Service | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Downtown Cornerstone,

I hope you are well and leaning into our gracious and faithful Savior this week. As many of you have heard, we are on the move – literally. On Sunday, October 20th, we will be changing our primary gathering location to a larger set of theaters (adults and kids) upstairs at AMC; different venue, same location.

Main Space

By God’s grace, we’ve grown by 70% compared to this time last year and are in need of more space. Jesus is building his church and we prayerfully anticipate more of the same this fall. The new theater (aka our main gathering space) seats 400+ and has a layout that is essentially a larger version of our current space.

Kids Space

We are also moving the Cornerstone Kids’ (CK) space upstairs to be near parents and simplify drop-off/pick-up. The kids theater is located just down the hall from the main gathering space. We are purchasing new, fun, and colorful walls, flooring, lighting, projector and decor to make the space inviting and hospitable to this growing ministry. We will also create a new nursing mother’s space upstairs and we will be adding CK care for children six months to one year old.

We Need (More) Volunteers

With the move, combined with some summer attrition, we are in need of more volunteers to fill out our service teams. If you are not currently serving, I encourage you to take a step of faith and sign-up. You’ll be blessed by serving others, make new friends and get a front row seat to see how Jesus is moving among us. Scheduling is flexible and the more volunteers we have the lighter the load is for everyone. Our current needs include:

With the move, combined with some summer attrition, we are in need of more volunteers to fill out our service teams. If you are not currently serving, I encourage you to take a step of faith and sign-up. You’ll be blessed by serving others, make new friends and get a front row seat to see how Jesus is moving among us. Scheduling is flexible and the more volunteers we have the lighter the load is for everyone. Our current needs include:

• Ushers/Greeting: x 10
• Facilities: Set-up/Take-down x 6
• Cornerstone Kids: x 5
• Connect Team:  x 4
• Band: Experienced Musicians x 4
• Hospitality/Beverage: x 3

You can sign-up by dropping by the Connect Desk on Sunday or emailing .

“Why Not Go to Two Services?” 

You might be wondering why we’re not going to two services to create more space and options instead of moving upstairs. In fact, many voices within the “church growth” movement recommend just that – the more options you have, the more people opt. There’s some truth to that, but we’re not mainly interested in inflating our numbers. We’re mainly interested in Jesus, seeing people know and grow in him, and following the Spirit.

So, just a number of clarifications. First, going to two services requires doubling all of our service teams and the number of hours of volunteer service on a Sunday. In other words, it is a huge strain on a church of our size and we don’t want our volunteers burning out. Second, therefore, our hope is to get above 300 before we even consider a second service. Third, multiplying services is, in some ways, like planting a second church and significantly impacts the culture and feel of the corporate gathering. As a newly forming church (2.5 years old) this is an important season to be together, grow together, worship together and follow Jesus in becoming the church he has in store for us. So, for now the plan is to stay together, but we’ll prayerfully re-evaluate with each season and opportunity.

Pray for a Permanent Home

Many of you are already praying for this, but please be asking Jesus to open up an opportunity for a more permanent location to gather in and serve as a home base for our on-going gospel presence in the city. The church is a people, not a place, but having a more permanent home can help on many levels. We’re trusting Jesus to provide in his timing and, for now, are seeking to be faithful with and thankful for what he has provided in this season. Thanks for your on-going prayers here.

If you have any questions about anything, let me know. I’m thankful, humbled and excited to be part of following Jesus with you in this great city.

Christ is all!
Pastor Adam

Community, City Life, Event, Service | by Anne Johnson

We recently had the chance to run a back to school drive for Dunlap Elementary School in Rainer Valley. This wasn’t the first time we partnered with Dunlap; back in July we hosted a Serve The City event. After an outpouring of blessings (on us!), we knew there had to be more we could do. Dunlap’s Head Teacher, Jacqualine Brown, explained that because of tight finances many students show up to school without adequate supplies. Backpacks are often the most difficult for parents to purchase, especially in larger families. Dunlap is located in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, and over 85% of the students receive free or subsidized lunches.

We are committed to building a great city, not just a great church. Our desire is to see gospel renewal take place from the avenues to the alleyways. With this in mind we decided to hold the drive. For the month of August donations were brought in, ordered from Amazon and one Community even went to the store for their weekly gathering. On the last day of the drive, a group of us had carried down that days donations, (it took five of us). While I was pulling the car around to load up the bounty, my husband waited with the bags and bags of school supplies. He told me afterwards that people walked by, staring at him and presumably wondering what a large bearded man needed with ten pink calculators. But among the stares, a woman approached him and asked if he was with the school drive. When he responded yes, she handed him money to contribute to the effort.

As a church, we believe that we have been infinitely loved and served by God through the person and work of Jesus, so we serve as we’ve been served in Christ. For a majority of the items, like folders, notebooks, pencils and crayons, we exceeded the amount Dunlap requested. With everyone’s help we were able to donate 22 backpacks, and hundreds of pencils, erasers, notebooks, glue sticks, and so much more!

It was awesome watching our church family give to those they did not even know, and I was humbled watching the pile of supplies go from this:

To this:

Thank you DCC for the ways that you loved and served others through this drive! I’m praying that we would continue to be a people who are marked by a deep love for Jesus, and the city He has placed us in!

Hebrews 13:16

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Phillipians 2:3-7

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Scripture | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

There is nothing that will stoke, shape, and transform your relationship with Jesus than consistent, focused, and intentional time in the Scriptures, the Bible. Though many of us know this theoretically, we struggle to implement it in the every day. Often, at least in my life, this is due to the fact that we don’t have a plan. I need some structure to my reading, otherwise it can devolve into a mere emotional exercise of “What do I feel like reading today?” So, if we’re discouraged, we go to Ecclesiastes. If we’re angry we go to Judges. If we’re happy we go to Philippians. If all else fails, we go to the Psalms. Having some sort of Bible reading plan can help keep our reading fresh, structured and moving forward. It’s helpful to sit down, open your Bible and know where you’re going.

Other Bible Reading Plans

There are many Bible reading plans available, such as these. Honestly, you can’t go wrong so just pick one that interests you. If you’ve never read through the entire Bible, I recommend that as a place to start and using a chronological reading plan to get a sense of the overall flow of God’s story in the Scriptures. Personally, I try to read through the entire Bible devotionally at least once a year, if not more, in addition to the reading required for my other studies, sermons, groups, classes, etc.

A Unique Bible Reading Plan

Over the years, I’ve used a number of plans but inevitably there were aspects to each I found cumbersome or less than ideal. So, two years ago I combined my two favorite readings plans to leverage the benefits of each – M’Cheyne Bible Reading plan and the Navigator Bible Reading plan. Yes, I am a Bible nerd. You can find the most recent version of this combined plan here.

Here are the benefits of this plan: 

• Read through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once each year. Many plans get your through the New Testament once and the Old Testament once over the year. The result, however, is that you end up reading much more Old Testament than New Testament which causes some imbalance.
• Read four different parts of the Bible every day. Reading various parts of the Bible every day helps you see the themes that span the ark of the storyline, keeps your reading fresh and prevents you from getting discouraged if you’re slogging your way through a single book (think: Leviticus).
• Reading is planned for only 25 days of each month. This is huge. I borrowed this from the Navigator plan. We all know how easy it is to get behind and how difficult it is to catch up. With only 25 days of planned reading each month, you have five catch-up days or five days for more specific study.
• Months are numbered. Understandably, most reading plans begin in January. However, that creates the feeling that the best/only time to start a year-long reading plan is at the start of the year. What if I want to start in September? The months on this plan are numbered so you can start at the front of any month.

Hope this is helpful as you grow to trust and treasure Jesus.

Christ is all,
Pastor Adam

Discipleship, Teaching, Video

Yesterday we kicked off a New Sermon Series in the Gospel of Mark. If you missed the first sermon, you can listen to it here when it’s posted.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, in a small rural province of Roman-ruled Israel, there was a man who claimed to not only be a king, but the King; not only one sent from God, but the Son of God. His name was Jesus. In dramatic detail, the Gospel of Mark tells the riveting story of Jesus’ brief years of ministry in sixteen short, action-packed chapters.

Mark, an assistant to the apostle Peter, is a masterful story-teller. Using a style of writing that is simple and original he recounts the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; events which form the very center of cosmic and human history. Join us as we explore the life and work of the One who fulfilled all the Old Testament hopes for the coming Christ, the Messiah, and see first-hand how only his story makes sense of our own.

You can find more details about the current sermon series and our Sunday gathering, here!

Discipleship, News

At this point, I hope you have heard that we are launching two new discipleship training opportunities this fall: a one-year gospel leader track and a two-year pastor/church planter residency. You can get all the details and pre-register to apply here. Once you pre-register you will receive a link to four documents that make up the application:

Pre-assessment: This is one of the most important pieces of your application materials. It asks for you to consider both evidences of grace and areas of growth in your life. This will serve as a spring board into created a customized plan for growth this year. This part of the application should be roughly ten pages, though it could be as short as eight and as long as fifteen.

Personal questionnaire: We are aware the questions on this form are of a very personal and sensitive nature. Jesus is in the business of reeeming sinners and changing lives, so we do not expect anyone’s past to be perfectly “clean”. Rather, our concern is with unresolved issues from the past. These issues are sensitive precisely because, unless properly dealt with, they have the power to undermine and destroy you even as you seek to serve in ministry. This portion of the application can range from one to three pages.

Personal resume: Please include in your resume any relevant educations, vocational, personal and minsitry experience. This portion of the application can range from one to two pages.

Finance survey: We ask that you answer in concrete specifics as much as possible. In order to be a healthy missionary to your city, it is necessary to be healthy financially. This portion of the application should be one to two pages long.

You will want to block out some time to prayerfully complete those documents by this Sunday, Sept 15th. We will also be holding a kick-off BBQ on Sunday, Sept 29th, for everyone (and families) who will be participating. Please save the date. 

A number of you have asked for more information on the actual content of the training. We will be using a combination of BILD, Porterbrook and other resources over the course of the year. The specifics are as follows:

BILD Course Overview

Acts: Keys to the Establishment & Expansion of the First-Century Church: Determine the fundamental biblical principles regarding the mission of the Church and its role in missions and develop guidelines and strategies from these principles for local church involvement.

Pauline Epistles: Strategies for Establishing Churches: Determine the fundamental biblical principles for growing and strengthening (establishing) a church to maturity and developing a strategy for implementing the biblical forms and functions of a church necessary for making and keeping it strong.

The Essentials of Sound Doctrine: Build a contemporary didache—an Early Church manual to establish believers in the essentials of the Apostles’ teaching. This contemporary didache must be founded solidly upon the faith delivered by the Apostles; seasoned by the historical effort of the Church; and be eminently relevant to our present cultural situations.

Porterbrook Module Overview  

Gospel Living: Starting from the position that all life is for the Glory of God, this module looks at what it means to live a life for that glory. It will mean loving God and loving others, shaped by the cross and looking to the future glory that we will share with Jesus. Having laid this foundation the module then examines how this impacts daily issues such as decisions, friendship and possessions.

Reading God’s Story: Introducing Exposition And Biblical Theology: This module will help you get a handle on the basics of understanding and teaching from the text of the Bible itself and seeing how the Bible as a whole fits together.

Missional Community Life: It’s all about mission and evangelism… and this module shows you how.

Apologetics: Traditionally apologetics has been the attempt to show the Christian faith to be rational. However this makes the mistake of thinking that the rejection of Christianity stems from a rational argument. The Bible begs to differ. The problem is not rational, but the human heart. The heart needs something more than arguments to change it. What role then has apologetics? This module examines this question.

Additional

You Can Change by Tim Chester: This book shows how we are saved by grace and change by grace through the Gospel.

If you have any questions along the way, please do not hesitate to ask. Praying with you and for you.

Until the world knows,

Pastor Adam

Baptism, Event

Join us on Tuesday, September10th @ 6:00pm for our annual Summer BBQ & Baptisms! Invite your friends and neighbors to enjoy our city, eat good food, and hear stories of God’s redemptive work.

We encourage you to bring lawn chairs, blankets, frisbees and fun lawn games. Our hope is to enjoy time as a church family and provide natural avenues to invite people into community.

WHERE. Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave N. We’ll gather on the west side of Lake Union Park north of the pier.

WHEN. Tuesday, September 10th, 6pm-9pm

PARKING. There is ample street parking on either side of the park that is free after 6 pm. The Lake Union Trolley leaves from 5th & Olive and runs right in front of the park.

FOOD. Bring your own meat to grill. Side dishes, beverages and desserts to be provided by Cornerstone Communities. Condiments and paper products will also be provided.

We’re looking forward to what our gracious God will do!

Event

“Something remarkable happens when we remove ourselves from the busy city life to camp with friends and strangers.  It’s not because God is only found in nature (He’s always with us), and it’s not because we’re doing something super extraordinary (we can eat hot dogs at home, too), and it’s not even because we’re inspired by the magical beauty of Creation (which we absolutely were!).

It’s because we’re together.

There’s something about being “away” with people, that allows God to work in unique ways, without distractions and obligations biting at our heels.  We get to slow down.  We get to rest.  We get to enjoy being in the present without rushing to the “next” thing.  We get to give our time generously, to listen to the “long” version of each other’s stories, and to cross paths with people we wouldn’t have otherwise.

In God’s abundant generosity and blessing, new friendships were forged, new places were discovered, and new memories were made at the DCC campout.  Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make it such a fantastic weekend.

Hope to see you all out in the woods next year!”