The Beginning

Nineteen sixty-eight (1968) saw the first meeting of what would become Cornerstone Baptist Church when nineteen people held a prayer meeting in the home of Herbert and Lois Miller on Seever Street. It was at one of these early meetings that Cornerstone was given its name, based in part on I Peter 2:6, "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." Those nineteen charter members were Lois Bartens, David Clauer, John Clauer, Mary Clauer, Rebecca Clauer, Ruth Moats, George Cochenour, Sally Cochenour, Donna Law, Earl Law, Doris McFadden, Herbert Miller, Lois Miller, Jane Miller, Martha Miller, Donald Rose, Marjorie Rose, Bryan Taylor and Marietta Taylor.

July 14, 1968, the first Sunday morning service was held in the home of Mary Clauer on Shawnee Boulevard, with 12 people in attendance. Rev. Kenneth Bess was the pastor while Herbert and

Lois Miller provided the music. Soon after, however, a post card was sent to Mrs. Clauer. A neighbor was protesting the hymn singing and services in the neighborhood. The group then moved services to the YMCA.

A permanent home needed to be found for Cornerstone, a task presented to the newly-formed building committee of George Cochenour, Earl Law and Herbert Miller. In July 1970, Mary Clauer and her daughter, Rebecca, drove past a property at 2643 North Limestone Street. The 100-year-old house included a garage and 2 acres of land. The property was purchased on August 24, 1970 and six days later the first service was held in the permanent home of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

As we grew in membership and the Lord blessed, we pushed walls out until the whole downstairs of the old house was an open church. The second floor was used for Sunday school classes while the garage was turned into a nursery and meeting place for junior church.

We prospered and in 1975 began to negotiate plans for a new building on the current site. Services were temporarily moved to a church on Belmont Avenue during construction, from February 1977 until April 1978. The first service in the new building on April 30 was followed by a dedication service on October 1, 1978. We continued to grow and in 1979 purchased additional acreage south of the building. Since that time there have been three additional debt-free construction projects: the entry was enlarged in 1985-86, and a wing addition added in 1991 provided additional classroom space, handicapped restrooms, nurseries and offices. The mortgage on the original building was paid off before beginning a building fund to enlarge the sanctuary. Construction began in 1997 to enlarge it to its present size. Completed in 1998, our sanctuary now seats 330 people and we remain debt-free.

Missions At Cornerstone

Missions is an important part of our ministry. A missionary program was started from the very first business meeting back in 1969. The first three missionary families supported were Mr. and Mrs. Vernel Shannon, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce MacPherson and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Lunak. We support several missionary families and individuals all over the world dedicated to church planting and spreading the Gospel.

Our youth group has taken short-term missions trips to Chicago, Brazil, Arizona, West Virginia and Toronto, Canada. Our first short-term adult mission team spent a week in New Orleans during the spring of 2006 helping the victims of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Cornerstone has sent long-term missionaries Kerry & Rachel Anderson and Jeff & Tiffany Nelson to Brazil and the MacPhersons to Argentina (now retired), and continues to support them today.

Pastors At Cornerstone

A number of men have faithfully served as pastor at Cornerstone over the past 30+ years. Most served for only a season, but four men made a more permanent commitment to us. They are seen below, gathered at our 25th anniversary celebration in 1993.