City Life, News

Parking warning! The Pride Parade is set to begin this Sunday, June 24th at 11am. Please note that 4th Avenue will be closed all the way from Union to Denny, but should be avoided beginning at Cherry (see map below). Free street parking will be very difficult to find as Westlake Park will be the staging area of the parade. If you are planning to join us for our Sunday gathering, we recommend arriving early to help set-up, enjoying breakfast in downtown, or parking in Pioneer Square then taking the free bus tunnel over to Pacific Place. Please spread the word!

For more info about our Sunday gatherings, go here.

Community, City Life, Photos

Community, City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Now that we’ve moved gathering spaces to make room for growth, celebrated our first birthday as a newly forming church, remembered Good Friday/Easter, and held our largest gathering ever on 4/15, what’s next? It has been a great season together, hasn’t it? Many of you, particularly our deacons, community leads, and ministry volunteers, are well deserving of a break to refresh and recoup. If you can, take some time to do just that. Thank you for your selfless service to this fledgling flock of Jesus-followers in the city. He has only just begun his work in, among and through us. You might be asking, “What’s next?” Glad you asked.
Here’s a snapshot:

Spring/Summer

Summer is near and that means every Seattleite comes out of their cave to enjoy our beautiful city under the sun. We want to leverage this summer to develop our communities, engage our not-yet-believing neighbors and enjoy our city. While many churches experience a decline during the summer, we grew last summer. So, we don’t know what to expect. We’re currently working on plans to serve our city, enjoy some good ‘ol fashioned barbecue lakeside, get out of the city for an all-church campout, and celebrate our next round of baptisms at Myrtle Edwards. Email us at or reply below if you’d like to help. It is going to be a great summer.

Sacrificing & Serving

Now that we have our first year down and our new gathering space secured, it can be easy to feel that we’ve “arrived”. The truth is, in one way or another, we will always be planting this church. You need to know that we’re in a critical season. 80% of church plants fail within the first three years and 65% fail within the first seven. Seattle – not to mention urban Seattle – is very hard ground. The odds are against us, but Jesus is for us and that means we win. What does that mean for you? It means that we all should have a posture of sacrifice and service for the good of one another and the good of this city, just as Jesus has for us. We need everyone to be sacrificing time, treasure and talents. We’re a family and, like any family, we need all hands on deck. Our resources are few, our needs are great, but He is sufficient. Let’s ask him for even more fruit in this next season. Again, thank you to all who this is already true of.

Living Everyday (this Spring/Summer) with Gospel Intentionality

To be a follower of Jesus means to know and grow in relationship with him. God has given us particular means of grace to serve as gasoline on the fires of faith in our soul; such as Bible reading, relational prayer, memorization and meditation, fasting, community, serving, and more. These don’t earn favor with God, but they help us to more deeply experience the favor we already possess by nature of our relationship with him, in Christ. As we go into this new season, it may be helpful to reevaluate your current practice of the means of grace. What needs to change? What should you stop doing? What should you start doing? What did you set out to do on January 1st that you need to revisit? Additionally, whether you’re a reader or not, I encourage everyone to always have at least one book that they’re working on that was written to facilitate a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus, the gospel and the cross. Check out our recommended reading list here.

New Sermon Series

We’ll be wrapping up our 10 month study of the book of Acts in early July. We’ve taken ample time in Acts in order to examine how the early Christian church was formed and managed to spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. The parallels to our season of life are clear. I hope you’re getting as much out of it as I have. We’re not done yet! Following Acts, we’ll walk through an eight week series that will serve as the content for our new membership process. (more below) We will then start a brand new series in the fall, which I’m still working on.

Membership

The Bible refers to the church, among many other things, as members of the family of God and members of the body of Christ. In other words, to be in Christ is to be deeply, vitally, organically connected to the bride of Christ, the church (i.e. people). Historically and traditionally that relationship has been described as membership. This is vastly different than a AAA or Costco membership. We align ourselves with AAA or Costco in order to receive. But, we align ourselves with a local church in order to give. To be a member is to indicate that we belong to this particular local expression of Jesus’ people and all that carries with it. All that said, our hope is to have our first round of a membership process in place by the end of the summer. More details to follow.

Clearly, there is a lot happening and much to thank Jesus for. He has been exceedingly gracious and generous to us. Please do keep all of this in your prayers. There is much work to be done, sun to be enjoyed and life to be lived this summer. I look forward to sharing it with you and watching Jesus do his work of saving and sanctifying. Thanks for allowing me to be your pastor. It is a privilege for which I thank Jesus daily. Let’s ask Him to do what only He can this summer.

City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

We now have a new Sunday gathering space but, if you drove on Sunday, you likely found it difficult to locate a parking space.

The annual ComicCon took place over the weekend at the Convention Center so all the visiting zombies, aliens and Trekkies occupied the streets. Parking will be a continual hurdle given our calling and context as an urban people. Let’s ask Jesus to (1) give us favor with a nearby parking garage company/owner, or (2) bring someone into our body who desires to subsidize the cost of parking for the church. Until then, we have the following recommendations.

Parking.

Street parking is free on Sundays downtown. In general, with the exception of occasional conferences, you should be able to secure a spot within a two block radius of Pacific Place. If you need to drive, allow additional time to locate parking. We also encourage you to consider carpooling.

Transportation.

We have put together several resources to help you plan alternate transportation to our Sunday gathering HERE. Pacific Place is very convenient for public transport, whether you’re coming from the U-District or Rainier Valley. Both the Light Rail and the bus have a stop in the Metro tunnel one block away.

Family & Special Needs Validation.

Beginning this Sunday (4/8), we will offer 3-hours of validated parking to families and those with special needs (medical, health or otherwise). Drop by Cornerstone Kids with your Pacific Place Garage parking ticket for validation. In order to be wise stewards, we do ask that you attempt to locate nearby street parking before opting for the garage.

Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to be inconvenienced in this exciting season. Even here, with something as mundane as parking, we have an opportunity to display the truth of the gospel.

City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

You’re invited to your party.

On Sunday, April 1st, we are celebrating our first birthday together as a newly-forming, Jesus-following people in the heart of this great city. Jesus’ church is a people, not a place, so this is our birthday. We’re not celebrating the planting of an organization, but the planting of the gospel in this city that is resulting in a new, redeemed, forgiven people for Jesus – us. Yet, this isn’t about us and what we have done, but about Him and what He is doing.

We exist to build a great city through
the gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.

A great city is one in which Jesus is loved, sin is forgiven, lives are transformed, mercy is extended, hope is planted, justice is worked, and joy is rampant. All of this points to the Great City that is to come (Rev 21:9-27) and is only, ultimately, made possible through the gospel of Jesus. We’re already seeing this take place in small measure and it is beautiful in God’s sight.

We don’t know the future,
but we know the One who holds the future
– and He’s all that really matters.

At the end of our lives, we’ll only wish we had trusted Him more and loved others better. While it is (very!) exciting to think of all that Jesus may do in and through us, let’s not make those things the standard of our success. Let’s work, pray, love, serve, live, and share the gospel as though it is all up to us (because it is!)…while trusting it is all up to Him (because it is!). Somewhere in the middle of all that we get the joy of partnering with God in His purposes and He gets the glory.

But, don’t forget. Jesus is our success.
Jesus is our righteousness.Jesus is our hope.
Jesus is our celebration. Jesus is our joy.
Jesus is our salvation. Jesus is our redemption.
Jesus is our Shepherd. Jesus is our King.
Jesus is our God.

So, you’re invited to your own party as we celebrate Jesus’ work in, among and through us. From the beginning of this church, we have asked Him to do what only He can, so that the city will not confuse our work for His. Let’s continue to trust Him for the same in the year(s) ahead.

Join us on Sunday April 1st, 10:00am, at the AMC Theatres in Pacific Place (6th & Pine) for a family-style celebration. Be sure to invite someone to see what Jesus is doing. No Cornerstone Kids provided.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Eph 3:20-21

Community, City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

If you hang out among Downtown Cornerstone long enough, eventually you will hear someone talk about being “on mission”. Admittedly, it’s not helpful to use terms that require additional explanation and defining. At the same time, new terms can shed new light and new insight on ancient ideas. That’s the case here.

To be “on mission” is to intentionally befriend unbelievers, in love, for the purposes of the gospel of Jesus.

In other words, by faith in Christ, we have received a new identity of “missionary”, sent into our city armed with the message and mercy of Jesus Christ. To be “on mission” is to practically live out that identity in simple, loving, every day ways, befriending unbelievers for the sake of the gospel, the good of the city and the glory of God. Let’s continue, trusting Him, as Jesus’ people sent on mission.

City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Last week I had an opportunity to attend the Downtown Seattle Associations’ (DSA) State of Downtown Forum with 1,000 other business, art and civic leaders at the Westin Hotel. Both DCC and my family are members of the DSA. If you are a downtown resident, you should consider it yourself. It was a great event, filled with helpful insights on life (living, working, shopping, playing) downtown.

You might ask, “Why would a church be involved in something like that?”

First, we love Jesus Christ. We are a church with a deep love for Jesus, a thirst for His Word, and a passion for the spread of His Gospel. All things were created by Him, for Him and through Him – including Seattle. He is the Cornerstone of the church, this city, and reality itself. He is not distant and detached. Rather, he made this city and fashioned every person here in his image. Our city’s love for beauty, art, creativity, outdoors, and technology all point to the One who made and sustains them all. Therefore, it goes without saying, Jesus loves Seattle and wants “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)

Second, we love Seattle too. If we love Jesus, we also love what he loves, including Seattle. Therefore, we embrace our city, learn from our city and are for our city. We are not in Seattle to stand above it (in judgment) or hide under it (in fear) or to mirror it (in surrender), but to serve it (in love). We love Seattle. We are Seattlites and are here for fellow Seattlites who dislike, hate or are skeptical of the church – as well as those who love Jesus’ church. We want as many people as possible to meet Jesus and experience life as it was intended to be – now and forever.

Third, this is why we exist to build a great city through the gospel of Jesus for the glory of God. God created all things good, whole and perfect. Sin shattered that perfection. But, God sent His son, Jesus the Christ, to live, die and rise again for the forgiveness of sin and to begin the restoration process of the entire universe – through His redeemed people. To be truly Christian is to be truly human; living as we were always intended to live, in loving relationship with God and others. God offers us this life-as-it-should-be through the Gospel, and sends us to be “salt” and “light” (Mat 5:13-14) in our city; to be agents of preservation, renewal and light in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. As this happens, the city changes. Personal Gospel renewal inevitably leads to city renewal as the very social, cultural and spiritual fabric of the city is redeemed. The result? A great city, where Jesus is loved, sin is forgiven, lives are transformed, relationships are reconciled, mercy is extended, integrity is restored, families are rebuilt. That kind of city is a foretaste of forever with Jesus.

“But, how do we do that?”

To do that well, our aim is to cultivate a faithful presence in our city and continually work to understand what makes our city tick. Or, in other words, as the Apostle Paul said:

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all
for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” 1 Cor 9:22-23

If we genuinely love our city, we should strive to understand it so that we can faithfully and effectively articulate the unchanging gospel into our ever-changing culture. That’s where the DSA event comes in. To become “all things to all people” is to understand where others are coming from (likes, fears, passions, hopes, dreams, etc.) in order to more effectively extend the gospel of Jesus. Here are some things I learned about our city last week:

 
Let’s love our city – and the people of our city – well, for Jesus’ sake. Let’s work to cultivate a significant faithful presence for Jesus, being intentional about spreading his mercy and message. That doesn’t happen overnight, but over decades. Let’s continue to ask Him to do what only He can, in our lifetime and in generations to come. God’s story truly is the greatest show on earth. “Behold I am laying in [Seattle] a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6)

-Pastor Adam Sinnett

Community, City Life, Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

We recently moved. Three blocks to be exact. And, well, it was a little bitter sweet. Why? Because we saw God do some amazing things in our little 2nd floor 850 sq ft apartment, and 11th floor community room, in the middle of the city. We saw Him grow an eight person launch team into a church. We saw Him answer prayers in extraordinary ways. We saw him multiply one community into six. We saw people come to know and grow in Jesus. We hosted many not-yet-believers and had countless opportunities to share the gospel. We hosted many of you. We saw relationships form, broken and reconciled – sometimes all at once! We saw many take the step of faith in committing to a church plant. We sang. We laughed – a lot.

It is probably not a surprise to you that God uses spaces. Don’t miss this. Yes, clearly, God uses people. But, he uses people in spaces: arks, prison cells, tents, deserts, whale bellies, castles, baskets, stables and more. Here’s what I want you to know, believe and live: God wants to use the spaces he has placed you in for his glory, the good of others and your joy. I want to encourage you to not see the every day spaces that you find yourself in (cars, cubicles, offices, homes, complexes, coffee shops, etc.) as neutral to the things of God. He wants to transform how you see and use the normal spaces in your life as miniature stages where his story can continue to unfold in small and big ways. He invites all of us into that.

#1 He wants to use your spaces.

It can be too easy to think that God only works through certain people, but not me, and certain places, but not mine. How would your outlook change if you viewed your every day spaces as stages within God’s story? We may not say it out loud, but we often live in a way that demonstrates our lack of faith in a God who is present, living, and working. We create a false separation between sacred and secular, when all of life is sacred. God is everywhere and everything is His, including your every day spaces. How could you redeem the use of your spaces for Him? Our previous apartment was just an apartment, but God used it as a stage for so much more. He wants to do the same with yours.

#2 Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you.

Maybe this is because we live in Seattle or maybe it’s just the human heart, but too often we underestimate what God wants (or can) do through us. So, we wait or abdicate. We think, “I’ll do more when I’m in a better place.” We never get there, so we never do. Jesus wants you to experience the exhilaration of using your spaces for him, viewing them as stages within his redemptive story. That could mean personal transformation as you commit to trusting him and walking by the power of his grace in your every day spaces. It could also mean regularly inviting folks over for dinner or dessert, taking opportunities to pray for others as the Spirit prompts you, recognizing and meeting the needs of those around you and more. Start simple, but pray big. Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you.

#3 Fight cynicism with anticipation.

We often celebrate cynicism, particularly in our city. But, cynicism is just unbelief that masquerades as intellectualism. It looks and sounds smart, quick and witty – but it is filled with unbelief in a God who has worked a massive redemption and delivered some massive promises to His people. The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cynicism to optimism. Optimism creates a sense of anticipation. God’s specialty is taking normal, ordinary people and doing abnormal, extraordinary things. Our lives should reflect an anticipation that God is who he says he is. Fight cynicism with gospel-birthed anticipation.

#4 Some Practical Suggestions.

By now, some of you may be asking, “But how?” Good question. First, get to know your God really, really well through daily means of grace (Bible, prayer, community, etc). The better you know Him, the more you’ll trust Him. Second, repent of unbelief and cynicism as the Spirit leads. Ask Him to fill you with a fresh sense of hope, joy and anticipation in him. Third, consider dedicating your spaces to God. Not in a weird, I’m-going-to-anoint-my-elevator-at-work sense. But, just a simple prayer over your home, cubicle or car, telling Jesus you want to use them as mini-stages within His larger story. Ask Jesus to give you eyes and ears to see the many ways He is already at work in you and others around you – ask to join Him in that work. Lastly, think through what Jesus wants to do in and through you in your daily spaces. Wouldn’t it be cool to say, “That apartment is where Jesus transformed my anger” or “I shared the gospel with 10 co-workers in that cubicle” or “I learned what prayer is in that car” or “Jesus healed my marriage in that coffee shop” or “We hosted 20 non-Christians this year for dessert at our dining room table”? Your car is not just a car. Your apartment is not just an apartment. Your cubicle is not just a cubicle. They can be stages within God’s story; God uses spaces.

City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

What follows are some statistics and demographic info I came across recently via our friends at the Downtown Seattle Association. This is really helpful as we seek to build a great city, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, for glory of God. We have a strategic opportunity to effect temporal and eternal change here by cultivating a faithful presence for the cause of Christ in the heart of the city – whether you live, work or play here.

***Source: Downtown Seattle Association

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Community, City Life, News

2011 was an eventful and exhilarating year for Downtown Cornerstone. What follows is a visual snapshot of God’s grace to us over the past 12 months. Be encouraged and prayerful. We have much to look forward to in the year(s) ahead. If you’re just getting involved, or looking to get plugged in, you haven’t missed out. Many adventures await.
For Jesus’ Fame,
Pastor Adam

*****

This is our last launch community gathering on January 9th 2011, a week prior to our soft-launch. There are a handful of folks missing, but this is the initial community that Jesus has used to plant what is now Downtown Cornerstone. God uses unlikely people, in unlikely ways to achieve his unlikely purposes. Beautiful.

Last January, as a part of our soft-launch, we kicked off our weekly Sunday gatherings at an Antique Mall that is a part of the “world famous” Underground Tour. After being told, four days prior to our first Sunday that we couldn’t use our planned space, God provided us this dark, cold yet incredible alternative.
 

The kids got to meet in a real dungeon, it was like a fairytale!
 

We started off exploring who Jesus is, why he came and who we are to be as his people in the city through the series, “Who Jesus Is: The Seven I AM Sayings of Jesus”.
 

After many months of praying, God gave us a gifted, Jesus-loving worship music leader – Randy Lundy.
 

Prior to our launch, Pastor Adam preached a short sermon series, “A Reasoned Response“, that dealt with common Seattle-specific questions and obstacles to the Christian faith in order to prepare us for Jesus’ mission here.
 

Early on we made prayer part of our DNA by holding monthly Prayer & Vision Nights. These are treasured moments spent on our knees before the Father from a 33rd floor conference room downtown.
 

Launch Sunday, April 3rd 2011, was a joyful culmination of prayer and preparation, marking our birth as a newly-forming family of Jesus-followers in the heart of the city. A big thanks to all who came out to support us.
 

Just prior to our launch, Jesus provided us an amazing gathering space at Court in the Square! Located in the heart of the city, this venue is a renovated alley between two brick buildings that’s entirely enclosed in glass, not to mention a retractable roof!
 

With DCC’s launch, we also launched into a new sermon series, “Ephesians: The Living Church“, in order to unpack what the Christian church is to be and do in the world – and the implications that has on us as a new church.
 

Shortly after, we gathered for our first Good Friday and Easter celebrations.
 

About half way through the year we multiplied from two to four Cornerstone Communities in Pioneer Square and West Seattle, led by Giulian and Alan respectively.

 

We also dedicated a bunch of babies in 2011, lots of girls… and one lucky boy.
 

During the summer we took advantage of the beautiful weather by hosting monthly BBQ’s to enjoy the city with neighbors and friends!
 

Our Cornerstone Communities solidified strong partnerships with two local mercy and justice organizations, Union Gospel Mission and Farestart.
 

Our summer BBQ’s culminated with our first baptisms in the Puget Sound!
 

Six people shared their story and were baptized. Thank you, Jesus!
 

We kicked off the fall by heading up to Craven Farm where dozens of us navigated a never-ending corn maze with friends, family, neighbors and coworkers.
 

More communities were planted in November! Two – in Capitol Hill led/hosted by Pierce and Bonnie and Wallingford led by Edward and hosted by Leah.
 

We also hosted our First Annual Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning. It was a hit and fortunately no one got hurt. Time to start training!
 

There were lots of chilly onlookers cheering us on.
 

December was full of excitement as we had three more baptisms…
 

and formally installed our first five deacons!
 

We also had a great Advent and Christmas season. In addition to our Christmas gathering, each Cornerstone Community adopted a family/need within their relational and geographic circles to meet. As a church we also took to the streets early Christmas morning to offer gifts and hope to our neighbors sleeping outside for our first Christmas Morning Gift Drop.
 

December brought greater worship to our Savior…and a giant Christmas tree in the middle of our venue that took six men to move every Sunday! Welcome to church planting.
 

As we go into 2012, we are continuing our series, “Acts: The Story Continues“. After all, God’s story continues, and He invites all of us into it. Likewise, we invite you to join us in continuing to follow Jesus’ lead in the new year, trusting Him to do what only He can.