Just a quick reminder that we are moving to 2 worship services for the months of June and July. Those times are 9:00am and 10:30am. Some of you may be asking, “what’s up with that?” – good question! In looking back at our worship attendance during previous summer seasons we have noticed worship attendance is up and down (up at the lake and down at the beach -ha!), but mostly down.

No problem, this is true of most churches and we recognize the reality of kids out of school, vacations, new life schedules, etc. In order to keep the good vibe going on Sunday mornings we thought it would be better to fill up two services than have three semi-full services. Also, this will give volunteers and staff a little breather. The response has been interesting. Basically, every time I have mentioned this idea to people in our church the response has been a fist pump and “yes!!”. I’ll take that as a good thing.

So, pick a time, they’re both good. Thank you for your commitment to being a part of what God is doing around our church and helping us make these changes go smoothly.

It’s going to be a great summer! See you under the ball.

Rusty

1. For listening to God’s call to come and lead our youth for a time.
2. For loving our kids; our staff; and our church.
3. For giving so much of herself for others.
4. For living out the values of our church (especially authenticity).
5. For genuinely caring about the young men and women she has been entrusted with.
6. For being such a great team player on our staff.
7. For listening to God’s new call on her life and courageously choosing to follow it.

I am so grateful for what Amy has accomplished with our youth. God certainly led her to that position for a time and a purpose. She has been a special servant. The great thing about this transition is that she’s not going anywhere! So, she will continue to be a special servant around our church. While we will miss her on the staff team, we look forward to serving right along side in her volunteer role.

As Amy pursues her new career in counseling let’s pray God’s continued direction and clear leading in her life. She has so many giftings in this area and I am confident she has chosen the right path.

Our Personnel Team, led by Ken Lott, has already begun creating a plan for this transition to take place. A search is now underway for a new youth minister. We hope to have this position filled by this August. The search is being handled by a team led by Josh Agerton. Please pray for this team, the process and that God would be preparing the heart of whoever that person is who will be giving leadership to our youth.

Last thing. I just want to also say a big “thank you” to the youth volunteers who so graciously and selflessly serve our youth! They are an amazing bunch. They are so generous with their time and committed in their service. We are blessed to have them!

Alright, let’s keep pressing forward in our incredible mission of leading people to know and serve Jesus! See you under the ball.

Rusty

“The Executive Team is responsible for giving overall direction and guidance to every aspect of our church’s life. This team is charged with passionately advancing our mission of leading people to know and serve Jesus by protecting our values and beliefs, following our commitments and trusting in God’s leadership.”

This is the same purpose they have always had, just under a different name.

The members of this team are:

Frank Oprandy – Executive Team (ET) Leader

Rebecca Gaston – ET Secretary

Robert Taylor – Lay Leader

Jason Belcher – Trustees Team Leader

John Feehan- Personnel Team Leader

Nic Cofield – Finance Team Leader

John Atkinson – ad hoc

Paul Hansell – ad hoc

Michael Moore – ad hoc

Bruce Shelton – ad hoc

Christopher Slagley – ad hoc

Jennifer Stephens – ad hoc

Elizabeth Yost – ad hoc

Amy Coxwell – staff

Michael McClendon – staff

Julia Farrow – staff

Jill Harris – staff

Brian Johnson – staff

Jack Fisher – staff

Josh Agerton – staff

Rusty Hutson – staff

We will soon have their pictures, biographical information and ET role description on our website. This team is here to serve the church! Please encourage and pray for them often.

See you under the ball!

Rusty

Devastation in Haiti

“Devastation” seems to be about the only way to describe what happened in Haiti this week as a result the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. While an earthquake in any part of the world is a problem, in a country like Haiti it is a catastrophe. Consider the fact that 80% of the 9 million people in the country live below the poverty line.

Consider the fact that only about 50% of the population is literate. Consider the fact that most of the buildings constructed on the island are significantly below proper codes and standards. These statistics just make a situation like a major earthquake even more of a crisis with a much longer recovery time.

Let the Church Be the Church

This is the time when the church should be at it’s best. After all, we are Jesus in this world today. I believe He would bring help to the people of Haiti. So, this Sunday we are preparing to take up a special offering to assist in the relief effort. If you are going to write a check, you can make it out to Cornerstone United Methodist Church and put UMCOR in the memo line. UMCOR stands for United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are one of the relief organizations on the ground in Haiti right now. Your money will go directly to helping those who have been affected by the earthquake.

For more information on our collective response as a church, please go read our news release, Responding to the Haiti Relief Effort, posted earlier today.  Thank you in advance for your generosity and helping our church be Christ to a hurting people.

Our tenth anniversary celebration this past Sunday was amazing! It was so good to take a minute as a church and just appreciate what God has done in the life of Cornerstone. I still connect with that passage from 1 Peter 2:4-6 as much today as I did ten years ago…

As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him (5) you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  (6) For in Scripture it says: ”See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

When you do church in a skate center, this verse is very important! It is a reminder that church is not about a building, it’s about people. The building is just a tool for evangelism. In light of this I remain forever grateful to every person who along the way has been a “living stone” placed here by God to do His work. It has been a crazy, exciting, scary, incredible, exhausting, unbelievable journey!
I am equally excited about what’s in store for us in the years ahead. Like the prophet proclaimed in Isaiah 42:9,

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.

New things are on the way for Cornerstone. I am praying for us as a church and asking God to do greater things. I hope you will pray this with me!
Well, that’s it. See you under the ball!

-Rusty

If You Missed This Past Sunday

If you were not able to make it on Sunday you can still be a part of our celebration.  Click “play” on the audio player below and while you listen take a look at a few of the photos that we shared with everyone.

It’s Here, Sunday Jan 10th

WOW, just WOW! I cannot believe our church’s 10th anniversary is this Sunday! As I think about my message for this special occasion I thought I would just give you a little preview of what you will hear.

“Skate center, disco ball, smells, noises, uncertainty, faithfulness, commitment, free skate nights, packed trailers, “Cletus” videos, worship, loving people, difficulties, perseverance, salvation, baby pool baptisms, free bottled water, free movie nights, Ecuador missions, Vacation Sunday, Trunk R Treat, groundbreaking, 20 acres, $1.2 million, sacrifice, new building, sausage biscuits, vision, believing, creativity, KidzTown, Seaside, Youth, College, Pay it Forward, community, giving, grace, Cindy Wall, Buloba, Uganda, Hiram pulls a bus, the playground, the Well, the children, Patrick, Sarah, Eva, Isaac, Zariah, Jesus, love, hope, partners, Gospel, Leading people, knowing, serving, 10, church, Cornerstone, one, you, us.

Today as we celebrate 10 years of ministry here is East Alabama and around the world, I am reminded and humbled in the presence of the God who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, who holds the keys to life itself, who is the keeper of gates and doors through which we have passed, are passing and will pass. He is the God who decided this church should exist. He gave us the power and focus to stay true to our mission and vision. He is the reason we can celebrate the last ten years, he is the reason we celebrate the right now, and the incredible future He has in store for the people and ministry of Cornerstone Church. Personally I am so grateful on this special day to be a part of this movement.

I could never have imagined the night before our first worship service, nervously sitting at my desk, so much would happen in ten years. I couldn’t get beyond the next morning. I couldn’t get out of the bathroom! I remember my prayer went something like this, “Oh God, if you don’t make this happen it will never work.”

God has certainly done more than I could have asked or imagined through Cornerstone. I am deeply thankful for every person who gave, served, sacrificed, loved, worked, prayed and were faithful to helping us move forward. It has been an amazing decade. But, we will only look back for a moment. We have always been a church that kept our vision forward. I am more excited about the Kingdom work that has yet to be done!

So, come join us this Sunday at 8:30, 10:00, or 11:30 as we celebrate ministry past, present and future.

Visit the Holy Land

How awesome would it be to go to the places you read about in the Bible?? Places like the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. How about to walk on ground that Jesus walked on? Well, just thought I’d let you know that Becky and I will be helping lead a trip to the land next year and we really want you to come. The dates are December 26 (2010)-January 3 (2011). I have been to this part of the world 3 times and toured all of the sites. It is amazing! Once you have gone, reading the Bible becomes a whole new deal because you’ve been to that mountain, or city or river they are talking about. So, go ahead and put it on the calender.

Information Meeting Coming Up, Jan 31st

We will be having an informational meeting about the trip on Sunday, January 31st in the Cornerstone Church worship area.  If you are the slightest bit interested in going on this trip, don’t miss the first initial meeting.  It will provide general information and answer any questions you might have.

If you want to go in December 2010 you can always call Lynn Blount (334-887-1152) in the church office or send her an email at Lynn@CornerstoneBuzz.org and let her know you’re interested. She’ll put you on a list so you can be updated about the meeting in January and the details of the trip. It’s going to be great, so come on!!

Man! Just when you think the summer couldn’t get any shorter…it does! I can’t believe August is here, school starts next week, the football hype is ramping up, the humidity is ramping up and vacation memories are, well, memories by now for most of us.

Also, we are beginning to ramp things up around the church. There’s an air of anticipation and excitement as our attention shifts to the upcoming months. Much of the attention these days is focused on August 23, the day we go to three services (8:30, 10:00 & 11:30). What a crazy, awesome day that will be. It is critical for us to create more space as we grow, so adding a third service is a way for us to not only gain space, but communicate our mission to the community. In doing this we are saying that we are committed to reaching people who are searching for God by creating an environment that helps them find Him.  It is also very important that we do this well.

Which brings me to our “Attend One Serve One” campaign you hopefully have heard about by now. This is a great opportunity for people looking for a place to get involved to go ahead take that step. We are already seeing people jump in and say, “I’ll do whatever you need done, just point me in the right direction”. This is a time when we get to rally together as the church, as a unit, a team and declare our passion for God and what He is trying to do through Cornerstone. AND always on the other side of our commitment of time and energy is an individual or family who discover grace, hope, community and a Savior who loves them. That’s the win for us right there!

Anyway, just excited and full of aniticipation about what’s around the next corner. Before you know it, it will be Christmas

Someone once said, “the only thing in life that is certain is change”. How true is that?? Things change, seasons change, people change, etc. In the world of church the same principle is at work. The best and hardest part of church change has to do with people. Especially when someone who has played such a vital role in advancing our mission is called to a new life venture.

Andi Longest, who has given dedicated leadership to our Mission area, is one of these people in our church. She has sensed the Lord moving her in a new life direction and part of that move includes handing over her Mission responsibilities. I’ve asked Andi to share a little bit of her journey on this blog. Here you go…

Since early last fall the Maker of the Universe, the Lord Almighty, My Best Friend, has been leading me on a journey. Destination (in this world) not quite known. His continual call to me has been “Be Available.” And some days that is comforting. Some days it has scared me to death. Lately the second. In the spring I felt the Lord asking me to give up something I loved- My title of “Missions Coordinator” here at church – Really? I loved it. I loved what I got to do. To take teams of people around the world, the nation, the community sharing Christ. To see God work through us all to impact eternity. And to challenge others to press in to what God has for them on a daily basis. Now I have to give that up? REALLY?

What am I going to do then Lord? I am not ready to move to the other side of the world. I don’t know what else to DO. I haven’t really been so okay with this latest request. While I will not be “Coordinating Missions” for Cornerstone, I will continue to work with Patrick in Uganda- Bridge Africa and Lisa Pierce with Alabama Rural Ministries. And the mission field that is my work (and it is HUGE). But I can’t tell you what is next. I would tell you that I am going to move to Uganda next year. But I don’t know that. I would tell you that I am going to work at the Nursing Home for the next 5 years. But I don’t know that.

I would tell you where I am going to live after my time at the cabin is done. But I don’t know that. But I know HE is Perfect. And so are His ways. I know He will provide. I know He will continue to lead Cornerstone in the way the church body should go. I know He will do amazing things as He has in the past. I am grateful for the part that I have been able to play thus far. To God be the glory for all His has done, is doing, and will continue to do.

Andi Longest

Wow. I’m excited for Andi! God has big plans for her. I am grateful for what she has done for our church. From local outreaches, to ministry to hurricane victims in New Orleans, to helping us blaze a trail into Buloba, Uganda (and much more). She has definitely made her mark here.
Thanks Andi! We’re praying with you as you seek His guidance for your next step.

God also has big plans for our church as we continue to vision for new opportunities of sharing the Gospel with the world. We’d love for you to be a part this growing edge here at Cornerstone. For now, if you have questions regarding Mission events or trips, you can email Brian Johnson at brian@cornerstonebuzz.org. We will be taking another team to Uganda in the Fall. Contact Brian if you’re interested.

Blessings,
Rusty