Dear Cornerstone Family,
For the last three years, Mr. Larry Thompson has served as chairman of the deacons. In that time, Larry has shown himself to be a servant’s servant, organizing and mobilizing the deacons for the physical care of the church and the community. Without a doubt, our diaconate has grown in health and effectiveness under his watch. In a word, Larry has been God’s man of the hour for us, and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for his example of Christ-like leadership.
As with all good things in life, Larry’s term as chairman is coming to an end, and it’s time for one of our other qualified deacons to take the helm. I’m pleased to announce that Mr. Todd Russell is that man. Todd was approved to be the next chairman of the deacons at our August meeting. He will start officially on September 1st. We look forward to seeing how God will use Todd to build on the foundation in place and help us “carry the ball forward” in diaconal ministry. Please pray for Todd as he takes the mantle and leads in this mission critical role.
Speaking of the diaconate, I want to take a moment to publicly thank our deacons and the army of Cornerstone volunteers who make in-person worship at Cornerstone a possibility each week. It’s a tremendous amount of extra work to prepare, execute, and clean for worship, but these dear saints have served tirelessly with a smile on their face. So again, I want to thank you, brothers and sisters of the Reopening Team, for loving the Cornerstone family so well during this season. Your steadfast and cheerful ministry is reflective of the Savior and a wonder to behold.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve slowly expanded in-person ministry opportunities at Cornerstone throughout August. Four weeks ago, we reopened the nursery at 8 a.m. Today we expanded the 10 a.m. service to 75% capacity. As you can tell from the announcement page, there are several new opportunities for men and women to gather in-person throughout the fall.
One question I’ve been hearing the last couple of weeks is, “When will we start Sunday School back?” We have circled Sunday, September 20 as a target date for the relaunch of in-person Sunday School! As you’d imagine, there’s a lot to figure out between now and then. Your staff is gathering information from you and other churches. We’re pulling together additional guidelines and protocols. Once everything’s in place, we’ll be ready to communicate particulars. In the meantime, please pray for God to give us wisdom and supply our many needs.
In closing, let me say one last thing. The expanded reopening of in-person ministry is not intended to imply that now is the right time for everyone to return to in-person ministry activity. Yes, the Scripture makes it clear that in-person gathering is the priority and norm of God’s people (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25), but in the present circumstances, we understand that gathering in-person may not be the wisest option for some in our midst at this time. Therefore, we continue to urge each Cornerstone member to act in good conscience before the Lord as you make decisions regarding in-person ministry activity. We will continue to maintain livestream worship and Zoom options for at-home ministry activity during the fall. Whether we’re present at home or in-person, let’s remember we’re one body, worshiping and serving the Lord together (Ephesians 4:4-6). To that end, let’s worship our King right now!
Your servant,
Nate