Community, City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
Join us this Saturday evening, July 31st, for the Seafair Torchlight Parade. We’ll prep with a pre-parade BBQ, starting at 5:30pm. Please bring something to share. We’ll head downstairs at 7:00pm to take our seats and watch the show. The parade runs 7:30-9:00pm. Directions and RSVP here. If you read this, you’re invited.
News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
Only two months ago, Tuesday May 25th, we held our first gathering in a 33rd floor conference room to cast vision for a new gospel work in the heart of downtown Seattle. Two months. Much has happened since and we want to keep you up-to-date. For everyone who has been praying for us and this new work – thank you! With the many social networking options available (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, email services, etc) it can be challenging to select “the one” that will reach the most people. We want as many people as possible praying for this new work, so I will be communicating regular prayer requests and updates through this blog. You can read the first prayer update HERE. You can also receive email updates of new blog content by entering your email in the “Subscribe to Updates via Email” box in the right column.
Here are some snapshots of the past month:
Acts 29 Lead Pastor’s Retreat (June 21-24)
At the end of June, Jen and I were blessed to participate in an all-expenses-paid trip to Vail, Colorado to meet with 200+ Acts 29 church planters and their wives for several days of rest, community, worship and teaching. It was a great gift given by the Acts 29 Network. We came back refreshed, encouraged and challenged. We’re already looking forward to next year!
Last Wedding (June 26)
Well, not exactly my last. Immediately upon returning from Vail I had the privilege of performing my last wedding as a part of Mars Hill Church for two dears friends. (It was bitter sweet as I’ve learned, matured, and participated with Mars Hill for over a decade. I’m forever grateful.) Congrats Clodfelters!
We Moved!
Feeling called to plant a church in downtown Seattle means, of course, that we must move downtown. That’s no small feat with a family, a home in West Seattle, and a city full of occupied high-priced apartments – all while raising financial support. God would need to show up. He did. In short order, we found long-term renters for our home in West Seattle (unfortunately, we must rent until the market turns), a great apartment opened up in the heart of the city, and many offered to financially support us. As of last weekend, we now live downtown albeit out of boxes.
New Sunday Gathering Place.
In June we began to meet together in the Westin Building. This month we made a shift to the Cobb building. This makes our gatherings more centrally located, easier to find, and more comfortable. You can read more HERE.
First Thursday, 4th of July party, Hope Place and Happy Hour.Since we first started meeting we’ve had a two-fold strategy that consists of gathering on Sundays (for vision, prayer and worship) and connecting during the week (for community, mission, and service). It’s been an eventful month from participating in First Thursday in Pioneer Square to throwing a roof-top Fourth of July party to hanging out at Cal Anderson via Molly Moons to serving at Union Gospel Mission’s Hope Place. These times have helped shape us as a newly forming community, while providing many opportunities to invite people in. Follow us here at the blog to find out what’s happening this week.
Gospel Centered Life.
After spending the month of June walking through the vision, values and mission of Downtown Cornerstone we moved to studying The Gospel Centered Life together. We’re starting with the Gospel because it is the good news of the Gospel, applied by the Holy Spirit, that changes everything. We want this to be central to who we are as gospel people in the city. We’re just three weeks in, but its already bearing fruit. I recommend it for personal or community-oriented study.
Networking and Connecting.
I am devoting much of my time to meeting with business, community and church leaders in the city to ask a simple question, “What kind of church does Seattle need?” The responses have been fascinating. Be expecting a future blog post. As we begin this new work, our posture is one of humility. We want to learn from the city. We are not in the city to stand above the city (in judgment) or under the city (in fear) or to mirror the city (in surrender), but for the city (in love).
Family Health.
As though all of this is not enough, our baby girl (Macy) recently had a seizure. We’ve since learned that 50% of children who have a seizure never have another. Nonetheless, we’ve taken proper precautions (EEG, MRI) and are still awaiting results. Would you pray for Macy? I too managed to injure my knee, for which I am receiving physical therapy. This church planting gig is taking more of a physical toll than I anticipated.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
For August, please pray that:
The story continues…
Desperately dependent but confident in Him,
Pastor Adam
Community, Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
This Thursday we’ll be practicing the art of stretching our dollar in community over great grub at Sazerac‘s Happy Hour, 5:00-7:00pm. Eats and drinks from $3. Join us for informal dialogue, laughter and community. No agenda, just good grub. If you read this, you’re invited.
“The church community, not some philosophical or theological system of thought, is God’s final revelation of the divine self as Christ existing in community.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
Big news this week! As of this Sunday, July 18th, we will be changing our primary Sunday gathering location. We’re transitioning our physical meeting space from the Westin building to the Cobb building on the corner of 4th and University. We’ll continue to gather at 5:00pm Sunday evenings – now in the heart of the city. Someone will be at the front door to welcome you from 4:45pm to 5:15pm. Let us know if you’ll be arriving late.
We invite you to join us every Sunday at 5:00pm for vision-casting, Bible study, prayer, worship and community. Whether you’re a Christian or curious, agnostic or antagonistic we’d love to have you.
Downtown Cornerstone is a new church plant located in the heart of downtown Seattle. We exist to build a great city through the Gospel for the glory of God. Join us as we follow Jesus together. For more information email us at info(at)downtowncornerstone.org.
Community, City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
This Thursday, July 15th, we will be volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission’s Hope Place, a resident and recovery program for homeless women and their children. We’ll meet from 5:45PM to 8:00PM in a common space to serve the children of mothers that call Hope Place home. Please bring a donation to help with the cost of supplies for the night. Join us or email info(at)downtowncornerstone.org for more information.
Union Gospel Mission: Hope Place
3802 South Othello Street
Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 723-0767
Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else–not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes–will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial.
– Tim Keller, “Why Plant New Churches?” (article)
“Church planting? What exactly is that?”
Any way you slice it the idea of church planting is often either misunderstood or, literally, unheard of. The questions are many, including:
These are valid concerns that stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the complexities of revitalization, organizational life-cycles, demographic diversity, theological distinctions, leadership styles, evangelism, and general philosophies of ministry within existing churches. To put it simply, it’s more complicated than we may at first realize.
Therefore, to simplify it a bit, the following are seven guiding principles driving us to plant a new church in the heart of the city of Seattle.
Matthew 28:18-20 is known as the “Great Commission” from Jesus to the Church. It is a commission to “make disciples”, “of all nations”, to “baptize”, and to “teach”. In other words, Jesus commissions his followers as a sent people; sent to all peoples, to invite them to become one of God’s people, that results in a changed people. It’s a commission to plant churches not merely isolated acts of sharing our faith. Even the act of baptism itself signifies “incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries.” (1) (cf Acts 2:42-47) It is apparent the apostles interpreted Jesus’ words in this way as they immediately began to plant churches after Pentecost. (cf Acts 13f)
Community, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
The 4th of July is tomorrow! If you’re still looking for a party, we invite you to join us for an evening of great company and BBQ on a roof top deck in the middle of our beautiful city (in lieu of our normal Sunday gathering). After dinner we’ll make our way to the 33rd floor of the Westin building to watch the Family 4th of July firework show over Lake Union. RSVP HERE.
News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
We are excited to announce that Acts 29 Coffee has chosen Downtown Cornerstone Church as one of the first two church plants they will be supporting in the Northwest. “Help plant churches one cup at a time.” They offer high-quality, premium roasts at discounted rates on a subscription basis. Every pound of coffee purchased supports the planting of this new gospel work in the heart of Seattle. You can do what you’re already doing (i.e. drinking coffee) and now plant churches at the same time.
Community, City Life | by Pastor Adam Sinnett
Join us this Thursday (July 1st) for our “First Thursday Meet-Up” in Pioneer Square as we participate in the monthly First Thursday Art Walk. We’ll meet at Starbucks on the corner of Yesler and 1st at 6:00pm. Our God is a creative God, who created all things. He created us to be creative and art is one expression of that. Let’s enjoy it and Him together.
“The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life – they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God – not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.”
– Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible (Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, Volue 2, p377)
Seattle is a beautiful, diverse, strategic and paradoxical city.
Surrounded by vast bodies of water, paralleled by the towering snow-capped peaks of the Cascades and Olympics, and shrouded under cloud cover over 200 days per year Seattle is a natural anomaly. It’s been called “Rain City”, “Jet City”, and more recently “Emerald City”. It’s the birth place of Jimi Hendrix, Windows OS, “grunge” music, Amazon.com, the 747, and the ubiquitous Starbucks Mermaid. Seattle is a city of polarities: corporate yet raw, smart yet simple, hopeful yet deeply skeptical, professional yet authentic, established yet funky, independent yet communal, traffic-filled yet “green”. On any given day you will see corporate executives, tourists, exchange students, men wearing kilts, college hipsters, veteran cyclists, soccer moms, tattooed baristas, and guitar-toting musicians rubbing shoulders in a single city block.
This is Seattle. This is the city to which we have been called to serve, love and challenge in and through the world-shattering, history-altering, life-transforming news of the gospel.
Thanks for joining us on this journey. We hope you’ll stick around.