Cornerstone Church of Ames
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Cornerstone Church, located near the major intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 35 in Ames, Iowa, was established in 1994 as an evangelical Christian church and has since grown to a congregation size of more than 2,000 active members. The church’s stated mission is “to become a God-centered community of obedient believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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[edit] History
Cornerstone Church [1] was established in 1994 from its roots as a ministry for Iowa State University college students that was connected with Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Ames. Since this college ministry, The Salt Company [2], was becoming larger than the church's congregation size, Grand Avenue Baptist Church gave approval for the leaders of The Salt Company to plant a new church that was named Cornerstone Church. This name was based on a verse in the Bible that states, “…with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” [3]
The first service was held on August 28, 1994 in the evening at Grand Avenue Baptist, and within six months the service had to move to a larger auditorium located in the Scheman Building at the Iowa State Center[4] to accommodate for the increase in numbers. A year later, Cornerstone again grew out of their space and moved to the largest available auditorium space located at the Ames Middle School. The congregation size continued to grow as The Salt Company also grew, and when the funds and land was available, the members came together to support the construction of a new building that they could call home.
In September of 1999, the first service was held in the new building that Cornerstone Church of Ames continues to reside in. Cornerstone Church now averages over 2,000 people at their five weekend services held in the 637-seat auditorium and gymnasium making it the largest church in Ames. Cornerstone is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and bases all of their teachings on the Bible. As of fall 2007, Cornerstone announced an expansion project, which will include a 1,500-seat auditorium to furnish the tremendous growth that this church continues to experience.
[edit] Ministries
Cornerstone Church of Ames has many activities or ministries provided to an assortment of age groups as well as people groups. These groups allow for people to have fellowship in small group settings or connection groups, and they also equip people with Biblical principles in large group settings primarily through worship and teaching.
- D6 Families:[5] A ministry for families with young children that meets Wednesday nights and also during weekend services.
- 180:[6] A ministry for junior high students that meets Wednesday nights.
- Escape 22:[7] A ministry for high school students that meets Wednesday nights.
- The Salt Company:[8] A ministry for college students that meets Thursday nights. The Salt Company is an official student organization at Iowa State University and is the largest campus ministry averaging an attendance of 800 students each week.
- Freshman Group: A ministry for freshman college students meeting on Sunday nights.
- The Light:[9] A ministry for young adults or college alumni, which meets on Thursday nights.
- International Friendship Connection (IFC):[10] An official student organization at Iowa State University sponsored by Cornerstone Church that reaches out to international students.
[edit] External Links
- Cornerstone Church (main website)
- The Salt Company (college ministry)
- D6 Families (family/children's ministry)
- 180 (junior high ministry)
- Escape 22 (high school ministry)
- The Light (young adult ministry)
- IFC (international student ministry)
