City Life, News

Downtown Cornerstone is happy to partner with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (UGM) during their Fall Giving Campaign by collecting socks at our Sunday gatherings! Beginning this Sunday, Sept 23rd, please bring in any new pairs of men’s, women’s or children’s socks to drop in the marked donation bins. Our goal is to raise 500 pairs of socks by the end of October. This means that if 83 people purchase just one 6-pack of socks, we can reach our goal! Be sure to print up this poster to hang in your break room or apartment building to spread the word.

One of the seven distinctives of DCC is RENEWAL. We believe that out of personal gospel renewal, urban renewal will flow, as the very spiritual, social and cultural fabric of Seattle is redeemed. We love this city, and are called to be salt and light in both word and deed. Will you join us?

If you’d like to partner with the UGM by donating more than just socks, find more info here.

UGM is the only shelter in Seattle that offers three meals a day, 365 days a year.
The Mission serves an average of 1,400 meals a day.
It costs an average of $1.92 to feed a hungry man, woman or child a single meal.
UGM has one of the few family shelters that accepts boys through age 18.
UGM’s Women and Children’s Shelter sleeps an average of 72 women and children each night.
The Mission provides meals, shelter, clothing, homework assistance, counseling and educational field trips for homeless children.
Approximately 20 percent of Mission staff were once program residents.

News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Summer extends through the end of September in Seattle so consider this a fall preview. As we approach this next season of life and ministry in the city, there are a number of key areas of the church for which you can be praying. If you’ve been running with us for any amount of time, you know that we believe our God is alive, active, and personally involved in the nitty gritty of our every day lives. We are his people. This is his work and, astonishingly, he has entrusted it to us. Us? Us. That includes you too. Amazing, isn’t it?

You’ve probably picked up on the fact that Jesus said some profound things during his earthly ministry. For example, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mat 9:37-38) and “I will build my church.” (Mat 16:18) Relatedly, the Apostle Paul tells us that “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes…” (Rom 1:16) Did you catch that? The gospel is the power of God.

What do all of these verses have in common? Today, Jesus is still carrying out his work of salvation through the gospel, which is the power of God, through his people – us. He’s still doing that today, in Seattle. We got a taste of that at our last baptisms, didn’t we? What could he want to do in and through us this fall, in our city? What could he do in and through you this fall, in your neighborhood or workplace?

In light of that, here are a handful of ways you can be praying for your church – Downtown Cornerstone – this fall:

#1 Leaders.

We need leaders. Leaders of teams. Leaders of communities. Leaders of ministries. Specifically, we need leaders who are disciple-making-disciples. A church can only grow up to the spiritual maturity and numerical capacity of its leadership. For us to grow, in both those ways, we need more reliable leaders – leaders who love Jesus, love Jesus’ people and want to live their lives in light of him. As you pray, be sure to thank the Father for your current leaders – and thank them too when you see them next.

#2 Spreaders.

We need spreaders. A spreader is someone who (surprise) spreads something – in our case, the gospel. Our Father has placed us in this city to serve as a movement of missionaries. We’re all spreading something. What are you spreading? Let’s ask the Father to sink the gospel into us and make us gracious, attractive, compelling spreaders of the great good news of Jesus. Some of you are really good at this – show the rest of us how you do it.

#3 Gatherers.

Gatherers are similar to spreaders, but they specialize in drawing people together. We need gatherers. Some of you are gatherers. We need more of you. Our city is in need of life in Jesus and the sad truth is that it doesn’t know it (yet). We need to draw them in to show them the rich, profound realities of who Jesus is and who/what God has created them to be. The need is so great I was shocked there were actually empty seats in our theater last Sunday – or any Sunday. Aren’t you? I think we might be one of the best kept secrets in Seattle.

#4 Cultivators.

We need cultivators. You know who you are. Cultivators are community-builders. Cultivators love people and know how to draw them out, make them feel welcomed, loved, needed – like family. We need you. God created you like that to be a community cultivator. Once the spreaders and gatherers have done their work, those who are new to our church community need a hand in getting started. Let’s pray for more cultivators.

#5 Givers.

Many of you have been responding faithfully. Our giving as a community is slowly improving and that is really encouraging – particularly because our giving is so closely connected to our discipleship of Jesus. Thank you to those who are giving reguarly, sacrificially and cheerfully. We are so close to being fully self-supporting as a church. It is such a gift to be able to give. As you know we just brought David Parker on staff full-time. It was a faith step for us as a young church to do that, but our advisory board urged us to do just that. That means that we, as a church, will be called on to continue to respond in faith together, in giving. I can’t wait until we’re self-supporting and can free up our external support to be directed to other church plants.

#6 Members.

We just wrapped up our membership series, so please be praying that the Father would move 70-80 people to covenant as members of Downtown Cornerstone Church. I hope that includes you too. I beleve we’re right around 20 as of right now. Please wrap up The City process and catch up on any missed series messages by the end of September. That way we can get your interview in by October 15 – our first members meeting. We’re really close to securing a super cool, super secret location for that celebration. Stay tuned!

#7 Movers.

We need folks to move downtown (and closer to the city). I always hesitate in writing or saying that as I know it is bound to create some tension in those who currently live outside of the city or love their current neighborhood. As I’ve always said, there will be no stink-eye for those that don’t live close to the city – ever – or for those that move out of the city. City Christians are not varsity Christians. There are no varsity Christians. We’ll have none of that. But, the tendency is to leave the city so we have to counteract that by calling people to the city. So, please pray for many to feel led to move into or near the core – or adopt a tribe that they love and build their ministry there. Be intentional wherever God would have you.

Praying expectantly with you all.

Baptism, Community, City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Join us this Thursday (August 16th) for our second annual summer baptism and BBQ at the west side of South Lake Union Park. BBQ’s will be hot and grilling at 6:00pm – don’t forget your meat! We’ll transition to testimonies and baptisms at 7:00pm. There are a number of things to keep in mind as we prepare to celebrate together. This is going to be a great night!

#1 PRAY. Please pray for the 12 that are set to be baptized. First, pray God gives them courage and clarity to share what He has done in their lives. Second, pray God uses what they share to lead others to know Him and stirs the faith of those that already do.

#2 VOLUNTEER. If you have not yet signed-up to volunteer (grilling, set-up, tear-down, etc) there are still a good number of needs. You can RSVP and sign up here. If you’ll just be visiting, there’s no need to volunteer, we’re glad you’re joining us and happy to host.

#3 COMMUNITIES. Every community is shouldering a portion of the load in providing side dishes and desserts. If you haven’t yet, please talk to your community lead to find out how you can help. Don’t worry if you’re unable to provide anything. There will be plenty to go around.

#4 INVITE. This is a great opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, coworkers and family to celebrate with us and hear the gospel through lives that have been changed by Jesus.

#5 TIMING. Please arrive as early as you can to allow ample time for your meat to grill, to hang out with friends, meet new folks, grab a game of bocce and be available to help as needed. If you’re able, please consider staying after to help us clean and pack-up.

Can’t wait! See you on Thursday at South Lake Union.

News, Teaching

We began our new series, Church Membership: What it Means to Believe, Be and Belong, last Sunday the 8th. This series will run for the next seven weeks and will serve as the primary content of our ongoing membership process. Check out the new Church Membership webpage to listen in and learn more!

City Life, News, Serve the City

Join us July 21st as we serve the city by cleaning and connecting with the people in downtown Seattle’s avenues and alleyways! This project includes partnering with the Seattle Public Utilities “Adopt-A-Street” and “Clear Alley’s Program.” DCC will pin point which downtown Seattle streets and alleys will be cleaned by our volunteers. Seattle Public Utilities will provides necessary resources like garbage bags, gloves, brooms, etc.

WHEN: 8:00a – 12:00p on the third Saturday in July (7.21.12), Download this flyer to share with your neighbors and friends!

WHO: You and your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors. This serving opportunity will be a great bridge to build in Seattle and will help us give people a taste of the love, grace and mercy Jesus freely offers them.

WHERE: We will meet up in the parking lot on the northwest corner of 7th Ave & Lenora in front of “Piranha”. Parking in that Impark lot is only $5 for up to 10 hours, so we recommend parking there.

HOW: We are aiming for 65+ volunteers! We will break into 8 teams of 8 or so people. Each team will be assigned specific streets and alleys to “own” by way of cleaning and caring for people within the vicinity. We’ll proceed block by block through the City Center until each street and alley is served or we run out of resources.

MISSION: Our goal is to love the city to life by way of service and care for people. Our primary function is to serve the city and as we do that we will be mindful that we are Jesus’ ambassadors, making much of him in how we serve, and ultimately, why we serve.

More details to come. If you’d like to join us please email .

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.

News, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

I have some exciting news for you!

We are quickly coming to the end of our ten month series in the book of Acts. Starting Sunday, July 8th, we will begin a brand new series (tentatively) titled, Church Membership: What it means to believe, be and belong, that will run for eight consecutive weeks. The content of this series will serve as the primary content of our ongoing membership process. I am genuinely excited to see what God is going to do in, through and among us in this next season.

What Jesus’ Local Church is NOT

Unfortunately, there tends to be much miscommunication, misinformation, and misunderstanding when it comes to church membership. To become a member of a church is not the same as becoming a member of Costco, AAA or a country club. The church is not a club, nor a voluntary association, nor a customer service provider, nor an optional exercise for “really committed Christians”, nor merely a friendly group of religious people that tend to be free most Sunday mornings.

What Jesus’ Local Church IS

Rather, Jesus’ church begins with this simple fact: Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Savior and Redeemer. He died to forgive the sins of everyone, everywhere, who trust and follow him. He then brings those who have responded to his call together, within a given local context, and calls them his people, his church, to live underneath his gracious and sovereign reign.

In this way, the local church functions as an outpost of the kingdom of God that serves to affirm our faith in Christ and give shape and direction to our Christian lives.

The Bible uses a host of metaphors to explain the relationship of Jesus to his people, and Jesus’ people to Jesus. For example, the church is called a “flock”, “household”, “body”, “branches”, “living temple” and more. Each of these metaphors is intended to highlight that our relationship to Jesus is not merely individual, but corporate.

In other words, we are saved, in Christ, to be a people. When you choose Jesus, you choose Jesus’ people too. If we’re to love what Jesus loves, we must love the church, which he loved to the point of death on a cross. If we’re to be committed to what Jesus is committed to, we must be committed to the church – not merely in an abstract I’m-part-of-the-invisible-universal-church-sense – but in the sense that I belong to a real, flesh-and-blood, imperfect, local community of fellow believers.

Therefore, we demonstrate our common allegiance to Jesus and his people by becoming covenant members of a local church, thus church membership.

You Might Have Some Questions…

I hope you do! That’s why we’re going to take eight weeks to walk through what it means for a Christian to believe, be and belong to a local expression of Jesus’ people. So, I encourage you to pray and prepare as we go into this new season together as a newly forming church. I’m going to invite everyone who calls Downtown Cornerstone Church their primary church family to commit and covenant together. If you’re not yet a follower of Jesus, this series is for you too. It should help you gain clarity around what Christians actually believe and what it means to follow Jesus.

FIVE steps to becoming a member of Downtown Cornerstone Church.

In order for you to be adequately prepared, I wanted to get the five steps to becoming a member in your “hands” so that you can begin to pray, process and prepare accordingly:

So, all that said, we’ll be rolling out more information in the coming weeks. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to email us. Together, let’s ask Jesus to do what only He can, as we move into this exciting new season of life together.

Baptism, Event, News

You’re invited to join us on Thursday, August 16th @ 6:00pm for our second annual summer BBQ & Baptism celebration. We’ll gather on the west side of the new South Lake Union Park (see map below).

When we repent of our sin, trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we should be baptized (Mat 28:18-20; Acts 2:38). In baptism we identity with Jesus in his death (being immersed under water) and his resurrection to new life (being brought out of the water) for the forgiveness of sin (Rom 6:1-10; Col 2:12). Learn more about baptism here.

If you would like to be baptized with us in August, please fill out this form or email us with any questions you might have.

LOCATION: South Lake Union Park

PARKING: There is ample street parking on either side of the park that is free after 6 pm. Also, consider taking the South Lake Union Trolley which runs from 5th & Olive to 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.

Community, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

CAMPOUT LEAVENWORTH

June 8-10 | Sign Up Today

In just a couple weeks we will be heading to the woods of the north Cascades – actually just a couple miles outside of Leavenworth for those with an allergic reaction to all things rustic. The KOA campground has released our previously reserved camp sites, which means they are now open to the general public. That also means, it’s not too late to sign up! All you need is to call in and reserve a campsite or join a group that is in process of organizing.

Why a campout?

#1 Community.
We’re a newly forming Jesus-people which means many of us are new to one another and to Jesus. Focused time away can go far in forging relationships, breathing unity and giving space to think outside the unceasing movement of the city.

#2 Mission.
Many, if not all, of us have friends, family, neighbors, coworkers that would never set foot in a Sunday gathering but would be willing to join us on a trek into the great outdoors. Opportunities like this are perfect bridges for building relationships and creating space for meaningful conversations about Jesus and his gospel. It’s not a bait-and-switch. Friends won’t find freaky Jesus tracts under their pillows when they wake up in the morning, but they might just become friends with people just like them who need a Savior just as much as them. Who will you invite?

#3 Worship.
Something powerful happens in the soul when out in nature. In addition to the above, this weekend is also intended to serve as a retreat, of sorts, to recharge, reconnect, and just get away. Some of you do that best alone; some of you do that best with others. How you spend your time there is up to you. The itinerary is very open and whether you come with a group or not, I encourage you to grab some time alone at some point.

What if I…

“…have other plans.”
Consider canceling them. Seriously. This is our inagural campout. Don’t you want to tell your kids that you were at the inaugural DCC Campout. Ok. Maybe not. But, you don’t want to miss this. We all have summer plans. We are all busy. We all have conflicts. Change your plans. Consider it a step of faith, a sacrifice to God, to give up doing something else you may even want to do more – then watch Him work. You won’t regret it.

“…don’t have the finances.”
Talk to me or your community lead and we’ll make sure you get taken care of.

“…don’t know how to camp, don’t have camping gear, don’t have anyone to camp with, or am scared of spiders.”
Humans have lived the majority of our existence camping. You’ll be fine. Plus, we have some pro’s that will gladly help you out. Brandy (Campout point person) will help you get set up with fellow campers, gear and may even be able to cure your arachnophobia.

“…haven’t signed up yet. Sounds like it is too late.”
Not to late! We just had to release those sites that were reserved. You can still call in and snag one. Do it today.

“…have to be back on Sunday.”
Perfect. There are a good number of us that will be leaving Saturday, later in the afternoon, in order to be back for Sunday. I will be preaching @ AMC on 6/10 and Deacon David Parker will be leading a informal devotion for those that choose to stay in Leavenworth. As always, if you want to track with our series in Acts, you can catch the recorded audio via the DCC podcast.

“…just don’t want to go.”
I understand that. We’ll be bringing our three kids for a one night stay. Do you know how much work it is to prepare three kids for a one night stay? It’s like preparing for battle against a small nation. It’s a lot of work. Sometimes – no, most times – in life we need to do what we need to do, not only what we feel like doing. Do you know what happens when you do that? You actually want to do the very thing you previously did not want to do. Good things are in store and I don’t want you to miss out.