City Life, Photos, Serve the City

Last Saturday, July 21st, 70 volunteers of Downtown Cornerstone walked the City Center of Seattle, from the avenues to the alley ways, collecting 24 bags of garbage littered throughout the core. Our goal was simple: to sacrificially serve the city as we’ve been sacrificially served by Jesus Christ (Mat 20:28). Jesus willingly entered into our mess of sin and decay, so we gladly do the same for our city. (Rom 5:8; John 3:16; Phil 2:4-11) Check out some of the photos from last Saturday morning above. A big thanks to Seattle Public Utilities and Adopt-a-Street for your partnership and assistance. This is just the beginning as we aim to spread the message and mercy of Jesus Christ, and in so doing, love our city to life.

Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

We all know summer in Seattle doesn’t start until July 5th, right? The last thing you want to do is look back and wonder what you did with your summer. It’s not too late. So, as an aside from all of the membership stuff we’ll be walking through for the next two months, I thought I’d make a number of reading suggestions – outside the Bible – to feed, encourage and strengthen your soul this summer. These are a number of books I’ve read recently which you’ll find helpful. There’s something here for everyone.

The Walk by Stephen Smallman
The subtitle of this book says it all, Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus. If you’re new to following Jesus or looking at re-newing your walk with him, this is a helpful, simple, practical book for just that. He takes his points directly from the Bible and is incredibly Gospel-centered. I honestly wish I had this book when I first started following Jesus. It would be ideal to process this book with another person or group.

The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
Despite the title, this is a great book for singles – especially men. It is probably the best pre-pre-marriage (the extra “pre-” is intentional) book available. The first chapter has the best explanation for the modern movement of cohabitation that I’ve ever read. It is very helpful, insightful and filled with the good news of Jesus. Jen and I are just wrapping up walking through this ourselves. Highly recommend.

Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris
Admittedly, I have “membership” on the brain, so I had to include something related to our current series. What better time to grow in your own understanding of the church and how we are called by God to be related to it? Harris does a great job of making what can be a challenging subject, very practical, helpful and edifying. You’ll get a lot out of it and, likely, get convicted along the way.

Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ by Russell Moore
Moore unpacks the nature and reality of temptation by taking a close look at the tempation of Jesus in the wilderness as he began his ministry. Very well done. You wouldn’t want to make this the first book you read on temptation. For that, check out Tap: Defeating Sins that Defeat You, by Yancey Arrington.

Am I Called? The Summons to Pastoral Ministry by Dave Harvey
This is a must read book for any of you men that feel the call to pastoral leadership at some point in the future. I’ve already inserted this into our eldership process. He ends on a helpful note in a chapter titled, “While you wait.” This is another book I wish was available 15 years ago. I would have benefited from it and trust you will as well.

Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard
Here’s something for DCC husbands. I was a little skeptical when I first picked this up, but discovered it to be a very helpful, biblical and practical book. Buzzard compares a religious view of marriage to a gospel view of marriage, while packing the end with a ton of practical advice on cutivating a marriage in which you continually date your wife.

All of God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes by Ken Myers
If you really want to geek out this summer – and get your mind blown along the way – read this book. It was originally published, I believe, about 20 years ago. They re-released it earlier this year and I couldn’t be more happy they did. Don’t judge a book by its title. This is easily the best book I have read in the last five years, maybe longer. The primary thrust of the book deals with the rise of pop-culture and its influence on contemporary Christianity.

News, Teaching

We began our new series, Church Membership: What it Means to Believe, Be and Belong, last Sunday the 8th. This series will run for the next seven weeks and will serve as the primary content of our ongoing membership process. Check out the new Church Membership webpage to listen in and learn more!

Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

For those of you that are interested in the direction we will be heading for the next two months in our Church Membership series, beginning this Sunday, this post is for you.

Q: What is this series all about?

This series is created to be the first point of connection for those considering Downtown Cornerstone as their church home, for a season or a lifetime. This series will serve as the first round of our ongoing church membership process, which will take place as a class going forward. As you can see, we’ll cover everything from key doctrinal issues to an overview of the vision, mission and values of Downtown Cornerstone. Consider it an “Introduction to Christianity” meets “Downtown Cornerstone 101.”

Q: Who is this series for?

This series is for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned follower of Christ or still considering his claims. However, this series will be required for all who desire to become a member of DCC to ensure you are aligned with our doctrinal and philosophical distinctives. The content over the course of the series is designed to enable you to make a wise, informed and prayerful choice to become part of Jesus’ family here.

Q: What if I have questions along the way?

If you have any questions along the way, feel free to post them here (on the City), speak with your community lead or contact me directly. There are several books that I also recommend, including: Church Membership: How the world knows who represents Jesus, by Jonathan Leeman; Those Who Must Give an Account, ed. Hammett & Merkle; What is a Healthy Church Member, by Thabiti Anyabwile; To Be or Not to Be a Church Member? by Wayne Mack

Series Overview:

07.08.12 Church Membership: What it means to believe, be and belong

During the first week we will introduce the series and provide an overview of church membership. What is it? Is it biblical? Why does it matter? We’ll take time to unpack what it means to believe (i.e. doctrine, theology, and truth), be (i.e. identity in Christ) and belong (i.e. to God and others) as a follower of Jesus. We’ll also discuss the process for becoming a member of Downtown Cornerstone Church and what you can do to get started.

07.15.12 Our Bible

The second week we’ll look at the Bible. What is it? How do we know we can trust it? How did we get it? Why do need it? What do we do with it? What role should it play in our daily lives? This should be a very practical week and serve to boost your confidence in God’s Word. We start with the Bible because it is here that we learn about who God is, what he is like and how we can know him.

07.22.12 Our God

The third week we’ll discuss God. Who is God? What is he like? How many gods are there? How can we know that God exists? Where do we see the trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the Bible? What has the church historically believed about God? Understanding God biblically is the starting place for being in relationship with him and his people.

07.29.12 Our Gospel

After discussing our God and our Bible we will move on to explore God’s redemptive plan through the person and work of Jesus Christ (aka the gospel). We’ll look at the gospel from Genesis to Revelation through the lens of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. We will also discuss how the gospel applies to both believers and unbelievers, giving shape to our daily lives and decisions.

08.05.12 Our City

The gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to take root in specific local contexts. For us, that’s the city of Seattle. This week we’ll discuss our missional context. Why are we here? Why are cities important? What are the unique challenges and blessings of the city? How do we best take the unchanging truth of the gospel into our ever-changing culture? We’ll also review the history of Christianity in Seattle and our role in Jesus’ continuing story today.

08.12.12 Our Church

As the good news of Jesus Christ goes into the city, sinners are saved, lives are changed and, inevitably, a church is planted. This week we’ll dig into what Jesus’ local church is intended to be and do, including issues related to leadership, structure, governance, discipline, and more. We’ll also discuss the history, vision, mission and values of Downtown Cornerstone.

08.19.12 Our Mission

What then is our mission? Why do we exist? How do we measure success? The Bible is clear that we are saved to be sent across the street, and around the world, with the life-changing news of the gospel of Jesus. But, how do we do that? We’ll also talk about our local and global mission of planting churches in our city and the cities of the world.

08.26.12 Our Discipleship

In light of all this, what does it practically look like to follow Jesus Christ? This week we’ll talk about how our identity in Christ gives shape to our daily lives, including our location (family, homes and neighborhoods), vocation (work, career, finances), recreation (rest, play, leisure), restoration (mercy, justice, brokenness), and multiplication (stewardship, growth, others). We’ll also examine discipleship pathway and what it looks like to go from “lost” to “leader”.

City Life, News, Serve the City

Join us July 21st as we serve the city by cleaning and connecting with the people in downtown Seattle’s avenues and alleyways! This project includes partnering with the Seattle Public Utilities “Adopt-A-Street” and “Clear Alley’s Program.” DCC will pin point which downtown Seattle streets and alleys will be cleaned by our volunteers. Seattle Public Utilities will provides necessary resources like garbage bags, gloves, brooms, etc.

WHEN: 8:00a – 12:00p on the third Saturday in July (7.21.12), Download this flyer to share with your neighbors and friends!

WHO: You and your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors. This serving opportunity will be a great bridge to build in Seattle and will help us give people a taste of the love, grace and mercy Jesus freely offers them.

WHERE: We will meet up in the parking lot on the northwest corner of 7th Ave & Lenora in front of “Piranha”. Parking in that Impark lot is only $5 for up to 10 hours, so we recommend parking there.

HOW: We are aiming for 65+ volunteers! We will break into 8 teams of 8 or so people. Each team will be assigned specific streets and alleys to “own” by way of cleaning and caring for people within the vicinity. We’ll proceed block by block through the City Center until each street and alley is served or we run out of resources.

MISSION: Our goal is to love the city to life by way of service and care for people. Our primary function is to serve the city and as we do that we will be mindful that we are Jesus’ ambassadors, making much of him in how we serve, and ultimately, why we serve.

More details to come. If you’d like to join us please email .