keeping in touch with the friends of cornerstone

touchstone

whole of life mission and training

in this issue

3Elvira’s refl ections

5graduation

6

a word from a team member

7

mini musters

a time of transition

WINTER 2011

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“Transition is a matter and a process of becoming.Transition is a great deal more than change.It’s a growing and a maturing and an understanding and wisdom-gaining process …It’s a process of learning who we are.And it’s an opportunity to renew our dreams and refresh our calling.”

Max De Pree, Serving Without Power (p.35)

These words have been particularly relevant to Cornerstone Community in 2011. This year we’ve been going through a number of signifi cant transitions as a community and organisation. There’s been a strong sense across our communities that the Holy Spirit has

been walking with us through these changes, and we’d like to bring you – our friends and co-workers – up to date.

Over the last two years or so, we’ve been working towards changing our legal incorporation from an ‘incorporated association’ to a ‘public company limited by guarantee’. This was prompted by a number of legal and practical factors, but we also saw it as an opportunity to make some strategic changes to how we operate. We’ve established a new Constitution with these changes in mind, as a framework for how we operate into the future.

A very signifi cant change in the new Constitution was that membership in the company became

Les Follent continues to explain recent changes on pages 3 -5

The core business of Cornerstone has always been to help people become lifetime disciples of Jesus Christ. This group of young people attended a Leadership Camp at Swan Hill Centre recently.

I was an undergraduate student at UNSW with a very tentative grip on my inherited Christian faith when I fi rst met Laurie and Elvira in December 1970. They were freshly returned from a pioneering

ministry on the University of Sussex, England. Young people world-wide, powerfully stirred by protest music and strident calls for freedom, love and peace were experimenting with drastic lifestyle changes. There was a heady belief that we could reshape the world – usher in a new day. This unlikely pair – a Yackandandah dairy farmer and a primary teacher from Mexico - somehow translated that longing into a profound call into the the adventure launched by Jesus 2000 years ago, which he dubbed, “the Kingdom of God.” It was their invitation that led Robyn and I to join them in Bourke for the birthing of Cornerstone.

Poet Rudyard Kipling's tribute to The Explorer, traces the steps of a man who abandons his comfortable settled land to venture into the unknown in response to a compelling Whisper ,”Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!” Laurie and Elvira were pioneers of that calibre. A strong farm bred work ethic and an understanding of the character built by hard work were

the foundations of Laurie's practical outlook on life. Working as an engineer in the Snowy Mountains toughened the logic that eventually brought him out of atheism to accept the truthfulness of the Jesus narrative. This meant a shift for the central focus of his life - if this thing was true then everything had to be framed up inside it as the only possible response of an obedient disciple. Studies at Wheaton College in anthropology and sociology, as part of his preparation to serve as a Wycliffe linguist among Mexican Indians, expanded his understanding of what Jesus was actually attempting by being incarnated as one of us. Witnessing the power of the gospel in active dialogue with hippies and uni students as members of a Campus Crusade team in Brighton, Laurie and Elvira's understanding of what it took to really live the Good News was deepened.

Elvira matched Laurie's strong left brain approach to life with a robust right brain love for the creative education of children, music, dance and writing. In the isolation of outback Bourke she inspired ballet and participated in the beginnings of a pre-school and a radio station. With Charlotte Mason as her inspiration she launched a small school in her garage that grew into the 100 plus student Pera Bore School and the present Burrabadine School. Others caught her enthusiasm and began a variety of home schooling experiments in other locations.

The meal table in Laurie and Elvira's home has been the theatre for a thousand vigorous discussions and the launching place of many initiatives for the expansion of the Kingdom. The Whisper of exploration, the invitation to discover more of God's purpose, to risk all in his service was always there - it could never be said you went away unchallenged. The world view they modelled over the past forty years has been transformative in the lives of countless young people who, like Robyn and I, came hungry for a way of following Jesus that might help change the world – even just a little. More than anything, they've taught us to seek the Kingdom of God fi rst.

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WiNTeR 2011

Les Follent and Martin Watson (pictured on Lake Galilee) have been planning to lead a tour to the Middle East in late January and February 2012. They hope to raise enough to sponsor

Kwadwo and Emmanuel from Ghana Cornerstone to go too. If you are interested to join that tour, please contact les@cornerstone.edu.au soon!If you can't manage that, you may like to join in on the second study intensive on Jesus of Nazareth with Paul Roe. This will again be held at the Burrabadine Centre and runs Monday 26th to Friday 30th September. Contact Marianne at national@cornerstone.edu.au or phone 0268 840402.

In the Steps of Jesus

from paul’s cabin

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issue 32

around the table

It touches my heart to think that God uses the ordinary, to achieve the extraordinary. He used a simple prayer to feed a crowd, a touch to heal the sick, a look to walk on water, a word to calm

the sea. And a good fire for an excellent breakfast by the lake after his resurrection. His disciples took heart from this and achieved the impossible: the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. It never ceases to amaze me what great things are accomplished around a humble dinner table.

There is a photo of me holding one year old Tonchi and Laurie holding two year old Rose at the gates of Queens Park in Brighton, UK. It is what is not in the photo - the number of people around us, most of them new Christians in need of discipleship - that reminds me of how the vision for Cornerstone began.

Like all good ideas that grow around a kitchen table, Laurie and I had been thinking seriously about how we could invite them to live with us to teach them more about Jesus.

Later on in Mexico we saw how effective it was to disciple and train university students in the skill of team evangelism, while eating at my parents’ table.

Back in Australia we met with Paul and Robyn Roe around the table of a Mexican restaurant, where we plotted the formation of “The Jesus Christ World Liberation Front” and the teaching series we called “The Truth is Urgent”. These teaching sessions, coupled with street evangelism led to incursions into universities and youth camps and had people yearning for more. And so, to make a short story long, Cornerstone began.

Looking back through my years with Cornerstone I am happiest when I reflect on the things that have been achieved through our efforts as a community, usually planning them around a dinner table. The launching of “The Challenge of Being a Woman” study groups, the formation of Pera Bore and Burrabadine Schools, organising Musters, weddings, funerals, mission trips, effective

part of being a Member of Cornerstone Community as a Christian Mission Order. This gives all our Members (not just the senior leaders) more direct ownership, rights and responsibilities in influencing our movement and mission, reviewing our operations and voting on major issues at our Members meetings. This is not so much a matter of democracy, as an affirmation of the value of the collective wisdom, experience and commitment of our Members, and the New Testament principle that we together find the mind of Christ.

(From page 1)

discipleship and so on, add a weight of evidence to the way that God still urges ordinary people to try for the impossible.

As Laurie and I look ahead, we sit at our table and talk and pray and plot ways to help our Lord to find hearts ready to follow him in Temora, perhaps in Ghana, and who knows, maybe in Brighton again.

Elvira McIntosh

(As well as visiting family, Laurie and Elvira were delighted to spend time at Canowindra Centre for a teaching block and Newcastle for an inspiring men’s retreat. The possibility of spiritual retreats in Dubbo under their guidance is being explored. They have also been keen to have their own mission adventure in the small town of Temora. Next year there is the possibility of a preaching mission back in Sussex, England and a visit to help the Centre in Ghana. Retirement - no way!)

our new directors

The new Constitution requires that directors are appointed for 3-year terms, staggered so that at each annual general meeting (AGM), four of the twelve directors will typically finish their

terms. These directors will step down and their positions will be open for candidates nominated by both the board and the Members. The 'retiring' directors may be nominated as candidates for re-election, but this provides an opportunity each year for new people to be considered by the Members for the role of directors.

At our first AGM (at our Members Conference in May), we had an election for four directors; from an excellent group of seven nominated candidates, those receiving the highest votes included Russell Hodge and Paul Walker as 'returning' directors, and Matthew McLean and Lucas Frost as new directors. Laurie McIntosh and Bevan Walker finished up as directors at that time, and the Members expressed great appreciation for the many years of leadership and hard work these two brothers gave to us as directors on the board. They, with their wives, are continuing to be actively involved as Members.

our new national director

Laurie had been planning for some time to step out of the role of National Director, and that also happened at the recent AGM. Under the new Constitution, the National Director is appointed

by the board for three-year terms, and the board was unanimous in electing Paul Roe as the best person to lead our community and mission into the future.

The new Constitution also formalises the role of the 'executive' as a leadership team working with the National Director; members of the executive are also appointed by the Board. Along with Paul as National Director, the executive includes Peter Volkofsky, Les Follent and Martin Watson.

As you may imagine, such significant changes in structure and leadership can potentially be very difficult to navigate. There were certainly long discussions and hard work involved over many months, but as we took our first steps together in this new direction at our Members Conference in May, it was clear there was a fresh spirit of joy and optimism among our Members.

Gil Cann (Cornerstone's 'advocate') and his wife Cathy were with us for the weekend, and both commented that such substantial transitions in an organisation like this would rarely be achieved without great difficulty, tension and even damage to relationships. This no doubt reflects the character and commitment of our Members and the grace of God at work among us, but please pray for this unity of mind and spirit among both our leaders and Members to continue as we walk and work together in this new way.

Outgoing National Director, Laurie McIntosh, has never been one to ignore a challenge. Responding to a playful remark at Members Conference, he made the point of reading without his glasses just to prove that he could!

There was a great expression of love and appreciation as members prayed for Laurie and Elvira

WiNTeR 2011

4

our new courses

In a transition of a different kind, we have recently finalised accreditation and registration for a new suite of training courses. Our campuses at Canowindra and Swan Hill are now delivering

the Certificate IV in Christian Studies – 91529NSW (and the 'nested' 6-month Certificate III in Christian Studies – 91530NSW). This training still includes the heart of our previous 'stage 1' course, but has a strong focus on providing much more time and focus on shared, practical mission. The teachers and disciples get involved together in intentional mission in different contexts; these may range from personal relationships and involvement in local clubs through to Scripture teaching, youth groups, Bible studies, children camps and holiday programs. They are learning together to express the love and truth of Jesus through mission fieldwork and projects that will prepare them practically for a missional life on a Cornerstone team and elsewhere. We are still fine-tuning things, but the initial feedback from both teachers and disciples has been very positive.

"The difference that the new course makes to the Cornerstone experience is significant. The course now allows more time for getting our hands dirty and putting into practice the things we're exploring in the classroom. We're continuing to work at producing a course that allows these experiences to count towards unit assessments. Les has done an excellent job at helping to break down the wall between the classroom and the outside world. The new course is an improve-ment on something that I already thought was superb."

James Webb, teacher, Canowindra Centre

The 'stage 2' training – for those who join Cornerstone's mission teams – has also been updated, and is now the Diploma of Christian Studies – 91528NSW. The changes here are less dramatic, but there is still a stronger focus on directing our disciples into personal and shared mission, and learning from their experiences. There is also

plenty of scope for focusing on areas of personal interest within many of the units.

Stage 3 of our training is now the Advanced Diploma of Christian Studies – 91527NSW, delivered at the Burrabadine Mission Community near Dubbo. Building on the Diploma course (or equivalent), this course has also been fine-tuned and is perhaps best described advanced training for missional life and leadership. It would be excellent for anyone wanting to live and serve in intentional missional communities (not just in formal positions of leadership), and is pretty much essential for those wanting to be involved long-term as Members in Cornerstone Community. The first full intake for this new Advanced Diploma is in January 2012.

If you would like more information, a prospectus or the application pack for these new courses, they are available under 'Training' on our web site. If you know of anyone who you think should consider these courses as a next step in their own journey of discipleship and mission, why don’t you tell them today? Les Follent

Les has good reason to be proud of two sons among those graduating.

Graduation was a highlight of the May Members Conference which was held at the new Burrabadine Cornerstone School Hall in Dubbo.

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Congratulations to Daniel Follent and Jane Watson on being the Students of the Year.

Cornerstone Community and Ballarat Christian College are working in partnership, with the Certificate III in Christian Studies included in the school’s Biblical Studies program for Years 10-12. After four years of delivering Cornerstone’s Certificate III course, Rob Ferguson commented:

‘The course excites me because it has a mixture of practical spirituality and more academic theology. It combines those two aspects with depth, and in an accessible way. I’ve seen transformation in the students’ lives - into mature Christians who can take their place in a pluralistic world.’

The present year twelve class are themselves wholehearted in their appreciation for the course. James Milne, who completed it last year, is now at Cornerstone in Swan Hill. He feels the course works well with Christians and non-Christians alike and adds, ‘It gave me confidence to talk about my faith with people I met outside school ... It helps you for whatever you do next’.

Mick Kennedy, a former student from Cornerstone Pera Bore, is now involved in our missional community in Ballarat and is a teacher at Ballarat Christian College. He said the teachers are also going through the Cornerstone Certificate III course content and completing assignments and practical tasks. ‘I’ve heard feedback from some of the staff saying that it’s a great course (thus far) and very practical.’

Rob Ferguson would like to see the Certificate III course offered in other Christian schools and says a number of them do express interest. Cornerstone leaders Russell Hodge and Martin Watson plan to offer the course in other contexts as well. See the Cornerstone website for more information .

www.cornerstone.edu.au

the ballarat experiment

6

"Great to catch up and see Cornerstone's love and commitment not slacking." Matthew Wright, Pera Bore 1985 student

"I kept hearing people say 'It's a big family reunion' at something like mini-muster and it really is! I hadn't fully realised how good it would be to see old friends again in new times. As someone now out of Cornerstone, I really valued coming together again with family - in the love of Christ, we stand." Kristy Watson. Swan Hill 2008 student

Mini Musters in Swan Hill and Newcastle

Cornerstone's advocate Gil Cann spoke at Swan Hill.

The traditional soccer game is a good opportunity to burn off some energy.

WiNTeR 2011

"I found our recent mini muster was an excellent way to catch up with alumni who can't always make it to our gatherings out west. Together, we explored what it means to live in Christian community in more urban settings. It was great to hear the stories and experiences of our alumni and present members who have continued to live out their commitment to Jesus in an expression of community. As one of the organisers, I was so encouraged at how quickly and generously visitors threw themselves into helping to make it such a good weekend." Jodi Godfrey, Newcastle Mission Community

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Lerissa Myers from Strathalbyn My experience of Cornerstone I feel has been one filled and inspired by divine guidance and promptings. Although my own parents were in Cornerstone for a number of years up until after I was born, I never considered following those particular footsteps of theirs until I had finished school, joined the Air Force and completed 3 years of Uni in 3 different courses. It was then that I realised I couldn’t find what it was I was designed to do and be in life without first intimately knowing my designer. After some research and prayer, Cornerstone appeared to be the best option and the most fitting in my desire for genuine, practical faith rather than intellectual theological knowledge. I have found this to be true of Cornerstone and am continually learning how to see things through God’s eyes with spiritual sibling help; how to be transformed and not conformed to this world. First year certainly cements faith foundations - which pushed and grew my knowledge and relationship with God and myself. My initial decision to go on team, as well as my year so far, has been redefining my priorities, consciously deciding what is actually important - and then how to make my actions align with those decisions. In this journey I am reminded of God’s patience and love and am humbled by the reflections of this almighty God that I see in those who I have been blessed to share this journey with. I am thankful God led and helped me to follow his guiding in doing both years of Cornerstone.

In the first weekend of December, Cornerstone's annual muster is held in Dubbo but there are usually two mid year mini conferences held in other centres. This year the mini musters were held at Swan Hill and Newcastle.

Dave Etty from the Canow-indra mission community shared some of their team's experiences.

Centre Dean, Jon Giger and the Canowindra students travelled to Newcastle for their mini muster.

Lerissa Myers (centre) with some of her team from Strathalbyn

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J E S U S O F N A Z A R E T H I N T E N S I V E

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Many past Cornerstoners from Bourke Christian Church would remember Jesse Williamson who had been a missionary nurse in West Papua. Pray for Jesse as she has been having treatment for leukemia.

Burrabadine community are grateful to Rod Brooks who came up from his home in Victoria to help tackle some trees at the centre which had become dangerous.

Congratulations to Warwick Harrison who celebrated his 50th birthday recently. The whole family were present, including Warwick's mother. Warwick and Rosemary came to faith while working in Bourke in the early 90's. All four of their daughters have chosen to go to Cornerstone and presently Aly is at Swan Hill Centre, Georgie is at Canowindra Centre and Jasmine and Skye in Newcastle.

Mark Skinner also celebrated his 40th birthday at the Burrabadine School hall on the Dubbo campus. Mark and Millie and their family have moved from Broken Hill to Strathalbyn to support the team and to explore the option of establishing a committed company in South Australia. Mark continues as one of Cornerstone's Directors.

Matthew Wright moved to Garfi eld in Victoria for work six years ago with his wife Jodie and Caleb and Zoe. It is a small town with only one church. They are thankful for what God is doing and they meet regularly with another family for prayer and fellowship.

editorspaul & robyn roet 02 6884 0063e robyn@cornerstone.edu.aupublishercornerstone communityabn 49 066 809 612contributions welcome at:po box 1151 dubbo nsw 2830t 02 6884 0402f 02 6884 6450e national@cornerstone.edu.audesignerchris cuddychris@cornerstone.edu.au

touchstone

Cornerstone is a non-denominational Christian movement, equipping and mobilising men and women to genuinely follow Jesus Christ, to experience and express the reality of God in all of life.

If you would like to fi nd out more, see our web site

www.cornerstone.edu.au.

Our mission isto expand and enrich the

Kingdom of Godthrough committed

communities, winning, training &

mobilising genuine disciples of the

Lord Jesus Christ to live radical Christian

lifestyles

whole of life mission and training

touching base

Peter Volkofsky and Paul and Robyn Roe were delighted to travel to Wallerawang in March to be present at the marriage of Eric Chambers to Gloria Bird. Though this is his fi rst marriage, Eric now fi nds himself a great grandfather! Gloria's granddaughters attended her at the ceremony.