THE WORSHIP SERVICE
‍All people worship something. As human beings, we “give worth” (worth-ship) to things, people, ideas, and values. As Christians, we have been reoriented to our life-giving Creator and Redeemer so that we might give Him our worship. Ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his followers have gathered on Sunday, the first day of the week, to worship together. At Cornerstone Church, worship is at the center of who we are. The most important thing we do is gather each Sunday as one body to hear from God’s Word, receive His gifts of grace, and lift up His praise.We gather for Sunday school education at 9:45 am, and for corporate worship at 10:45 am. The service usually lasts about 75 minutes.

‍ORDER OF WORSHIP
‍The flow of the worship service at Cornerstone follows a Biblical pattern that is very purposeful. It matches the story of God’s work in our lives:

‍Called by God
God invites us to come into His presence, so we enter with joy and singing.

‍Cleansed by God
When God calls us, He also wants us to admit our need for Him. We confess our sins together and God cleanses us in Christ with the promise of the Gospel.

‍Consecrated by God
To be “consecrated” means to be set apart for a purpose or goal. We are consecrated by God’s Word as we then read from the Scriptures and hear a sermon based on the Bible. One way we respond to God’s Word is by giving to God’s mission in the world through His church.

‍Communion with God
Having heard God’s Word to us, we speak our requests back to God, and we have fellowship with Him in our prayer together. We also have the Lord’s Supper at this time, a meal that expresses God’s communion with us.

‍Commissioned by God
The end of the worship service is God sending us back into the world to be His witnesses with His blessing (benediction).


‍For more on Cornerstone’s liturgy and sequence of worship, see this document: "The Logic, Pattern, and Principles of Biblical Worship.
"TRADITIONAL HYMNS AND CONTEMPORY SONGS
‍At Cornerstone, we gladly use both older hymns and contemporary songs in our singing. Hymns from long ago have stood the test of time and remind us that our faith is ancient and enduring; newer songs remind us that the Gospel is relevant for each new generation. What matters most in our singing is that God is glorified in the lyrics and normal people can sing the songs. We encourage all of the congregation to sing out joyfully and rigorously; the music in our worship is not a performance for the church but an element of the people’s worship which they offer to God.

‍FAMILY WORSHIP & CHILD CARE
‍Our worship is for all people. From the youngest to the oldest, families and singles, everyone is included in our worship and called to lift their voices to God. Children of all ages are welcome in the service. We love to have children participating with the whole church in worship ­– even if they are a bit squirmy! However, should parents want assistance with their young children, we have a nursery available along with children’s church for kids (18 months - 4 years). We’re ready to serve you and your children in any way we can.*Note that we also have devices for the hearing impaired, if needed.

THE LORD'S SUPPER
‍Jesus Christ told His church to commemorate His saving death by observing the Lord’s Supper in His name. It is a sign of the redemption He accomplished and the communion we have with Him and one another in the church.

At Cornerstone, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion or the Eucharist) with joy as we remember Christ and share in His grace. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for Christ’s church, so it is to be given only to baptized believers who belong to Christ's church and are living consistent with their public profession of faith. We ask those who are not believers or those under church discipline not to partake, but to wait and to pray for God’s grace to repent and believe.

For more about the Lord’s Supper at Cornerstone, see our two documents on how we do it and on when children can partake of the Supper.Celebrating the Lord's Supper at Cornerstone Church
Cornerstone Statement on Communicant MembershipFor more about why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly, see this letter from the Cornerstone leadership:
‍Why We Are Moving to Weekly Communion
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