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Letters from Pastor Milton Regarding Covid

March 20, 2020

Last updated: December 26, 2025

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Overview

March 20, 2020 The Elders will be having a regularly scheduled meeting this evening, and in the meeting we will be processing the most recent developments regarding the coronavirus, and will be making a decision regarding our schedule this Sunday. We have consulted with health officials and have been in contact with sister churches regarding their plans, and we trust that God will give us wisdom to make wise decisions that represent love toward all and trust in our sovereign God. We would very much appreciate your prayers! With much appreciation for you, Milton Vincent (on behalf of the Cornerstone Elders) June 6, 2021 I am excited to gather with you in the Bourns parking lot tomorrow morning at 10:30am for our first worship service together in three months! If you plan on attending our service tomorrow, I trust you have already filled out the RSVP. If you haven’t done so yet, you are welcome to click this link here and fill out the RSVP form. Please plan to arrive at least 15-20 minutes early tomorrow, so that we can have everyone in place and ready to begin the service promptly at 10:30am. If you plan on sitting in the seating area, please bring your own chairs for yourself and those who are coming with you. Health and Safety Guidelines for the Service. Please remember that, out of consideration for everyone attending, we will be following the three guidelines below: 1. Practice social distancing (meaning no handshakes or hugs) 2. Masks are recommended while outdoors, but not required (we will leave it up to your conscience as you determine best practice for yourself and your family. Whatever you decide for yourself, please be respectful of those who choose differently than you.) 3. Masks are REQUIRED in order to enter the building to use the restroom As hard as the first guideline may be to follow, I am asking you to join me in following it during our gathering tomorrow. For a meaningful number of our people, this is their first assembly of any sort in three months. Your willingness to follow the guidelines above will serve to create a safe environment that they feel comfortable attending; and it will probably increase their confidence in venturing out for future church services. I’m excited at the opportunity to lay down my preferences for the protection of all of you, and out of consideration for those who have a compromised physical condition (or will be returning home to someone who does). Communion Elements. As I announced this past Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper during tomorrow’s service. You are welcome to bring your own elements for Communion. But please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements for your use when you arrive onto the campus. The elements will come in a package that features a Communion cup of juice with a wafer sealed onto the top of the sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers when you arrive onto the campus. For your protection, these servers will be wearing masks and gloves as they distribute these elements to you. Please be preparing your heart to feast on Christ together with others, consistent with the guidance provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, which you may read here. Also, please take some time to examine yourself and behold Christ from the foot of the Cross, so as to ensure that you partake of the bread and cup in a spirit of humility and confident joy in the Lord Jesus. This link will help you if you find yourself wondering whether you should participate in Communion tomorrow. Sermon Tomorrow. My sermon tomorrow will be, “A Fitting Response to this Moment of Arrival,” from Psalm 84:1-12. The pilgrim psalmist who wrote Psalm 84 seems to have arrived at the temple of Jerusalem to worship God, and his response sets a great example that we can follow as we ourselves gather together for the first time in three months. In preparation for the message, I encourage you to read Psalm 84:1-12, which you may read here, or listen to here. I think that’s everything for now. I am so looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! With appreciation for you, Milton June 19, 2021 Given the fact that our state and county health officials have decided to maintain the May 25 guidelines for church gatherings, we plan to once again meet in the Bourns parking lot for our service this Sunday (June 21). Our service start time will once again be 9:30am. If you would like to attend our service this coming Sunday morning, please fill out the RSVP form that you will find here. Your answers will help us as we plan the layout for the service and will also serve to help us in our communications with you. The form is also designed to put reminders in front of you which ultimately will serve the best interests of everyone attending. Important Note about Face Coverings. Given the recent rise of cases of COVID-19 in our state, our governor yesterday issued a statewide order requiring people to wear a face covering in most indoor settings (away from home) and even outside when maintaining a physical distance from others is not feasible. A careful read of the specifics of his guidelines reveals that they do not include a requirement to wear face coverings while outdoors in settings where social distancing is being practiced. Hence, while face coverings are recommended for our services, we will continue to leave up to you to determine best practices for you and your household while in the Bourns parking lot. We also encourage you to continue practicing social distancing when on the campus for our service, so as to create a safe environment in which face coverings are not mandatory in the Bourns parking lot. Sermon this Sunday. In our service this Sunday, I will be preaching a message entitled, "A Revolutionary Lifestyle," from Deuteronomy 6:1-12. If you are looking for something specific you can do to contribute to the growth of righteousness in our culture, this passage will provide you with some helpful specifics. To prepare your heart for the sermon, we encourage you to read Deuteronomy 6:1-12, which you may find here, or listen to it here. If you are not able to attend the service this Sunday, we hope that you will tune into the live-stream which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this link for the service, which begins at 9:30am Sunday morning. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday! Milton July 10, 2021 As we have previously informed you, our worship service will be tomorrow evening (Saturday) at 7:30pm in the Bourns parking lot. The weather forecast for tomorrow and Sunday presently calls for a high of 102 degrees, so we have scheduled our service for tomorrow evening with your comfort in mind. Safety Guidelines. In order to maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending, we ask that you follow the safety guidelines below: 1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are heartily recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. Face coverings are REQUIRED inside the building for restroom usage In addition to these guidelines, we ask that you watch the service from home if you are experiencing the following symptoms: cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell, or upset stomach. We also ask that you watch the service from home if you or anyone in your household has been exposed (without adequate PPE) to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. A Covid-19 Case on Our Elder Board. Along these lines, I want you to know that Paul (Kumi) Kumamoto,has tested positive for Covid-19. He has been ill over the past several days, and test results confirmed this morning that he, indeed, has Covid-19. Importantly, Kumi and Lynnette have NOT YET attended any of our outdoor services, so there is no cause for worry about potential exposure during one of our recent outdoor services. But I urge you to be in prayer for God's healing touch upon Kumi's body, and for those who are living in his household. Given the continuing rise of Covid-19 cases in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our being able to continue hosting the services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past five weeks! As I communicated to you earlier, we will be singing in our service tomorrow. If you have already texted the word rejoice to 31996, then you should automatically receive a link to the worship lyrics at some point prior to the service tomorrow. That said, if you prefer to print out a hard copy of the lyrics before arriving Sunday morning, you will find a PDF of the lyrics tomorrow morning here. Sermon Tomorrow. In our service tomorrow, I will be preaching a message entitled, "The Amazing Gospel We Adorn," from Titus 2:11-15, a passage that serves as the blazing hot core of the book of Titus. Every word of this text bristles with meaning and application, and I look forward to gazing with you upon the gospel that we are called to adorn before the eyes of a watching world. To prepare your heart for the sermon, I encourage you to read Titus 2:1-15, which you may read here, or listen to here. If you are not able to attend the service tomorrow evening, we hope that you will tune into the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this link for the service, which begins at 7:30pm Saturday evening. Looking forward to worshiping with you tomorrow! Milton October 2, 2020 I look forward to worshiping together with you Sunday morning at 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. We've had some +100 temperature days this week and we have yet another one tomorrow, but we are grateful that the temperature forecast for Sunday calls for a high of 98 degrees, which should put us somewhere close to 90 degrees at the end of our service. That's warmer than last week, but cooler than what we've had the last few days! :) Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us this Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. The theme of this class is Surveying the Wondrous Cross of Jesus Christ. Pastor Mike will be teaching from Romans 5 this Sunday; and I believe his lesson will serve to demonstrate why focusing on the cross of Christ is the most relevant and powerful thing we can focus on to obtain incisive wisdom for confronting the many challenges we face today. Please plan to join us for this class, and bring your children with you! If you are not able to make the Sunday School class this Sunday, you may access the link for the Sunday School class is HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below). Communion. We plan on celebrating the Lord’s Supper in our service this Sunday. You are welcome to bring your own elements, but please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements when you arrive for Sunday School or worship service. The elements are in a package that features a wafer sealed on the top of prepared, sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers wearing masks and gloves as you arrive Sunday morning. In the meantime, please be preparing your heart to feast on Christ together with others, consistent with the guidance provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, which you may read here. Additionally, this link will help you if you find yourself wondering whether you should participate in Communion this Sunday. Sermon. In our worship service, Pastor Karlos Limtiaco will be preaching a sermon entitled, "The Parable of the Talents," from Matthew 25:14-30. In preparation for the message Sunday morning, please take some time to read Matthew 25:14-30, which you may read HERE. As for the sermon notes and worship lyrics, we will send out a link for you tomorrow. Live Stream of Worship Service. If you are not able to attend the service Sunday morning, we hope you will tune in to the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this LINK for the service, which begins at 10:30am Sunday morning (this link is different from the Sunday School link found above). Safety Guidelines. We so appreciate how you have helped us maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending. Please continue to serve one another by following the safety guidelines below during our service Sunday morning: 1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. We are REQUIRING face coverings inside the building for restroom usage In addition to these guidelines, we ask that you watch the service from home if you are experiencing the following symptoms: cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell, or upset stomach. We also ask that you watch the service from home if you or anyone in your household has been exposed (without adequate PPE—personal protective equipment) to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. Given the ongoing health situation in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our ability to host services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past three and a half months! Festival of Treats. Finally, given the ongoing health crisis and restrictions which are in place throughout our county, we will not be having the Festival of Treats on October 31 this year. As we have done every few years, we encourage you to use the day of October 31 to shine as a light for Christ to your neighbors and others within your own sphere of influence. We will have gospel tracts and other resources available for your use, and we trust you will make use of them as you seek to reach out to others on October 31 (and any day of the year). Looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday! Milton October 9, 2020 I look forward to worshiping together with you Sunday morning at 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. We've had some 100+ temperature days this week and we have yet another one tomorrow, but we are grateful that the temperature forecast for Sunday calls for a high of 84 degrees, which should put us at a very comfortable 75 degrees at the end of our worship service! : ) Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us this Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. Our class this Sunday will be taught by Carlos Price. The title of the lesson is, "The Christ of the Cross," and will focus on John 3:14-16. This lesson will take us further still in understanding why focusing on the cross of Christ is the most relevant and powerful thing we can focus on to obtain incisive wisdom for confronting the many challenges we face today. Please bring your children with you! Please know that the Youth Equipping School classes will be meeting this Sunday in the Courtyard Area (both the Jr. High and Sr. High)! If you are not able to make the main Sunday School class this Sunday, you may access the link for the Sunday School class is HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below). Sermon. In our worship service, I will be preaching a sermon entitled, "Challenging a Compromised Church," from Revelation 2:12-17. The church of Pergamum had many faithful members who held fast to the name of Christ in the face of severe persecution, but they were guilty of harboring some in their midst who held to false teaching and sinful practices. Christ calls them to account, and in the process He provides us with some valuable insights that can help us withstand Satan's attacks from without and from within. You may access a PDF of the worship lyrics, Scripture passage, and sermon outline HERE. You are also welcome to access these materials on the front page of our website or on our Church App (just click the icon that says, "Sundays at Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church," and you will then see the icons for the "Sermon Notes" and "Worship Lyrics"). Live Stream of Worship Service. If you are not able to attend the service Sunday morning, we hope you will tune in to the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this LINK for the service, which begins at 10:30am Sunday morning (this link is different from the Sunday School link found above). Safety Guidelines. We so appreciate how you have helped us maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending. Please continue to serve one another by following the safety guidelines below during our service Sunday morning: 1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. We are REQUIRING face coverings inside the building for restroom usage In addition to these guidelines, we ask that you watch the service from home if you are experiencing the following symptoms: cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell, or upset stomach. We also ask that you watch the service from home if you or anyone in your household has been exposed (without adequate PPE—personal protective equipment) to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. Given the ongoing health situation in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our ability to host services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past three and a half months! Looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday! Milton Vincent October 31, 2020 I trust you plan on making today a day of blessing others with acts of kindness and the truth of the gospel. My wife and I are very much looking forward to using gospel resources from last week's Outreach Table to spread the message of Christ's love to our neighbors this evening; and we are praying for God's blessing on you as you seek to do the same toward people within your spheres of influence. I look forward to worshiping together with you tomorrow morning 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for a high of 90 degrees, which should make for comfortable temperatures during our worship service. Time Change! Don't forget about the time change. Your clocks will "fall back" an hour, providing you with an extra hour of sleep! :) Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. Our class this Sunday will be taught by Pastor Mike Berry. The title of the lesson is, "The End of the Cross," from Philippians 1:21. Paul says to the Philippian church that to live is Christ and to die is WHAT? GAIN? How is death a gain? Find out this Sunday. Given that this class is for all ages, bring your children with you! Also, please remember that our High School and Junior High Sunday School classes continue tomorrow at 9:30 AM in the Courtyard area, studying Living Life Backwards: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End, by David Gibson. If you are not able to make the main Sunday School class tomorrow, you may access the link for the Sunday School class HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below). Sermon. In our worship service, I will be preaching a sermon entitled, "Encouragements for a Beaten-Down Church," from Revelation 3:7-13. The church of Philadelphia was a faithful church that stood in great need of encouragement from Jesus, and He is faithful to provide lavish encouragement for them in this letter. Beaten down by their circumstances, the church of Philadelphia was an unimpressive church by worldly standards, but things are not always what they seem. While society had slammed many doors shut on them, Jesus had put before them an open door which no on could shut; and this open door to Himself served as the secret to their faithfulness. If you yourself feel beaten down and could use some encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of your circumstances, you will find much help for yourself in this letter that Jesus writes to the church of Philadelphia. In preparation for the message tomorrow, I encourage you to read Revelation 3:7-13, which you may find HERE. You may access a PDF of the worship lyrics, Scripture passage, and sermon outline HERE. You are also welcome to access these materials on the front page of our website or on our Church App (just click the icon that says, "Sundays at Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church," and you will then see the icons for the "Sermon Notes" and "Worship Lyrics"). Live Stream of Worship Service. If you are not able to attend the service tomorrow, we hope you will tune in to the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this LINK for the service, which begins at 10:30am tomorrow morning (this link is different from the Sunday School link found above). Communion. We plan on celebrating the Lord’s Supper in our service tomorrow. Once again, you are welcome to bring your own elements for Communion, but please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements when you arrive tomorrow. The elements will come in a package that features a Communion cup of juice with a wafer sealed onto the top of the sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers when you reach the gathering area. In the meantime, please be preparing your heart to feast on Christ together with others, consistent with the guidance provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, which you may read here. Additionally, this link will help you if you find yourself wondering whether you should participate in Communion tomorrow. Safety Guidelines. We so appreciate how you have helped us maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending. Please continue to serve one another by following the safety guidelines below during our service tomorrow morning: 1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. We are REQUIRING face coverings inside the building for restroom usage In addition to these guidelines, we ask that you watch the service from home if you are experiencing the following symptoms: cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell, or upset stomach. We also ask that you watch the service from home if you or anyone in your household has been exposed (without adequate PPE—personal protective equipment) to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. Given the ongoing health situation in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our ability to host services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past five months! Looking forward to worshiping with you tomorrow! Milton Vincent Once again, we are thankful for the recent United States Supreme Court decision that affirms our prerogative to meet indoors up to 25% capacity, and we are also thankful that the State of California has responded to this decision by modifying its guidance for all California counties in allowing “churches……open indoors max 25% capacity.” If our past indoor services (during the Covid era) are any indication, we think it highly likely that we will be comfortably below that 25% threshold by using the Auditorium and Room 103 to accommodate our attendees. We are pleased to remind you that a recent survey of Bourns' HVAC system found that the AIR-EXCHANGE RATE for the Bourns HVAC is 7.5 ACH (7.5 air changes per hour), which surpasses the recommendation of 5.0 ACH for minimizing the chances of transmitting the coronavirus. As for FILTRATION, Bourns' air flow system utilizes two sets of filters, one of which is rated MERV 13, which effectively traps small micro-size aerosols produced during talking. In our classes and service tomorrow, we will be having certain doors left opened in order to expedite the circulation of air even beyond the already-high-standard that is achievable with doors closed. Beyond these measures that the Lord has blessed us with, you can help maintain a safe environment for everyone by following the health and safety guidelines below. July 2021 To the Cornerstone Congregation, Tuesday’s reopening of California will mean changes for us as a church. The purpose of this message is to explain these changes to you. California’s webpage entitled, Safely Reopening California, announces that the reopening of California’s economy “means no more physical distancing, no capacity limits...and relaxed mask guidance.” Regarding the relaxed mask guidance, this webpage announces that “vaccinated people are able to come together without masks in most circumstances.... People who are unvaccinated must continue to wear a mask indoors in public settings to protect themselves and others.” To explain how the elders have decided to move forward with this updated guidance from our state, I want to review the six biblical principles we have sought to follow throughout this health crisis: 1) Prayerful Trust in God to direct the decisions of our government leaders 2) Thanksgiving to God for our government leaders 3) Submission and Honor to our government leaders wherever biblically possible 4) Humility born of a recognition that we (elders) are not doctors or medical professionals 5) Love of others, which drives us to consider the spiritual and physical good of our people, which includes the unity of the flock 6) Freedom in the application of health guidelines in order to serve the highest good of our people We have been blessed by the guidance these principles have provided us over the past year, and we have been equally blessed to observe that following them has not hindered us from returning our church to full function for the glory of Christ. We think these six principles also serve us well in shaping our response to this week's updated guidance from our state. Consistent with the first two principles, we will obey God’s Word by continuing to pray with “petitions and thanksgivings” for “all who are in authority,” praying for them as they make decisions on the road ahead, praying also for the salvation of those authorities who have not yet come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Consistent with the principle of submission and honor, we will continue to obey God’s call to honor and submit to our government authorities to the degree that we can do so and still fulfill our biblical mandates as a church (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:17). Even if we must disagree with and disobey our earthly authorities, we will speak our disagreement and seek to act in a way that honors those to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). Consistent with the principle of humility, the elders will refrain from any position of advocacy for or against Covid-19 vaccination. We understand that members of Cornerstone are arriving at different decisions regarding vaccination; and we understand that either decision can be reached in good faith. Hence, we will refrain from leadership actions that could be construed as advocacy for either position. Consistent with the principle of love, the elders believe it would be unwise for us to divide the Cornerstone congregation into “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated,” or to provide guidance that inevitably results in highlighting such a division. Permitting vaccinated attendees to be indoors without a mask, while at the same time requiring unvaccinated attendees to wear a mask, would amount to the elders assuming a position of advocacy for vaccinations. Splitting our guidance in this way would also leave our unvaccinated attendees feeling singled out and punished for decisions they arrived at in good faith. Such guidance from us would also force our members into a position of publicly presenting themselves (by their actions) as vaccinated or unvaccinated. We believe these outcomes would be injurious to the unity of the Cornerstone body. Hence, in an effort to preserve the maximum good of our congregation, we will follow the principle of freedom and no longer require our attendees to wear masks while attending an indoor church function. Beginning this Sunday, mask-wearing while indoors is optional for all attendees, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Obviously, this change in policy embodies a trust in you that you will remain home and take advantage of the live stream of our service if you find yourself experiencing Covid-related symptoms. This new policy also allows you the freedom to wear a mask if your conscience or health condition dictates that you do so. Additionally, this policy comes with the expectation that you will show respect for those attendees whose choices differ from yours. As we have shared before, we are blessed to be in a building that features a high-quality HVAC system boasting an air-change rate of 7.5, which surpasses the recommendation of 5.0 for minimizing the chances of transmitting the coronavirus. As for filtration, our building’s air flow system utilizes two sets of filters, one of which effectively traps micro-size aerosols that may harbor the coronavirus. We are encouraged to see that the number of Covid-19 cases in Riverside County is remaining quite low (1.5 cases per 100,000 persons, with 1.2% positive-test rate as of June 15), leaving the elders feeling confident that we can implement this change in policy and serve the greatest spiritual good of our people without posing undue risk to their physical health. As I said to you in our morning service this past Sunday, this has been a most unusual fifteen months for us as a church, yet I cannot think of a better congregation with whom to navigate this long season than you. May God bless you a thousand-fold in return for the blessing you have been throughout these past fifteen months! Looking forward to the journey ahead, Milton (on behalf of the Cornerstone Elders)

Overview

March 20, 2020

The Elders will be having a regularly scheduled meeting this evening, and in the meeting we will be processing the most recent developments regarding the coronavirus, and will be making a decision regarding our schedule this Sunday. We have consulted with health officials and have been in contact with sister churches regarding their plans, and we trust that God will give us wisdom to make wise decisions that represent love toward all and trust in our sovereign God. We would very much appreciate your prayers! With much appreciation for you, Milton Vincent (on behalf of the Cornerstone Elders)

June 6, 2021

I am excited to gather with you in the Bourns parking lot tomorrow morning at 10:30am for our first worship service together in three months! If you plan on attending our service tomorrow, I trust you have already filled out the RSVP. If you haven’t done so yet, you are welcome to click this link here and fill out the RSVP form. Please plan to arrive at least 15-20 minutes early tomorrow, so that we can have everyone in place and ready to begin the service promptly at 10:30am.

If you plan on sitting in the seating area, please bring your own chairs for yourself and those who are coming with you. Health and Safety Guidelines for the Service. Please remember that, out of consideration for everyone attending, we will be following the three guidelines below:

1. Practice social distancing (meaning no handshakes or hugs)

2. Masks are recommended while outdoors, but not required (we will leave it up to your conscience as you determine best practice for yourself and your family. Whatever you decide for yourself, please be respectful of those who choose differently than you.)

3. Masks are REQUIRED in order to enter the building to use the restroom As hard as the first guideline may be to follow, I am asking you to join me in following it during our gathering tomorrow. For a meaningful number of our people, this is their first assembly of any sort in three months. Your willingness to follow the guidelines above will serve to create a safe environment that they feel comfortable attending; and it will probably increase their confidence in venturing out for future church services. I’m excited at the opportunity to lay down my preferences for the protection of all of you, and out of consideration for those who have a compromised physical condition (or will be returning home to someone who does). Communion Elements. As I announced this past Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper during tomorrow’s service. You are welcome to bring your own elements for Communion. But please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements for your use when you arrive onto the campus. The elements will come in a package that features a Communion cup of juice with a wafer sealed onto the top of the sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers when you arrive onto the campus. For your protection, these servers will be wearing masks and gloves as they distribute these elements to you. Please be preparing your heart to feast on Christ together with others, consistent with the guidance provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, which you may read here. Also, please take some time to examine yourself and behold Christ from the foot of the Cross, so as to ensure that you partake of the bread and cup in a spirit of humility and confident joy in the Lord Jesus. This link will help you if you find yourself wondering whether you should participate in Communion tomorrow. Sermon Tomorrow. My sermon tomorrow will be, “A Fitting Response to this Moment of Arrival,” from Psalm 84:1-12. The pilgrim psalmist who wrote Psalm 84 seems to have arrived at the temple of Jerusalem to worship God, and his response sets a great example that we can follow as we ourselves gather together for the first time in three months. In preparation for the message, I encourage you to read Psalm 84:1-12, which you may read here, or listen to here. I think that’s everything for now. I am so looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! With appreciation for you, Milton

June 19, 2021

Given the fact that our state and county health officials have decided to maintain the May 25 guidelines for church gatherings, we plan to once again meet in the Bourns parking lot for our service this Sunday (June 21). Our service start time will once again be 9:30am.

If you would like to attend our service this coming Sunday morning, please fill out the RSVP form that you will find here. Your answers will help us as we plan the layout for the service and will also serve to help us in our communications with you. The form is also designed to put reminders in front of you which ultimately will serve the best interests of everyone attending.

Important Note about Face Coverings. Given the recent rise of cases of COVID-19 in our state, our governor yesterday issued a statewide order requiring people to wear a face covering in most indoor settings (away from home) and even outside when maintaining a physical distance from others is not feasible. A careful read of the specifics of his guidelines reveals that they do not include a requirement to wear face coverings while outdoors in settings where social distancing is being practiced. Hence, while face coverings are recommended for our services, we will continue to leave up to you to determine best practices for you and your household while in the Bourns parking lot. We also encourage you to continue practicing social distancing when on the campus for our service, so as to create a safe environment in which face coverings are not mandatory in the Bourns parking lot.

Sermon this Sunday. In our service this Sunday, I will be preaching a message entitled, "A Revolutionary Lifestyle," from Deuteronomy 6:1-12. If you are looking for something specific you can do to contribute to the growth of righteousness in our culture, this passage will provide you with some helpful specifics.

To prepare your heart for the sermon, we encourage you to read Deuteronomy 6:1-12, which you may find here, or listen to it here.

If you are not able to attend the service this Sunday, we hope that you will tune into the live-stream which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this link for the service, which begins at 9:30am Sunday morning. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday! Milton

July 10, 2021

As we have previously informed you, our worship service will be tomorrow evening (Saturday) at 7:30pm in the Bourns parking lot. The weather forecast for tomorrow and Sunday presently calls for a high of 102 degrees, so we have scheduled our service for tomorrow evening with your comfort in mind.

Safety Guidelines. In order to maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending, we ask that you follow the safety guidelines below:

1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are heartily recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. Face coverings are REQUIRED inside the building for restroom usage

In addition to these guidelines, we ask that you watch the service from home if you are experiencing the following symptoms: cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell, or upset stomach. We also ask that you watch the service from home if you or anyone in your household has been exposed (without adequate PPE) to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

A Covid-19 Case on Our Elder Board. Along these lines, I want you to know that Paul (Kumi) Kumamoto,has tested positive for Covid-19. He has been ill over the past several days, and test results confirmed this morning that he, indeed, has Covid-19.

Importantly, Kumi and Lynnette have NOT YET attended any of our outdoor services, so there is no cause for worry about potential exposure during one of our recent outdoor services. But I urge you to be in prayer for God's healing touch upon Kumi's body, and for those who are living in his household. Given the continuing rise of Covid-19 cases in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our being able to continue hosting the services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past five weeks! As I communicated to you earlier, we will be singing in our service tomorrow. If you have already texted the word rejoice to 31996, then you should automatically receive a link to the worship lyrics at some point prior to the service tomorrow. That said, if you prefer to print out a hard copy of the lyrics before arriving Sunday morning, you will find a PDF of the lyrics tomorrow morning here.

Sermon Tomorrow. In our service tomorrow, I will be preaching a message entitled, "The Amazing Gospel We Adorn," from Titus 2:11-15, a passage that serves as the blazing hot core of the book of Titus. Every word of this text bristles with meaning and application, and I look forward to gazing with you upon the gospel that we are called to adorn before the eyes of a watching world.

To prepare your heart for the sermon, I encourage you to read Titus 2:1-15, which you may read here, or listen to here.

If you are not able to attend the service tomorrow evening, we hope that you will tune into the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this link for the service, which begins at 7:30pm Saturday evening. Looking forward to worshiping with you tomorrow!

Milton

October 2, 2020

I look forward to worshiping together with you Sunday morning at 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. We've had some +100 temperature days this week and we have yet another one tomorrow, but we are grateful that the temperature forecast for Sunday calls for a high of 98 degrees, which should put us somewhere close to 90 degrees at the end of our service. That's warmer than last week, but cooler than what we've had the last few days! :)

Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us this Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. The theme of this class is Surveying the Wondrous Cross of Jesus Christ. Pastor Mike will be teaching from Romans 5 this Sunday; and I believe his lesson will serve to demonstrate why focusing on the cross of Christ is the most relevant and powerful thing we can focus on to obtain incisive wisdom for confronting the many challenges we face today. Please plan to join us for this class, and bring your children with you!

If you are not able to make the Sunday School class this Sunday, you may access the link for the Sunday School class is HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below).

Communion. We plan on celebrating the Lord’s Supper in our service this Sunday. You are welcome to bring your own elements, but please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements when you arrive for Sunday School or worship service. The elements are in a package that features a wafer sealed on the top of prepared, sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers wearing masks and gloves as you arrive Sunday morning.

In the meantime, please be preparing your heart to feast on Christ together with others, consistent with the guidance provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, which you may read here. Additionally, this link will help you if you find yourself wondering whether you should participate in Communion this Sunday.

Sermon. In our worship service, Pastor Karlos Limtiaco will be preaching a sermon entitled, "The Parable of the Talents," from Matthew 25:14-30. In preparation for the message Sunday morning, please take some time to read Matthew 25:14-30, which you may read HERE.

As for the sermon notes and worship lyrics, we will send out a link for you tomorrow.

Live Stream of Worship Service. If you are not able to attend the service Sunday morning, we hope you will tune in to the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this LINK for the service, which begins at 10:30am Sunday morning (this link is different from the Sunday School link found above).

Safety Guidelines. We so appreciate how you have helped us maintain an environment in which everyone feels safe in attending. Please continue to serve one another by following the safety guidelines below during our service Sunday morning:

1. Practice social distancing of six feet or more (with no handshakes or hugs) 2. Face coverings are recommended while outdoors (yet we will leave this up to your conscience as you determine best practices for you and your family, so long as you maintain six feet of social distancing from those who are not members of your household) 3. We are REQUIRING face coverings inside the building for restroom usage

Given the ongoing health situation in our state and county, your cooperation in following the guidelines given above is all the more vital to our ability to host services in the Bourns parking lot. Thank you for your consistency in following these guidelines over the past three and a half months!

Festival of Treats. Finally, given the ongoing health crisis and restrictions which are in place throughout our county, we will not be having the Festival of Treats on October 31 this year. As we have done every few years, we encourage you to use the day of October 31 to shine as a light for Christ to your neighbors and others within your own sphere of influence. We will have gospel tracts and other resources available for your use, and we trust you will make use of them as you seek to reach out to others on October 31 (and any day of the year).

Looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday!

Milton

October 9, 2020

I look forward to worshiping together with you Sunday morning at 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. We've had some 100+ temperature days this week and we have yet another one tomorrow, but we are grateful that the temperature forecast for Sunday calls for a high of 84 degrees, which should put us at a very comfortable 75 degrees at the end of our worship service! : )

Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us this Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. Our class this Sunday will be taught by Carlos Price. The title of the lesson is, "The Christ of the Cross," and will focus on John 3:14-16. This lesson will take us further still in understanding why focusing on the cross of Christ is the most relevant and powerful thing we can focus on to obtain incisive wisdom for confronting the many challenges we face today. Please bring your children with you!

Please know that the Youth Equipping School classes will be meeting this Sunday in the Courtyard Area (both the Jr. High and Sr. High)!

If you are not able to make the main Sunday School class this Sunday, you may access the link for the Sunday School class is HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below).

Sermon. In our worship service, I will be preaching a sermon entitled, "Challenging a Compromised Church," from Revelation 2:12-17. The church of Pergamum had many faithful members who held fast to the name of Christ in the face of severe persecution, but they were guilty of harboring some in their midst who held to false teaching and sinful practices. Christ calls them to account, and in the process He provides us with some valuable insights that can help us withstand Satan's attacks from without and from within.

You may access a PDF of the worship lyrics, Scripture passage, and sermon outline HERE. You are also welcome to access these materials on the front page of our website or on our Church App (just click the icon that says, "Sundays at Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church," and you will then see the icons for the "Sermon Notes" and "Worship Lyrics").

Looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday!

Milton Vincent

October 31, 2020

I trust you plan on making today a day of blessing others with acts of kindness and the truth of the gospel. My wife and I are very much looking forward to using gospel resources from last week's Outreach Table to spread the message of Christ's love to our neighbors this evening; and we are praying for God's blessing on you as you seek to do the same toward people within your spheres of influence.

I look forward to worshiping together with you tomorrow morning 10:30am in the Bourns parking lot. The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for a high of 90 degrees, which should make for comfortable temperatures during our worship service.

Time Change! Don't forget about the time change. Your clocks will "fall back" an hour, providing you with an extra hour of sleep! :)

Sunday School Class (at 9:30am). Don't forget to join us Sunday morning for our 45-minute Sunday School class for all ages, which begins at 9:30am in the Bourns parking lot. Our class this Sunday will be taught by Pastor Mike Berry. The title of the lesson is, "The End of the Cross," from Philippians 1:21. Paul says to the Philippian church that to live is Christ and to die is WHAT? GAIN? How is death a gain? Find out this Sunday. Given that this class is for all ages, bring your children with you!

Also, please remember that our High School and Junior High Sunday School classes continue tomorrow at 9:30 AM in the Courtyard area, studying Living Life Backwards: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End, by David Gibson.

If you are not able to make the main Sunday School class tomorrow, you may access the link for the Sunday School class HERE (this link is different from the worship service link found below).

Sermon. In our worship service, I will be preaching a sermon entitled, "Encouragements for a Beaten-Down Church," from Revelation 3:7-13. The church of Philadelphia was a faithful church that stood in great need of encouragement from Jesus, and He is faithful to provide lavish encouragement for them in this letter. Beaten down by their circumstances, the church of Philadelphia was an unimpressive church by worldly standards, but things are not always what they seem. While society had slammed many doors shut on them, Jesus had put before them an open door which no on could shut; and this open door to Himself served as the secret to their faithfulness. If you yourself feel beaten down and could use some encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of your circumstances, you will find much help for yourself in this letter that Jesus writes to the church of Philadelphia.

In preparation for the message tomorrow, I encourage you to read Revelation 3:7-13, which you may find HERE.

Live Stream of Worship Service. If you are not able to attend the service tomorrow, we hope you will tune in to the live-stream of the service, which you may find on the front page of our church's website (cornerstonebible.org), or you can just click this LINK for the service, which begins at 10:30am tomorrow morning (this link is different from the Sunday School link found above).

Communion. We plan on celebrating the Lord’s Supper in our service tomorrow. Once again, you are welcome to bring your own elements for Communion, but please know that we will be happy to provide you with Communion elements when you arrive tomorrow. The elements will come in a package that features a Communion cup of juice with a wafer sealed onto the top of the sealed juice. If you desire to use these elements, they will be handed to you in plastic bags by servers when you reach the gathering area.

Looking forward to worshiping with you tomorrow!

Milton Vincent

Once again, we are thankful for the recent United States Supreme Court decision that affirms our prerogative to meet indoors up to 25% capacity, and we are also thankful that the State of California has responded to this decision by modifying its guidance for all California counties in allowing “churches……open indoors max 25% capacity.”

If our past indoor services (during the Covid era) are any indication, we think it highly likely that we will be comfortably below that 25% threshold by using the Auditorium and Room 103 to accommodate our attendees.

We are pleased to remind you that a recent survey of Bourns' HVAC system found that the AIR-EXCHANGE RATE for the Bourns HVAC is 7.5 ACH (7.5 air changes per hour), which surpasses the recommendation of 5.0 ACH for minimizing the chances of transmitting the coronavirus. As for FILTRATION, Bourns' air flow system utilizes two sets of filters, one of which is rated MERV 13, which effectively traps small micro-size aerosols produced during talking. In our classes and service tomorrow, we will be having certain doors left opened in order to expedite the circulation of air even beyond the already-high-standard that is achievable with doors closed.

Beyond these measures that the Lord has blessed us with, you can help maintain a safe environment for everyone by following the health and safety guidelines below.

July 2021

To the Cornerstone Congregation, Tuesday’s reopening of California will mean changes for us as a church. The purpose of this message is to explain these changes to you. California’s webpage entitled, Safely Reopening California, announces that the reopening of California’s economy “means no more physical distancing, no capacity limits...and relaxed mask guidance.” Regarding the relaxed mask guidance, this webpage announces that “vaccinated people are able to come together without masks in most circumstances.... People who are unvaccinated must continue to wear a mask indoors in public settings to protect themselves and others.” To explain how the elders have decided to move forward with this updated guidance from our state, I want to review the six biblical principles we have sought to follow throughout this health crisis: 1) Prayerful Trust in God to direct the decisions of our government leaders 2) Thanksgiving to God for our government leaders 3) Submission and Honor to our government leaders wherever biblically possible 4) Humility born of a recognition that we (elders) are not doctors or medical professionals 5) Love of others, which drives us to consider the spiritual and physical good of our people, which includes the unity of the flock 6) Freedom in the application of health guidelines in order to serve the highest good of our people We have been blessed by the guidance these principles have provided us over the past year, and we have been equally blessed to observe that following them has not hindered us from returning our church to full function for the glory of Christ. We think these six principles also serve us well in shaping our response to this week's updated guidance from our state. Consistent with the first two principles, we will obey God’s Word by continuing to pray with “petitions and thanksgivings” for “all who are in authority,” praying for them as they make decisions on the road ahead, praying also for the salvation of those authorities who have not yet come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Consistent with the principle of submission and honor, we will continue to obey God’s call to honor and submit to our government authorities to the degree that we can do so and still fulfill our biblical mandates as a church (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:17). Even if we must disagree with and disobey our earthly authorities, we will speak our disagreement and seek to act in a way that honors those to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). Consistent with the principle of humility, the elders will refrain from any position of advocacy for or against Covid-19 vaccination. We understand that members of Cornerstone are arriving at different decisions regarding vaccination; and we understand that either decision can be reached in good faith. Hence, we will refrain from leadership actions that could be construed as advocacy for either position. Consistent with the principle of love, the elders believe it would be unwise for us to divide the Cornerstone congregation into “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated,” or to provide guidance that inevitably results in highlighting such a division. Permitting vaccinated attendees to be indoors without a mask, while at the same time requiring unvaccinated attendees to wear a mask, would amount to the elders assuming a position of advocacy for vaccinations. Splitting our guidance in this way would also leave our unvaccinated attendees feeling singled out and punished for decisions they arrived at in good faith. Such guidance from us would also force our members into a position of publicly presenting themselves (by their actions) as vaccinated or unvaccinated. We believe these outcomes would be injurious to the unity of the Cornerstone body. Hence, in an effort to preserve the maximum good of our congregation, we will follow the principle of freedom and no longer require our attendees to wear masks while attending an indoor church function. Beginning this Sunday, mask-wearing while indoors is optional for all attendees, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Obviously, this change in policy embodies a trust in you that you will remain home and take advantage of the live stream of our service if you find yourself experiencing Covid-related symptoms. This new policy also allows you the freedom to wear a mask if your conscience or health condition dictates that you do so. Additionally, this policy comes with the expectation that you will show respect for those attendees whose choices differ from yours. As we have shared before, we are blessed to be in a building that features a high-quality HVAC system boasting an air-change rate of 7.5, which surpasses the recommendation of 5.0 for minimizing the chances of transmitting the coronavirus. As for filtration, our building’s air flow system utilizes two sets of filters, one of which effectively traps micro-size aerosols that may harbor the coronavirus. We are encouraged to see that the number of Covid-19 cases in Riverside County is remaining quite low (1.5 cases per 100,000 persons, with 1.2% positive-test rate as of June 15), leaving the elders feeling confident that we can implement this change in policy and serve the greatest spiritual good of our people without posing undue risk to their physical health. As I said to you in our morning service this past Sunday, this has been a most unusual fifteen months for us as a church, yet I cannot think of a better congregation with whom to navigate this long season than you. May God bless you a thousand-fold in return for the blessing you have been throughout these past fifteen months! Looking forward to the journey ahead, Milton (on behalf of the Cornerstone Elders)