Second Saturday is for anyone and everyone. This is an opportunity for members and attenders of Cornerstone to give back to our community, to make an impact on someone’s life and to live obediently in the life of service that Jesus has called us to. We do not provide childcare, but we offer something for people of all skill levels. So come serve as a family and as a part of the larger family that makes up Cornerstone Church. No registration is necessary.

For most of this time we have provided childcare on-site at the Church on two nights of the week.  As we have grown and had more people engage in small groups, providing childcare that is both cost effective and excellent has become more and more challenging, causing us to re-evaluate and ask a number of questions.

We’ve wrestled with questions like, “Can we sustain this level of childcare as the church and small group participation continues to grow?  Are we doing our best at stewarding the resources entrusted to us?  Is providing childcare at the church a barrier for people to participate who live or would meet far away from the church?  What more intentional ministry to our children are we missing out on by pouring time, energy and financial resources into in childcare?”  This has been a challenge for our leadership to say the least, but we’ve been ready to address it.

Through wrestling with these challenges, seeking wisdom from the Lord and in consulting with several other like-minded churches of similar size we have come to a conclusion.  Starting this fall we will no longer be offering childcare for small groups at the Church site – but moving to a reimbursement system.  In essence, parents will now be arranging their own childcare and then be reimbursed by the church.  While this is offered to everyone, it is our hope that families who do not need this financial support in order to participate will not take advantage of these resources. (Some may also choose to submit to be reimbursed only every other meeting or only in particular times of need.) On-site childcare will continue to be provided for other normally scheduled large group gatherings held at the church (Wednesday’s Beth Moore Women’s Study, Cornerstone 101, Cornerstone Connect, Journey Bible Classes, etc.).  Attached you will find a terms and conditions document as well as the reimbursement form for you to review.  This form will be accessible from our “Small Group” page on the website.

Our overall decision to go this direction involved a number of complex factors.  So I wanted to offer some more background on the “Why?” of this decision.

1. To give leaders and small group participants more flexibility. Groups can now meet on any day of the week at any time they wish – and are no longer limited to the Sunday/Tuesday evenings when childcare has been available at the church.  This also provides better alternatives for families that live and groups that meet far away from the church (Imagine living in and participating in a group that meets in Camden Ridge or on the other side of Opelika.  Offering childcare at the church actually becomes more of a barrier to these individuals.)
2. To provide a system of childcare that will accommodate Cornerstone’s growth and the future growth of small groups. If we were to double the number of small group (as we hope to) we would not be able to sustain the level of excellence, funding, space, etc. for childcare.  The reimbursement system is one that will better support more people being involved in small groups as the church continues to grow. Our consulting with several other like-minded churches of similar size or larger confirmed this.
3. To be better stewards of Cornerstone’s financial resources. A common problem we experienced in staffing for childcare was that we were often overstaffed.  The number of children expected was rarely the same as the number that actually showed up – often much less.  For example, we would staff 6 workers for the expected needs when only 3 would end up being needed.  The reimbursement system will allow the allocated resources to more precisely match the needs.
4. To save money. This reimbursement system is intended for those people who otherwise would not be able to participate in a small group.  It is our hope that families who do not need this financial support in order to participate in a small group will not take advantage of these resources. (Some may also choose to submit to be reimbursed only every other meeting or only at times needed.) Going to this system will also eliminate other hidden employment costs that the church incurs with childcare staff (FICA and Unemployment Tax matching, background checks, cost/time of recruiting, screening, interviewing, etc.).  Overall we expect the reimbursement system to reduce costs and while this is not the dominant reason for this change it is a significant one.
5. To free up Cornerstone leadership from time in managing/coordinating childcare, allowing them to invest their time and energy in more meaningful ministry to our children.

I am fully aware of the many implications of a change like this.  Myself and others involved in this decision are aware of the sacrifice, extra effort and responsibility that parents must take to continue to participate in a small group.  For some, it won’t be as easy as before.  People will have to arrange their own babysitters, and maybe do things differently.  So for those of you committed small group folks – I’m asking you to stick with it, stay committed, adapt, and be creative.  What we are doing here is that important.   These are the kinds of things we as the people of Cornerstone Church rise up to.  So as we go forward I ask for your understanding and flexibility as we all seek to be better stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

Leading People to Know and Serve Jesus…

Josh Agerton,
Pastor of Connections

Small Group Childcare Reimbursement Form

Small Group Childcare Terms & Conditions

Are you ready to connect with a smaller group of believers? To gather and fellowship in His name, and grow in your own relationship with Christ? A Cornerstone Small Group may be just what you are looking for! It is time for Fall Small Groups to kickoff – and we are going BIG! Come meet our Fall Small Group Leaders on Sunday, August 22! They will be under the tent (in front of the Church) before and after each service and are excited to welcome you! Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the tent. Beginning August 15, you can go to the “Small Groups” page of our website to see what is available and sign up.

To learn more about Small Groups in general, as well as other ways to plug into the Church, please join us at Cornerstone Connect on Sunday, August 15th. Visit Cornerstone Connect for more information.

Cornerstone Connect is for all members and attenders at Cornerstone. Here you will learn about discipleship and small groups, volunteering on Sunday mornings and throughout the week, and how to engage in mission. You can also connect with key leaders in each of these areas to discover how you can get plugged in. We become what we are committed to. By the end of the class, you will understand what next steps you can take to be more committed to Christ and Cornerstone. While childcare is provided, we encourage families to attend with older children. Snacks and drinks will be available.

Please let us know that you are coming by completing the registration form below. Hope to see you there!

Each year, the end of summer marks the beginning of a busy time in the life of Cornerstone Church. Our members and attenders settle back in to a regular routine, and we see many new people coming through our doors each Sunday morning. To prepare for this time, we have made a few changes:

• Volunteer Gathering Room- We now have a dedicated room for ALL Sunday morning volunteers to call their own. This room will be available every Sunday morning beginning this week just before 8 am until the end of the last service. It will be a place for volunteers to grab a snack, a cup of coffee and just spend some good time with each other. We will also spend a few moments preparing for each service through announcements and prayer. We encourage you to bring your children but ask that you are together as a family in this room. The room is called Sampson’s Barber Shop, and you can find it next to the barber pole down the Cornerstone Kids hallway.

• Name change for the First Impressions Team- While creating positive first impressions is what we are challenged to do each Sunday morning, the name “First Impressions Team” can be confusing to new people. To better describe this team and make it more consistent with the experiences people have every day, we are now called the “Guest Services Team”.

• Three Things to Commit To Doing- We are asking all of our Sunday morning volunteers to commit to no less than these three things.

Volunteering on Sunday morning or, to be more precise, serving on Sunday morning, is ministry. It is an integral part of the worship experience each and every Sunday. What you do has the potential to change the heart of someone coming to Cornerstone. Be focused and alert, live out our mission of “Leading People to Know and Serve Jesus” and know that you truly make a difference.

The Cornerstone playground is in need of new mulch. We need your help to spread a load of this mulch throughout the playground area. Bring your wheelbarrow and a friend! A snack breakfast will be available. Please complete the registration form below.

7th-12th graders come to “Revolution Weekend” for this year’s theme “One”. We will journey together on a weekend of teaching, discipleship and fellowship with other students while discovering what it means to love the One God, be One in Christ and love others One at a time.

We will meet Friday at Cornerstone for our first large group session at 7 pm. Students will be staying in host homes Friday and Saturday nights. We will also be at Cornerstone for lunch on Saturday and again Saturday night for our second large group session. The weekend will end Sunday morning as we all attend the 10 am Worship service together.

To register, please make sure you download and fill out the forms below that are needed for registration. You can register and pay all in the same place; just go to the registration link below.

Revolution Weekend Registration

2010 Medical Release

I am excited to report that many activities have been occurring behind the scenes as we have been moving forward in our Youth Pastor search.

First, I will give a brief update on the search process for the Youth Pastor. Secondly, I will cover how we are handling the transition with Amy Coxwell – our current Youth Minister, and her responsibilities.

Great news! We have two highly qualified candidates visiting Cornerstone in July for an extensive assessment and interview process. We have structured the visit to be a lot of informal networking as well as structured interviews. For example, our Youth Pastor Evaluation Team is comprised of parents of youth, youth volunteers, youth, and church leaders. This team has several hours set aside to cover many key areas. In addition, there will be times when each candidate will be speaking with our youth along with spending quality time with Rusty and the staff team.

In preparing for the search, Rusty, Josh and this team spent many hours creating a document that provides candidates with specific expectations for the position as well as the culture and mission of Cornerstone. This document achieves two milestones: 1) It takes the special uniqueness of Cornerstone and describes it in writing and 2) It offers candidates a comprehensive understanding of the church and what will be expected from the new Youth Pastor. We have attached this document so that you may also be informed about this transition and position.

Now secondly, Amy Coxwell has graciously agreed to serve in the role until the end of August. If we have not selected a candidate by that date, we will be making a decision of how to manage through an interim period.

Please join me in extending a warm appreciation to Amy for agreeing to continue in this role and let her know how much we appreciate the work she has achieved with our youth. I personally, as a father to an active youth member, have seen so much growth in my son and I know it has all been under Amy’s leadership.

We will miss Amy in this role, but we wish her luck and pray for her as she looks to make steps towards a career in adolescent counseling.

So, please continue to pray for this major transition and as the process unfolds we will communicate the activities.

In God We Serve,

Ken Lott,
Personnel Team Chair
Cornerstone Church