Prayer | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

 One of things we have done as the church, from the beginning, is set aside one night every month for prayer  and song. We call it our monthly prayer night. While we emphasize prayer in our communities every week, throughout the week, during the last week of each month we cancel our normal community rhythms in order to pray together. Corporately, as God’s people, we spend time thanking, praising, considering, asking, and talking to our good, gracious, living Jesus. We want to see Him do what only He can do in and through us, not merely what we can do – so we pray. If you have yet to join us, I invite you to do so on the last Tuesday of each month at the Belltown Community Center (doors open @ 6:30pm).

This is far from a place-holder event for us. We do not pray because that’s what we’re supposed to do or have to do. We pray because we get to. Prayer is one of the unique privileges of every child of God, in Christ. In prayer we set aside self-reliance and cultivate God-reliance. In prayer we turn from self-sufficiency to God- sufficiency. In prayer we relinquish man-made agendas and submit to his agenda. We also pray because:

• We want to know, trust, treasure, and more fully comprehend the love of God. (Col 1:10, Eph 3:14,18)

• We want God’s name praised in this city. (Mt 6:9)

• We need wisdom. (James 1:5)

• We want to see friends, family and neighbors saved. (Rom10:1)

• We want to see the sick healed. (James 5:13-15)

• We want to be unified around Jesus and his mission. (Jn17:20-21)

• We need strength, endurance, patience and joy. (Col 1:11)

• We need protection from temptation and the enemy (Mt 6:13; 26:41)

• We need forgiveness. (Mt 6:12)

• We need God’s empowering grace to complete what he has begun in us. (2 Thess 1:11; 2 Cor 9:8)

• We want to faithfully endure to the end (Lk 22:32)

I’ve always appreciated how AC Dixon once put it:

“When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend upon education, we get what education can do; when we depend upon man, we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.”

We have seen God answer countless prayers. We have seen friends saved. We have seen people healed.

We have tasted a bit of the goodness of God, together. If you’ve had a bad experience in the past with something like this, by God’s grace, we’ll redeem that. If you don’t know a single person in the church, that will change quickly. If you don’t do well in large groups, Jesus will help you. We can, of course, pray in the quietness of our homes – and we do that – but something different happens when the church gathers to pray together. We hope you join us and get a firsthand taste of it yourself. Our next prayer night is Tuesday, October 29 at 6:30 at the Belltown Community Center.

“I believe that prayer is the measure of the man, spiritually, in a way that nothing else is, so that how we pray is as important a question as we can ever face.” – JI Packer

-Pastor Adam

Baptism, Event

On September 10, 2013, we celebrated as 11 individuals obediently followed Jesus Christ’s commandment to be baptized (Matthew 28: 19). We heard 11 stories of redemption, 11 stories of changed lives, 11 stories of individuals being saved from death to life and 11 stories of people trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation. The religious church-goer and the rebellious pot smoker, the overlooked and the overachiever all shared the same story: “I’m a terrible sinner in need of Jesus Christ.” The evening was filled with chatter, children, and plenty of cheers! Praise Jesus for all the work He’s done and continues to do in the city of Seattle.

Service | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Downtown Cornerstone,

I hope you are well and leaning into our gracious and faithful Savior this week. As many of you have heard, we are on the move – literally. On Sunday, October 20th, we will be changing our primary gathering location to a larger set of theaters (adults and kids) upstairs at AMC; different venue, same location.

Main Space

By God’s grace, we’ve grown by 70% compared to this time last year and are in need of more space. Jesus is building his church and we prayerfully anticipate more of the same this fall. The new theater (aka our main gathering space) seats 400+ and has a layout that is essentially a larger version of our current space.

Kids Space

We are also moving the Cornerstone Kids’ (CK) space upstairs to be near parents and simplify drop-off/pick-up. The kids theater is located just down the hall from the main gathering space. We are purchasing new, fun, and colorful walls, flooring, lighting, projector and decor to make the space inviting and hospitable to this growing ministry. We will also create a new nursing mother’s space upstairs and we will be adding CK care for children six months to one year old.

We Need (More) Volunteers

With the move, combined with some summer attrition, we are in need of more volunteers to fill out our service teams. If you are not currently serving, I encourage you to take a step of faith and sign-up. You’ll be blessed by serving others, make new friends and get a front row seat to see how Jesus is moving among us. Scheduling is flexible and the more volunteers we have the lighter the load is for everyone. Our current needs include:

With the move, combined with some summer attrition, we are in need of more volunteers to fill out our service teams. If you are not currently serving, I encourage you to take a step of faith and sign-up. You’ll be blessed by serving others, make new friends and get a front row seat to see how Jesus is moving among us. Scheduling is flexible and the more volunteers we have the lighter the load is for everyone. Our current needs include:

• Ushers/Greeting: x 10
• Facilities: Set-up/Take-down x 6
• Cornerstone Kids: x 5
• Connect Team:  x 4
• Band: Experienced Musicians x 4
• Hospitality/Beverage: x 3

You can sign-up by dropping by the Connect Desk on Sunday or emailing .

“Why Not Go to Two Services?” 

You might be wondering why we’re not going to two services to create more space and options instead of moving upstairs. In fact, many voices within the “church growth” movement recommend just that – the more options you have, the more people opt. There’s some truth to that, but we’re not mainly interested in inflating our numbers. We’re mainly interested in Jesus, seeing people know and grow in him, and following the Spirit.

So, just a number of clarifications. First, going to two services requires doubling all of our service teams and the number of hours of volunteer service on a Sunday. In other words, it is a huge strain on a church of our size and we don’t want our volunteers burning out. Second, therefore, our hope is to get above 300 before we even consider a second service. Third, multiplying services is, in some ways, like planting a second church and significantly impacts the culture and feel of the corporate gathering. As a newly forming church (2.5 years old) this is an important season to be together, grow together, worship together and follow Jesus in becoming the church he has in store for us. So, for now the plan is to stay together, but we’ll prayerfully re-evaluate with each season and opportunity.

Pray for a Permanent Home

Many of you are already praying for this, but please be asking Jesus to open up an opportunity for a more permanent location to gather in and serve as a home base for our on-going gospel presence in the city. The church is a people, not a place, but having a more permanent home can help on many levels. We’re trusting Jesus to provide in his timing and, for now, are seeking to be faithful with and thankful for what he has provided in this season. Thanks for your on-going prayers here.

If you have any questions about anything, let me know. I’m thankful, humbled and excited to be part of following Jesus with you in this great city.

Christ is all!
Pastor Adam

Community, City Life, Event, Service | by Anne Johnson

We recently had the chance to run a back to school drive for Dunlap Elementary School in Rainer Valley. This wasn’t the first time we partnered with Dunlap; back in July we hosted a Serve The City event. After an outpouring of blessings (on us!), we knew there had to be more we could do. Dunlap’s Head Teacher, Jacqualine Brown, explained that because of tight finances many students show up to school without adequate supplies. Backpacks are often the most difficult for parents to purchase, especially in larger families. Dunlap is located in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, and over 85% of the students receive free or subsidized lunches.

We are committed to building a great city, not just a great church. Our desire is to see gospel renewal take place from the avenues to the alleyways. With this in mind we decided to hold the drive. For the month of August donations were brought in, ordered from Amazon and one Community even went to the store for their weekly gathering. On the last day of the drive, a group of us had carried down that days donations, (it took five of us). While I was pulling the car around to load up the bounty, my husband waited with the bags and bags of school supplies. He told me afterwards that people walked by, staring at him and presumably wondering what a large bearded man needed with ten pink calculators. But among the stares, a woman approached him and asked if he was with the school drive. When he responded yes, she handed him money to contribute to the effort.

As a church, we believe that we have been infinitely loved and served by God through the person and work of Jesus, so we serve as we’ve been served in Christ. For a majority of the items, like folders, notebooks, pencils and crayons, we exceeded the amount Dunlap requested. With everyone’s help we were able to donate 22 backpacks, and hundreds of pencils, erasers, notebooks, glue sticks, and so much more!

It was awesome watching our church family give to those they did not even know, and I was humbled watching the pile of supplies go from this:

To this:

Thank you DCC for the ways that you loved and served others through this drive! I’m praying that we would continue to be a people who are marked by a deep love for Jesus, and the city He has placed us in!

Hebrews 13:16

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Phillipians 2:3-7

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.