Will you arrive in time for coffee & treats or communion?

One spring Sunday many years ago, I think it was an Easter Sunday, our family arrived for church to find it packed! My dad asked, "Are there any seats available?" The usher replied, "There'll be lots of empty seats in about a minute!" Having forgotten to "spring forward," we arrived at the close of the service rather than the beginning. Don't let it happen to you! This Sunday, March 11, is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.

• CONNECTIONPoint 101: Welcome to Cornerstone Community Church {Sunday, March 11, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. @ Red River Theatres} New to Cornerstone? Hang out after church next Sunday to have pizza with Pastor Brian and learn more about our story and how to get the most out of your experience at Cornerstone. Register today!

• Connection Group Pictures! Youth & Young Adults | Concord | Penacook | Yours?

• Will you be ready? Email your faith story (before Christ, how you came to Christ, your life after Christ) to Pastor Brian.

• A letter from our Compassion Partnership Facilitator For years, Cornerstone and its people have sponsored children through Compassion.com. This week we received a letter from Alex Ramirez Caal's Partnership Facilitator for the Student Center in Bezaleel, Guatemala. Compassion partners with the local churches in the sponsored child's community to make a difference in their lives, their families and their communities. Read the letter and see Alex here.

• Looking for someone to Coordinate Compassion Sunday at Cornerstone this year. Is it you?

• Ladies Day Apart {Friday, April 13, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. @ Calvary Bible Church, Derry} Register now for the Ladies Day Apart featuring Christian novelist Karen Kingsbury. The Saturday event is already sold out, so act now! Register online at here!

• 2012 Dove Singers Easter Musical - "Known By The Scars – By His Stripes We Are Healed" {Saturday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. @ St. John the Evangelist Christ the King Parish} Admission is free to this annual state-wide, multi-church production. For additional dates and locations see www.dovesingers.org.

• Four Years at Red River Theatres This March marks four years we’ve been meeting at Red River Theatres.

• Wondering why we've been doing communion each week? Listen in and understand why we've been celebrating communion each Sunday at Cornerstone lately. Listen in here ...
  

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Wondering why we've been doing communion each week?

This explains why, in part, we've been celebrating communion each Sunday at Cornerstone lately. Listen in ...

Communion Meditation by Brian Foreman Listen on Posterous

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THE BIG IDEA for this week: JUST TELL YOUR STORY!

The Big Idea: Just tell your story!

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6 NLT

((1) Effectively tell how (2) your story became part of (3) God's story.

Your Story

1—My life before Christ
(Briefly describe where you were spiritually; your feelings, attitudes, actions and relationships.)

“If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion…I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.” — Acts 26:5,9 NLT

2—How I came to Christ
(How and when did you decide to follow Christ? Be specific; include the time, place and people involved.)

“We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’ “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.’” — Acts 26:14-15 NLT

3—My life after Christ
(How has your life changed since you've trusted Christ?)

“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God.” — Acts 26:19-20a NLT

God’s Story

I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”— Acts 26:22b-23 NLT

The Challenge: Write Your Story!

• Be brief. You should be able to read it out loud in one to two minutes. Write it out in 100 words or less.
• Find a theme. Often there is a central theme in our lives that illustrates the change in our life before and after receiving Christ. In the example from the Apostle Paul, it was his zeal for persecuting the church that was turned into zeal to spread the faith. Other examples might be guilt/forgiveness, worry, anger, contentment, etc.
• Use everyday language. Avoid religious cliches and "Christian-eze."
• Be specific. "I used to worry all the time about money and now I have peace that God is going to take care of all our needs." is better than "I used to worry a lot and now I don't."

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Hear Justin's Story

Justin Wolbert's Baptism Testimony by Justin Wolbert Listen on Posterous

Hear Justin Wolbert's story as told to the congregation at Cornerstone right before his baptism.

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Hear baptism explained in just over three minutes

Audio Cd Listen on Posterous

The why, how and significance of baptism explained in just over three minutes by Pastor Brian. This was the prelude to our last baptism at Cornerstone.

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A letter from our Compassion Partnership Facilitator

For years, Cornerstone and its people have sponsored children through Compassion. Just today we received a letter from Alex Ramirez Caal's Partnership Facilitator for the Student Center in Bezaleel, Guatamala.

Compassion partners with the local churches in the sponsored child's community to make a difference in their lives, their families and their communities. As Hector says in this letter, "Now, more than ever, Compassion and the church have become the hope, shelter, protection, and learning [center] for the children and their mothers..."

Please read the letter, and if you'd like to write to Alex, contact Pastor Brian.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from CornerstoneNH News & Events

A letter from our Compassion Partnership Facilitator

For years, Cornerstone and its people have sponsored children through Compassion. Just today we received a letter from Alex Ramirez Caal's Partnership Facilitator for the Student Center in Bezaleel, Guatamala.

Compassion partners with the local churches in the sponsored child's community to make a difference in their lives, their families and their communities. As Hector says in this letter, "Now, more than ever, Compassion and the church have become the hope, shelter, protection, and learning [center] for the children and their mothers..."

Please read the letter, and if you'd like to write to Alex, contact Pastor Brian.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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CornerstoneNH | Just Walk!

Dear church,

This week as you have opportunities to "just walk across the room" to show a kindness, build a relationship, leave your "Circle of Comfort" and enter the "Zone of the Unknown," remember these two things ...

#1 Your motivation:

The experience of God’s love will propel us across rooms the way God’s love drove him out of heaven, into our world, and up on the cross.

 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 NLT

#2 The process:

1.   God is love. God is love. — 1 John 4:8,16 NLT

2.   God puts his love in our hearts. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. — Romans 5:5b NLT

3.   We love others. We love each other because he loved us first. — 1 John 4:19 NLT

And then ... Just walk! (The BIG IDEA for this week)
Hear last Sunday's message, The Single Greatest Gift, here.

Blessings,
Pastor Brian

P.S. Some of you will remember Shauna Amick, New England Director for Joni and Friends who spoke at the women's conference a while back. She has asked if we have anyone in our church body who may be willing to lend an hour or two on Saturday as they paint their new office space in Manchester, close to the airport. They just acquired this space and need to do some "cleaning up" to make it ready for the Joni and Friends Ministry. Steve Amick (Shauna's husband) is looking for maybe 2-3 more painters.  He plans to arrive at the office before 8am, but if anyone could join him prior to 9am, that would be a great help.  He plans to work until lunch, and Shauna will be providing coffee and donuts. Anyone interested in more information can contact Shauna or Steve Amick at 529-3983.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Take the plunge this Sunday

We're calling an audible and have scheduled a baptism this Sunday! If you are following Christ and haven't yet been baptized, this is your chance!

(Not a picture of an actual Cornerstone baptism!)

What is baptism? Baptism is the first thing you do when you decide to follow Jesus and become a Christian. Through baptism you are publicly declaring that you are now following Christ, that he has forgiven your sins (symbolized by the washing water), and that you have new life in Christ (symbolized by the watery "burial" and "resurrection"). Christ died for our sins... He was buried... and He rose again. - 1 Cor. 15:3-4

When should I get baptized? As soon as you become a believer. There is no reason to delay. As soon as you have decided to receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized. If you wait until you are "ready", you'll never feel "good enough"! "Those who believe...were baptized...that day!" - Acts 2:41

Does baptism "save" me? Nope. Only Jesus can do that. Baptism doesn't make you into a believer, it is a public affirmation of your saving faith in Jesus Christ, done in obedience to Jesus' command.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. - Eph 2:8-9

Baptism is sort of like putting on a wedding ring for the first time: it's a public celebration of a new relationship and new identity.

What if I was baptized as an infant? If your parents baptized you as a baby, they were expressing their hope and faith that you would follow Christ as you grew older, be forgiven of your sins, and go to heaven when you die.

In the Bible however, baptism follows personal faith. A baby can't understand what's going on or make a decision to follow Christ. If you have decided to follow Christ now, it's appropriate to be baptized!

We see your decision to be baptized not as a repudiation of your parents' decision, but rather as a celebration of the fulfillment of their hopes and prayers when they baptized you!

What now? If you want to know more, have questions, or are ready to take the plunge, let Pastor Brian know by going here!

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You're Ready for the Mission: Now Just Walk!

THE BIG IDEA for this week:
Jesus does stuff for you
and you talk about it
to your people.

Dear church,

Last Sunday we saw in the Scriptures that our experience with Jesus makes us qualified to fulfill the Great Commission. This Sunday we'll begin“Just Walk Across the Room,” a four-week church-wide emphasis to raise our level of confidence and effectiveness as we point people to faith in Jesus Christ.

Click here for a short video introduction to the “Just Walk Across the Room” series

During this emphasis, the topics on Sunday mornings and in all our Connection Groups will be in sync. I've challenged the whole church to organize into Connection Groups for this series, so everyone at Cornerstone has a Connection Group. Since the Connection Group teaching is on DVD, if you can press “Play” you can host a group!

Here’s what you need to do to be prepared before next Sunday’s official start of Just Walk Across the Room:

Find a Group...

• If you don’t have a group, find a group!—Everyone at Cornerstone is meeting during the week in a Connection Group during Walk. You can join a group that is already forming, or organize your own! Here are the groups known right now:

• Students • Brian & Suellen Foreman’s • Thursdays 7-9 p.m. beginning this Thursday, 2/9
• Concord • Jon & Kathy Berger’s • Monday evenings beginning 2/13
• Penacook • Damon & Rachel Duppong’s • Wednesday evenings beginning 2/15
• Manchester • Jesse & Becki Gregoire's • Monday evenings beginning 2/13
• Warner • Joan Murray's • TBD

To indicate your interest in a group, find out more, or to create a new group, go here.

• If you’ve got a group, invite someone to join your group—People are more likely to join a group if they receive a personal invitation. Who is around you that you can invite to be a part of your group? Forward this in email, text them, or send them a link to this video, or even better, call them and invite them to the group you'll be in.
  

• If you’d like to form a group, get your people and resources together—Talk to your friends, family and neighbors to organize a group. Once you’ve got a group, let me know and I'll get you the DVD and other resources to make hosting a breeze.

Show Up Sunday...

• "Walk" begins with The Single Greatest Gift—The single greatest gift Christ-followers can give to the people around them is an introduction to God, who created them, who loves them, and who has a purpose for their life. So why don't we do it more? This Sunday we'll see what it takes to raise your level of participation, confidence and boldness to help people find their way to faith.
  
• Group Hosts, get your DVD—Group leaders may borrow a DVD. You’ll also receive a Just Walk Across the Room Participant’s Guide and other resources to help you host the group. See Pastor Brian.
• Group Participants, check the Encouragement Table—A Participant’s Guide and other resources are available.
  

I'm looking forward to this adventure together with you!
Pastor Brian

P.S. We want everyone who wants to be in a group to be able to find a group. If you want help, click here.

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CornerstoneNH | Connection Groups are forming

In just two short weeks, our whole church will be going through the "Walk Across the Room" series on Sundays and in Connection Groups around the area. Walk Across the Room will give you the skills and confidence you need to be an effective messenger for your faith. You'll get easy-to-use tools to help you. Your stories will encourage one another. Your prayers for one another will be lifted up. You'll make new friends as you figure out following Christ together.

Your challenge is to organize everyone into Connection Groups for this four-week series. Get together with your friends, your family, the Cornerstone family in your town or area. Make invitations. Don't leave anyone out.

When you've got a group, get the DVD and participant's guide from me. The teaching is DVD-based, so the pressure is off. You're the HOST:

H - Have a heart for people.
O - Open up a place to meet.
S - Serve something to drink.
T - Turn on the DVD player.

If your group has room for more, let me know and I'll help you get the word out.

If you're looking for a group but don't have a troupe yet, let me know and I'll help you find a place to plug in.

Because church is a family,
Pastor Brian

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CornerstoneNH | The challenge this week

This week's message had a unique addition: a pastor's challenge to us as a congregation:

Do something to make a big impact for one person this week.

For the whole context and explanation, you can listen to the message FOCUS: Do For One here.

Real faith is demonstrated by what we do. Seeing the need is your invitation to do something about it. Abandon your excuses. Take the initiative. Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone. Let's see what kind of impact God can make through our steps of faith and obedience.

Make a comment below to tell your stories, and share your ideas.

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