Missions

Jesus asked that His followers, “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples.” We continually strive to make this great commission, our mission.

Cornerstone is presently supporting mission work in Bolivia, Cuba and Lebanon and at a local level on PEI. You can find out more about the various missions we support on this page.

Global Missions

Bolivia

In 2010, we established a new, three year partnership with Canadian Baptist Ministries and the Bolivian Baptist Union to provide $10,000 per year for mission work on the ground in Bolivia.

Through CBM's STEP program Canadian churches have the opportunity to partner and connect with a specific country. This program is an initiative that invites churches to move beyond finanical support. STEP churches are direct stakeholders in the work of nurturing passionate disciples for global mission. Here is the story of one family we have blessed through the STEP partnership:

Simona and her husband struggled to make ends meet for their family. Her husband along with their daughter had gone to Argentina to seek work. Simona stayed in Bolivia along with their two remaining children. She washed clothes and sold cheese door to door to earn a living. Through her local Baptist church she found out about a microcredit loan program that helped with technical training as well.

She started a new business making sweaters to sell in the market place. Her husband and daughter returned and worked together as a family in this venture. They’ve been able to take out further loans to expand their business and meet the demands of a steady stream of clientele. “I am thankful to God and this program, together with my children, we've started to build this small business.”

As part of our ministry commitment, a team from Cornerstone is currently on short-term mission in Bolivia. You can follow their blog here.

Cuba

Cornerstone has been supporting the ministry of the Baptist Convention in eastern Cuba since 2006. Our donations are being funneled to Cuba through Partners International, a mission agency in Toronto, and are being used to improve the facilities of the Palmaron Retreat Centre (a centre similar to our Camp Seggie). The centre benefits all the Baptist churches in eastern Cuba as it is used for conventions, seminars, youth camps, programs for disabled people, and training sessions for lay leaders.

Our contributions have already been used to improve the kitchen facilities, build a room over the kitchen to house guest speakers, build a ladies' dormitory complete with shower stalls, sinks and toilets. We have also provided 100 new mattresses for the bunkbeds in the new ladies' dorm. Our most recent donation is presently being used to start building a men's dormitory. Palmaron is an ongoing project in that the Convention has plans to build a chapel, classrooms, and swimming pool at this site as well.

A four person missions team traveled to Cuba with representatives from Partners International to visit our partners at the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba from December 2-11, 2010. They saw the improvements that have been made at Palmaron and they were truly amazing.

They are ready to put the roof on the new men's dormitory which will house 80 campers when it is completed. The two rooms with private bathroom facilities for guest speakers will soon be completed. As soon as the men's dormitory is finished, they would like to go back and put a second level on both the ladies' dorm and the men's dorm. At the present time many campers do not get a bed when they come to camp, they sleep on the floor, on the outdoor dining table or on the ground outside.

Twenty-five programs were done at the camp in 2010. It is used year round by all the churches in the Baptist Convention. They gather here for conferences, seminars and training sessions for missionaries and lay leaders. One pastor who was visited in Camaguey province said "One day Cornerstone's name will be written into the history of Palmaron. When we had the dream for a camp in 1979, the people thought we were crazy. Now our dream has become a reality. It is such a big blessing to our whole convention".

The president of the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba, Enio Navarro, and the convention's secretary, Victor Manuel, visited Cornerstone two years ago and told us that God is at work in a mighty way in Cuba. They reported that churches are operating at full capacity and many house churches have been started. People are coming to know the Lord every week. It is exciting that we can be a part of what God is doing in Cuba. God is richly blessing Cornerstone because of our obedience to spread the Good News of the Gospel both at home and abroad.

Lebanon

Elie and Mireille Haddad

On February 21, 2006, Cornerstone adopted Elie and Mireille Haddad, serving in Lebanon, as Partners in Mission through Canadian Baptist Ministries. This couple met at Middle East Baptist Church in Toronto, where they were active volunteers. They arrived in Lebanon on July 23, 2005 to begin their mission, and indicated at that time that returning to Lebanon was not what they had planned, but understood that they would be miserable anywhere outside God's will.

Elie spends long days as President of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, serving faithfully most days from 8 am to 8 pm and most weekends. The seminary hosts students from nine different countries, training them as pastors and church leaders. Lebanon has the unique distinction of being the only Arab country where it is legal for students from a Muslim background to enrol in a Christian University, and ABTS is an acknowledged centre of formation for evangelicals with diverse programs, a growing library and a willing faculty. It truly is a strategic gateway to the Arab and Muslim worlds and they benefit from the West with experience, training and resources.

ABTS also has a global role to play in informing Westerners about the realities of Islam and the Middle East. Each year the seminary hosts the Middle East Conference, a gathering of interested parties which endeavours to create better understanding between East and West. The conference brings together Christians, Arabs and non-Arabs who seek a better understanding of Islam.

Mireille spends her time ministering to Iraqi families and women through a compassionate ministry called ‘Heart for Lebanon’. This ministry focuses on the needs of refugees and offers support to cover their physical and spiritual needs. As well as serving with this ministry, Mireille is pursuing her Master of Divinity studies at ABTS.

As Partners in Mission with the Haddads, our support of their ministry is in three forms: Prayer, Communication and Finances.

Michael and Mara Ghiz

We also support Michael and Mara Ghiz and family who serve in Lebanon through Carey Outreach Ministries. Michael is involved in training pastors and lay people to do the work of ministry there and they both minister to familes in their local community, a very difficult area with much turmoil and uncertainty.

Local Missions

Seniors Home Ministry

Cornerstone is involved with doing church services three months of the year at some of our local seniors homes. The services are 45 minutes in length each Thursday afternoon. We do the services at Prince Edward Home for the month of June, Andrews Lodge on Malpeque Road for the month of September, and Garden Home for the month of December.

We read Scripture, pray, sing hymns, and have a devotional message. After the service we greet the residents and enjoy chatting with them. We share communion on the last Thursday of the month. The residents enjoy these services very much and many of them sing along with the hymns and we often repeat the Lord's Prayer together.

These elderly folk are often forgotten by society but they are not forgotten by God. God uses Cornerstone's ministry team to offer them a cup of cold water in His name when we share these church services with them. For most of them it is their only opportunity to go to church so they very much appreciate us coming to minister.

Soup Kitchen Ministry

The Soup Kitchen Ministry continues the commitment to provide a meal for guests of the Soup Kitchen every month, usually on the third Saturday of the month. Average attendance throughout the fall has been approximately 82 people. The church provides two large turkeys each month thanks to Wanda Newson. The balance of the menu comes from direct congregational donations of food items, and congregation members are generous as always with our church.

We are able to prepare meals and serve the guests with a team of six people, mostly from the Stratford and Cornwall congregations. There are a number of patrons of the Soup Kitchen who also pitch in and help with clean-up of the dishes and the dining room following the meal, which is always appreciated by our team. The manager of the Soup Kitchen, Bob King, encourages participation in the operations of the Soup Kitchen by regular clientele, fostering ownership and a sense of belonging. Occasionally, other volunteers join our team on a Saturday. These may be youth doing community service or others who are simply interested in the work that the Soup Kitchen does in our community.

During the 'downtime' between preparation and serving, we are able to spend time chatting with and encouraging some of the patrons. We have a few people on the team who come along most every month and have come to know some of the patrons quite well. We enjoy sharing a coffee with them and learning about each of their journeys while sharing ours with them. As it is with opportunities of this nature, we learn much about life through our interactions with the patrons. As a spin-off of this ministry, the team members also get to know each other better as we work together sharing stories and God's gifts in our lives.

The church has committed to maintain our commitment to the Soup Kitchen once every month, and we all feel we are contributing in a very real way through this respectful ministry. Thank you to all who participate directly or provide funds through our missions offerings to help this special ministry.

The Exodus Project

During the past decade our community has been growing. Currently PEI is experiencing the largest population spike in twenty years, second only to Alberta and ahead of all other Atlantic provinces. This is due in large part to immigrants from across the globe chosing PEI as their new home. Some are refugees seeking asylum in a safe country and others are skilled workers contributing to the Island economy. Many need help from people like you to adjust to their new life in an unfamiliar culture and surroundings.

The Exodus Project is part of Cornerstone's local missions ministry seeking to serve the growing immigrant population in the greater Charlottetown area. If you have a heart for people, an appreciation for cultural differences and an interest in our common bonds, join us in this exciting journey as we follow Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself".