Cornerstone Family,

We’re going to be doing something altogether different in Sunday School this year.  A few weeks ago, I shared with the church that we would be starting the Book of Joshua the last week in August.  What Paul’s letter to the Ephesians explains doctrinally, the Book of Joshua illustrates practically; it shows us how to claim our riches in Christ and live victoriously.  The purpose of our study will be to realize what God has in store for each one of His followers.  What does it take for us to cross the River Jordan into our land flowing with milk and honey—His chosen future for us?  The theme of the series is The Winning Walk.

What does Sunday School have to do with this, you may ask?  All through our faith family, from the children all the way up to our senior adults, we are going to design our Sunday School curriculum to coincide with the Sunday morning message from Joshua.  That means that, depending on what hour you attend Sunday School, you will hear the message preached from Joshua in the worship service and then will have the chance to discuss it in detail in your Sunday School class.  If you attend Sunday School before worship, you will be able to discuss the passage for that morning and then hear it preached afterwards.

Forrest, our Associate Pastor for Church Growth, who is over all the Sunday School, and Jim Wrather, our Sunday School Director, have worked with me in coming up with this plan.  Through this plan a curriculum is being developed which will reach across our whole church body.

Let me explain the reasons for this change.  As pastor, I sense God’s leadership in wanting us to be on the same page as much as possible when it comes to what we are learning about on Sunday mornings.  I believe God wants to use the Book of Joshua to take this church to a new level of spiritual maturity.  I believe God wants to take us from being a good church to being a great church.

I realize this method will present new challenges to me in preparing sermons at least 2-3 weeks out so the curriculum can be written and placed in the teachers’ hands in plenty of time for them to study and prepare for each Sunday’s lesson.  However, I am excited about our digging in together and allowing God to have His way with us as we focus in on the Book of Joshua.

As a faith family, we are at a crossroads, very similar to that of Israel in the Book of Joshua. We must be in agreement to go together where God is calling us to go.

Pastor Rick