Cornerstone Church, LaVista, Celebrates Twenty-Fifth Anniversary
By Carolyn Gibbs
June 2008
First Southern Baptist Church, now Cornerstone Church, started in 1983 and is now 25 years old. And we aren’t done yet! April 26 and 27, 2008, Cornerstone hosted an Anniversary party to celebrate 25 years of service. Out of 91 original charter members, seven still faithfully serve at Cornerstone. Eleven visiting charter members joined the two-day celebration. Friday evening, Cornerstone welcomed visiting speakers, past pastors, and past and current members with a dessert fellowship.
235 gathered for special music, praise, worship, and our guest speakers on Sunday morning. Peck Lindsay, KNCSB Executive Director and former ENBA DOM, spoke, congratulating the church on 25 years of service. Harold Manahan, former ENBA DOM and former Cornerstone pastor, reminded us of all the firsts in 25 years, including those who first became members, teachers, or came to know the Lord. He reminisced about the first meeting place in the Huffman office building and using donut boxes for collection plates. He remembered the first VBS.
“Some little girls took the offering. One little girl wasn’t collecting anything. Martha and I were in the back and always put money in. The little girl said out loud, ‘Finally somebody gave.’”
Mark Elliot the Current ENBA DOM gave a prayer of praise before the offering. Since donut boxes were used for the first worship service, Don Poe, charter member, brought out new donut boxes for the offering in memory of that time.
Gary Fuller, former Cornerstone pastor also reminisced about one of the charter members, Duane Bouza. Duane always had a clip board to record every visitor that crossed the threshold. “You could ask him who visited on any Sunday of the year and he could tell you,” Gary said. Duane’s wife, Sue is still an active member of Cornerstone, but Duane went home to the Lord last year. Gary also said it’s important to evaluate where we’ve been and be sensitive to God’s leading. We need to evaluate the future, moving upward and onward. He said God has a plan and God’s plan is never in retreat. “What’s important is what’s ahead for the next 50 or 75 years,” he said.
Last but not least, current senior pastor of Cornerstone, Jim Hayes said those who trust in Christ aren’t strangers, but part of a family. As a family we stand on the word of God.
“That’s our foundation. We understand who God is and He is our cornerstone,” Jim said.
God is the cornerstone that holds us together. Whatever we do, he said, the glory goes to God. “He is the one who started this church. Everything we’ve done in 25 years is for God and for His glory. We can impact others with a heart built on the foundation of His word.”
The service was followed by a covered dish lunch and continued fellowship. 25 years of friendships, laughing, crying, growing, and serving, Cornerstone continues to strengthen the foundation …. “growing for life.”
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