Cornerstone exists because of Jesus. We are a people who have been transformed by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has forgiven us and adopted us into his family. Now, we have a whole new life.
Through the gospel, God redeems us, forgives us, and adopts us into his family. The good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection makes each one of us a new creation and gives us a new identity: children of God. This is why we can never think of the church as an organization or a building. The church is actually a family—God’s family, filled with redeemed sinners that are now his children.
Through the gospel, God forgives us, adopts us into his family, and makes us his disciples. This means that the church is not just any family. We are a family formed by God—and sent out with a purpose.
The church is a family that ministers to one another, cares for one another, and builds one another up. Each member of the family is a child of God who is uniquely gifted to bless the family and to be a light in our city.
Just like a vine grows best with a good trellis, our church family grows best with good programs. Our programs and ministries are tailored to support the community and mission God has given us.
"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." –Colossians 1:19-20
At Cornerstone we believe students grow best when they are an active part of the church, not siloed in their own age group apart from the larger church family. We treat our High School students as young adults and encourage them to participate in the life of the church in as many ways as they can. We love to have our high school students participating in Community Groups, Sunday worship services, Conferences, and Equipping Classes, and in discipleship relationships with mature Christians.
But we also recognize that there are unique components to being in Junior High and High School that require specific instruction and community. Catalyst is the place where these students can learn, grow, and worship together with Junior High and High School students seeking to follow Christ.
So many Christian youth programs go from activity to activity, rarely (if ever) allowing their students to slow down enough to think and explore what it means to grow into the richness of Christian maturity. Adding another set of church activities to their schedules only aggravates the situation, and does little to make the Gospel a reality in their lives.
Catalyst is built to facilitate deep and wide transformation through mentoring relationships. Instead of simply adding activities, we walk with high school students through their lives, injecting the wisdom of the Gospel. We believe these relationships will help form them into God-glorifying, mature Christian adults more than any set of activities will ever do.
This group meets every other Sunday during the 11am service. Students are dismissed during the sermon time to be able to hear the same message their parents are hearing in the main service, but in a language directed to their life situation. On the off weeks (when Catalyst isn’t meeting) students are encouraged to sit together during the main worship service and learn how to participate and be a part of a church community, listen to a sermon, and worship corporately.
For more information contact: chris.w@cornerstonewla.org
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