Beloved friends,

In the words of Joanna Weber, “It’s a new week.” For some, this is a great encouragement; you’re excited to take on new challenges with a fresh start. For others, you feel behind the 8-ball at the starting gate. Wherever you fall on that continuum, I hope today’s Pastor Encouragement Video gives you hope (also, keep reading below): 

Here are just a few church things to be made aware of:

#1: Matt Eden’s Funeral: We’re honoring the LORD and remembering Matt Eden this Saturday at 10:30AM at the Cornerstone Church facility. Please join Joy and family.

#2: May 23rd Church Family Events: We’ll have a church family meeting at 11AM, followed by a church family meal at Thomas Park. We’ll also honor our graduating seniors that morning during the service. 

#3: Feedback Request: Please sign up for one of the June 1-13 Focus Groups and help our church family make wise steps into the future. These important groups will dialogue about the ups and downs of the past year and half, and Lord willing, be better prepared for our next challenges. More info here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hMws5cnOFH3PS0kNZmTzu_RdYND36nfrHoq26bw-zZM/edit

#4: Prayer Efforts: Our Sunday morning pre-service prayer ministry kicks off in June. Please come and pray for the body from 8:40-9:10 in Room 103. In other prayer news, pray for continued efforts at church planting. Please pray for our elders who will meet in June for a retreat and look ahead to the next 12-36 months. May we step out in faith, in the vein of William Carey, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

Finally, be on the lookout in your mailboxes for our May newsletter. Also, you’ll have an opportunity to serve our local schools and help kids in need in the near future. Let’s outdo one another in Christian love!!

Take heart; Jesus has overcome the world,

-Pastor Matt

Dear Church Family,

Happy April Fool’s Day. I became a fool for Christ over 25 years ago. Admittedly, I came to Christ primarily regarding the guilt of my sin and the condemnation of my soul. It took time and discipleship for me to further understand the foolishness of the Cross. How could God embrace such weakness? And yet, Jesus became weak because we are weak. Jesus became poor because we are poor. Jesus became a sin offering because we are sinners. Now, any and all who admit they are weak, poor, and sinful can have hope, but the strong, rich, and proud will never realize why Christ’s weakness is their redemption.

This weekend I get to gather with other weak, poor, and sinful people (that’s you if you’re not paying attention :), fellow fools for Christ. We don’t come to remember our goodness, but to treasure the grace that saves and sustains. We’re a rough-looking lot, and yet we’re loved. We’re still unfinished projects, but the Father persists. He is good and His love endures forever.

Would you join me in worship of Him? This Sunday at 9:25AM with your Cornerstone family at Cornerstone Church’s facility. This Friday at 6:30PM with Northbrook Baptist, Trinity Presbyterian, and us at Northbrook (1700 Boyson Rd NE in CR).

I hope it works for you to be with us in person; if not on Friday you can use Northbrook’s YouTube link (https://youtu.be/6fvrf6VXKjo). Or our Facebook Live service this Sunday. 

If you’re interested, I also posted another Pastor Encouragement video: 

The world is different because a man came back from the dead…Hope is changed because a man walked out of his tomb…Do you know Him? Are you a fool for Christ? Go deep with God this Holy Week.

In Christ,

Pastor Matt

Dear Church Family,

Let me update you on our plans for gathering this Sunday, as well as, some recent pastoral meanderings.

1) Sunday’s gathering 3/21: First off, we’re going to have another cautious week at Cornerstone. There will be no Sunday School, Children’s Church, Nursery, or the taking of communion (this will allow masks to be worn throughout the service). Lord willing, this gives us greater freedom to worship March 28 and Resurrection Sunday. (Note: Though the gathering was very small on 3/14, one person present on Sunday later tested positive for Covid-19 [they were masked and socially distant].) 

2) And now some meanderings…  The more I speak to the body, the more I reflect on my own soul, the more I converse with other pastors, the more tempted I am to think this past year was a failure. How could a virus and one election cycle bring so much harm to people’s souls, individual churches, and one geopolitical nation? I like to think I’m optimistic and hopeful, so when this pandemic started in March 2020, I thought, “God will do great things.” I still believe God will bring about good, but I personally see little fruit (so far). The one word of consolation I have for myself and you today is “Jesus is still sufficient.”

All of the seeming discouragements of March 2020 to present invite pause. Jesus taught us that building on sand leads to destruction. Storms come and storms go, but that which is built on Christ and His Word will not fail. I believe God is revealing my own sandy hopes, vain hopes of deliverance. So what might be your and my response? We repent of false hopes. We grieve over broken dreams. We return to our first love. We wait on the LORD. We trust in our merciful Savior. As the song declarers: Should nothing of our efforts stand, No legacy survive, Unless the Lord does raise the house, In vain its builders strive, To you who boast tomorrow’s gain, Tell me what is your life, A mist that vanishes at dawn, All glory be to Christ!

One final word of hope today. Read Pastor Tim Keller’s recent article on facing death. If you didn’t know, Tim Keller was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He faces his death and invites us to do so as well in this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/tim-keller-growing-my-faith-face-death/618219/

Lord willing, my quarantine ends Friday, and I join you in worship this Sunday. Thankfully those recently hit by Covid at Cornerstone all seem to be on the mend. Thank you for your prayers.

A recovering sinner with a sufficient Savior,
-Matt Proctor

Church family,

1) A Word on Biblical Community & Sunday School: 

Two of the first verses I ever memorized were from Hebrews 10, verses 24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

I believed those verses 20 years ago, but after a 12 month dance with Covid-19, I feel the truth of these verses personally. I’ve seen just how hard it has been on individuals to be away from their church family. I’ve seen how disorienting it is to lose regular encouragement from God’s Word and God’s people. 

Losing Biblical community is like severing body parts; the body and each part can’t live long in isolation. Many of you have worked through the challenges of the past year; you’ve been creative in finding ways to press on together. Still, it has been a time of sorrow and grief.

Thankfully, we’ve been able to regather with some ministries in 2021. One in particular that relaunches Sunday March 7 is our 11AM Sunday School hour. What a gift to meditate on God’s Word and Christian theology with brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s like reoxygenated blood pulsing throughout the Body.

2) An Update on Cornerstone Church & Covid Protocols:

First off, I’m thankful to see plummeting Covid-19 cases and positivity in our county, state, country. They say anything under a 5% 14-day positivity is a watershed mark, and we’re at 4.3% statewide and 3.7% in LInn County. (For comparison, I read a Sept. 2020 NBC news report that the seasonal flu is normally around 19%) So too, I know a number of you have had a least one vaccination shot, and others have even had their second. 

How will Cornerstone respond to these positive changes? First, let’s remember forbearance is a virtue and fruit of the Spirit, so let’s be open to each other’s convictions on the losses/benefits of masks. Second, we will continue to provide a mask-required live-streamed worship space in the overflow area in our lobby on Sundays at 9:25AM. The general stance on the rest of the building, Sundays and throughout the week, will be that masks are optional. Most of the sanctuary will continue to have socially-distant places to sit. We also will wait a bit longer before we provide coffee or have any family meals. Lord willing, if these trends continue, we can open up more down the road…

All in all, it looks likely that Easter 2021 will not be Easter 2020; and yet the good news stays the same, Christ has risen from the dead!

I love this church family,

Pastor Matt