A Note From Chris - January 13, 2022

“I’ll pass.”

Having to say those words to a server at a restaurant when they ask, “Would you like to have dessert?” can be painful for me. I know, first world problem. Whether it’s because of making a healthy choice, I simply don’t have time to wait for dessert, or the most common reason…I don’t REALLY need to spend $6 on a piece of cheesecake….I’m always a little sad to have to let the server know, “Sorry, I’m passing this time.”

Sunday, we start a new series called, “Pass It On.” It comes from 2 Timothy 2:2, where we are all encouraged to pass on the things that have been given to us in faith. Walking with Jesus was never meant to be like a keepsake…something to treasure, but to keep stored away for ourselves. Instead, Jesus-following is always intended to be about disciple-making, giving away the faith and sharing the great news of Jesus with others. In other words, pass it on!  Give it away! Share it with others!

One of the hopes of the church as a whole is that all of us are growing forward and always taking steps deeper and closer to Jesus. But…are we growing? How are we supposed to know if we are truly making progress in our walk with Jesus? Recently, Cornerstone has created a simple discipleship tool to help not only every team and group in our church to measure their growth together, but also for each individual to have some clarity on their faith journey. It’s called P.A.S.S., and we’ll be going through it over the next month together.

P.A.S.S. stands for:
P.ray
A.ct
S.tudy
S.erve

We believe that if we are regularly doing those things in regards to faith, then we are likely taking positive steps forward with Jesus. While no measurement can really fully define a personal relationship, sometimes tools can help guide us in the right direction.

First - I hope you have already made plans if at all possible to attend in person service in Shiloh or O’Fallon this weekend, or if not possible to join us at Cornerstone Anywhere. As we build back together in this new year, don’t let yourself give the “I’ll pass!” to worship!

Second - I want to remind you of new service times in Shiloh! We are adding a 12:00pm service this Sunday, complete with lunch afterwards. If you are willing to help us launch that service this week and allow for growth in the other two services, please do! If you are willing to let us know you are doing so, please click here! This will help our team make sure we have enough food prepared. I hope to see you Shiloh folks at 9:00am, 10:30am, or 12:00pm!

This week has been especially taxing for our staff and church overall with COVID. While I’m not familiar with any life-threatening illnesses currently, COVID remains a regular disruption and distraction. As we enter into a week focused on prayer, I hope you’ll join me in continually praying for health and an end to this pandemic.

Yours & His,
Chris VandeLinde