March 2014 Newsletter

Cattle Truck Confessions
They quickly load us into the cattle trucks. It is time for us to leave the village we were currently working at and head back to the Meeting God in Missions Compound. The Village was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was spread out, mountainous, and jungle-like. It was quite a different experience for quite a different trip.

The truck takes, off leaving a trail of dust behind it. Some stand, but I choose to sit. I think back at the week and reflect and smile. The week was rough, but I love it here. And then it strikes me, and the sadness sets in: this might be my last trip for a while.

Suddenly, the skies open up and the rain hits. Not a drizzle, but a pour. The rain pelts us in the face, and it hurts. I stand up, letting the beads smack and abuse me – and I love every single minute of it. This week has smacked and abused me – and I have loved every single minute of it. Was it my experiences that made the trip? No. It was the student’s experiences.

When I was a kid, I loved receiving presents as a kid at Christmas. My face would light up as I violently tore open package after package. Now, as a parent, I take delight in giving gifts. I take delight in watching my kids’ excitement as they receive a new gift. That is the way I feel about this trip. My delight comes not from my own experiences, but through the experiences of my students. Yes, I am sad because of the realization that this experience may not happen again for a while, but I take solace in the experiences and memories God has given each and every student.

Dominican Republic Student Testimonies

Spencer Brown (left), Cody Latimer (middle), and Jeff Schallick (right) are students who are repeat Dominican Republic visitors. They decided, in their discipleship group, to write up their collective testimonies about their experience.

All: When it comes to sharing testimonies from the Dominican Republic, really no one story could accurately describe what everyone got out of this trip. For each student, what was learned on the trip was as diverse and unique as each person was on the trip. We each had our own story, so instead of sharing just one story we opted to share three.

Cody: For me, returning to the Dominican Republic presented an opportunity to see the different ways that God is moving all over the world. Whether it be in the daily on-goings of students here taking classes at Pitt, or in the lives of Dominicans living in the middle of a sugarcane field with hopes and dreams just as big as yours, it was encouraging to see that God is present in all things. It's often hard to grasp God's sovereignty, and my week spent in the Dominican Republic really reminded me that He has a plan for all of His people - one that’s too big and too perfect for us to even begin to comprehend.

Spencer: Last year when I came back from the Dominican Republic, I guess you could say I had a small existential crisis. I had this overwhelming sense of insignificance as I returned to the tedium of classes, feeling as though I had no meaningful impact now that I had returned to my life. I wasn’t alone in my feelings; some of my friends shared them. As the trip wound to a close this year, I felt a similar helplessness: a helplessness to break the systems of governmental corruption, of corporate abuse and enslavement, and of all the forces working against justice in the Dominican Republic. But God was working even in this seemingly desolate place of impotence. In this feeling of weakness, He revealed to me the need for representation of all professions, all walks of life, and all kinds of people in the Body of Christ. We need Christians equipped to fight in Washington, in board rooms, before national leaders, and inside corporations; equipped to fight for the manifestation of Christ’s Love in all these spheres. It’s something I’ve always heard in church and read in the Bible—that the Body of Christ has many members—but I’d never fully understood the beautiful truth that is until now. Work glorifying to God is not confined to mission trips, abroad; it includes every career path; it extends into education as people collect the equipment they need ignite change from within; it intertwines with every aspect of our lives as we go about our days and interact with the world and people around us. God needs instruments everywhere. The Body of Christ needs every organ and digit to function. You can always make a difference where you are now. Insignificance doesn’t exist.

Jeff: Going back to the DR for me was a mixture of excitement and anxiety. As much as I tried not to have expectations, I couldn’t help but think of playing with the kids again. The problem with that was I wasn’t allowing myself to be open to where God wanted to send me. Though I realized how selfish I was being and how I didn’t have it together for this mission trip, God was still able to use me that week. He revealed to me His love in new and creative ways that I never expected. This year I got to see how beautiful the people of the Dominican Republic are and how, like the kids, they have such a deep rooted joy in knowing Christ despite the brokenness all around them. I know a lot of people struggle with seeing the poverty and depravity in the DR, but the unexplainable joy these people have kept me from ever taking in their circumstances. It may seem like they’re missing so much, but in reality I’ve discovered they have everything. I realize now I do these trips not to do more for people or do more for God, but to simply give more of my heart to God. Only then does the work I’m doing have an impact and it’s only then we can begin to make things change.

All: Though we may all have different experiences, God is present in all of them. And that’s the beauty of it; God is amazingly personal and intimate. I believe it was by no mistake we all had unique takeaways. God knew what we all needed from this trip, and what we all learned will stay with us forever. We have all been changed and our change continues to this day.

Financial Update

This past month was much better for us than January, and we are so thankful for your giving and God’s providence. He always has provided and always will. He has taught us that many times over. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on on navigation bar or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org.

Moore News

As you may have read in my last newsletter, my family and I just spent a week in Disney World. I had the preconceived notion that it would be quite chaotic and stressful. What I experienced was quite the contrary: it was chaotic and wonderful, going from ride to ride, and from character to character. The entire family had a blast. It was a wonderful time to spend with my entire family. And the best part? Getting the Lego Millennium Falcon set and being able to build it with the boys at home. It created some awesome family time. If you are interested a reading an article I just wrote about my trip to Disney, and some theological thoughts about it, click and check it out: http://thepittstop220.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-theology-of-disney.html.

It seems that Emily survived the week alone with the boys while I was gone to the Dominican Republic, and that minimal damage was done. They did give me a huge surprise by meeting me at the airport. It is always great to hear the excitement in their voice when they first see me. They (including Emily) are all doing well.

We thank you all so much for taking the time to read this newsletter and for your constant support. May God Bless you!

In Christ,
Andy Moore

The Theology of Disney

As you may have read in my last newsletter, my family and I just spent a week in Disney World. What a wonderful time it was! From riding the Star Wars ride, Star Tours, five times to exploring the different worlds of EPCOT to feasting on the wonderful food the park had to offer. Despite the thrills and organized chaos that come with a Disney vacation, it was a wonderful time to spend with my entire family. Would I go again? In a heartbeat. It was that good of a time.

There was one thing that stuck out with me in the trip in particular. Throughout the small city that is Walt Disney World, there are various quotes from Walt Disney himself. One reads “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the Park. I want them to feel they’re in another world.” I casually read this sentence, not paying it any mind as I hustled to our next ride. But there was something about this quote that kept impaling my brain. It just would not leave me alone. Finally I started to mull the questions, “Why do people need an escape from reality?” and “Why should they escape to Disney World?”

Disney World might be the closest thing that we can get to a Utopia on Earth. Think about it. The parks are immaculately clean. You are constantly entertained…even waiting in line can be entertaining. The workers (called Cast Members) are care free and happy, even if it is synthesized. And most importantly, the parks are rid of a perceived notion of evil. When you go there, you escape the atrocities that are the rest of the world. It may be the closest thing we have to a utopia on this earth. So, is this escape truly why people flock there and are willing to shell out money for a temporary euphoria?

Being a minister, I have a tendency to look at the world through a biblical perspective. In the creation account in Genesis 1, we see God’s perfect order creating a world that is without evil or blemish. It is a world that is perfect for the pinnacle of God’s creation: mankind. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31a, emphasis mine). God made a world that was perfect for us, and this world is what man was meant and wired for. It was very good. It was shalom, or peace as it was intended to be: full and complete.

In Genesis 3, we see the quick and decisive fall of mankind that cursed everything that was once good. Man, who was created perfectly human and was already told by God they were “very good,” was told by another being they could be better...that we didn’t need God, for we could be our own God. Lies we still believe today. The serpent said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4b-5). How was it possible for people who were created perfectly human to become even greater? It was not, but that did not stop us from believing the lie. And so the fruit was picked, and the rest is sad, sad history. The world is now corrupt and evil.

So why is there a need to escape this reality? If we were indeed made to live in that shalom, if we were created for a world that was perfect for us, then it is no wonder that we are crawling and fighting to get back to a world that we were wired for. This is why people, I believe, are so eager to get to Disney World; they are pining for a world that they were meant for. Disney World is a generic Eden, where you forget that the world is harsh and cold. (This is not a knock on Disney World. I would gladly go again.) We are yearning for a world that is free of tears, death, mourning, and pain. Disney tries to offer that. The only thing is that at some point you have to pack up and leave, and eventually you are left with the “Disney Down.”

C.S. Lewis says it much more eloquently in his book Mere Christianity. He says, “The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.'”

If this was the end of the story, it would be a sad world that we live in. Jesus Christ, in his glory and compassion, saw that we were broken people attempting to work our way back to perfection, but failing miserably. In his love, he reached to us, by taking those imperfections and impurities and making us realize that we are in desperate need of God, and that our attempts at self-salvation have also failed. And he cleansed us. He declared us righteous. If we believe that Jesus Christ is the true savior of the world, then we are part of his story. What is that story? God is making all things new. He is restoring the broken, and making them whole again. We now get to participate in this epic narrative. God is restoring shalom. So when we yearn for a world that is free of tears, death, mourning, and pain, we must remember that redemption and restoration are God’s desires, also. As it says in Revelation 21:4-5, "He (Jesus) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he (Jesus) who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" Amen.

February 2014 Newsletter

Finding God in Failure
“And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.” -Isaiah 33:24

We all fail, and sometimes it is completely out of our hands. Sometimes students will study as hard as they can for a test, and will still do poorly. Sometimes they don’t study for a test, and fail. Failure is a learning experience. As the movie Batman Begins says, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up again.”

What about those times, though, where you try to take matters in your own hands and fail? Those times where you feel like God is specifically telling you to do something and you ignore it, deciding you will do what you want. “I can do it better,” you subconsciously say to yourself. “I need to be in control.” So you do it yourself, without God’s help, and you fail. We have all been here. We have all done this. We have failed because we did not rely on God.

You see, from the very beginning we have failed. God created a good world that was perfect for us. But somewhere we were lied to. Satan came to Adam and Eve telling them, “Eating this fruit will make you better. You don’t need God.” And they believed this lie and failed miserably, causing a domino effect for the rest of mankind. The world became broken and riddled with failure. No matter how hard we worked, or how hard we tried, we could never reestablish that good world that was perfect for us. Now we have new fruits that are being dangled before us: ones of greed, and lust, and power. And we believe the same lie that Adam and Eve heard from the serpent, “Eating this fruit will make you better. You don’t need God.” And so we gluttonously gorge on the feast of fruit that is set before us, and in doing so fail miserably. We are unjust before a just God.

In our failure, God had a plan. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us taking our very failures upon our back and to forgive us of the very things we fall short on. But death could not defeat him, and he rose again on the third day. He did this so that one day, if we believed in his son, the savior Jesus Christ, we could stand before that Just God and instead of failure he would say, “You have passed. You are righteous. You are mine.” With Christ, we are not failures.

Are you still denying your failures and thereby clinging to them and reinforcing their power over you? Two thousand years ago, on a cross outside Jerusalem, there was a man who bore our guilt. God says that if we trust in Christ to bear our failure, our guilt is never coming back. That’s when nothing can hold us back from newness of life, not even our own failure.

Cornerstone and Bellefield Update
As many of you may know, this past weekend (February 14-16) was the Jubilee Conference. The Jubilee Conference is a conference put on by the CCO about faithful living in every area of life and is designed to help students wrestle deeply with the challenges of being a student of Jesus and of this world. It articulates that a whole-life devoted to Christ and the common good is possible.

This year, we had about 60 students from Cornerstone go and listen to such speakers as Andy Crouch, Dan Allender, Eric Mason, and York Moore. It was, honestly, one of the better Jubilees I have attended (I have gone to nine Jubilees thus far), and the majority of main speakers were excellent. Students, I felt, were really engaged with the messages and the Jubilee theme. It raised awareness of God’s grasp and sovereignty over every area of life, raised awareness of a fallen world saturated with injustice and corruption, and articulated how we are God’s agents set to make a difference in this world for the kingdom of Christ. It was truly an excellent and uplifting time filled with growth for students and staff.

Meet the Students

Meet Katie Smith, a freshmen psychology major from Potomac, Maryland. I met Katie during freshmen orientation week, and she has been a constant at Cornerstone ever since. Read more about her...

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? Movie: I’m not a huge fan of watching movies, which my movie-loving friends kind of hate sometimes. Usually, two hours is way too long to dedicate your attention to and I either fall asleep or want to go do something else 30 minutes in. But, growing up I did always love the first two Santa Clause movies (the 3rd just isn’t the same). And I recently started to love horror films, especially The Conjuring, because they make my heart beat fast and keep me engaged for the whole 2 hours. Book: In 10th grade English I read Catcher and the Rye and it’s been my favorite ever since because Holden Caulfield just gets it. Music: My favorite song ever is “All Star” by Smash Mouth. I also have a thing for songs sung by other people and acoustic Music. My favorite bands include Mumford and Sons, Switchfoot, and David Crowder Band.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? My third day here in Pittsburgh I had lunch with some students and staff from Cornerstone and I guess I thought they were pretty cool because I’ve been involved ever since. I went to Wednesday night fellowship and Freshmen Bible Study throughout my first semester. This semester I’m excited to be on the other side of that on the Freshman Ministry Team and look forward to leading bible study for next year’s freshmen. I will be traveling to Nome, Alaska on a mission trip in a few weeks for spring break with a 14 others to serve the Native people there.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your year at Pitt? The biggest thing Cornerstone has done for me is challenge my beliefs and help me grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus. In high school, I had a comfortable faith and now I’m constantly challenged because I’m learning from people that come from different backgrounds than me. Cornerstone is where I have met my best friends that are encouraging and supporting me in all areas of life. I have discovered a desire to know the true nature of God and everyday I’m excited to see the things he is doing in my life and those around this campus.

Financial Update

This past month was another low month for us, but we stand on the promise that God provides: He always has and always will, and has taught us that many times over. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on navigation bar or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org.

Moore News

The past two weeks we have had the privilege of having Emily’s dad, LeRoy (or as he is more commonly called in our house, “Grandpa”), for a visit. It is always a treat when he gets to come, since he is a busy farmer out in Colorado. The boys love having their quality “grandpa” time and enjoy his rough housing and playful banter. It is a shame we don’t get to see him more, and we always look forward for the times that we do get to spend with him.

We are preparing to leave for Disney World soon on vacation. This trip was given as a gift to us, and we are very grateful to be able to go with my loving family. I assume it will be a bit chaotic, but good chaotic…if that makes sense. Plus, I am really looking forward to spending time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephews as well as Em and the boys. It will be a blast.

Again, we thank you for your love and support and pray that God blesses you as you glorify him in all circumstances.

In Christ,
Andy Moore

January 2014 Newsletter

Receive Reconciliation
“In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” -2 Corinthians 5:19-20

Reconciliation is not something we do, but is something that God has accomplished. The ministry of reconciliation is not telling people to make peace with God, but telling them that God has made peace with the world. The Gospel is not good advice, but good news.

We are not called to make peace with God – that is God’s work. The method of reconciliation is reckoning, for there is reckoning of sins. They are, however, reckoned not to the sinner but to Christ. On the cross Christ took our sins and did not count our sins against us.

“Be reconciled to God.” We must not miss the importance of this passionate plea which is not that we are reconciling ourselves to God, but that God reconciles us. Receive God’s offering of reconciliation, and because of this we will receive his offer of peace and salvation. The atoning substitutionary death of Christ brings reconciliation with God. This promise of peace was made long ago by the prophet Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

The Gospel is not ‘reconcile yourselves’, but ‘be reconciled by God’. Receive reconciliation from God.

-R. Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness

Cornerstone and Bellfield Update
With a new year, there comes new leadership. This year Cornerstone will be having its largest leadership team. The thought of supervising this many people can seem daunting, but I believe that we have a great crop of students this year. Again, I will be in charge of Outreach, supervising the team and trying to figure out new ways to stop spending as much time at Bellefield, and getting out on Pitt’s campus.

One outreach method that we used is that we go out on campus, in front of the student union, and give out hot tea. We call it SereniTea. Here we have a pretty extensive menu that we go over with the students, featuring teas with rather odd names (i.e. Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration) that often lead to questions and spiritual talks. From here, we brew the tea which usually takes a few minutes and gives us the opportunity to chat with the student about anything and everything, and in turn form a relationship with them. When we first started doing the tea, we had to throw it together very quickly and thought it would be disastrous. “No one will show up except two or three Cornerstone students,” I thought to myself. To my amazement we had quite the crowd and even a line of students waiting to get tea. God quickly reminded me that He will show up when he pleases…even in my doubt. SereniTea has been a success not just because of the students running it, but because God shows up. It has been a wonderful experience.

Meet the Students

Meet Derrick Kreider, a sophomore at Pitt who is majoring in Anthropology and Psychology with a German certificate in a linguistics minor. Derrick has been involved with Cornerstone from the very beginning of his college career, and is known for his happy disposition. Read more about him:

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? Favorites are tough for me...but um...movie: I was both shocked and enthralled by I Am Legend. Book: I found The Road to be intriguing when I had to read it in high school. Band/Music: I'm not terribly picky with music. I won't mind listening to pretty much anything. When I listen to the radio I often have it tuned to K-Love (or another Christian music station). On Spotify I find myself listening to bands like Gungor, Tenth Avenue North, Parachute, or ones similar (I often use the radio function so it cycles through similar artists).

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I've been involved in Cornerstone since my very first day on Pitt's campus. I came to most of the orientation week events and I've been consistently attending Wednesday night fellowship ever since. This past calendar year I was part of the Freshmen Ministry Team, so we (a team of sophomores) led the freshmen Bible study for the first semester, and for this coming year I am the advisor for the new Freshmen Ministry Team.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Cornerstone has provided a home for me. Like I said, I've been involved in Cornerstone since I got to Pitt. I've dabbled in a few of the other campus ministries, especially during my first semester, but it was in Cornerstone where I was able to develop solid friendships and where I felt most challenged and encouraged to pursue Christ. I am encouraged by the staff who consistently seek God and pour into the students of Cornerstone, and the friends I've made in addition to the staff have been very helpful in supporting my walk with Christ. In times of doubt or stubbornness or feeling attacked, they've been there to pray for me, encourage me, and point me back toward God. They've challenged and developed my understanding of who God is and what it means to be a Christian.

Financial Update

This past month was quite a good month for us. It is a reminder of God’s provision. He always has and always will provide, and He has taught us that many times over. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on the front of this newsletter or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org.

Moore News

Christmas was wonderful for the Moore household. We were given the gift to go on a vacation of our choosing over Christmas, and decided to go to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina which is very familiar to Emily and me. This was the first vacation we have taken without extended family. We spent the week relaxing, and having a great time with our little family visiting various places such as the beach and Savannah, GA. Overall, it is exactly what we needed to end such a difficult year.

Our house is now filled with a variety of Star Wars action figures, various Ninja Turtles toys, Lego, and Nerf guns. There is a whole host of things that the kids have gotten into, which always keeps the house fun and Emily and me on our toes. It is also really fun that the boys are getting into a lot of things that I loved when I was their age (Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, baseball, etc.). It gives us a lot of common interests.

Emily does a great job wrangling three (sometimes four) boys. She continues to spend her spare time reading anything she can get a hold of, watching Downton Abbey or Sherlock, experimenting in baking or cooking, or being actively involved in Bellefield’s Women’s Ministry. In other words: she stays busy.

We thank each and every one of you who reads this letter and has supported us in thought, prayer, or financially. May God Bless you!

In Christ
Andy Moore

Joshua's Big Solo!!!

Watch Joshua perform his first big solo at his school concert...with a few hiccups.  His solo starts around the 2:30 mark.  Click on the link below to go the youtube page, or watch below.

Joshua's Big Solo (Youtube link)

2013 Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas everyone!  Please click on the image or link below to read my Christmas Newsletter.  God Bless!

Christmas Letter (Full Size)

November Newsletter

Christ Received
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”-John 1:12

“This verse is incredible. It is incomprehensible that God, the Creator of all things, the One who upholds all things by the word of his power, would enable me, one who has rejected him, to become his child. We need to hold this New Testament teaching close to our hearts at all costs. We need to marvel not only at the greatness of Christ but the absurdity of his love to us.

Being God’s ‘children’ means we can call God Father. More specifically, we can address him as ‘Abba, Father’ or ‘dearest Father.’ We can call God, if we do not say it flippantly, Daddy. That is what my children called me long ago when they toddled to the front door and I took them in my arms. It is what they call me when they are hurting. It is the word my girls used when they wanted something from me. Calling God Daddy is a precious privilege. And before Jesus came, it just was not possible.

In the Old Testament God is called Father, in reference to Israel fourteen times. Only one or two of those refer to intimacy. However, Paul, in Galatians 4:6, says: ‘And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”’ That cry is implanted in our hearts. When things are not quite right and I cannot sleep, I find myself repeating this great truth over and over and over again and finding comfort in it. We need to avail ourselves of the precious, blessed fact that God is our Father.

Jesus’ ‘name’ stands for all that he is. He is the eternal Christ who became the incarnate flesh and so displayed God. He is the One in whom we must believe in order to receive him. Once we ask Christ into our life, we can cry in our heart, ‘Abba, Father, I have come home.’”

-R. Kent Hughes from John: That You May Believe

Cornerstone and Bellefield Update
Cornerstone has been fairly productive this year. We are becoming more and more of a presence on Pitt’s campus, reaching out by both evangelism and service. Our numbers have increased because of this. We have a solid group of students who are eager to step up, and eager to talk to those they don’t know. This has been something that we’ve been working on with our students over a long period of time, and it seems that they are finally getting a vision of spreading Christ’s kingdom. It has been a true blessing. Like my students, I have become comfortable, but always trying to find new ways of challenging myself, my students, and the ministry.

In other news, I’m very glad to announce that after two and a half years of not having a pastor, Bellefield finally has one. His name is Josh Brown (funny since our last pastor was also Pastor Brown). He says that his greatest desire in ministry is to proclaim Jesus Christ as crucified and raised again, to see Him exalted in and through the lives of His people to the glory of God the Father, and to herald the Spirit-inspired Word through preaching and teaching. He enjoys investing in others, partnering with them in the ministry of the gospel, and encouraging them to live lives of faithful discipleship that hold forth the good news of Christ’s reconciling work to a fallen world.

It has been a long process in finding Pastor Josh, but a blessing to hear him speak, see his humility, and watch him interact with others. Please be in prayer for the Cornerstone Ministry and Bellefield.

Meet the Students

Meet Jeff Schallick, a Sophomore Chemical Engineering major at Pitt. Jeff, originally from Ohio, has been involved since his first weeks at Pitt (I still remember him doing his Stich impression from Lilo & Stitch) and is known for his kind personality and weird sense of humor. Read more about him…

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? My favorite movie is Lilo and Stitch because it was such a classic growing up between me and my cousin. We might both have stuffed Stitches, no shame. Favorite book is The Hobbit since it's all the greatness of Tolkien wrapped up in a small, manageable book as compared to LOTR. Favorite music is basically anything that doesn't sound bad, such as (most) rap or country.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? This year I'm part of Cornerstone Leadership by being on the Freshman Ministry Team, which meant a lot of Orientation week events to welcome the freshmen. I go to a variety of Cornerstone events whenever I can, such as our Hot Dog giveaways. I also had pretty good attendance to Cornerstone as a freshman.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Cornerstone has been such an important part of my life while at Pitt, from challenging and growing my faith to blessing me with a loving community in Christ. The way it has had the biggest impact on my life was during the spring break mission trip to the Dominican Republic. I've always treasured God's joy in my relationship with Him, but I never saw its power until I saw it in the Dominican children who had almost nothing. From that day I learned firsthand how God's joy is so above our circumstances, and the joy I saw in those kids is the joy I aspire to share with everyone I meet.

Financial Update

This past month was quite a low month for us, but we stand on the promise that God provides: He always has and always will, and has taught us that many times over. We are very thankful for the support given to us as well as our wonderful supporters! If you are interested in supporting this ministry, I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on the navigation bar.

Moore News

Our lives lately are revolving much around school. Benjamin and Joshua are both of age (Ben in first grade and Josh in Kindergarten), and are doing really well. Josh can be a bit of a talker once he warms up to you, so we weren’t really sure how he was going to handle having to sit quietly most of the day. It turns out that talking was not the main thing we should have been concerned with, but homesickness. About three weeks into school, Josh realized that school is a permanent thing and had a rough time adjusting to that truth. We have found ways for him not to get so teary-eyed (which is an absolute heart breaker for a parent) and start school with a smile on his face. He is gaining confidence in his ability to learn, and is doing really well. It also helps that his big brother is just a few doors down.

Asher seems to be adjusting to life without two brothers through the day. In fact, he loves having mommy (and occasionally daddy) all to himself throughout the day. Unlike the other two (especially Joshua), he enjoys alone-time and playing by himself. And he loves the extra attention.

Emily also has learned to live at home throughout the day with just one child again, and (hopefully) has gotten some much needed rest because of it. But it’s always a welcome sight to see two energetic boys coming home after a full day of school.

We pray that all is well with you, and we thank you for your love and support! God Bless!

In Christ,
-Andy Moore