Pastoral Notes for Sunday, June 7, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

As a child, summers were magical for me. Even today, summer smells like freshly mown grass and sunscreen. It feels like swimming pools and sand between my toes. It tastes like hotdogs and watermelon. It sounds like a choir of crickets and the whizz of a fishing rod.

Summer meant so many things to me, but mostly it meant time. Time to watch movies and play whiffle ball. Time to listen to music and goof off with friends. Summer was like a two-and-a-half-month permission slip to do what I wanted and not feel bad for it. 

As great as my childhood summers were, there were certain temptations that went along with those special times. Still today, there are certain temptations that show up during a summer vacation that I don’t experience, at least not as poignantly, the rest of the year. If I were to boil it down to a few words, I’d call it the temptation to live for self.

Yes, the temptation to live for self is present every season of the year. But there are certain times where the temptation is heightened; we might even say the temptation is practically woven into the design of certain seasons and experiences. Like summer vacation.

Why do we go on vacation? For our own rest and enjoyment. When people hear you’re going on vacation, they say, “Go enjoy yourself.” All they mean is “Have a good time,” and that’s exactly right. But it’s easy for our sinful hearts to hear, “Go live for self.”

When we go on vacation, we often don’t rest like Christians. Some of us even “take a break” from our Christian commitments. Which means we’re walking away from the Lord of rest as we seek to rest. Not surprisingly we end up restless and irritable needing vacations from our vacations.

How about we commit to move through summer differently this year? Keep catching lightning bugs and sipping sweet tea on the back porch. Enjoy the good things God designed summer for. But let’s enjoy the Lord of summer most of all.

If we do that, we might just have the best summer yet.

“Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.”—Jean S. Pigott

Your servant,

Bulletin for Sunday, June 7, 2026

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, May 31, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

We live in a world that celebrates the platform, the spotlight, the big achievement. Consequently, we often strive for a life that can be measured, posted, praised, and seen. Scripture, however, repeatedly calls us to something slower, deeper, steadier, and quieter. In a word, Scripture calls us to a life of ordinary faithfulness. What Eugene Peterson calls, “A long obedience in the same direction.”

Ordinary faithfulness isn’t big, loud, and flashy. It’s found in simple fidelities like keeping our word, loving our neighbor, raising our children, doing honest work, bearing burdens, praying in secret, worshipping weekly, forgiving repeatedly, repenting daily, and trusting Christ when no one else sees and when it doesn’t appear to make a difference. These quiet—even obscure—acts of faithfulness are not small in the kingdom of God. They are the means from which godliness takes shape in our lives.

Despite how it may appear, such a life is not passive or weak. It takes self-control to remain steadfast when the world’s telling you to chase something newer, louder, or more impressive. It takes grace and grit to be content with hidden obedience, unseen sacrifice, and slow growth. Yet it’s right there where Christ does his best work. 

Over the course of the summer, we will consider the beauty, strength, and witness of a life rooted in Christ expressed through steady faithfulness. I’ve entitled the series, The Quiet Life of Faithfulness. My prayer is that God would use this series to increasingly free us from restless striving and to cultivate deepening contentment and renewed courage to live lives of ordinary faithfulness. Please join me in prayer toward this end.

The Quiet Life of Faithfulness

• June 7 – Aspire to Live Quiet Lives, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 

• June 14 – Bear Your Load, Bear the Burdens of Others, Galatians 6:2-5

•  June 21 – Do Not be Troubled, John 14:25-31 

• June 28 – Embrace the Will of God, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

• July 5 – Open Your Home and Your Heart, Romans 12:9-13 

• July 12 – Do Good No Matter What, Galatians 6:9-10 

• July 19 – Keep Raising Children, Deuteronomy 6:4-9

• July 26 – Everyday Witness, Matthew 5:13-16 

• August 2 – Die Well, 2 Timothy 4:6-8 

Your servant,

Bulletin for Sunday, May 31, 2026

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, May 24, 2026

For the Pastoral Notes today, I’ve asked our Children’s Ministry Director, Meredith Suits, to report on this past year of ministry. —Nate

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Amidst all the graduations and celebrations in this busy month of May, the children’s ministry also celebrated the end of another school year. We enjoyed several months of Sunday School and Midweek classes and have much to report and many volunteers to thank.

In August, we began our Sunday School year with 8 full classes of kids— the most classes we’ve ever had on Sunday mornings! Our PreK 3s, led by Joe and Joy Marlo and Faith Crampton, explored the Old Testament, learned several songs, and memorized Psalm 1. Our PreK 4s, led by Ronda Laventure, Teresa Whittaker, and Betsy Garland, used the Show Me Jesus preschool curriculum and studied several stories from the Old and New Testaments. 

Our Kindergarten and 1st Grade classes used The Biggest Story curriculum from Kevin DeYoung. Colleen McGarry and Bonnie Snyder focused on the Old Testament stories in this curriculum with their Kindergarten class, and Alli Faulk and Eleanor Ware led the 1st graders through most of the Old Testament as well.

In the 2nd grade class, Lucy Lilly and Julie Finch spent the year studying the First Catechism for children. These 2nd graders worked hard to learn 150 questions through the course of the year. 

3rd Grade, as well as our combined 4th/5th Grade class, piloted a new curriculum from Ligonier called Growing in God’s Word, an overview of the whole Bible in one year. Sue Gamble and Kent Coughlin led the 3rd graders and Matt O’Roark and Sean Kelley the 4th/5th graders, who were so excited to head over to The Corner House each week for class.

Last but not least, our 6th graders were engaged in lots of great conversations about the New City Catechism with Dave Raymond and Sabrina Brewer, digging into foundational theological truths together over at The Corner House.

Jessica Michaud continued in her role as the unofficial Midweek Curriculum Mastermind in the fall and the spring, writing 13 weeks of lessons for all ages from Acts, 1 Kings, and several other pieces from the New Testament. Rebecca Hassee, Matt and Kimbra Johnston, and Joanie Pittman taught these lessons each week with assistance from Mark Mitchell, John Mark Gulliver, James Goddard, Emily Jebasingh, Abigail Hicks, and Rachael Zecher. Our Midweek preschool team effectively led a group of almost 20 preschoolers—what a gift Bethany Holder, Talula Adams, Kelly Abercrombie, and Katie Ewing were to our youngest kiddos! 

Children’s choirs led by Jessica Michaud and Jen Westerbeek prepared and presented an Advent performance not only to our church but also at the Dickens of a Christmas Festival in downtown Franklin, a new experience for our ministry! You may have also noticed our new quarterly publication Parenting at the Corner in various places around the church. Many thanks to Lisa Fiedler and Lauren Smith for writing and designing this helpful resource for parents. There were many more of you who willingly stepped in to sub in our Sunday school and midweek classes and provided support to our children and parents. We appreciate you so much. 

Please find these volunteers today and encourage them in their ministry. We have a wealth of talents in our Cornerstone body, and more importantly, we have talented people who take the call to serve and love our children and answer it with humility, commitment, and joy. 

We are looking forward to VBS and summer Sunday School, which will be led by a whole new group of volunteers. Stay tuned for more updates about the work God is doing through our volunteers and through you as you pray for us. 

Your servant,
Meredith Suits

Bulletin for Sunday, May 24, 2026

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, May 17, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

I have bittersweet news to share with you today.

We’ve been deeply blessed to have Mrs. Meredith Suits as Children’s Ministry Director at Cornerstone for the last seven and half years. Whether it’s teacher training and curriculum development, or overseeing the implementation of our child protection policy, or developing our “Kid’s Club” with Mrs. Jessica Michaud on Wednesday nights, or launching our annual Vacation Bible School in the summer—the Lord has used Meredith’s passion for children and incredible gifts to deepen the health and broaden the reach of our children’s ministry.

When I stop and reflect on the leaders and staff who have made the most significant impact in the last decade of our ministry, Meredith is near the top of that list. Truly, the spiritual investment she’s made on children and families at Cornerstone is incalculable.

At the same time, Meredith has a heart for teaching and education. Over the last couple of years, we’ve kept an open dialogue about her desire to return to the classroom once her children, Sam and Charlotte, reach a certain age. In God’s providence, that time has arrived. Despite my best attempts at manipulating her to stay (trust me, I pulled out all the stops), our dear sister is committed to following the Lord’s call on her life and returning to the classroom. She will wrap up her service as Children’s Director at Cornerstone on July 31.

Clearly, Meredith’s departure is the bitter part of the news, but here’s the sweet part! I am delighted to announce that Mrs. Bethany Holder has accepted our invitation to be the next Children’s Ministry Director at Cornerstone. Bethany and her husband, Chris, joined Cornerstone two years ago, but have quickly become some of our most beloved members. Bethany has prior experience in ministry and event planning and has been serving faithfully on our children’s ministry team. She has a deep love for Cornerstone and for children and shows immense gifting for the position.

Now, many of you already know and love Bethany, but for those who do not yet know her, I asked her to share just a little bit about herself:

My husband, Chris, and I met while attending Montreat College in Asheville, NC. We’ve been married for 11 years and have two kiddos, Ellie (6) and Liam (3). In 2020, we moved to Spring Hill which allowed me to become a stay-at-home mom after a career in event planning. We have been members at Cornerstone for a little over two years and love worshiping, serving and learning alongside of our church family.

As I approached a new season of life with both kids in school, I began praying that the Lord would show me how He would like for me to use my time. In His perfect sovereignty, He answered with the opportunity to serve the families and children of Cornerstone—and I am so excited and grateful!

Bethany will begin transitioning into the role on July 1 but will fully take the reins on August 1. Please be looking for opportunities to get to know her better throughout the summer and pray for her, Chris, Ellie, and Liam as they enter a new season as a family.

I can’t wait to see how God will use Bethany in our midst!

Your servant,

Bulletin for Sunday, May 17, 2026

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, May 10, 2026

Dear Cornerstone Family,

The origin of Mother’s Day traces back to the medieval period in what was originally called, “Mothering Sunday.” It was the one Sunday of the year where you were encouraged to return to the church where you were originally baptized—your “mother church.”

Historically, Mothering Sunday was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It was treated as a mid-Lent respite—sometimes called Refreshment Sunday—and was a time to remember and celebrate the church’s role in “mothering” God’s children toward Christian maturity (Galatians 4:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8)

Over time, the day fell out of use. Yet in the early twentieth century, it was revitalized in England by Constance Adelaide Smith, an Anglican clergyman’s wife. Smith wrote In Praise of Mother: A History of Mothering Sunday in 1913 followed by her most significant work, Revival of Mothering Sunday, in 1921.

In the Revival of Mothering Sunday, Smith identifies four “mothers” for which we are to give thanks: the church as spiritual mother, the mothers of our earthly homes, the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of mother earth.

In the United States, Mrs. Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, PA, spearheaded the establishment of what we now call Mother’s Day. Motivated by a desire to honor her own mother after her death, Jarvis sponsored a memorial service in 1908 at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, WV, to honor her mother and all the mothers in the church.

Following the success of the service, Jarvis began actively campaigning for Mother’s Day to become a nationally recognized holiday. After years of persistent advocacy, she finally got her wish. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” Despite the characteristic Chestertonian hyperbole, the point stands: the first and most formative influence of our lives often comes at home under the care of our mothers.

When we turn our attention to Scripture, we see the influence of women—especially mothers—from beginning to end. Whether Eve, the mother of all living, or Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, God has chosen mothers to preserve, nurture, and advance his saving purposes in the world.

For many of us, our first and most enduring exemplar of Christian faithfulness comes from our mothers. Even those who did not grow up with the witness of a Christian mother have been blessed by spiritual mothers. Women who have taught, served, led, and loved us—and in so doing have pointed us to Jesus Christ.

It’s fitting, then, that as we gather for worship on Mother’s Day, we give thanks for the many faithful mothers of various kinds whom God has used for our good and his eternal glory.

Your servant,

Bulletin for Sunday, May 10, 2026