Affirmations

"We went out there to the Cornerstone community because we were challenged to 'seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness' ... it helped us to see that our faith was not just about propositions oftruth, but the living reality of it every day ... 'Let your natural life be spiritual, and your spiritual life be natural' - I was really attracted to that; it was a life-wide vision of the Christian life, that there really isn’t anything that’s not ‘spiritual’; rather than the compartmentalised approach ..."<
"The benefits still reverberate in our lives ... To be in Christ is a wonder above all. To learn to give all we are to Him who is our life, in service, devotion and humility - that's a life-long road. But I think we discovered that road in a special way the day we drove through the gates of Cornerstone Pera Bore."

"Cornerstone provided a wonderful set of 'growing up' experiences. The course pushed me to grow up in my faith - and prepared me well to weigh up and challenge all the ideas I would face at university. Living in a diverse community really broadened my vew of the world and deeply enriched my understanding of what it means to live as God's people ... My 'team year' was full of opportunities to get creative about connecting with people and representing Jesu to them meaningfully ... The blend of work, study, community and mission provides a wonderfully stimulating, stretching and realistic training experience, with a richness of life and truth that I have continuously tried to emulate in my lifestyle in the 6 years since I left Cornerstone."

"The most important thing about my time out at Cornerstone was my relationship with God ... Cornerstone is all about a relationship with Jesus and getting to know Him. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for my time at Cornerstone I have no idea where I'd be at with my walk with God ... I see Cornerstone as a major starting point in my walk with the Lord."

"Ten years down the track ... in our own walk with Jesus - everything - I would never have done it any differently ... The things we learnt out here [at Cornerstone], the things we were challenged by out here, that was what grounded us."

"I came from Norway as a 19 year old, not knowing much about the bible-school except that it was in Austraila, way out in the country and that it was hard work. That year in Canowindra and the following 6 months on a mission team in Young, are probably the months that have affected me most so far in my life. What I appreciate most, 10 years down the track, was that I had the privilege of taking a "sabbath-year" to really think through how I live my life as a christian. I found that the teaching there was very down to earth, and I still use what I learnt there in my everyday life. I'm more mature and have more life-experience now, and would probably approach things differently if I were to do the training all over again. However, the teaching from Bible, the guidance of how to have a good relationship with the Lord, the knowledge and experience of life and relationships in a small community, application in the workplace ... these are all lessons that are still important in my life. Since leaving Cornerstone in '95, I have been back 3 times to visit my '2nd home' ... the people and the place have a very special place in my heart."

"A Cornerstone mission team came to Yackandandah, led by my brother, and I was so impressed at the changes I could see in my brother, and by the friendships I made with team members. They displayed a life of dependence on God, accountability and openness with each other ... I was impressed with the knowledge and understanding they had of God. I wanted this for myself - to find the source of experience they had to gain a rich relationship with God.
Throughout my own time at Cornerstone, I overcame some major blocks in understanding God, and grew in faith and strength to work through the rest of my life, running alongside with the Lord Jesus. Now I am learning to help others see what God is like in the context of nursing in a hospital, which I am really enjoying. I appreciate the time with people I had at Cornerstone. That experience gave me a broader base of relationships and knowledge to build the rest of my life on."

"I was already active in church ministry as well as at school by the end of year twelve, but found that I needed to deepen my understanding of the scripture and God's world before heading off to university. Cornerstone provided the time needed with lectures and study, considering many aspects of the bible, of Jesus, and how to apply this into daily life. The work program and the mentoring that was provided made sure that these lessons didn't disappear but were made true in all that we did together. I was given superb tools to assess and judge all sorts of ideas and concepts that would otherwise have left me bamboozled, and at the same time I came out confident that I could study and interpret the scripture throughout the rest of my life.
Today, having finished university study, I have moved into student ministry on university campuses and I am constantly looking back to the lessons taught at Cornerstone to inform what I am doing today. These lessons are from community interaction and relationships, a team mission year, as well as broad and yet deep studies of theology, interpretation, ethics and christian living (to name just a few areas!). I see the years I had at Cornerstone as formative and a superb preparation for a life of work and ministry."

"The thing that Cornerstone does better than anyone else is community, and that's the 'place' where we learn the most about ourselves and our responses to God. That's the environment where iron sharpens iron and where you have a real chance to take those biblical principles from the 'to do list' and build them into real actions and then real habits everyday. Community is the place where you can 'sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny' ... I can't say that in Cornerstone I had an amazing ministry and saw dozens of people come to Christ, but I can say that the calling that has been stirred within has given me such a thirst for the gospel, and to see it spread, that I can not consciously give up. My experience and training with Cornerstone will continue to show it's effects for decades to come and in so many ways that I would never have thought possible."

"The Cornerstone experience provides an approach to life that incorporates all facets of a healthy & wholesome lifestyle. The training challenges & stretches the muscle of the mind. The work shakes off apathy, complacency & self-interest paving the way for a work ethic of diligence & whole-heartedness. Community living naturally nurtures the growth of real relationships, maturity & inter-personal skills. The one-on-one mentoring helps cleanse all the skeletons from one’s closet & directs you towards a focused life of self-awareness, purpose & direction. The mission experiences open your eyes to the vast possibilities of serving your community & the wider world with your talents & abilities... I found it to be an environment of radical self-discovery, rigorous inquiry & down-to-earth practical living that ultimately helps to build a foundational understanding of all of life from which to build something solid."

"My Cornerstone experience was instrumental in my early faith development. It challenged traditional ways of being a Christian while at the same time building a deep ongoing love for the life of the local church. Those foundations have been my greatest asset in serving as a Pastor in the Churches of Christ for the past ten years. I believe the investment made by Cornerstone in the lives of its students is repaid to local churches Australia wide many times over."

"My training with Cornerstone was a time of rich and exciting discovery for me. Most important was the realisation that Jesus wasn't religious, that the claims about Him were historical and provable. Not only did this strengthen my faith and my resolve to serve Him, but it freed me from the cultural restrictions that I had thought were 'Christian'. There was no better environment for this realisation. Cornerstone is about real people, authentically sharing the journey of discipleship on Australian soil in the here and now. Truth finds it's application immediately in that environment. I wonder how much my misconceptions about Jesus and Christianity would hold me captive even to this day, if it wasn't for the time I spent at Cornerstone. Jesus is the only answer for me and for the average Aussie. Now I'm confident about that and am leading a church that is engaging in getting that 'good news' out there in relevant ways."

"I did the Cornerstone training in the mid 80's and then went on staff till 2001. I stayed with Cornerstone so long because I wanted to help other young Christians the way I had been helped. Personally it helped develop in me a passion for the Lord, discipleship and mission. As a staff member I was privileged to see God do miracles in people's lives year after year. The main strengths I bring into my current ministry are there largely due to my time in Cornerstone. I would enthusiasticly encourage people to go to Cornerstone."

"We were both born into Christian homes and came into a personal relationship with Jesus in our youth. We had been married for over 30 years and during that time had been involved in youth work with our local church. When we heard of Cornerstone and saw the changes that came about in the lives of many young people who had been there, we decided to find out what made the difference. In 1991 we applied and went to Cornerstone at Canowindra. In the time we spent there we found it took our view of God ‘out of a box’, and gave us a bigger view of a great God. We gained not only a biblical knowledge of God & His Kingdom, but also skills in discipleship that has equipped us not only in our daily lives but also in more useful church life. Age is no barrier to discipleship training in Cornerstone community; we recommend it to all."

"I've been given the tools to continue maturing into a whole person, as well as the the tools and growing desire to help aid others to wholeness ... I want to bring joy to people's lives, real joy that comes from a unity of life with God and an understanding of His purpose for us. I want to head into the field of welfare and counselling, as well as be part of a mission community."

"I went there because Cornerstone seemed to be a 'radical' Bible college, not just about academic achievement but dealing with other aspects of life as well. Over the last 3 years, it has not disappointed me! I've also found that my life can be a Gospel story. The more I learn to be like Jesus, the more his 'fragrance' will flow out from me. This makes Christianity a practical and attractive way of life."

"I value the variety of skills & backgrounds of people within the movement ... in a training session there may be a school dropout, a small business operator, a tradesman, uni students and doctors - all coming to be a part of mission and discipleship."

"Cornerstone helped me take a good look at all the ideas and assumptions I'd picked up along the way from church and culture and home, and helped me sort through what actually fits in with reality and what I could let go. It was a very freeing, adventurous process."

"I desired to know God in a deeper way and to make sense of life with Him at the centre. That is what drew me to Cornerstone, attracted by the genuine and everyday holiness that I saw there. I can only thank God for the ways in which He has fulfilled these desires in my 3 years at Cornerstone far beyond my expectations and imagination. I'm now heading for uni in a Cornerstone mission team, and am excited to continue the journey there!"