Building Disciples, Building Community

If you have been in church on a certain Sunday in September for the past few years, you will have witnessed the commissioning of the Cornerstone Fellows by the church community of St. John the Divine. The Cornerstone Fellows are a group of people from our church who commit to eight (!) months of Wednesday night classes, two retreats, and a whole lot of reading, praying, and growing together as disciples of Jesus Christ.  

The Cornerstone program was developed by parishioners Andy Breckwoldt and Tony Mayer, two faithful leaders in our church and community. Both Andy and Tony had an abundance of experience leading in their professional lives, as well as in their Christian communities. This program was designed to help people integrate these two worlds, using resources from both the secular leadership field and similar programs in other churches, like the Gotham City Fellows at Redeemer Church in New York City. As Kelly Rubio, one of this past year’s Fellows, explains,

“The Cornerstone Fellowship Ministry is an executive-level leadership curriculum designed to impart Biblically-based teaching in a corporate and business context. The ministry offers a process of shaping one’s personal spiritual formation to be cultivated as leaders in work and community.”

Over the three years that Andy and Tony have led the program, they have tweaked the material to include more time developing the community aspect as well. This community fellowship develops over the months as the Fellows learn and grow together, eat dinner together every Wednesday, pray for one another, and take turns leading devotions. For many, it is the first time they may have led devotions. The Fellows are invited to share some of their testimony as they lead the group in prayer and Scripture, allowing the group to get to know one another more. As one fellow, Marci Pendley, puts it,

“My main takeaway from Cornerstone was not necessarily the lessons (however the material is excellent, engaging, and truly thought-provoking), but was and is the fellowship! I have so many new friends that are now part of my life and church family. I am staying in touch with everyone whether I see them at church, text throughout the week to check in, or meet them for lunch or a church function. Cornerstone has helped me develop meaningful relationships with the people in my class that are nurturing my faith and growth in Christ! The course was truly a blessing!”

Another fellow, Josh Stone, agrees, writing of the gift of learning and growing in community:

“Cornerstone gave me a deep sense of encouragement and satisfaction from the fact that everything I do, at work and at home, matters. This came from our assigned books and studies, from scripture, from the theology we discussed, the exercises we practiced, the lessons we were taught, and, most sweetly of all, from each other’s shared desire to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Under the tutelage of Andy and Tony, as well as Leigh Spruill, Kira Moolman Pettit, and other guest speakers, the Cornerstone Fellows study what it means to be a Christian the rest of the week, not just on Sundays. They wrestle with the grand narrative of the Bible, dig deep into their own strengths and weaknesses, grapple with bringing their faith into the workplace, and discern the joys and challenges of serving their city. Every cohort ends with a challenge to bring the light of Jesus Christ into one targeted area of their life, whether it be a place of brokenness in their workplace, church circles, neighborhoods, or families. These cultural renewal projects are then presented to the rest of the fellows in the final weeks of the program.

Over the weeks and months spent together, Fellows share prayer requests and thanksgivings, from work struggles to new jobs, birthdays to funerals. And although the group is diverse, encompassing a wide range of ages and stages, they become a family of brothers and sisters in Christ, a family which has been revitalized to go out in the name of Jesus to love and serve the world. Kevin Liles, another fellow from this year, writes, “Interconnections between work life and church life are what you learn, closer fellowship and relationships are what you gain.” He sums up the program saying, “Cornerstone is the turbo charge button for your faith journey.”