Cornerstone Weekly Highlights

Escape 22 Team is back from Panama!

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:51:00 +0000

A team of high school students spent the past week in Panama with the Embera people...

working on building projects
helping with kids camp during the day
celebrating God during Youth nights with the teenagers of the village each evening

The team leaders were able to train the adults:

in inductive Bible study
parenting skills
in understanding a biblical model of marriage

And to wrap up their time, the students were invited into the homes of the villagers to celebrate a meal together.

Pray that the skills, truth and lives shared will continue to bear fruit among the Embera!

Summer Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Fruit is anticipated through...

a return trip to Rosebud - incoming high school freshmen ministered to the Native Americans this last week. One Native American woman said that "if a Cornerstone Church existed on the reservation, I would be a part of it."
D6 - as the children's ministry kicked off a week of VBS in parks at a big celebration at Cornerstone on Sunday night
Escape - the Cornerstone high school ministry will be sending one group of students to Minneapolis to reach out through a prison ministry, to the Somali refugee community, and other inner city missions. Another group of students will be heading to Panama to serve and share the gospel.

Pray that God will multiply His fruit through each of these ministries!

Youth Teams Return

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:45:00 +0000

God's work in Rosebud...

Escape 22 took 18 students to the Rosebud Reservation with a goal of each student making one long lasting contact with a Rosebud teenager.
28 Rosebud teenagers are connected! They will be discipled via email and Facebook on a longterm basis, and followed up personally when Cornerstone again travels to Rosebud.
This is a vital ministry at a critical time in their lives - the average age that children begin to consume alcohol on the reservation is 11 years old. Pray for God's work in these 28.
Westwind also sent a team that shared at a rehab center in Rosebud. One of the men on the Westwind team, thinking he had come to help build with a hammer in hand, was used by God to instill hope at the rehab center as he shared his own story of God's deliverance from alcohol and drugs. Hope is a precious commodity at Rosebud. Pray that the God of all Hope will invade their lives.

180 Student Life Campers...

50 junior high students from Cornerstone went to the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri to grow in their walk with God.
the camp speaker, an Iranian Christian, shared on the cost of following Christ, and what it means to walk in authenticity and unity as believers.
9 students gave their lives to Christ!
pray that the students will continue to live out the reality of their faith in authenticity and unity for His glory.

A Global Church...

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Take a look at how God is working globally through Cornerstone:

Jeff Dodge is in Zambia, having just returned from 4 days away from the Hope Center. Check out the latest on the Hope Center blog: http://hopechildrenscenter.blogspot.com/ .
Tim Lubinus has just returned from Central Asia where he has been networking with believing nationals from other Central Asian countries who can more easily penetrate the culture of these unreached groups with the gospel.
Cornerstone is in a series of meetings with the leadership of the International Mission Board to discuss ways to more effectively reach the nations for Christ.
Pray for God's continued blessing in each of these areas!

Good News Proclaimed

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:43:00 +0000

On Easter weekend...

over 2,800 people heard the story of the Ragman, the One who will exchange our filthy rags for linen, bright and clean
the Salt Company's freshman group heard the gospel presented using a coconut, a method that believers in India shared with Lance
Internationals celebrated with a dance on Saturday because...

HE'S ALIVE!!!

The Fusion of Internationals

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:21:00 +0000

The International Friendship Connection (IFC) met for Fusion ...

There were more IFC Leaders at Fusion this year than all the internationals that were at Fusion last year
The entire group viewed the Passion clip of the crucifixion
Tim Gartin shared the miracle of Christ's resurrection from the Word
A believer from Malaysia led another international to the Lord!

Leading by Serving

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:41:00 +0000

In Turkey, a team made up of fathers and sons prayed "lead us"...

they were able to hand out 30 gospel packets to interested individuals
encourage Cornerstoners serving in Istanbul
and randomly "ran into" the Cornerstone semester team!

On the home front...

High school men served a banquet to the high school women to bless and honor them and then presented a drama and music program to make them laugh!
190 came to the TSC Parents' Banquet and heard Troy share the vision of Salt Company to believers and non-believers alike

Spring Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:16:00 +0000

The 70 who went out from The Salt Company have returned from Tyler Texas...

Having cleared timber, dug canals and completed several months of work for the camp
Exercised the opportunity to have their mouths and hearts line up with the work of their hands
And grown into a close knit family.

The TSC students who went to Jamaica...

spent every day sharing in the public schools, beginning with morning devotions
2,000 students heard the gospel clearly presented

International Friendship Connection...

took several internationals to Tennessee on a road trip
the time on the road was filled with opportunities for spiritual conversations
the wife of one of the Chinese grad students arrived in the U.S. in January and just received Christ as her Lord and Savior last week!

Spring Break Outreach

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Pray for Cornerstoners...

The Salt Company has a group of 70 students heading to Tyler, Texas to work at Pine Cove Christian Camp during the day while being equipped at night.
Another group of Salt students have gone to Jamaica to share the gospel verbally and through acts of service
A small group is in Turkey, sharing gospel literature in areas that have few if any believers in their communities.
A leadership team is heading to Zambia to prayerfully and strategically plan how to best utilize the newly constructed buildings of the Hope Children's Center in the coming months.
God is bringing redemption and restoration in many lives as sin is exposed, confessed and true repentance is evidenced.

Pray for God's glory to shine out as the Good News is spread and His Church is purified!

Daring to Share

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:21:00 +0000

180, Cornerstone's Junior High Ministry is on the move...

46 students and adult leaders went to the youth conference "Dare to Share" in Lincoln, NE
many shared the gospel as they went door to door asking for canned goods for the poor
one of the adult leaders had the privilege of leading someone to Christ
60 6th graders spent Friday night at a Cornerstone "lock in"

Stan Hayek, The Salt Company Freshman Group Director, and 8 TSC students...

led at a highschool retreat at Twin Lakes Conference center
52 students were challenged to commit or re-commit their lives to Christ
many responded boldly, confessing their faith before their peers for the first time

D6 Ministry is training new parents...

Scott and Joy Andrews are leading 40-45 adults in a Wednesday night class
These parents are learning for the first time what it means to raise children in a God-centered home with consistent, appropriate discipline

May God continue to grow us from the cradle to the grave!

The Beginning of a "God Story"

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:53:00 +0000

On Friday...
a young woman walked into Cornerstone's foyer,
following a "weird" impulse to stop after driving by for weeks.
She had been pushed onto the streets at 13 by her parents.
She had never been inside a church, but she was spiritually hungry.

On Sunday...
after a phone call from Jill, she texted that she would come to the 11:00a service.
She was greeted with a hug, and walked into "church" for the first time.
She experienced worship, saw people stepping into the waters of baptism,
and the Word was spoken in a a way that she had never heard before.

I can't wait until next week...

Across the nations

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:11:00 +0000

IFC Ministry had a retreat last weekend...

attendance doubled from previous years to 50!
a Chinese believer shared that she had heard these truths from her grandmother in China. She called her that very hour (2:00am in China) to tell her that she had found people here who believe the same. Can you imagine the reaction of the Chinese grandmother who so faithfully taught the Truth to her granddaughter as she raised her in an atheistic culture?
another international believer sat in her small group and shared the bridge diagram to explain the way to salvation to the other internationals in her group.
God is at work!

Esmerelda!

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Over 6,000 people came out in the last week to see "Esmerelda". Here is a taste of how God impacted lives:

"My family and I were fortunate enough to see the production on Saturday night. Wow, what a spectacular effort to visually and accoustically inspire us! Miss Grace Scheibe did a wonderful job! Thanks again for the inspiration. My 7 year old son said at the end, "Mommy, can we stay for the next show?!"

"I am a freshman at Iowa State University. I have heard a lot about your church from many classmates, as well as teachers although I have never actually been to any of your services myself. Tonight I attended your "Esmerelda" play and was at a loss for words. It touched me in many ways. Being a freshman this year, I haven't had the experience of college life that I expected as I have had to deal with a few difficult situations with a couple of close friends back home dealing with death. This has made it difficult for me to remember who I am. Being said, I was wondering what I needed to do to possibly become part of "Salt" on Thursday evenings. Again, your play was absolutely amazing."

Pray that the reality of the King who pursues us in love and our simultaneous yearning to "fly free" in Him comes to life in the heart of many who heard the clear message of the gospel through "Esmerelda".

Hope Center in Zambia in the Omaha Herald

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:34:00 +0000

We just received this email note from our partners in Zambia at Brookside Church in Omaha:

The Omaha World Herald did a pretty nice spread on the Hope Center today.Thought you might want to see it. It was nearly a full page on the front ofthe LIVING section.You can view it online - see link below.

Here's the online link.http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3940&u_sid=10506548

Back to the Reservation

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Thanksgiving with the Lakota Tribe at Rosebud

Roger Wheeler, his family, and several others spent Thanksgiving at Rosebud
A Thanksgiving meal was served for 50 native Americans
a Bible study was started using "The Trail of Hope"
plans were made to return over Christmas vacation

Pray that hunger for God and His Word will transform the culture on the reservation.
Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to raise up workers!

Youth Ministry Grows

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:18:00 +0000

180 Junior High Ministry Retreat looked like this:

2 busloads
110 students
an awesome speaker
15 new believers in the Kingdom!

Fall Kicks Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:25:00 +0000

God is growing each ministry at Cornerstone...

D6 began this year with 350 children, up from 260 last year! As a result, we are literally breaking down walls in the children's wing to create enough space for the next one.
The annual IFC hayride had 500 participants this year!
180, our junior high ministry, had 147 students
Westwind, our Waukee church plant, kicked off their first service with 160 people

What about the individual? Look at this one snapshot to see how God is at work:

Jack Owens related this story, "Ben, a new Chinese believer, met Shay, a Nigerian believer on Cyride. Ben invited Shay to the IFC hayride. Shay shared the gospel with an unbelieving Chinese man named Tim. Tim received Christ at the hayride! When I met Tim on Sunday, he told me of his decision and said he would like an English Bible to study."

Kids Camp Orients Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:48:00 +0000

Last week 93 2nd - 5th graders spent a week at Hidden Acres with Kelly Fischer and a team of counselors...

walking through Hebrews 11 heroes of faith with Pastor Geoff Safford
memorizing Scripture each day
being led in worship by Mark Duvick
developing a heart for the nations as they considered what persecution means
began to ask questions about end times
getting excited about God!

Summer Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Junior High students return from Rosebud Indian Reservation

21 students and leaders spent the last week at Rosebud
each evening they held Kids Camp for 40-50 children and their parents
Truth was shared, kids were loved, and seeds were planted for future ministry

Cornerstone Kids Camp

72 kids in kindergarten through second grade spent the week at Cornerstone
learning the fruit of the spirit (ask them!)
having fun, and
growing to love their Lord and their church.

Windows into Zambia

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:28:00 +0000

Picture Pastor Tom teaching 70 Zambians in a cinder block school room with a mud-coated roof. As Pastor Tom teaches, the listeners shout their "amens" with celebratory ululations. And what is the message? The same one Pastor Tom teaches here - the gospel's power to save and free us from bitterness, enabling us to walk before Him in joy.

Picture Pastor Jeff and Teresa, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in Zambia, as they reaffirm their vows in a traditional African wedding ceremony.

Picture African pastors listening to Bible teaching from 8-5 and then saying, "Please don't stop. We are not tired. It is God's truth. How can we be tired of that?"

Summer Ministry Begins!

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:21:00 +0000

180 and Escape 22 kicked off their summer meetings with God's "rain plan":

Unable to meet outside for the activities and games due to the heavy rains, junior and senior highers met inside the auditorium for praise and worship
they gathered in groups in areas of the auditorium to pray for their schools
and finished off the evening by splitting into 180 and Escape fellowship groups of 120 each!

Internationals welcomed at the Des Moines airport:

16 Americans and 2 new Chinese believers welcomed 19 Chinese students at the Des Moines airport at 1:50a this morning
the 2 Chinese believers had arrived in last year's visiting group as unbelievers!

Westwind has their first church service

105 people participated in the first worship service at Waukee elementary on Sunday
Pastor Troy attended and rejoiced in the authentic worship and excitement of God at work in their midst

From Beijing to Bangkok to Rosebud

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Jack and Connie Owens just returned from China where they reported that

the teams are unified and love working with one another
the teams have been instrumental in raising up new house churches
Jack & Connie sovereignly "bumped into" a young man named John Mark at a law school in Beijing. John Mark had been led to Christ 3 years previously by one of our staff members, Stan Hayek, while Stan was in China for a Cornerstone summer trip. John Mark is one of three believers in the law school, active in a house church, and strong in his faith!

Jah, from Bangkok, visited the Cornerstone staff meeting as a guest of Jen Lee's...

she had been discipled for 2 years by Jen who was in Thailand in the late 90's as a 2-year journeyman missionary
Jah was just trained by Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in the states as a missionary and spent two months sharing the gospel in Izmir, Turkey where 2 people received Christ!

Stan Hayek returned from Rosebud Reservation where...

his goal was to find a couple of strong believers among the Rosebud people that Cornerstone could partner with to reach out more effectively to the native Americans
God led him to Bob & Teresa Whitehorse-Steed...a couple who met Christ as alcoholics, have since walked with Him consistently and have raised a godly family.
Pray for much fruit through the power of His Spirit and this team effort at Rosebud!

Moving Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:43:00 +0000

At our biannual Family Meeting:

all the existing elders and the new elder, Jack Owens, were affirmed unanimously
the financial report indicated that our general fund giving is at 105% of budgeted giving!
all "Your Move" benchmarks have been met (99.8% of 2006 pledges received, 57% total pledges received, maintain a growth rate of 5%+)
the cost of the building with some cost cuts (landscaping, office, paving, dam for retention pond, "black box" equipping room) was kept to 13.7 million in order to maintain a maximum debt load of 22%
steel was ordered last week and should arrive in 14 weeks
construction begins on Tuesday, May 27th

Thank you for continuing to pray for this process!

Celebrate with Escape 22

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Last Sunday Escape 22 held their Senior/Parent banquet...

23 seniors and their families - 110 people honored seniors graduating this year
many came to Christ through Cornerstone having been raised in unbelieving families
these "spiritual orphans" were prayed for by their parents - perhaps for the first time - as Cody directed parents at each table to stand behind their children, lay their hands on them and pray out loud!

A Band of Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Cornerstone Church of Ames) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:18:00 +0000

310 men, juniors in high school to grandfathers, attended the men's Band of Brothers retreat this past weekend at Sunstream Retreat Center:

a freshman from DMACC, an acknowledged alcoholic, heard the gospel for the first time and received Christ as Geoff Safford presented the gospel in his message
a highschooler brought his unbelieving friend and his girlfriend's father - both came away wanting to know God more fully
one father explained why he had begun to attend Cornerstone: "If my son is excited about coming to church, I'm coming too!"