Members appreciate church family

By Linda Linonis

Nurture Groups, a cornerstone of the ministry, help members to be and make disciples.

BOARDMAN — Nurture Groups at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church nourish the faith of participants and promote fellowship among members.

The groups, and the overall ministry and history of the church, will be celebrated May 17. That’s 50 years ago to the day when the group that evolved into Cornerstone Presbyterian Church met as South Chapel on May 17, 1959.

Dean Brown, chairman of the 50th anniversary committee, explained that the Nurture Groups, which focus on Bible study, prayer and fellowship, fulfill the directive from a passage in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever.”

The ministry, itself a cornerstone of church, mirrors growth in faith and discipleship through Bible study that is emphasized on the church Web site, www.cornerstonepch.org. The small groups give members the tools of knowledge to be and make disciples.

In a subtle way, the Nurture Groups are aptly named, reflecting the family-oriented character of the church. Brown, along with Marty Dickinson and Dick Barnes, members of the anniversary committee, and Pastor Mark Bell, recently gathered to talk about the church as it celebrates its 50th year.

Dickinson, a member for 28 years, said, “It’s a very caring church. We don’t have family here but this is our family.”

“Here, you become part of a family,” Barnes said. “We have a lot of love, hugs and tears ... a lot of sharing. I just know I need to be here.” He has belonged to the church since 1981.

Brown said the Nurture Groups have a 20-year history in the church. He admitted to “kinda designing them” under the auspices of the Session committee.

Nurture Group I meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in members’ homes and is studying the book, “Boundaries.” Nurture Group II meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the church and is focusing on the book of I John. Nurture Group III meets at 6 p.m. Sundays at the church, where a brief devotion precedes emphasis on prayer.

Bible study, prayer and fellowship are the three aspects the groups share.

“There also is a great emphasis on adult Sunday School,” Brown said.

There are two adult classes for the 106 members of the church and a youth Sunday school meets at the same time on Sunday mornings.

The church also places importance on its music ministry. “Traditional and contemporary hymns are part of worship,” Brown said. The sanctuary is decorated with handcrafted banners featuring verses from the Bible. The banners, made by women of the church, not only enhance the worship space but reinforce teachings from the Bible.

Another group, WIC, Women in the Church, meets monthly. “We do a lot of event planning,” Dickinson said. And a women’s Bible study meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays.

The church also has a prayer chain. “It involves the whole church,” she said. The church also is gearing up for Backyard Fellowship, gatherings at members’ homes during the summer.

Brown added that the church also has a library, with books on Bible study, Christian life and history and theology.

Pastor Bell said the youth group, for seventh- through 12th-graders, is getting reorganized; the church has six young people in this age range.

In the past, Barnes said, the youth of the church has participated in the Heifer Project, which buys animals to produce food for hungry families in Third World countries, taken mission trips and participated in neighborhood cleanups.

As part of its outreach effort, the church gives gift cards for groceries to people in need. “The board of deacons’ fund is supported by offerings and other contributions to the fund,” said Brown. “It’s another way for us to help out,” Barnes added. The church also operates a food pantry.

The deacons’ fund also helps church members. “If there’s a special need in the church, we try to take care of it,” Brown said.

Church members take caring to heart, as is evidenced by this example.

Dickinson and Barnes said the church has an incredible network of volunteers who help take an older church member for a medical treatment on a regular basis. “It’s such a blessing to know that this member is being cared for,” Dickinson said.

In another outreach area, the church will sponsor a vacation Bible school from July 20-24. It also contributes to the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational effort that promotes Christianity, for students at Youngstown State University, and donates to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, Needle’s Eye and Care Net Pregnancy Center.

Pastor Bell, who assumed the leadership role April 1, said it was the “generosity and graciousness” of members that struck him. Previously, he had served a church in upstate New York for 10 years.

Pastor Bell said he had first been in touch with Cornerstone in 2005 about the pastor’s position but circumstances didn’t work out. Then in 2008, things meshed. “It was clear to me and the committee that the Lord directed me here,” he said. Now, he and his wife, Claudia, and four children are part of the church family.

“I expect great things here. We are driven by the love of God,” Pastor Bell said.