Feedback from events and church plants.

Why Life Team? Tebz Ntuli

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Thinking about – or know someone who’s thinking about – doing Cornerstone’s Life Team next year? Tebz Ntuli was part of the Life Team in 2009. Here’s what it was like for him.

I just about grew up in the Church and Life Team seemed like one of those things you did if you didn’t really know what to do the next year after grade 12, or because that’s what most people did after school. Needless to say that view completely changed and I can confidently say my life and future also changed.

Some of the stuff I absolutely loved was just how much God used me as young guy to do the most craziest things like praying for the sick. And they actually got healed! People’s legs got sorted, blind people started seeing, bone diseases literally disappeared just by us praying! And simple things like coughs and stuff was also gone instantly!

God has called all His people to operate, not just the older folks, and that is what we got to do, from going on trips around South Africa and internationally, getting opportunities to preach and serve other churches.

Most people would probably see Life Team as a year event and life goes on after that, but I must say I learned so many practical things that I use in my everyday life, like the heart of serving, dealing with people that sometimes you would rather not deal with, working in a team and serving under a leader.

I’ve seen so many guys do Life Team over the years after I did and there is always a difference in every single person from the beginning of the year to the end. Guys become in love with God, become involved in the church life, their attitudes towards life are completely different because of what God’s done in them.

I don’t know if “recommend” would be the word I would use for guys to do Life Team because it would come across as a 50/50 attitude towards it. I would totally do it all again because of how much my life has been impacted by giving a year of my life to God through Life Team!

Kaleidoscope 2013 – Some Testimonies

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Kaleidoscope Women's Conference 2013

The ladies had a fantastic time at Kaleidoscope 2013 this last weekend, with a focus on the Holy Spirit. God visited and ministered in a powerful way. Here are some testimonies from the weekend:

Justine Engelbrecht:
There are very few words to describe the incredible power of the Holy Spirit, thank you Jean [Guthrie] for taking the time to be with us and for changing hearts and realising dreams. I went up on Friday morning to receive the gift of tongues, and while I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on occasion before, nothing could have prepared me for the amazing grace and peacefulness of His presence in my life since then. There is no question to His brilliance and few words to describe, the incredible power that fulfilled me, all I know is that I want more and more and more of Him.

Thank you Col, Ryan, Glenn, Kim and everyone at Cornerstone for the opportunity to take the pics, for sharing my poem, and allowing me to be a part of this amazing, incredible and beneficial women’s conference. Next year cannot come around soon enough. Love Justine x

Ps. Thanks a mil Fern for your help on Saturday. x

[Thanks Justine for all the hard work!]

Ann Leo
Thank you to all you wonderful ladies,who organized this amazing time,we’ll never be the same again!

Michelle Smith
Thank you!!! Simple words, but so heartfelt. Thank you to all who planned, served, prepared the refreshments, transformed the church, caught and caught and caught, who prayed, who led worship, passed tissues, packed welcome packs, set up and cleaned up – the list is way more. I am so grateful to worship a God who is amazing and belong to church with a leadership who welcome the holy spirit.

Nicolette Bosman Verspui
Absolutely wonderful conference! Thanks to all involved – Adele, all the elders wives, worship team (Wow!), Lynor Van Rooyen and everyone involved in the excellent organisation and co-ordination!

Carla-Jo Barry
What an amazing time in the presence of an AMAZING GOD! Thank you for all the prayers that have gone into this event xxx

Send your testimonies to info@www.cornerstonechurch.co.za or post them on our Facebook page.

Also check out the Cornerstone Facebook page for photos.

News from Keir in Zimbabwe

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Post by Cornerstone Church.

What Life Team is Like: Nicola Pilkington

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Thinking about – or know someone who’s thinking about – doing Cornerstone’s Life Team next year? Nicola Pilkington was part of the Life Team in 2009. Here’s what it was like for her.

I joined Life Team on a whim, completely unsure how fundamentally God would change my life. The only thing that I had planned on was being open to what God had for me.

I learned what it means to be a part of the body of Christ; to be involved and make a contribution that is valuable. Not to simply go to church and expect to receive. For it is in my contribution that I often learn and receive the most.

On that same note, we travelled a lot (a definite highlight), we got to see churches that have much and churches that have very little –  the common thread being their indubitable love for Jesus.

I learned how to relate to people of different backgrounds and to be as much of a blessing as I can be. I got opportunities to lead worship and to preach. I got to see what I was good at and was not.

Cornerstone is such a safe environment that allows for mistakes to be made and to be lovingly put on the right track. God used so many people to teach me and to impart foundations in my mind and spirit that will never leave me. On my team and amongst the church I made friends that taught me what being friends actually meant.  Our hearts were knitted and we loved each other in a way that I had never experienced before.

Ultimately Life Team taught me how to serve. Service has such a negative connotation but it is out of that place that one is able to lead. We have a saying amongst all the Life Teamers: “Once a Life Teamer, always a Life Teamer.” Essentially we are saying that we will never forget how to serve. From setting up every Wednesday for prayer meeting, to waking up at 4am to set up for the Breakfast Exchange, to cleaning toilets in the heart of Tanzania and planting grass in Viljoenskroen… Oh and we painted! Everywhere we went we painted! It sounds crazy but we learned to love serving because we learned to see the purpose behind it.

At the end of the day, we saw a man get out of a wheel chair, we (awkwardly) led people to Jesus for the first time, we saw lives being surrendered to Jesus and we learned how radical is this God that we serve!

What Life Team is Like: Brett & Robyn Riskowitz

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Thinking about – or know someone who’s thinking about – doing Cornerstone’s Life Team next year? Brett & Robyn Riskowitz led the Life Team in 2010. Here’s what it was like for them.

“Life Team was a year of dynamic spiritual growth for my us. Although it was physically and emotionally challenging at times, what we experienced surpassed any difficultly we endured. From seeing people set free from the demonic, to being healed, to people giving their lives to Jesus, it was certainly a year of God’s glorious power working in and through us.

“For anyone who is keen to develop their calling in God and experience the love of a spiritual family (the rest of the team), Life Team is most definitely the thing to do.”

 

What Life Team is Like: Gareth van der Merwe

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Thinking about – or know someone who’s thinking about – doing Cornerstone’s Life Team next year? Gareth van der Merwe was a part of the Life Team in 2009. Here’s something of what he experienced.

“For me, Life team was such a change in life style. Throughout my high school career I was unsure of what I wanted to do after school. My parents decided that studying was best for me, so I tried that for two years and dropped out due to a lack of motivation. Then I worked in a bar for two years and also grew out of that.

“I had only been saved for two months before I decided to take what I thought would be a “gap year”. Man was I wrong! Life Team allowed for no lazying around at all! Although I was one of the oldest in the team, God matured me in so many ways.

“Life team for me was a testing time mentally, physically and especially spiritually. It was one of the most significant years in my life and I loved it even though, at times, it was hard. I would recommend it to anyone that’s able to do it!”

Find out more about Life Team here.

Feedback on Lance and Tanya’s Trip to Portugal

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by Lance de Ruig

Tanya and I went to Portugal from 24 July to 4 August to visit Mark and Nattie Bouffe in Porto. Mark and Nattie were elders at Cornerstone Church for many years and took over the church in Porto seven years ago.

The church has grown by 60 people in the last six years and is currently at 90 people. Portugal is battling incredibly financially; the church is full of educated, unemployed people. There are qualified architects, graphic designers, teachers, people involved in commerce, psychologists and many others who simply cannot find work. But through this difficult situation the Gospel is being preached and people’s lives are being changed.

The week before we arrived they had a baptism meeting and baptised a number of people, including a 12 year old and a 92 year old. The church is seeing regular salvations, baptisms, and the growth of leaders. Tanya and I had the privilege of ministry in the church on two Sundays as well as running a youth camp for them for a week.

It was a wonderful time of the continued building of our relationships and encouraging the church!

Nelspruit Trip – A Report-Back from Hennie Keyter

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Last week, Hennie and Rita Keyter and Andrew and Jill Mildenhall spent time with the leaders in Nelspruit that partner with NCMI. Here is a report-back from Hennie on how things went:

There was a Lowveld Connect on the Friday evening. We’ve been going to Nelspruit fairly often and it’s exciting to see how the Connect times there have more than doubled. On Saturday night there was a men’s evening and more than 150 men arrived. It was great to see the men coming through.

Nelspruit is very exciting. The church there (Church Unlimited) has moved to two morning services and an evening service. It’s great to see the young people coming through in the evening and we had a great time with them all.

Continue to pray for Nelspruit!

Photos from All Sites Celebration with Keir Tayler

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We had a great time at our All Sites Celebration with Keir Tayler last night. Baptisms, salvations, joy and the presence of God in such a wonderfully tangible way.

Keir spoke about the reality of hell and the reality of choice. We need to make a choice – do we believe in Jesus or not? If we choose not to, there are consequences that include judgement and hell. This is a big part of our message to the world and an important reminder of the urgency of the Gospel message.

You can follow our Twitter feed and scroll back to get some live-tweeting of the event and get an idea on what was preached. Even better, download the message here.

We’ve posted some photos at our Facebook page. Check them out here.

Key Women Kicks off its Fruit of the Spirit Series

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by Justine Engelbrecht

Key Women is all about being inspired by the amazing team of Cornerstone women, and on the 5th of February they welcomed everyone with red velvet cupcakes, mini quiche and delicious coffee – the perfect way to celebrate and fellowship in the month of love.

The theme for 2013 is the Fruit of the Spirit and we’re being encouraged to examine ourselves and ask the question – is the Fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives?

The Fruits of the Spirit are:

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control

Adele shared with us the First Fruit which is Love. Here is some of what was shared:

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.

Words are meaningless without Love.

If I have the gift of the prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Without Love we cannot have the other Fruits of the Spirit.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Fill your heart with Love, with Love we can do so much.

Love is patient, Love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

These are the characteristics of Agape Love:

Love is Patient (not irritable or resentful)

Love is Kind (making yourself useful)

Not being jealous (we must rejoice when others are blessed)

Love does not boast (boasting can make other people feel bad about themselves and what they have). We are only to “Boast in the Lord” – Give Glory to the Lord.

Love is not Proud (Obiadiah Vs 3 – “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself ‘who can bring me down to the ground?“)

Love is not rude, Love is not self-seeking, Love is not easily angered.

Psalm 145 vs 8 – The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (We cannot be rich in Love if we have anger).

Proverbs – Fall in love with the word of God.

Proverbs 15 Vs 1 – A soft answer stirs away wrath

Love keeps no record of wrongs. (Once we forgive we must ask God to help us forget)

Speak the Truth – I Peter Ch 4 Vs 8 – love covers a multitude of sins.

Love always protects (Never expose the faults of others, Do not believe wrong of each other.)

Love always Trusts (Do not block yourself off from other people, because you have been hurt in the past.)

Love always hopes (Always expect the best)

Love always perseveres (Hang in there, run the race to the end, enjoy the season you are in.)

Love never fails (Love is not in vain.)

John 13:34, “A new commandment – “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

God gives us the ability to love!

The Next Key Women will be on 5 March at 8:30am. The topic will be Joy. Looking forward to seeing you there!