October 2019 Newsletter

A Thank You from Sam Smallwood

One of our leadership students, Sam Smallwood, wanted to write you all a special thank you:

Words cannot express how much Cornerstone and Andy’s ministry has meant to me during my time at Pitt. Frankly, I don’t know where I would be today had I not decided to walk through the doors of Bellefield Church on Wednesday nights. Yes, I was always planning to attend church there on Sundays, but I wasn’t sure how large of a role faith would play in college outside of that. I felt called to explore things further, however, and get involved in some sort of Bible study. After meeting Andy, I knew Cornerstone was where I was meant to be. He talked so passionately about what he does, what campus ministry meant to him in college, and the many ways in which Cornerstone pours into its students every day. And now, as a junior, I am so glad I took that extra step and am truly grateful to have found such an amazing place full of fantastic people who love Christ and love each other.

Cornerstone has allowed me to grow in so many different aspects, not only strengthening my faith in God but also helping me to develop my leadership skills and grow to know myself better. Whether through leading Freshmen Bible Study every week, the CCO’s annual Jubilee Conference, or any of the multitude of conversations had with other students, I have discovered new and exciting ways to apply my faith in college, spent more time in the Word, and have grown much stronger in my prayer life. God is constantly putting new opportunities in front of me and without Cornerstone, my time at Pitt would be lacking purpose.

Andy has been such a huge influence not only for me, but for so many of the students who attend Cornerstone. He is a great mentor, teacher, and spiritual guide, but he is also an amazing friend. It is because of your generosity that we are able to experience his gifts every week and why our campus ministry is so outstanding. We all greatly appreciate your continued support of Andy, and for those of you who do not yet donate towards his ministry, we would be so thankful if you considered doing so. You play a big role in making Cornerstone so great!

Financial Update
Do to various reasons, our ministry account as dwindled down; it no longer holds the financial cushion that puts my mind at ease. I know that God has provided, and will continue to provide. There is no doubt about that. Finances can always be a worry, however. Especially when one support raises.

We need your help financially. I need help putting that cushion back into my ministry account, especially since I have received a raise. We have been about $600 (a month) short for the past few months. Having this cushion helps me to minister to students, and see how God uses them at Pitt. Yes, I will continually need to seek financial help as long as I’m a campus minister, but having a balance to work with frees up my time a bit more. Working with College students (like Sam) and seeing God transform them, is a true blessing. It is my ministry. Seeing how God has worked through you all to provide financially is a true blessing. It is my ministry. I thank you all for that.

If you would like to help this ministry, we are always looking for new supporters. This is what makes ministry possible. Now this is as important than ever! If God leads you to do so, we would love for you to be a part of this ministry through gift. I am asking that my current supporters give an extra $10 to $50 on top of their usual giving. We are also looking for some one time donations of $100 to $500. If that is too much, then that is fine. Any gift is a good gift. This will help to make up the difference and reach my goal.

In every Newsletter I preach that God has always provided, and he always will. This is something that I not only preach to you, but (like the Gospel) preach to myself daily.

We thank you, and pray that God will 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.

If you would like to donate, click on the following link: https://ccojubilee.org/about/our-team/andy-moore/261/

Moore News

As I mentioned in our last newsletter (a while ago), Emily I took our 15th anniversary trip (a bit late) to Tennessee. We stayed at a little Air B&B in Dandridge (home of Bush’s Baked Beans) and spent most of our time exploring the small town, as well as visiting Knoxville and Gatlinburg. Knoxville was amazing. We hiked at Ijam’s Nature Center, went to World’s Fair Park and the Sun Sphere, explored the very large University of Tennessee Gardens, and finally ended up in Old Town. Needless to say, we loved Knoxville. There is so much to do there! Gatlinburg, on the other hand, is too touristy for our liking. We enjoyed ourselves there, but preferred Knoxville a lot more. It was great to get away for a few days.

While Emily and I were in Tennessee, Benjamin took his first mission trip to Charleston, South Carolina. He, along with 16 other youth spent their week helping the elderly at a nursing home. He had a blast. There is also another piece of big news for Ben: as of September 8, Benjamin became 13! That’s right, we officially have a teenager in the house. Where has the time gone? He is a sweet young man with a big heart, and we couldn’t be any more proud of him.

While Ben was in South Carolina, Joshua and Asher spent their week with my parents in southern West Virginia. Though not quite as structured as Ben’s trip, Asher and Josh always enjoy spending time with Gammy and Pops.

Asher is now in 4th grade, and continues to enjoy Fulton. He is the artsiest of the three, and has started taking some lessons through a local church. Also, he turns 10(!) on October 6th. It seems to be a year for milestone birthdays. It’s cool to see his personality grow, and he continues to be the most empathetic of us all.

Joshua has started a new school: Schiller STEAM Academy. So far, he has given nothing but rave reviews. He has also joined the flag football team, and is a starting wide receiver for them. That’s pretty impressive, since there aren’t too many 6th graders on the team. He’s had a few nice games, and continues to get better. It’s difficult managing the schedule of three boys at three different schools, but they all seem to love it.

Thank you for reading our (late) Newsletter. We pray that you continue to seek God.

In Christ,
Andy Moore

February 2019 Newsletter

Cornerstone Update
The new Cornerstone Large Group format continues. This semester, we have had students voluntarily plan our Wednesday nights with the staff. They came up with some great themes, speakers, experiential ideas, and unique worship nights. Not only did they help plan the nights, but the buy in is through the roof. Students have been not just enjoying the night, but growing in their relationship with God because of it. They have been so excited that they are bringing their friends, so we are seeing quite a few new faces. Pray that God continues to work within Cornerstone, and that it would be a welcoming environment where the Holy Spirit is evident.

Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip
As many of you know from reading past newsletters, I took over as the adviser for Habitat for Humanity four years ago. This role has given me the unique opportunity to meet and work with students. One such opportunity is taking part in a spring break trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (March 9-17) to help build and work on houses. I cannot, however, do this alone. The trip costs $600, so I would like for you to prayerfully consider supporting students, my intern (fellow), and me in this endeavor. The expenses include transportation, housing, and food for the week. If you are able and willing, I’m asking for your support to help to cover trip expenses for students and me. I realize that some of you already support me and I am thankful. So, I am asking that you to pray about giving an extra $20-$100 on top of your usual contribution. If you would like to help support me on this trip, please make a separate check out to:

Bellefield Presbyterian Church
Attn: Habitat Trip
4001 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Meet the Students

Meet Josh Young, a sophomore Worship Team leader, who is also involved in the Pitt marching band. Read more about him:

Cornerstone has been a huge blessing in my life during the last two academic years. I always knew that I wanted to get involved with a campus ministry group when I got to Pitt, but as a member of the Pitt Band, which practices four days per week, it was hard to find a ministry group that would fit into my schedule. A friend from my church at home was involved with Cornerstone, and he invited me to attend. I figured I would try Cornerstone out since it met on the only day that I did not have band practice. I am so glad that I decided to try it out. As soon as I walked into the fellowship hall of Bellefield Presbyterian Church, I felt at home. Everyone was so welcoming and kind, and the atmosphere gave me instant peace and rest from the stressors of college life. I quickly became a regular attendee, and now only on rare occasion will you not find me at Cornerstone on Wednesday nights.

During the spring semester of 2018, I went on a backpacking trip with Cornerstone that focused on spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, silence, and solitude. The trip was a very eye-opening experience for me because it showed me a new realm of ways to spend time in the presence of God, and it humbled me, as I realized that most of the people on the trip were more theologically and spiritually knowledgeable than I. That trip gave me an opportunity to just dwell in the presence of God in a way that I had not before, and I felt that I returned from spring break with a renewed soul and sense of purpose.

This fall, I applied for a leadership position on worship team for the 2019 calendar year so that I could give back to Cornerstone, and that leadership position has also been such a blessing for me. As a leadership team, we have seen a lot of turnover in singers and musicians this semester, and God’s presence has been very prevalent. He has brought in a lot of musicians for us that are not necessarily believers. People come to play on the worship band because they just want to play music, and then they stay for the message. One of our musicians has even started attending a Bible study. To see God working so obviously right in front of my eyes is an extremely exciting feeling, and I am very grateful that I have gotten the opportunity to see His work unfold. Cornerstone has been a huge blessing to me, and I have had the privilege to see God at work and grow spiritually in my first two years of college.

Financial Update

January was a pretty good month for us! As you can see from the chart, we made 87% of our monthly goal! Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our ministry. Cornerstone, and ministering to students like Josh, would simply not be possible without you. Just because we made our goal for a month does not give me an excuse to rest or be lazy, however. We are always in need of help financially, and are always looking for new supporters. 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% to 25% on top of their usual giving. This will help to make my goal. Remember that any gift is a good gift. 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

Sorry for the lack of updates, but things have been unusually busy. Between my schooling, work, and family life, along with the boys schooling and Emily’s work, I have felt a bit breathless. I have finished one of my three classes, so things should cool down...a bit.

Ben has been thriving at Sci-Tech. It not only integrates classic learning styles, but integrates some more hands-on, tactile learning styles. He has created science projects and robots, as well as composed some various songs in his music class. They are pretty darn good. Soon, he (and Josh) will be back to enrolling in baseball. We took last year off, so the will be a welcome reunion for them.

Josh has officially been accepted to Pittsburgh Schiller, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Magnet School serving students in grades 6-8 on the Northside of Pittsburgh! We are thrilled that he got in! It will be challenging having three kids in three schools next year, but we are excited! He continues to be busy on the Fulton Basketball team. It is a joy to watch him play.

Asher recently won Student of the semester at the gifted center! He has enjoyed the gifted center so much, and we are so proud of what he has accomplished there. Asher continues to love anything that involves art, creativity, and storytelling. Recently he told us that he would like to direct movies as an adult. That’s right up his alley!

Emily continues to keep herself busy with her new work at Haiti H2O and nannying. In May, she plans on running the half-marathon portion of the Pittsburgh Marathon. It will be the second half marathon that she has ran.

I pray that you all are well!

In Christ,
Andy Moore