www.cornerstonejh.com

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Cornerstone Church – Jackson Hole

Dear Ministry Partners and Friends:

Jesus once said, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Nothing is easy or pleasant about physical trials and sickness. But Jesus was clear that sometimes he uses these so that he might be put on display.

So it was yesterday with a local resident who has been battling a terrible case of H1N1 for a few months now. Bryan got the call from a mutual friend: “Hey Bryan, I know Cornerstone meets just down the street from them. Would you guys be willing to introduce yourselves and go minister to them in their trial?”

Soon after, some of the Cornerstone ladies rallied, and four days later, a few of us walked nervously excited up to their log cabin, with quiches, casseroles, and jambalaya in hand. “Wow, I’m never going to have to cook again,” the couple said, quietly surprised.

As we’ve mentioned in past letters, it has not been easy reaching this area. Nothing is more relevant than laboring to put the works of Jesus on display. Nothing is more joyful than scattering seed for the gospel.

Speaking of the gospel, I began the day in a somewhat indifferent demeanor towards the Lord as I struggled to drag myself out of bed. I took Jerry Bridges’ advice, sat down with my Bible, and preached the gospel to myself. God graciously and swiftly calibrated my spirit in a way that only he can do.

Soon after, I was meeting with a mature brother in the Lord to work through some struggles. It wasn’t a “deeper” doctrine nor practical advice that gave him lift-off in his walk; it was the gospel.

Two hours later, while eating a turkey-bacon-asiago sandwich with a guy who is new to our congregation, we were speaking on how he has been struggling for some time in the throes of life. To what did we turn for fresh wind from heaven? You guessed it: the gospel.

Nothing launches our souls from the dregs of indifference and struggle than the gospel: though we are justly condemned before holy God for our sin, God astonishingly condescended to become a human, Jesus Christ. In a majestic display of obedience to God the Father, Jesus lived the perfect life we could not, then topped it off by absorbing the penalty of our sin on the cross so that we might be forgiven and counted as cherished children of God for all eternity by faith in Christ.

Whether we’ve never heard of Jesus, or have been walking with him for decades, the gospel is what lights up the soul. It is the gospel that saves and it is the gospel that sanctifies.

And so we hobble along with gospel ministry as the snow melts and grass begins to show. Here is a look of other happenings:

God continues to challenge us all through our weekly small groups. These have been a huge joy to the congregation in growing together. Recently, while speaking about evangelism at one group, a guy exclaimed in excitement, “We just have to talk to everybody!” Amen.

One way in which we are working to reach out to the community is through a biblical counseling ministry. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the director of the county DUI/Drug Court Program so that Cornerstone might integrate into their counseling plan. The director extended an offering to possibly speak on faith-based counseling at the state court counseling conference in September.

As we seek to daily be ambassadors for Christ, God never ceases to bring us to situations in which we are beyond our powers and abilities. Please join us in prayer for the following:

1. Thank God for the ways in which he is transforming us into Christlikeness. Evidence of his work is on display in the lives of many here (Colossians 1:28-29).

2. That all of Cornerstone would be more motivated and governed by, in every detail of our lives, Jesus Christ and his love (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

3. That we would increase daily in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ; not just knowledge about Jesus, but knowledge of him (2 Peter 1:3).

4. That the gospel would not only saturate our message, but our church culture, and in every one of our lives, would paint a picture of Christ’s love and grace (John 13:34-35).

5. That we all would be humble, teachable, and in growth-mode, being transformed constantly by the word of God, eager to change into Christ more and more (Romans 12:2).

6. That we all, especially the leadership, would put our hope in Jesus and not ministry results (Psalm 27:14).

7. That God would be transforming the leadership of Cornerstone into Christ-like, wise, humble, competent shepherds, broken over our sin (Psalm 51:17), and having a great love for the flock (1 Peter 5:2-3).

8. That God would allow Cornerstone to get integrated into the Teton County counseling program.

9. That God would break through the hardened hearts here and even save people this month through us; that we would be more faithful to love the lost in evangelism; for God to overcome our fear of man with a radical fear of him (2 Corinthians 5:20).

10. That God would grow us to be disciple-making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Timothy 2:2).

11. For God to provide jobs for a handful of college students who are planning on joining us for the summer (Psalm 34:10).

12. Pray for the marriages and families, for Christ-like love toward one another and wisdom in raising our children (Ephesians 5:25, 6:4).

Your financial gifts continue to be a needed blessing as we pray toward becoming a self-supporting church by 2011. In the meantime, if you would like to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible and may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

For the advancement of the gospel,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team: Leslie, Matt, Sera, Bryan, Ashley, Chris, Rebecca, Melissa, and Neill

“Hey Eric, he’s reading the Bible we just gave him! And when I saw him again later he was still reading it!” Three students from The Master’s College celebrated on a balmy 45-degree afternoon last Friday in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort employee parking lot. The joy on their faces seemed to say they just won the lottery. Meanwhile Jonathan, Johnnyboi, and Sarah were flipping up burgers in champion fashion for hungry skiers.

At about 5:30pm, another bus pulled up from the ski resort. Skiers and resort employees stampeded off the bus like cattle to a feeding trough, nearly knocking me down, and jumped in line to get a burger, chips, and drink for 25 cents. At the top of his lungs, our cook for the week, TMC student Johnnyboi Park was calling out, “Come get your 25-cent burgers!” Indeed they did. Some were asking for seconds. “Here, have our church info packet,” one freshman Master’s student said to a hungry skier.

Reaching the culture here has not proved easy. If they are not skiing, they’re waiting tables somewhere late at night, making it difficult to cross paths with people from a small church in a small town. This time, we intercepted them between the ski resort and their cars. About 100-150 burgers were served up that Friday. Even better, dozens of Bibles, tracts, and church invites were handed out, along with connections made and people met at the 1st annual Cornerstone Quarter Cookout for the ski resort employees and skiers.

Rewind to Monday of that same week. Two students embarked to help a single mom with miscellaneous chores at her home. In addition to cleaning and helping her with some light construction work, two hours were spent encouraging her with the hope of Jesus Christ from Scripture. “Wow, I’ve never heard those things you’re telling me,” she told one of the students. The student later told me that she asked her to come back later “so that we could talk more about the word.”

On a lighter note, another student did not quite make it back into the car after we stopped for a bathroom break an hour south of Jackson while traveling. When we finally realized it, and returned to find out how she was and what she had been doing, she replied, “Oh, talking about Jesus with people in the store and stuff.” Amen. A mini-mart missionary, wherever and whenever, just owning the mission for Christ. The tactic of this 19-year old convicted me.

That is just a couple snapshots from a rowdy last few weeks of ministry. It all started with five of us guys getting to spend the week at the annual Shepherds’ Conference in southern California. As usual, we were greatly encouraged. Thank you to all our friends at Grace Community Church for giving us a three-day spiritual Disneyland. We returned freshly fueled from the conference to continue the plowing here in Wyoming.

Then 10 students from The Master’s College sacrificed their spring break and drove the 16 hours up I-15 to join us for a week of community service, babysitting, music and media help, chair-lift evangelism, outreach, and more here in Wilson.

The dust has now cleared and things are back to “normal” here. Small groups are still going strong. Sunday worship continues each week in the little community center in downtown Wilson. Challenges do not seem to be letting up, but constantly increasing.

And so, we ask you all to hunker down with us in prayer to our Sovereign King. Be so encouraged that God is answering your prayers. Please know that God is hearing and working through your labor with us:

• Please, above all, pray that God would give all of us at Cornerstone a growing simple and pure devotion to the person of Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3).
• Ask God to give us the drive for and reality of greater fulfillment in knowing Christ, more than the superficial fulfillment of stuff and the trinkets of the world (Philippians 3:7).
• Beg God to give us all an increasing teachability and gospel-motivated humility, especially toward one another (Proverbs 15:31-32, 1 Peter 5:5).
• Pray that God would be conforming everyone in discipleship and counseling situations to the image of Christ with every meeting (Romans 8:29). Also ask God for wisdom as we are facing increasingly difficult counseling situations (James 1:5).
• Thank God for the unity we are enjoying here. Beg him to make us zealous to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
• Praise for safety in traveling to and from California. Thank him for an impactful week of ministry with the Master’s students. Ask him to sprout forth fruit of salvation and sanctification as a result of the gospel work done last week (1 Corinthians 3:7).
• Beg God to grow the leadership into Christ-like, wise, humble, competent shepherds more each day than the previous (1 Peter 5:2-3).
• Pray for God to grow us all ¾ especially the leadership ¾ in self-control, timeliness, discipline, and excellence for Christ in everything we are doing (Ephesians 5:16, 2 Timothy 1:7). God is convicting us all that this is a major area of growth needed among us.
• Praise and thank God for continued support so that the ministry is able to keep going here. Ask him to continue to provide just what we need to move forward (Matthew 6:31-32).
• Pray for the marriages and families, for Christ-like love toward one another and for wisdom in raising our children (Ephesians 5:25, 6:4).

Your offerings continue to be a greatly needed blessing as we pray to become self-supporting. In the meantime, if you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible. Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

For the celebration of Jesus Christ,

Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team: Leslie, Matt, Sera, Bryan, Ashley, Chris, Rebecca, Melissa, and Neill

The increasing needs for the gospel in a snow-covered, hedonistic hub keep us on our heels. Time is flying. Here is a bird’s-eye view of the action up here in the wintry north:

Cornerstone’s first ever shot at small groups are off the ground. The groups, made up of men and women both married and single, meet weekly to study the Word, spur one another on to live out the gospel, pray for one another, and laugh together.

Also, very recently a family of five has moved to take the step of membership with Cornerstone.

As always, in the midst of all this, a variety of discipling and counseling carries on each week as we attempt to work to present every soul complete in Christ.

Here is a look into the upcoming:

It’s time again for the annual Shepherds’ Conference at Grace Community Church. The steering committee will be making the 16-hour push to southern California for a week of teaching and equipping at this much-anticipated leadership conference. In addition to filling our tanks with solid teaching, we will be calibrating our souls through fellowship with some of the godly and wise men who are in leadership at our previous churches.

The following week, March 6-12, we will host a team of 11 students from The Master’s College for a week of outreach and support back in Wyoming. A big outreach push will be made that week as we prayerfully look to blanket our town with the gospel. Here is our outreach forecast: 1) “Chairlift evangelism” at the ski resort. 2) Serving our community via another Wilson community service day. 3) An outreach to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort employees. We plan to do a “Quarter Cookout,” for a few hundred employees in order to serve them with an inexpensive dinner, to build relationships, and to pass out Bibles and materials containing the good news.

Please seek, ask, and knock before our heavenly Father with us:

• Pray for Cornerstone that each of us would be treasuring Christ more and more (Philippians 3:7).
• Ask God that He grow us all in humility through a better understanding of God and ourselves. Ask God to increase Christ in us and decrease us in us (John 3:30).
• Pray for God to move such that all of us are working to present everyone complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28-29).
• Implore God for wisdom and humility for all who are counseling and discipling others. Ask God to work mightily through us to transform others into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
• Pray for safety in our travels to and from Shepherds’ Conference, including for the team from The Master’s College who will be caravanning back to Jackson with us.
• Beg God to grow the leadership into Christ-like, wise, humble, competent shepherds through the Shepherds’ Conference (1 Peter 5:2-3).
• Pray for God to transform us through our small groups (Romans 12:2), that they would be a powerful instrument of sanctification and equipping.
• Implore God to work mightily through the outreach to the ski resort employees, the community service, and other outreach efforts; pray for relationships to be built and for salvation of souls. Please beg God to give us boldness, love, wisdom, and for His Spirit to regenerate people.

Your offerings continue to be necessary and a blessing. If you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible. Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014. Thank you!

For the increase of the gospel,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team: Leslie, Matt, Sera, Bryan, Ashley, Chris, Rebecca, Melissa, and Neill

“Lift on three – one, two, three! Aaahh!!!,” we grunted as we snow-covered, novice snowmobilers from Cornerstone lifted yet another buried machine out of the deep snow near Yellowstone. High-fives, laughs, and hallelujahs abounded as we “accidentally” hit trees, raced one another, and buried snowmobiles – all without injury on our first ever men’s retreat last weekend. 

About half of the Cornerstone guys rallied with pastor Jim Otto and a handful of men from Teton Valley Bible Church (our sister church just over the border in Driggs, Idaho) for a great retreat near West Yellowstone.  The mornings and evenings were spent around the word of God with a focus on growing as men of God. One young husband said, “I have never seen anything like this: a bunch of men getting together to focus on Jesus…” Another guy considering Jesus commented, “I really want to grow.”

And so growth comes in many forms.  Here’s a fly-by of ministry happenings in this winter wonderland:

Our leadership board (the steering committee) is prayerfully trying to narrow in on making disciple-making disciples our ministry focus. We have been working on this since we arrived, and now that God seems to be establishing a committed body, we want to ensure we are equipping every believer to be a disciple-maker. Along those lines, we have begun to experience the blessing of spiritual reproduction. Other brothers and sisters are beginning to own various ministries within the church; formally and informally. It is exciting to see other believers, not a part of the original planting team, practicing the “one-anothers” and reaching out to the body. Some are taking on ministry privileges from organizing food ministries to media, children’s ministries and so on. This is a huge praise in our efforts to equip the saints to be disciple-makers.

Similarly, in an effort to better shepherd and care for the flock, we will be putting our first round of small groups into action. Groups will begin meeting together next week.

Our attempt at an evangelistic Christmas Eve service was humbling, disappointing, and joyful all at the same time. On one account, we praise God for the push some made to reach out to our neighbors. A handful of us went door-to-door in Wilson inviting neighbors to the service. In God’s good sovereignty, we were disappointed at the showing, but we also learned that we cannot expect the world to show up to our events. We must be goers and tellers of Christ. We were humbled, seeing we have much growth needed in our own diligence and maturity as we realized how much it takes to pull off a large service well.
God has been using church-planting as a great means to reveal our need to grow in all the fruit of the Spirit. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Coming into this missionary endeavor, we anticipated being used for the transformation of others into Christlikeness. While this has been true, God is also doing something marvelous in us. At a small, grass-roots church plant, we do not have the luxury of showing up to an pre-existing, well-oiled ministry. Therefore, God is pressing us all in his good sovereignty. He is necessarily surfacing areas of growth needed in all of our lives. Part of the reason he called us to this church-plant was not just to grow others, but to grow us. How wise he is to accomplish his goal of increasing Christlikeness in all of us using so many different means.

So please link arms with us as we come before the King of heaven to ask for His mercy and grace:

• God has been faithful to challenge all of us to grow in Christ-likeness. Please thank Him with us for that, for growth is God’s will for us as his children and means of great joy (John 15:1-11, Romans 8:29,12:2).
• Plead with God to continue to grow us all in a deeper understanding of, love for, and application of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. Ask Him to give us the ability and eagerness to see how the gospel connects to every aspect of our lives and to live that out (Colossians 1:28, Hebrews 10:19-25).
• Thank God for the great lessons he has been teaching the leadership. Beseech Him to give us grace to respond by repentance and transformation as God continues to show us areas in which we must grow. Pray that the leadership would grow to be imitate-able examples in all areas of Christ-likeness (1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Peter 5:3).
• Thank God that he has been providing the physical needs for the church, and humbly ask Him to continue to do so (Psalm 34:10).
• Ask God to continue strengthening the marriages and families at Cornerstone. Pray that husbands and wives grow in their respective callings toward one another (Ephesians 5:22-33). Pray for wisdom for parents in raising their children.
• Thank God for healthy twins (Adelyn and Anabel) born to Matt and Sera Mumma on Dec. 23!
• Pray that all of the Cornerstone regulars would joyfully commit themselves to the new small group ministry. Ask God to grant wisdom, compassion, and love among the small group leaders for the flock. Beg God to use small groups as a means for major growth in Christ for all of us and for furthering the gospel (Hebrews 3:12-13, 10:19-25).
• Request that God give the leadership wisdom in more effectively equipping the church for the work of ministry and to grow in disciple-making (Matthew 28:19-20, Ephesians 4:11-13).
• Christ-like unity among God’s people is not an option. Neither is it something we can assume will happen. We must work and pray for it. Please beg God for increased unity among us all (John 17:22-23).
• Pray for all of Cornerstone to grow in joyful, Christ-like humility (Philippians 2:3-8, 1 Peter 5:5).

We want to extend a huge thank you to so many of you who are sending us gifts in the form of encouragement letters, finances, and care packages. We have not been as diligent as we would like in sending our thanks, but please know that your sacrifices are being used of God to fill our sails with the winds of heaven. Thank you! If you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible. Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

For the increase of the gospel,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team

Travis (TVBC), Josh (TVBC), Rolland, Steve (TVBC), Beau (TVBC), Nick, Andrew, Bryan, Dan, Eric

]]> http://jhchurchplant.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/january-news/feed/ 1 jhchurchplant teamwork happy nick guys http://jhchurchplant.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/december-news/ http://jhchurchplant.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/december-news/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:54:55 +0000 jhchurchplant http://jhchurchplant.wordpress.com/?p=187 ]]> Dear Ministry Partners and Friends:

A few weeks ago, there was an ad in the Jackson Hole Daily News classifieds reading, “WANTED: 6-foot-long horse trough.” With plenty of local ranches around, there was nothing unusual about such an ad. Horse troughs are an everyday commodity around these parts. However, this trough would not be quenching any thirst. We were having yet another dilemma in our church-planting endeavors, a dilemma we wouldn’t soon forget.

Nick, who seems to be the second convert since we’ve been here, sat across the table from me with resolve: “Its time for me to get baptized. I’m ready for this.” Being a young, courageous guy, Nick was even ready to be baptized just down the road in the Snake River. Probably not the best idea with outside temperatures well below freezing and ice forming on the river banks. So, we went with the less traditional option.

When I left Teton Rental Center with our “baptismal,” the cashier remarked, “This is a first.” Two days later, Nick was baptized on a Sunday evening at our community-center-turned-sanctuary in a rented 150-gallon horse trough.

And so we continue to trot along here by God’s grace in snowy Jackson Hole.  A rundown:

Last Sunday we completed our first round of church membership. Fifteen people completed the process in this historic moment in the life of Cornerstone Church.

Last Wednesday evening, we finished a mid-week equipping study series where we covered topics such as discernment, Bible study methods, and some systematic theology.

Last Saturday, the ladies hosted our second annual women’s Christmas tea, which included treats, music, teaching, and great fellowship with women from Cornerstone and other churches around Jackson Hole.

Joel and Chandra moved back to California at the end of November.  Please keep them in prayer as they settle in there.

With both an increase in shepherding opportunities and the addition of a few more couples, we are seeing the need for increased hands-on care for the body. To accomplish this, we are praying about implementing small groups into the body early in the coming year.

We are making a concerted evangelistic push for next week’s Christmas Eve service. In addition to an evangelistic message and receiving food donations for local needs, the Cornerstone band will be putting on a mini-Christmas concert. Beforehand, Chris will be leading the church in outreach as we go door to door handing out invitations to our Wilson neighbors.

Cornerstone is planning to go on our first ever men’s retreat. About 30-40 guys will hop on snowmobiles and ride 10 miles into a remote lodge near Yellowstone for fellowship, teaching, and good cold fun. We’ll be going with men from Teton Valley Bible Church, a church just over the Idaho state line in the town of Driggs, pastored by Jim Otto, a 2009 graduate of The Master’s Seminary and classmate of Eric and Bryan.

Please team up with us for the ministry by storming God’s throne of grace in prayer!

1.    Thank God with us for the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ. Thank Him that, though we fail him often, we are infinitely and unwaveringly loved in Christ (Romans 8:1, 32).
2.    Give God praise for his ongoing work of transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). No greater work could God do than this in our lives.
3.    Request of God that all we do here would flow out of a love for and application of the gospel; that we would live passionately for Christ in the freedom of God’s love, always thinking on how he has forever secured our favorable standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4.    Please pray that we would all, as a congregation, increasingly live before God knowing that our accomplishments do not distinguish us and our failures do not destroy us. (Romans 8:31, 1 Corinthians 4:7).
5.    Ask God to continue providing for the physical and financial needs of the congregation and the church (Matthew 6:33).
6.    Request that God give us deeper understanding of and love for His gospel so that we would be well-positioned for genuine, courageous evangelism in God’s strength (Romans 9:1-3).
7.    Along those lines, please pray for our upcoming Christmas Eve outreach service. Ask God to give Cornerstone desire and courage to love our neighbors as we invite them to the service. Implore God to move in hearts, bring many to attend, and for salvation. Pray for the musicians and the preaching of the word during this time, for genuine love and to exalt Christ.
8.    Please pray for unity within the Cornerstone body despite the wide variety of theological and social backgrounds. Beg God to give us zeal in promoting His and each others’ reputation (Ephesians 4:3).
9.    Beg the Lord for wisdom, humility, and unity within Cornerstone’s leadership. Please pray for wisdom in the many decisions we make that are over our head (1 Peter 5:6-7).
10.    Please pray for Sera Mumma. She is due to give birth to twins any day now.

We are humbled that so many of you continue to faithfully sacrifice financially for the ministry here. If you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible and may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

Merry Christmas in Christ,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team

Though growth is slow, the Cornerstone congregation is getting bigger ever so slightly. This month a girl joined us. She seems really nice. I have not had a conversation with her yet, though she seems outgoing. Just about everyone in the congregation has met her and seems to enjoy her company. Her name is Charlotte Davis. After 48 hours of labor, she was born in the middle of a cold, crisp Teton night at 1:10 a.m. on November 4th.

It’s a fascinating thing to watch a childbirth. I felt helpless and sobered and humbled and excited and speechless and dumbfounded at the same time. I’m a rookie at all this so the adventures are new every day. I used to think that it was manly to ski off cliffs, hike a mountain, or cut up trees with a chainsaw. My view has changed. I now think that the manliest thing I have ever done is change my newborn daughter’s soiled diapers. Thirty-three years of living, and I’m changing diapers for the first time. I know, I know, that’s sad; there is a first time for everything.

I’m also feeling the fatherly love of God in new ways as I look at my child, who has never spoken to me or said anything nice to me, yet I love her. It’s amazing. She’s never demonstrated any particular act of love toward me, yet I just love her. God’s love is so so deep for us. He loves us as the perfect Father because He chose to. Wow.

And so we fervently attempt to demonstrate that love towards one another here in Jackson Hole. The phrase “crazy busy” best characterizes the life and times of church planting at Cornerstone Church right now.  So here is a quick fly-by of current kingdom advancement up in cold, dark Wyoming:

Due to building constraints, we are still meeting for corporate worship on Sunday evenings. Though we don’t think it is ideal, a community dinner immediately afterward helps in building relationships.

Our children’s Sunday school ministry is up and running with 3 children attending regularly. Bryan Chassard recently held a training day to equip a fleet of future Sunday school teachers.

Cornerstone’s first ever Reformation party was well attended. Cider was served, pumpkins carved, prizes awarded, bonfires blazed, and a history lesson on the Reformation was taught.

Cornerstone’s equipping ministries are ramping up. We are in the midst of a weekly church membership class which precedes the Sunday service. Our mid-week equipping consists of a Bible and systematic theology study. Both of these are a first for the ministry, so it is somewhat of a milestone.

God is using a few of us in various counseling needs. In addition to meeting spiritual needs, the counseling provides Eric and Becky the opportunity to be pursuing our NANC certification.

A young couple from Alabama has recently started attending regularly.

Natalie Connell, our first ever intern, is preparing for her upcoming move back to Wyoming. As she wraps up her college career this December at The Master’s College, she will immediately be putting her biblical counseling degree and musical giftedness to work as she makes the move from southern California. In answer to prayer, the Lord has already provided her with a great job for the winter as a chair-lift operator at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

In fact, without prayer, all of our ministry efforts simply become what man can do. We, however, want to see what God can do. So please pray with us:

1.    Thank God for all the ways in which he is growing and transforming so many at Cornerstone right now. His commitment to transform us into Christlikeness is happening before our eyes (Romans 8:28-30).
2.    Give praise to the Lord for providing for physical needs out here. Despite the tough financial times, we all have roofs, warmth, and food. “They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Psalm 34:10).
3.    Pray that our current membership and theology classes would be used to effect Christlikeness in the body. Please ask God to give accuracy and power in the preparation and delivery of these lessons.
4.    Request of God that He act upon Cornerstone’s every discipleship, counseling, teaching, and preaching endeavor this month such that we all become greater doers of the word (James 1:22).
5.    Please beg God to grow us every day in true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:2-3). Pray that we would fight individually and corporately any obstacles to knowing and loving Jesus more every day. Knowing Jesus is the greatest privilege for us and effects the greatest damage to our sin.
6.    Beg God to continually be purifying our motives for all things, especially in serving and ministry. Sin easily corrupts our motives to serve in vain — for the secret appreciation of each other rather than honor to Jesus Christ (Psalm 19:13).
7.    Please pray for unity within the Cornerstone body despite the wide variety of theological and social backgrounds. Beg God to give us zeal in promoting His and each others’ reputation (Ephesians 4:3).
8.    Implore the Holy Spirit to give us crazy zeal to love one another in the body (John 13:34-35) and to love and evangelize those outside the body in this town (Colossians 4:5-6).
9.    Please pray for Sera Mumma. She is pregnant with twins and is due soon.
10.    And implore God for extraordinary wisdom, humility, and discernment for the leadership in all shepherding decisions as we face issues beyond our strength and experience.

We are humbled that so many of you continue to faithfully sacrifice financially for the ministry here. Thank you! And, not too unexpectedly, we’ve noticed that giving has dropped off over the past few months. Times are tough financially for so many of us and we understand that the priority is giving to your local church. Please do not forsake that! Typically in church planting endeavors, it takes about 3-5 years for a church to become financially self-sustaining. We look forward to the day when we will no longer need outside giving. Though we are slowly growing, offerings from outside are still needed. So, if you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” All of your offerings are tax-deductible. Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

In Christ,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team

“We need more fliers.” After handing out nearly twice as many brightly colored half-sheets than we distributed for last fall’s community service outreach, Neill was sure there were plenty more people to inform. A couple days later, more than 800 fliers were in neighbors’ hands, announcing our October community service events in the town of Wilson and along the west bank of the Snake River. As calls came in that week requesting housework and firewood, the crew geared up for a busy weekend. Thankfully, help was on the way. On the first Saturday of the month, nine students from The Master’s College arrived after an all-night drive from California and joined the rest of the church in the forest for a full day of lumberjacking.

The next morning, the students teamed up with Cornerstone to do all kinds of work for some Wilson neighbors before church in the evening. After chopping and stacking wood, Bryan, Ashley, and Jesse sat for over an hour with a single mom around her kitchen table as she shared her struggles. Meanwhile, another neighbor was posing the sugar-stick question to Matt, Ryan, and Colin after they chopped some of her wood and stacked bricks: “So why are you doing this?” Matt seized the opportunity to speak of Jesus. A half mile down the road, Anna and Kate washed windows as Elaine sat and discussed the free gift of salvation through the work of Christ with a woman who takes care of her elderly mother.

Back at the Davis residence, 0ur neighbors are a friendly bunch of skiers, snowboarders, and mountain bikers. They are a festive bunch, often bumping Metallica and Kanye West, accompanied by periodic celebratory shouts, all well past 1 a.m. We’ve been making some efforts to build relationships with them. While the TMC students were taking a break from chopping wood, we looked out the window to see two of our festive neighbors taking it upon themselves to swing the axes. By the time they were through, a fresh pile of chopped wood was prepared to give to some needy Wilsonites. My neighbor then asked, “So where’s your church again? I want to come check it out…”

Fast-forward one rowdy, snowy week of chopping nearly 10 cords of wood (imagine a tour bus filled with firewood), moving, housework, childcare, dirty chores, and making and serving meals, to Cornerstone’s first ever Community Wood Ministry Day on Saturday morning, October 10th. The questions came again:

“So why are you guys giving away all this wood?”
“Well, because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sin and we can be forgiven by God and made right with God as a free gift through faith in Christ. Forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus are free. And so is this wood.”

I wish we could show you a montage of the different reactions. What a joy. God is so good to allow us to serve people for the gospel.

The point? Jesus gives us great opportunities to speak of his free gift of forgiveness through his atoning death and resurrection from the dead. Such occasions may take a little tree-cutting, wood-chopping, or window-washing, but that’s the point, isn’t it? “Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). Is this just humanitarian work? No way. All the firewood and chores are merely pavement for the gospel to go forward into more ears and – hopefully and prayerfully – hearts in due time.

And so it is with praise that we look back on what has happened and look forward to future plans:

We just finished our fifth and final week of “Strengthening Your Relationships,” a mid-week seminar on relationships offered to the community. A few new folks have been wandering in here and there as we cover topics such as conflict resolution, communication, and finances (and always the gospel!).

In an unexpected move of providence, God had Eric and Leslie pick up and move again. Some unsafe living conditions were discovered in their previous place, resulting in a decision to change residences. Incredibly, God orchestrated the move when the nine TMC students “just happened” to be here. They are praising God for a new place in the Wilson area, with safe living conditions and a cozy office for Eric.

God is growing our little church as He sees fit. Among others, Ben and Emily Coussens (from Grace Community Church) recently moved here after their honeymoon in Hawaii, and a young couple from South Carolina has joined forces with us here at Cornerstone.

Our first church membership class is scheduled to begin sometime during the next month.

The leadership is praying and brainstorming about future equipping moves for the church. Over the next several months, we hope to launch care groups and other disciple-making endeavors.

Local-church ministry is often about working till God brings us to a point where we realize that He must be the one to act. So please pray with us:

• Thank God for the outreach team from The Master’s College, that they made it safely here and back from southern California, for the growth in Christ-likeness that occurred while they were here, and for the massive amount of work they accomplished with good attitudes!
• Praise God with us for the community service and wood days. He allowed us to serve neighbors, hand out every piece of firewood, and share Jesus with many. Beg Him to work in the hearts of those who heard and were served for His glory.
• Pray, above all, that the love of Christ would control and transform every person at Cornerstone (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Plead with God to increasingly open our hearts to realize His amazing love and for us to love Him and desire to live lives pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
• Please pray seriously that God would daily expand our understanding and amazement of His love shown to us through the sacrificial death of Jesus on a cross. Please pray that as a result, each person at Cornerstone would love all people, even those to whom we are not naturally drawn (1 John 4:7-11). This does not happen automatically. We need God to produce this in our hearts.
• Beg God to give us all an increasingly teachable spirit. Pray that, as a church, whether in preaching, discipleship, or daily devotions, we would be doers of the word (James 1:22). Pray for humility and wisdom for all who preach, teach, disciple, and counsel (1 Peter 5:2-4).
• Pray for the marriages, new and old, for the priority to be displaying the gospel in our relationships. Beg God to continually transform all our relationships to be murals of Jesus (1 Peter 2:10). Ask God to grant wisdom to parents and salvation and sanctification of children at an early age.
• Plead with God to make all at Cornerstone zealous to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the church body. Satan loves to disunite. Pray that a right understanding of and love for Jesus would fuel greater unity.
• Pray for ever-increasing Christ-likeness, maturity, and wisdom in the steering committee as we are facing many decisions regarding the church. Implore Him for wisdom in launching care groups, equipping groups, and other disciple-making groups and studies, including the membership class. Pray for us to deeply love those we serve.
• Plead with God to give us all at Cornerstone a genuine godly love for unbelievers resulting in bold, genuine, and loving evangelism as an increasing norm in our lives wherever we are (Matthew 28:18-20).
• Implore God to grow everyone at Cornerstone into increasing fervent passion for Jesus and furthering His kingdom. Pray that every day He would purge mediocrity from our hearts (Revelation 3:15-16).

We are continually humbled that so many of you faithfully sacrifice financially for the ministry here. Your gifts are critical to God’s means of furthering the gospel here. If you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to “Cornerstone Church.” Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014. Thank you!

In Christ,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team

Chris and Rebecca were clenching their coffee tightly as they walked up on the Town Square last Saturday. The mercury was just passing 40 degrees on the crisp, September morning here in the Tetons. In the middle of the square, local non-profit organizations boasted their causes with towering tents, glossy handouts, and dazzling banners. “Where’s our booth?,” one Cornerstone volunteer asked. “Right there in the grass.” “But where is our tent?” “Ummm, quick, run home and get the picnic table, chairs, and tablecloth!” It was a wonderful learning experience.

By 8:30am, Cornerstone Church had set up our first ever “booth” at Old Bill’s Fun Run, the annual Teton County non-profit showcase event.  Next to organizations such as The Russian Club of Jackson Hole, Interconnections 21, and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, we were able to serve hot coffee and bananas and display a simple slide show of past events while offering passers-by a pamphlet featuring our community outreach events for this fall. It was a humble beginning for us.  Though our booth was relatively modest, it was a blessed day to simply display our little “non-profit” to the more than 3000 people who came out.

And so the church planting adventures continue into “year number 2″ as we work to practice a biblical mission of reaching the lost and making disciple-making disciples within the church. No greater joy exists this side of heaven.

Here is a bird’s-eye-view of the recent joys of church planting at Cornerstone Church:

Leslie’s mother and father (Mike and Cindy) made the trip from Minnesota for a week to help prepare the house for the coming little one scheduled to be born in early November. Mike, Eric, and others spent four days converting an old, dilapidated shed in the yard into an insulated, sheet-rocked, painted, and carpeted 130-square-foot office for Eric, who now has enough office space to house his books and counsel people. The other bonus is that his “morning commute” consists of a 30-foot walk across the yard to the shed.

Chainsaws and axes are in full operation at Cornerstone as we prepare for our free firewood handout in a few weeks.

We continue to meet Sunday evenings at the local community center for worship and family dinner. Eric will be starting a new series in 1 Corinthians this Sunday.  A family of five has begun attending Cornerstone as they pray about settling into a local church.

The good news of the gospel is going out into the community via (among other things) pre-natal massages, waitressing, and dinner gatherings.
And we have a slew of significant events on the horizon:

On Tuesday, September 22, we begin our 5-week seminar “Strengthening Your Relationships” as a means to serve the community and strengthen the church. Many who do not profess Christ have expressed interest in attending.

Ben Coussens and Emily Snider will be married on September 26, then moving into their cozy new apartment in Jackson.

October has become Cornerstone community service month. In addition to the relationships seminar, we will be featuring our “Wilson Community Day,” where we do chores for our neighbors, and “Wilson Firewood Day,” where we hand out free firewood to those in need.

We have been massively blessed to receive another outreach team from The Master’s College this October. Ten students will be traveling here to help us with outreach events and strengthen the church.

In light of our dependence upon the God who is able, please team up with us in prayer:

- Pray, above all, that the love of Christ would control and transform every person at Cornerstone (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Plead with God to increasingly open our hearts to realize his amazing love and for us to love him and desire to live lives pleasing to him (2 Cor. 5:9).
- Beg God to give us all teachability, sensitivity toward our sin and godly sorrow over it, and repentance (2 Cor. 7:9-11). Pray that Jesus would be renewing our minds daily (Romans 12:2).
- Ask God to give us more disinterest in the things of the world, caused by an increasing value placed in eternal things: God’s kingdom, Christlikeness, sanctification, salvation, and heaven. Pray that the myriad of temptations around us would grow increasingly vain to us in light of knowing Jesus.
- Pray for the marriages — the brand new marriages, the young marriages, older ones — for our priority to be displaying the gospel in our marriages. Ask God to grant wisdom to parents and salvation and sanctification of children at an early age.
- Implore God that He would grant us faithfulness in ministering to those who attend and visit Cornerstone. Ask him to give us real repentance over coveting numbers rather than loving people.
- Pray for increasing Christlikeness, maturity, and wisdom among the steering committee as we are facing many decisions regarding the church. Pray for us to deeply love those we serve.
- For wisdom, humility, and love for Matt and Eric as they will be teaching the 5-week relationship course to the community. Pray that they would have genuine care for those they teach and that they would teach with clarity, conviction, and truth. Ask God to grant illumination, salvation, and sanctification to the hearers.
- Plead with God to give wisdom, skill, and humility to those counseling people at Cornerstone right now. Pray for true repentance and restored marriages for counselees. Ask God to grant salvation and sanctification to counselees. Pray that He would grant joy in the process of change for the counselees.
- Pray for the outreach team from The Master’s College, for safety as they travel here on Oct. 3 and back on Oct. 10. Ask God to use them powerfully while they are here, to be instruments of his grace and mercy to the church and the community. Pray that God would grow and change them for his glory while here.
- Pray for the Wilson Community Day and Firewood Day. Implore God to allow us to be maxed-out in our service to the community. Ask him to open the hearts of those we serve to hear and embrace the gospel. Pray for genuine love as Cornerstone and the Master’s students serve the people here.

As we cross the one-year mark for this church plant, we are praising God for your sacrificial giving! Your gifts are critical as God’s means of furthering the gospel here. Thank you! If you are led to team up with us financially, please make checks out to Cornerstone Church. Checks may be mailed to: Cornerstone Church, P.O. Box 980, Wilson, Wyoming, 83014.

In Christ,
Eric, on behalf of the Jackson Hole church plant team

Here’s how it works (no actual running necessary): Every dollar donated on behalf of a participating local non-profit organization is matched by the Old Bill’s Fun Run foundation up to $25,000. So that means if, for example, $100 is donated on behalf of Cornerstone, then another $100 will be matched by the Old Bill’s charity.

We do want you to be aware that all donations made for Old Bill’s Fun Run have a restricted use. Donations may only be used for the following as stated in the Old Bill’s regulations: “non-religious public outreach programming such as emergency assistance, youth outreach, public health programs or cultural programs.” Therefore, donations may not be used for building fees, biblical counseling ministry, pastoral salary, or administration fees. However, ministries specific to Cornerstone Church that are eligible for these donated and matched funds include the following:

• Fall firewood ministry resources (In a climate where the temperature may not break 30 degrees for several months, firewood is a hot commodity. We are planning to donate firewood to those in need around our community in October. We are currently stockpiling and cutting wood for this fall.)

• Other mercy, assistance, and benevolence funds (includes assistance through food and resources to those in need around the community).

Contributions for Old Bill’s Fun Run will be accepted through September 18, 2009. If you are led to give, here is how you may do so:

1. Go to the following website: www.cfjacksonhole.org/ob-donor.php

2. Scroll through the non-profits to find “Cornerstone Church.”

3. Enter the gift amount and follow the instructions.

Thank you so much for considering this unique giving opportunity!