New Year Greeting 2009

Dear Cornerstone Saints,

As the year 2008 comes to an end, and we tuck it into the archives, we all have so much for which to be thankful. May the powerful and mighty NAME of the LORD Jesus Christ be praised!

As the year 2009 dawns let us commit to yield ourselves in a new and fresh way to the LORD allowing Him to pour Himself into us in order to do more through us for His glory.

Ephesians 5:16 in older versions talks about “Redeeming the time.” It reminds me of Carpe Diem – “seize the day.” Let us redeem the time in 2009!

Redeem the time by placing the LORD first place in our lives:

Giving priority to reading HIS Word
Giving priority to prayer
Giving priority to serving Him
Giving priority to sharing our faith with others
Giving priority to loving one another by serving one another

Happy New Year!

PR (Pastor Rick) – for the staff

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Rom 12:1-2 NIV

www.ConsiderCornerstone.com

"A Resolution Worth Keeping" Video Clip

Here is the video clip Pastor Greg showed this past Sunday as a part of his message, "A Resolution Worth Keeping."

Merry Christmas!

Yes, as you can see below we do like to have fun around here . . . . but all kidding aside, we do extend to you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas is not about presents or decorations (those are nice, too) . . . . it's about JESUS! If you have never made a personal decision to trust Jesus as your Savior, we would invite you right now to ask Him to come into your life. If you would like to know more, please plan to visit us for our services this weekend at 9:00 or 10:45. You will never find a better time to discover why Jesus really came to this Earth.

May God bless you richly this holiday season!

Our Pastor's say "Merry Christmas!"

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Eve Services!

Join us for our annual Christmas Eve Service this Wednesday night! There will be 2 identical services, one at 5:30 and another at 7:00. Simply choose the time that works best for your family! There will be no children's programming so that families may enjoy this special time together, but nursery care will be available for our little ones! If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

Hallelujah!

WOW! God is GOOD!

What a wonderful morning at Cornerstone as 64 children presented this year's Christmas Musical, "The Next Noel!" Attendance estimates for this weekend are 622! Better still, the message of Christmas and the story of hope found in the Gospel were boldly proclaimed to all!

DVDs of the program (containing BOTH services) will be available this Sunday for $10 each. Thank you so much for your support of our Kingdom BUILDer Kids!

Children's Musical this Sunday!

Don’t forget, this Sunday is our Children’s Musical, “The Next Noel.” To maximize our seating capacity, and because we expect several visitors, we are asking everyone to sit as far forward as possible. Our Ushers will be on hand to assist you in seating for this special service. Thank you for supporting our kids as they present their program. Don’t miss it; it’s sure to be a blessing!

Stay Spiritually Fit!

AWANA Resumes Tonight!

Hope to see all the kids back for these remaining weeks of 2008! If you have any questions about AWANA (our Midweek Club for kids 3 yrs. old - 6th Grade), be sure to contact the church office!

Annual Meeting Report

There's an old saying: "God is good . . . . all the time. All the time . . . . God is good."

Never were these words more demonstrated than at our Annual Congregational Meeting. It was the exclamation point on a day that was truly blessed.

Some of the highlights:

- Presentation of a 12-minute "Year-in-Review" DVD (this will also be shown this Sunday, and will be posted to our website next week!)

- Discussion of our financial standing, followed by a time of prayer by our Lay-Elders.

- Presentation of a powerful drama by our youth (tears were flowing!)

- Presentation of our Capital Campaign by Dr. Kennedy, which will begin in 2009, culminating with a church-wide banquet on March 23rd.

- Announcement of a bold, new plan for continued growth and outreach: a Saturday night service launching January 10, 2009! More details to follow . . . .

- Adoption of our 2009 church budget.

- Election of new elders, deacons, and committee members.

- Presentation of the Building God's Way plans that were developed (click on pictures below for a better look!)

Truly, "God is good . . . . all the time!"

Baptism & Praise Service!

It was a tremendous morning of praise and thanksgiving as several teens and adults were baptized in our Worship Services!

Here are some pictures of that incredible day (click to make it larger)!

Annual Congregational Meeting Tomorrow!

November 23, 2008

6:00 PM

Pray!

Attend!

Be involved!

· Hear first-hand what God has been doing!

· Help make future decisions!

· Rejoice with God’s people!

AWANA Grand Prix!

Thompson Fundraiser Update!

From Pam Kincade, mother of April Graziano, who helped organize this event with Melissa Poland and Colleen Headley . . . .

To everyone who helped, gave, served, donated, prayed for the Thompson family spaghetti dinner last night, I want to pass on my personal and huge "Thank you!" This fundraiser was a big step of faith in so many ways on the part of April, Melissa, and Colleen, and God didn't let them down! What a joy to see the looks on our girls' faces time and again as they realized God's faithfulness demonstrated over and over in the process of putting on this event! What a joy to be a part of an evening full of love, laughter, and fellowship with old and new friends--not to mention the great food! The entire evening (building location, food, raffle prizes) was paid for with generous donations, and served by giving volunteers. Cameras were clicking all night long, and I can't wait to see & share the pictures! Since Rebecca Thompson could not be at the event, and cannot even be around people right now, I want you to read her journal posting today from the Caring Bridges website. Just KNOW that you have made a huge difference in her life. God bless you for it!
~ Pam

"It was like Christmas in my house last night. Brad and the kids came home at about 9:00 giddy with the excitement of the night and bearing gifts, treats, pictures, and stories to tell of their wonderful experience at the Spaghetti Dinner in honor of our family last night. After hearing all of the kids' stories and seeing their treasures won in the raffle, the kids went to bed reluctantly, still buzzing from the sugar and excitement. After they settled in, Brad and I took our time looking through the guest book, the HUGE banner that everyone signed, opening a few gifts, and then downloading the pictures taken with our camera during the evening. (thank you Sandee!) Our living room looked like a tornado had hit it, but in that good sort of a way.

The Spaghetti Dinner was a big success and we are so appreciative of everyone who was able to attend and support us. We are overwhelmed by the donations that were made both in time and in money. Without having to ask, God has supplied for our needs. I was sorry to not have been able to attend, but look forward to seeing each of you at one point down the road in order to thank you in person.

I went in and had blood work done this morning and will get the results tomorrow morning before we leave for Stanford. I was also able to place my order for some new medications I will likely take next week. We were delighted when they were under $100.

We are enjoying a "lazy" day with the kids at home for Veteran's Day. It's overcast outside and a great day for cuddling up with a book.

Some Prayer Requests:
Safe travels tomorrow
NO more cancer
Increased blood counts
Guard against continued or new side effects from medications

On a positive note, my rash seems slightly better today, and my heart rate was 74 this morning, the lowest it has been in over three weeks! Keep praying Prayer Warriors. I know God is listening and answering those prayers. He is mighty and much bigger than cancer.

God is good.....Becca"

p.s. (I know you're wondering how much?) We're told there are more checks in the mail, but the total raised so far is $7,500!

Becca Thompson Fundraiser Tonight!

Please join us tonight for the Spaghetti Dinner & Auction for one of our Titus 2 moms, Becca Thompson, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. The event is at Whitaker Hall in Yuba City from 5:00-8:00. Hope to see you there!

Family Fall Festival!

A big thanks to everyone who supported this year's Festival! It was a GREAT night!

It's not too late!

Are you still thinking about
joining a Compass Group?

Perhaps you are hearing the buzz about small groups around the church and wish you had signed up. Conceivably you are shy and this is a hard decision to make! For you it is like going on a blind date! Or perchance your schedule changed!

Whatever the case there is still time!

Call the church office and see what is available!

Become a part of what God is doing at Cornerstone!

“Watch to see where God

is working and join Him!”

Henry Blackaby – Experiencing God

"The Classics" Luau Video!

In case you missed it on Sunday . . . .

Compass Groups Start This Week!

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Final days to signup…

Compass Groups launch in 2 days – this Sunday!

Have you signed up for a group?

There is still time!

- It is best if you call or email the church office so we can put you in a group.
- Signup on Sunday

Enthusiasm is growing!

50% - 60% of our Adults are signed up to participate in a group!

- How stirring is that?

- We may need to recruit more leaders!
- In addition to our other Compass Groups we have two Compass Groups planned for at the church on Wednesday Nights during AWANA for individuals who are not serving in AWANA
- A Woman’s Compass Group
- A Compass Group for Young Married with Children

What a message Pastor Jim preached on Sunday! If you missed it you can hear it streaming on the web:

http://www.cornerstoneefc.net/index.cfm?page=24

Join a Compass Group and be a part of this Study!

Find your place to belong!

Finding our way forward together!

Compass Group Sign-Ups Continue Sunday!

MAP.2

Pick a Day of the week you are available!

Find the group that meets on that day!

Sign-up!

Find your place to belong!

Finding our way forward together!

MAP Event Photos!

Our first MAP Event was today!

What is a "MAP Event," you ask? It is a "Meet and Plan" event designed to encourage participation in our new small group ministry, Compass Groups! We transformed our courtyard into a beehive of activity today as scores of people poured over the biography sheets, met leaders, drank coffee, and talked, talked, talked! What a GREAT day!

There are 2 more opportunities to sign-up, next Sunday (9/21), and the following Sunday (9/28). Our goal is for very adult at Cornerstone to be in a Compass Group! If you have ANY questions or need further information, please call the church office (674-3087).

Remember, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger! Enjoy!

Compass Groups!

Compass Group sign-up Sundays: 9.14.08, 9.21.08 and 9.28.08

Where? Courtyard during the Fellowship Time: 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM

Compass Groups begin the week of 9.28.08 – An Eight Week “Test Drive” Experience

What are Compass Groups?

Compass Groups is Cornerstone’s Small Group Ministry. Small Groups are made up of 8-12 people for study, prayer, accountability, care and fellowship. As Cornerstone grows larger we must intentionally become smaller. By creating Compass Groups within the church there is a place for every person to belong.

Our goal is to have every adult at Cornerstone in a Compass Group!

If you have never been in a small group that is okay! Why not give it a try?

· These initial groups will meet weekly for 8 weeks.
· Groups receive Bible Study Guides based on Vision messages.
· Compass Groups will require about 1½ hour commitment each week.
· All Compass Groups will conclude before the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
· Next launch in January - you can continue with your group or join another one.
· Questions? Contact the Church Office: 530.674.3087 or Office@CornerstoneEFC.org

Our Vision:

To go HIGHER in our worship

To grow STRONGER in our relationships

To grow DEEPER in our study of God’s Word

To go FARTHER to the untouched and unreached

“Finding our way forward together”

AWANA Tonight!

All parents, kids, and volunteers should attend tonight's AWANA . . . .

- Parents will get info on the new year!
- Kids will get their new KBK t-shirt and wristband!
- Volunteers will get one final briefing!
- Everyone will get refreshments in the courtyard!

See you TONIGHT!

We're Back! :-)

What happens when the "blog-meister" gets pneumonia?

The blog doesn't get updated for awhile!

Thankfully, the pneumonia has passed, and the church blog is once again ALIVE!

Be sure to keep checking back for updates as we enter an exciting (and impacting) Fall schedule!

Christmas in July!

Our annual "Christmas in July" event (which seeks to raise money for our missionary families) was a HUGE success! The goal was $2500 and a total of $3541.20 was raised! Praise the Lord! Thank you to everyone who stayed for the delicious dinner (yeah, Janet!), and who contributed to this worthy cause. Our missionary families will be so blessed by your generosity!

KBK Junior Campers are HOME!

We are so grateful for a wonderful week of summer camp! Here's a picture from our last day (click to enlarge):

To see our Video Report, please visit www.KingdomBUILDerKids.com!

Off to Summer Camp!

Pray for the group of 35 who left for Summer Camp today!

KBK Summer JAM '08 is over . . . .

. . . . but our prayer is that the impact into our community is only just beginning! Pastor Greg is still calculating the final numbers, but well over 200 kids participated in this summer ministry, and we averaged over 150 kids each Wednesday night. Dozens and dozens of volunteers offered their time, talent, and treasure to help make this a tremendous success! Thank you to everyone who participated! All praise to God who blessed us so much! Here is a group shot we took the final night (thanks, Pastor Rick!):

The Teens are HOME!

Praise the Lord for a safe arrival back home for the youth group kids and leaders who went to Salt Lake City, Utah for the EFCA Challenge Conference, "Sojourn!" We have already heard some amazing stories of God's blessing over their time away. Thank you to everyone who prayed for them while they made this life-changing trip!

The Classics "In the Garden" Event!

Men's Retreat!

Several of the men of Cornerstone traveled to Lake Almanor for a Men's Retreat! Here are a few pictures (remember, if you click on the picture, it will become larger)!