church on Sunday. In your mind it is all planned out. Then, you wake up late. Or, your baby has a last-minute blow out. Or, streets are closed. Or, maybe there’s a convention in town and the guy wearing the Hello Kitty costume took the last parking spot. Maybe you arrive on time, but you’re distracted. She took my seat. Is that guy sleeping? Was that my pager or theirs? Did I wear this outfit last week too? Where is my pen? Is that a new family? Was I supposed to volunteer today? Or, maybe you’re regularly tired and find it hard to listen. Or, maybe you’re inconsistent and wonder whether others notice. Or, maybe you show up every week yet remember little and apply even less. You’re not alone. Unfortunately, our typical Sunday experience is often some combination of these – but it doesn’t have to be. 

The corporate gathering as the foundational spiritual discipline

God has given us numerous means of grace, or spiritual disciplines, to help stoke our affections, deepen our trust, fuel perseverance, instill courage and anchor our hope. These means of grace include personal reading of the scriptures, prayer, silence, solitude, community, fasting, and more. None of these earn us favor with, or more love from, God rather they remind us of the favor and love we already have from Him through Jesus. While all means of grace are important, and serve different purposes, the most important means of grace in the life of every follower of Jesus is consistently gathering with Jesus’ people. Regularly gathering with the church, as the church, to sing, confess, pray, laugh, experience conviction and fresh grace, celebrate the Lord’s Supper and sit under the preaching of God’s word is indispensable and irreplaceable. We miss out on much of what God has for us when we are inconsistent in, or unprepared for, gathering together corporately. 

“We miss out on much of what God has for us when we are inconsistent in, or unprepared for, gathering together corporately.” 

The priority of preparation

Given the importance of the corporate gathering it is only wise to consider how to prepare. We shouldn’t expect to have a meaningful experience Sunday-after-Sunday if we do not prepare our hearts beforehand. God is gracious, so it can happen, but that’s not usually how it works. Too often we view the church gathering like a concert. All you have to do is show up, be entertained and sing along. (It probably doesn’t help that we meet in a movie theater, but we’re working on that). However, one thing I’ve noticed repeatedly is that those who get the most out of the gathering are those who do some measure of preparation. In light of that, the following are a number of ways to help redeem your Sundays and get more out of your time with Jesus’ people. 

#1 Examining our hearts

Every Sunday is meant to be a great day. If we don’t expect anything particularly special to happen when we gather with Jesus’ people, we probably won’t see it even if it does. If we expect things to be routine, they probably will be. If we don’t expect to learn, we typically won’t. In other words, what we get out of the corporate gathering is directly related to the posture of our heart towards it. What is the posture of your heart?

An important part of our preparation is anticipating what God has in store every week. Every week, approach Sunday with a sense of eager expectation and anticipation. Don’t allow your view of the corporate gathering to degenerate into a mere mindless habit. Ask Jesus to give you a soft, receptive heart. Ask Him to point out people He wants you to love, serve and listen to. Ask Him to shock you out of apathy, to bring new conviction and fresh applications of His grace. Ask Him to help you not take Sunday for granted. 

#2 Start on Saturday

It’s been said that a great Sunday begins on Saturday. Get to bed on time so you can wake up early. Turn off the TV. Consider spending time with the Lord before you sleep. Review the passage the church will be studying together the next day. Pray for folks that you’re going to see. Ask Jesus to prepare your heart for what He has in store. Keep in mind that whatever you put into your mind on Saturday night will still be in your head on Sunday morning. If you’re a parent, get all of your kids’ clothes ready the night before. Start preparing for Sunday on Saturday.

“It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same banal, empty, silly, trivial, titillating, suggestive, immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch – and then wonder why their spiritual lives are weak and their worship experience is shallow with no intensity. If you really want to hear the Word of God the way He means to be heard in truth and joy and power, turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8). Then watch your heart un-shrivel and begin to hunger for God.” 
– John Piper

#3 Wake up early

Wake up early enough to get some unhurried time in God’s Word and prayer. Listen to some stirring music. Confess sin to the Lord. Preach the gospel to yourself and be reminded of all that God is for you, in Jesus. Ask God to help you focus, to listen well and receive His Word. Make your heart happy in Him before you arrive so the corporate worship is just an extension of your personal worship. 

#4 Consider serving

Serving is a great way to meet others, discover your gifts, honor Jesus and be reminded of the beautifully varied diversity of God’s people. Serving reminds us, in small part, of how we’ve been sacrificially served by Jesus. Serving reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. Serving reminds us that we have been redeemed to seek the good of as many people as possible. There are lots of ways to get involved. Drop by the Connect desk to learn more. 

#5 The Arrival

Try to arrive on time – even early. We all know what it is like to arrive ten minutes late. It’s a little frustrating. Consider developing a habit of arriving early. Give yourself ample time to find a parking spot, to chat with others, check-in your kids, and find your seat. Try to enter into the corporate gathering with an unhurried heart. Arriving early will help with that. If you’re a parent, leave the house 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to leave so you’re not rushed and you have time for the unexpected.

#6 Actively participate

As you sit down, remind yourself of the spiritual significance of what you’re doing. This isn’t just any group of people you’re gathering with, but Jesus’ blood-bought people – His church. Ask God to give you a heart prepared to listen, receive, repent and apply. Bring your Bible. Ask Him to pierce through any tiredness and make you humble, eager and prepared for what He has in store. Bring a journal. Take notes. Don’t worry about what you’re wearing. Don’t worry about whether you like the music. Don’t worry about whether others are critiquing your singing. Focus on Who you’re there for. Remind yourself that when the Bible is preached, God is speaking through His Word – to you. Remind yourself that you are not there to be entertained, but to actively participate in relationship, prayer, scripture reading, singing, learning and more. 

#7 Intentionally apply (and revisit)

Following the sermon, consider at least one thing that God wants you to apply to your life immediately. Confess sin? Change of life? Seek reconciliation? Something else? It is too easy to just move on to the next thing and give little thought to how we should respond to God in light of the text at hand. If you’re not sure, take some time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help. Write down anything that comes to mind and then review and apply it throughout the week. Consider taking Monday morning to pull out your notes and review the passage that was studied on Sunday with the church. Share what you’re learning with your friends, spouse, community and/or discipleship group. 

#8 After the gathering

Following the gathering, be on the lookout for God and people. If you have the time, try not to rush out the door but stay to talk and meet others. Who crosses your path? Who is sitting near by? Is anyone new? Does anyone look lonely or isolated? Consider going out to lunch or inviting others over to your home for lunch. Offer to pray for people on the spot. Introduce those who are new to others that you know. Invite people to join you in community. No matter your personality, whether introvert or extrovert, you have something to offer to those God has providentially placed around you – every Sunday. 

The great gathering to come

Gathering with Jesus’ people is unlike any other gathering we are a part of throughout the week. When we come together we serve as a small picture of the great gathering of God’s redeemed people, in Jesus, in the age to come. In that day there will be a “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev7:9-10) Every Sunday gathering points to that great gathering. Profound, isn’t it? That alone makes it worthy of our intentional preparation and thoughtful participation. 

Christ is all!

Pastor Adam

Community, Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

As we’ve continued to grow and mature as a church we’ve seen an increasing number of people transition from other area churches to join what God is doing among us. Perhaps you’re one of them. We’re so glad you’re with us. There are lots of reasons for changing churches and every story is unique; some motivations are godly and right, while others are neither. However, all told, the vast majority of you have done so thoughtfully, prayerfully, amidst much counsel. Thank you. It’s rarely an easy decision to change churches, no matter the reason. 

Over the last few years, I’ve watched some transition really well while others really struggle. Therefore, I’m writing to offer some help and guidance in how to best navigate this season as you find your place among us as, we hope, your new church family. 

#1 You belong to Jesus.

As a follower of Jesus, first and foremost, you belong to Him (1 Cor 3:3). This is where it starts. One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite terms for Christians was to refer to them as being “in Christ”. In other words, to be a Christian is to belong to Jesus, to be hidden in Him (Col 3:3). We are not our own but have been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19). By nature of belonging to Jesus, we are justified, adopted, forgiven, declared righteous, made new creations and more. Stunning. So, our status before Jesus is deeply personal, yet not only personal. 

#2 To belong to Jesus is to belong to His people, the church.

We are saved by God, in Jesus, to not only belong to Him but to His people. This isn’t an abstract “I’m-part-of-the-invisible-universal-church” type of belonging, but belonging to a real, flesh-and-blood, imperfect, local community of fellow believers. There are no examples of followers of Jesus in the Bible that lived separate from the local church. In fact, over and over again, the scriptures use various metaphors to highlight that our relationship to Jesus is not merely individual but corporate (e.g. citizens of the same kingdom, parts of the same body, stones of the same temple, members of the same family, etc). God chose these metaphors to describe a brand new people. In other words, the Christian life was never intended by God to be lived alone, but in real, vital, committed relationship with other followers of Christ in the context of a local church. Because of these profound realities, we should be committed to our church through thick-and-thin. 

#3 However, there are good reasons to change churches.

While every Christian is called by God to be passionately committed to a specific local church, there are reasons to consider changing churches. In some cases, the change is simply due to (1) moving, or (2) feeling called to participate in a different gospel work, or  (3) personal theological convictions. In other cases, the change is to due sin within the church, where (1) maybe the pastors and/or leaders have morally disqualified themselves (1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) or (2) fallen into false teaching. In most cases, I would encourage you hang in there, be patient, talk to the leadership, pray and extend grace. I hope you would do that for us. But if, after doing so, there is no change, it may be best to leave. 

#4 You’ll fit right in, no matter where you are. 

I know the timidity and awkwardness that comes with trying to find a new church family. Its easy to feel like an outsider and often difficult to know exactly where you fit. Where do I fit if I’m not a Christian and still exploring Jesus’ claims? Where do I fit if I’m a new Christian or have just come back to Jesus? Where do I fit if I’ve been walking with Jesus for decades? What are these people thinking about me? Do I have a place here? The church is one of the few places on the planet where you should fit in, no matter where you are. 

As a church, we not only want to see new conversions, we want to see everyone mature in Christ. The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 1:28-29, says it this way: “Him we proclaim, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” What was he about? What did he toil after? How did he channel his energy? What was his goal? What got him out of bed in the morning? Did you see it? Presenting everyone – everyone – mature in Christ. New conversions? Absolutely. Growing baby Christians? Yes. Awakening sleepy Christians? Please. Maturing mature Christians? For sure.

That means the heart of God is for everyone – believers and non-believers – to grow in knowledge of him, through faith in Jesus. We’re not just about reaching non-believers. We’re not just about reaching believers. We’re about presenting “everyone mature in Christ” – whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or recently transitioned. In other words, we’re not only about the Spirit’s regeneration (i.e. new conversions) of individuals. We’re ultimately about the Spirit’s final glorification (i.e. ultimate maturity in Christ) of individuals – to that end we toil, pray, evangelize, preach and disciple. So, if you’re just joining us, you’ll fit right in – wherever you are in the process.

#5 Let Jesus carve out a new reality for you as you join us. 

To transition well, you’ll need to set aside expectations and past hurts, while allowing Jesus to create a new reality for you among our newly-forming church. Every church is different. Every church is imperfect. Every church has its strengths and weaknesses. When transitioning it can be really easy to compare. Compare people. Compare preaching. Compare music. Compare size. Compare resources. Compare leadership. Don’t let the enemy play that game in your heart. It only leads to dissatisfaction and discontent. If Jesus has led you to join what he is doing among us, then jump in with an open heart and open hands. Every local church is a unique work of the Spirit. Don’t try to fabricate what you had in the past, but let Jesus create a new reality for you among us. 

#6 Take your time, but not too much. 

If you’re hurt or burnt out, then take some time to heal. We can wait. We know some wounds take more time to heal than others. Please let us know if you would like to talk and walk through anything you’ve experienced. But don’t take too long. I say this with deep love and understanding, some of you who have been with us for many months now are taking too long to re-engage. We’re sympathetic to your pain and understand that re-engaging with a church community, after being hurt, can be difficult. It’s a step of faith, to be sure, and we want to walk alongside you in that. We’re redeemed to belong, and a big part of your healing will only happen as you grow in relationship with others who are pursuing Jesus with you. Join a community. Become known. Get involved in the stories of others. Put a photo on your City user account. Participate in discussions on the City. Sign-up to serve. Be consistent in gathering with the church on Sunday. Invite others over for dinner or to watch the game. Join the church for its monthly prayer nights. Enter into the life of our church expectantly. Become an active participant in what Jesus is doing among us, not merely a casual, distant observer. [paragraph modified 10.21.14]

#7 Beware of bitterness, practice forgiveness and assume the best.

If you’re transitioning churches locally, more often than not, something very negative took place that caused you to make such an important change. That’s not always the case, but it often is. Situations like that are the breeding ground for bitterness, so we must be careful that it doesn’t take root in our souls (Heb 12:15). That means you’re going to have choose to forgive (maybe even daily), remember how much Jesus has forgiven you, and enter this new season of life with fresh faith. 

• Don’t let your past experiences color your view of Jesus’ bride, the church, or its leaders.
• Don’t let your past experiences lead you to become jaded about God and the things of God. He is able to use even the worst of seasons, for your good (Rom 8:28).
• Don’t let your past experiences cause you to lose hope. Jesus is your hope – and he can’t be lost.
• Don’t let your past experiences lead you to self-protect because you don’t want to get hurt again. Jesus is your refuge so you don’t have to be.

You can put your guard down. No one expects you to walk this out over night, but I do invite you to start walking it out. You might find that you fall in love with Jesus’ church again – or for the first time. 

#8 You are loved, by Him, and us. 

Know that you are radically loved by the God of the universe, in Jesus – and us. Wherever you are at, or wherever you’re from, you’ll fit right in. Welcome, friends. We are Downtown Cornerstone and we hope you’ll join this family of redeemed rebels as we continue to follow the King, together, wherever He leads. 

Christ is all! 
Pastor Adam