Dear Cornerstone Church,
I distinctly remember doing a double take as I drove by your church the
first time on Saturday, August 28, 2010. I had just gotten off the highway after the drive from Philly. I passed by, read the words “Cornerstone Church”
in my head and there was a sort of imprint left there. Later that night, I
looked for a church to attend the following morning. I typed the phrase “Pentecostal
church + 06518” into Google and your church was the first result. Instantly I
remembered driving by there earlier in the day. I had never searched for a
church before so I didn’t know what to look for. My beau suggested that I read the
Declaration of Faith to assure that it lined up with my beliefs. I read it, and
then made that decision to visit Cornerstone in hopes of finding a new church
home.
As soon as I walked into church Sunday morning, I was greeted by a woman who
later became one of my dearest friends, and mother of sorts. She was loving and
sweet, and I couldn’t help but to hug her while being greeted because of the
abundance of love she showed. The congregation was just as friendly and kind.
They all went out of their way to greet me and my beau, and continued to do
that every week I attended.
The weeks went by and I started getting involved with the women’s Bible
study on Tuesday nights. It was something I looked forward to with vigor. It
was my place. A place where I felt
welcomed and known, especially since I knew one else in the state and it was
hard to make friends with classmates. It was here that I grew to love the
people of Cornerstone and the heart of the church.
Within the first month of attending church, it clicked! This was the reason
why God brought me to Connecticut. It made no sense to me before.
QU was the only graduate school that I applied to, as I was considering attending another
post-baccalaureate program. I was utterly surprised when I was accepted, but I
couldn’t help but to question why this all happened in the first place.
You can say that I grew up in the
church, but I sort of fell away as I grew older. I had lost the unwavering love
and passion for Christ that I once had. I’m not sure how that happened, but I
am sure that attending undergrad and not having a church to attend attributed
to it. I believe two things brought me back into His fold: (1) my beau’s re-dedication to the Lord before we started dating and the testimony of his life
to me; and (2) the Christ-centered teachings and fellowship of Cornerstone
church…. And God knew that I needed this. He knew that I needed love and
friendship in the church, a sense of belonging, and reinforcement of His word.
(He also knew that I have a deep love and appreciation for contemporary
Christian music, and you guys had it! ツ )
There is so much more that I could say to you, Cornerstone Church of
Cheshire, but my mind and little fingers cannot keep up. So, I will just leave
you with these last few words…
Thank you for showing me pure, unadulterated love without even knowing me or
my circumstances. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, the prayers,
and words of wisdom. Thank you for the invites for lunch,
dinner, movies,
annual Christmas parties, Christmas brunch, etc. And thank you for loving the
Lord, because without His love, you would not be able to impart such love to
me.
I will miss you all dearly. I will surely visit. And, if we don’t see each
other again in this life, I look forward to seeing you again in heaven.
