Not since, Jackie and I loaded all our worldly belongings in a cattle trailer and moved to Ft. Worth, TX, to attend seminary, (without a place to live and no jobs), have we taken a greater leap of faith. We covet your prayers as we begin this ministry in Gladewater, TX, where we have lived and ministered for the past 11 years. We have been promised some support, but until we become more established as a congregation, we are strictly going forward by faith.
I am excited to be able to build a church from the ground up, piece by piece, which is what led me to the name, Cornerstone Church. The cornerstone, in ancient world construction, was more than a ceremonial stone which contained artifacts for future generations. The cornerstone was the first stone laid to anchor and be the standard of the foundation for rest of the structure. To have the opportunity to lead and equip a group of believer's who are willing to make Christ the cornerstone of their lives and his church at it's inception is a special privilege.
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become the holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in God lives by His Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22)In Frances Chan's book, "Crazy Love," he asked, "How many of you have read the New Testament and wondered if we in the church are missing it?" That thought inspired me to seek God and His word to know what He desires His church to be. Out of that search came the vision for Cornerstone Church to be "a group of believers who are committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and who resolve to display an accurate picture of God to believers and unbelievers in the community of Gladewater and around the world." It's not original, because that is what every church ought to be. The foundation of every church must be Christ and truth of the Scriptures. He is the chief cornerstone upon which everything is built. That's where we must begin.
I invite you to become prayer partners is this new work. I would like you to acknowledge that you will be a prayer partner for the launch of Cornerstone Church, by commenting on the blog or facebook entry. Your intercession is the most important way that you can support us. As you pray, these are some specific needs:
Core group of people who grasp the vision of Cornerstone Church to join us
Worship Leader and musicians
Nursery and Children's workers
Video Projector and sound system
Website and someone with the know-how to make it top notch
Financial Support (rental of meeting place $200 per month, resources, publicity)
A Sponsoring Church to mentor and support
Employment for me (I anticipate being bi-vocational)
Jackie's Photography Business
Our Family's protection from Satan's assaults
Our first gathering will be Sunday, December 6th at 10:00 AM at the Bailey's Community Building (next to the Ace Hardware Store) on Hwy. 80 in Gladewater, TX. We invite you to come and join us for worship.
We will keep you posted on what God is doing.
In Christ's Love,
Ellis and Jackie Hayden
