June 2015 Newsletter

Creative Service
“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” –Matthew 6:28-29

Jesus commands us not to be anxious about our needs, so then why do we toil? Merely to tend our bodies, or also to shape our souls? In giving us work, God invites us to blend the creativity of our minds with the labor of our bodies, and then to share the products of this work with one another in free exchange —to make real our communal nature, our gift nature, through our personal callings. We must never see our work as simply a way to gain. We must never see our labor as an impersonal force of efficiency. We must never see our work merely as a mechanism we might control with levers and switches of power.

In all our work together, what we call the economy, that’s not a machine either. Work is always personal, because work is always relational. Whether you’re a janitor, a CEO, or a programmer, work is a creative service. So let us cherish our work as the glorious gift it is: the opportunity to join with others - literally millions of others - in a divine project of vast creativity, vast abundance, for the meeting of needs, for the flourishing of cities, for the life of the world.

Let us see every product, every purchase for what it is: a touch point, a nexus of millions of relationships. At every moment you are surrounded with the fruit of a great and gracious collaboration. At every moment you are being reminded that you are not alone…and you were never meant to be.

-Evan Koons, For the Life of the World

Cornerstone Update
It is the end of another school year. This means that things slow down quite a bit for me. There are less students hanging out at the church, which makes things much more quiet, and my workload becomes much easier. The church, during the weekdays, becomes a bit of a Ghost Town.

It is not all relaxation time, however. During the summer, as you may remember, we have our weekly meeting called Common Ground. Common Ground is a large group fellowship where students from various Pittsburgh campuses and Christian student groups merge for a summer ministry sponsored by the CCO. This year we are meeting at Bellefield, and doing a video series called For the Life of the World. For the Life of the World (see “Creative Service” above) is an entertaining film series that explores the deeper meaning of Salvation. It should be a great time.

Elsewhere, in Erie, PA, we have four students involved in the Ocean City Beach Project (OCBP). I know what you are thinking, “Shouldn’t they be in Ocean City?” They should, but due to unforeseen, and quick, circumstances, they had to relocate to Erie. So now I guess you could call it the, LELP (Lake Erie Lake Project). Anyways, OCBP is a summer-long community living opportunity for Christian college students to develop further as campus leaders. The Project provides the opportunity for students to grow personally in faith and to develop a deeper vision for life. The students going are Jeff Schallick, Katie McNeily, Nicole Russo, and Heather Day. Please be in prayer for them.

Meet the Students

Meet Sarah Lewkowicz, a student of the Cornerstone ministry and native of Pittsburgh. Sarah has been a staple within Cornerstone for a few years, and has a wonderful, warming personality. Read more about her:

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? My favorite movie is The Secret Garden, and has been since childhood. My favorite book would have to be either Wicked or The Scarlet Letter. And my favorite band currently is Florence and the Machine, though depending on the day I could switch to any of the 70 different CDs in my car.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I have been involved in Cornerstone since my "freshman" year, or my one semester of college in the fall of 2011. After getting talked into going to FMT (Freshman Ministry Team) towards the end of the semester, I finally felt loved and appreciated, and wanted to give back to the community. I was on FMT the next year, and then one of the worship leaders two years later. I am currently one of the Planning Team leaders for Cornerstone.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your college years? In the past four years, Cornerstone has given me so much. The community helped pull me out of a deep depression my freshman year, teaching me about God's love and grace, which allowed me to believe that I could be a better self. The biggest, and most recent, moment that Cornerstone has allowed me to experience was my decision to move to Arizona. Every year, Cornerstone sends a mission team to an emergency Foster Care home on the Navajo reservation out west. After four years of spending a week there, God spoke to me while at Jubilee Conference with Cornerstone, kicking me in the pants and encouraging me to follow my call to work at NAOMI house full time. I can only hope to share the love that has been shown to me from the students and the staff of Cornerstone.

Financial Update

You may have seen from the chart that our monthly is at $3346, 85% of where we need to be. There has been so much to be thankful for. I thank God for his love and provision. I thank every single one of you for reflecting those Christ-like qualities. It is because of all of you, I have been raising this support so I can minister to students like Sarah, and see how God has worked in her life during his years at Pitt. Working with College students, and seeing God transform them, is a true blessing and I thank God every day for this opportunity. If you would like to help this ministry, we are always looking for new supporters. This is what makes ministry possible. Now that I have gotten a raise, this is more important than ever! If God leads you to do so, we would love for you to be a part of this ministry through gift and/or prayer. I am asking that my current supporters give an extra 10% on top of their usual giving. This will help to make up the difference from what I currently make and from my goal. We trust for you and for us that God will provide. He always has, and He always will. Remember that any gift is a good gift. We thank you, and may God bless you richly because you have given to advance His kingdom! Please be in prayer that God will continue to build our support team and that we would be faithful in doing our part.

Moore News

Well, our Little League season if officially over, and we had quite a run in the playoffs. After having a pretty rough year, we went into the playoffs as the 4 seed in our division. That sounds good off the bat (pun intended), but there are only five teams in our division. The first game we played was against the fifth seed Angels, whom we had beat twice this year already. After a hard fought game, we eventually prevailed. Next we had to play the one seed Indians who destroyed us this year. Everything that could have gone right went right in that game, and we mercy ruled them 11-1 advancing to the semifinals. Benjamin and Joshua both had phenomenal years and were some of the best players on the team…which made it really hard when we (our family) couldn’t make it to the semifinals due to vacation. The Mariners went on to lose 9-7 in the semifinals in a hard fought game. Benjamin finished the year with a team high .895 batting average and totaled 51 hits in 57 at bats, and got an All-Star nod. Josh did really well for the year batting .684 and leading the team in doubles. I couldn’t be more proud of them, or this team.

As you may have read in paragraph above, we did go on a very short vacation to Colorado. We usually spend a few weeks out there, but this time we only spent five days. Nine if you include driving days. The boys got to spend time with Grandpa on the farm, and Emily got to spend a lot of time with her sisters. We even got to go to the Wild Animal Sanctuary and the Denver Museum as well. My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough.

We pray that God is using you for the expansion of his kingdom, and that you are growing in him daily! God Bless!

In Christ,
Andy Moore

June 2014 Newsletter

Finding Your Identity
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” –John 1:12

Who am I? This is the question that freshmen college students often ask themselves. Everything they once identified themselves with (friends, family, town, etc.) are now gone, and they are no longer sure who they are and what they believe. Their identity has been shattered.

After this shocking realization, students go on a path of self-discovery to decipher who they are. They look to others to identify them. They look toward their schooling to identify them. They look toward anything that would make them feel worth. Whatever gives me value, that’s where I identify: friends, family, school, work, alcohol, sex…the list goes on. Where does my value lie? Who am I?

Friends, family, school, those are not identifiers. Those are characteristics that help make you who you are, but they do not define you. Christ defines you. Who am I? You are one who is made in the image of God and is deeply loved. You are a child of God, and no one can take that from you. When Christ looks at you, he says, “Mine.” Christ defines you. He is your identifier. You are his.

Summertime
Summer break is here, and the church seems much more quiet…much more empty. My work load, has become much lighter and I can feel myself relaxing a bit more. But, there is still quite a bit to do.

During the summer, as you may remember, we have our weekly meeting called Common Ground. Common Ground is a large group fellowship where various students from Pittsburgh campuses merge for a summer ministry sponsored by the CCO. Like every year we meet at the park, eat, and play various games. Last year we did a video series by Tim Keller, and this year we are doing a bible study through the book of Philippians. It should be a great time.

Elsewhere, In Ocean City, New Jersey, we have five students involved in the Ocean City Beach Project (OCBP). OCBP is a summer-long community living opportunity for Christian college students to develop further as campus leaders. The Project provides the opportunity for students to grow personally in faith and to develop a deeper vision for life. The students going are Danny Churchill, Shelby Scott, Katie Smith, Kayla Bloodgood, and Lindsey Ericson. Please be in prayer for them.

Meet the Students

Meet Keito Hoshitsuki, a first year Pharmacy Student at Pitt. I met Keito at the first freshmen bible study of his freshmen year, and have had the honor of discipling him. He is a great man of God. Listen to what he has to say…

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? Favorite movie: Top Gun; Favorite book: The Giver; Favorite band/music: I don't really have one. I listen to everything from classical to pop.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I came to cornerstone fall of my freshman year and I've been involved since then. I did leadership for a year on Freshmen Ministry Team, went to Jubilee, and got baptized with 4 other Cornerstone students during my sophomore year. I also became a member of Bellefield Presbyterian Church.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? The biggest thing Cornerstone has done for me is give me a new purpose for my education and daily actions. Through the weekly messages, individual mentorship from staff, and fellowship with other students, my faith life has grown and developed, and I now see how my vocation and my faith are not separate things. I have matured so much in the last 3 years and want Christ to be the focus in everything I do. This change happened in me because of Cornerstone.

Financial Update

We received full donations for the month! Praise God for these gifts and for the givers! We know that God is faithful, and always will be. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! This past month’s giving has been a real blessing, and we are asking for something BIG from everyone for this month: we are asking that you tithe (give 10%) of one of your paychecks this month to help support our ministry. Don’t worry, we won’t be asking this every month. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Remember that any gift is a good gift. Please contact me using the information on the front of this newsletter or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org.

Moore News

Well, baseball season is officially over. I enjoyed every single second of being a coach, but I am a bit relieved that it is done. Benjamin had an outstanding first year. His team, the Mariners, unfortunately lost in the semi-finals in a real heart breaker. His final batting average was .770, and he was especially good defensively. Joshua also had a great season on the Grasshoppers, learning all the ends and outs of baseball in his league. He is a natural hitter, and is starting to get the defensive parts down. Both he and Ben will be in the same league next year, which will make things easier on us. I have started to teach Asher how to play baseball, and he seems to really enjoy it as well.

Emily is probably more relieved than anyone that baseball season is over. Coordinating schedules, including mine, is quite a tough job to handle. I’m sure this will open up quite a bit of free time for both of us. I know she could use a bit of a break. Now, we are preparing for our annual visit to Colorado. Out with one task, and in with another.

I hope that this letter finds you well, and that you are enjoying your summer. May God bless you all.

In Christ,
Andy Moore