History
God has blessed Cornerstone abundantly throughout its journey as a body of believers. Although we are always looking forward to what God has in store for Cornerstone, it is humbling to look at our past and see how far Cornerstone has come and how much God has provided.
The Past
Once upon a time, a group of seven college students in Vancouver responded to God’s calling to minister to the English-speaking Chinese in their community. With the help of their local church and the support of a sponsor church in San Francisco, Cornerstone Evangelical Baptist Church in Canada was born.
Cornerstone officially held its first service on June 25, 1978. As the years passed, the congregation multiplied and expanded to include a Chinese-speaking ministry. By 1985, it was obvious that the church would soon outgrow the small building it owned on East 14th Avenue in Vancouver. But God had a solution. His incredible provision came in the form of a 14-acre property in Richmond. With this enormous piece of land, God made it clear that He had big plans for Cornerstone.
After years of development applications, agricultural surveys, and zoning approvals, Cornerstone was finally able to start construction on a brand-new church building in 1991. Over the next five years, each of the church’s members -- big and small, young and old -- helped in whatever way they could. They shovelled dirt, picked up wood and drywall, painted, swept floors, and carried furniture. The whole Cornerstone community came together to fulfil the next step of God’s plan for the church.
In April 1996, Cornerstone held its first service in the new building. While this was a tremendous milestone, the church knew there was still more God was calling them to do. One year later, Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA) opened its doors. Just like the church was formed with seven members, CCA began with only eight people: six students, one teacher, and one administrator.
As the church and the school grew, God blessed Cornerstone’s faithful obedience and transformed it into the thriving community it is today.
THE PRESENT
Cornerstone’s vision is to cultivate a multi-generational body of believers who grow spiritually, worship genuinely, and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading faithfully.
To support this vision, Cornerstone offers a variety of programs and ministries that help us share the message of God’s love and forgiveness with others. We have vibrant English and Chinese congregations that meet every Sunday for Sunday School and worship. We’ve facilitated several sport ministries and outreach tournaments. We’ve put on successful theatre productions, including mimes, musicals, and plays. We have different fellowships that cater to different age groups and stages of life. We also have a strong youth ministry: we offer children’s fellowship and worship every week, and we organize very popular programs for kids and a week-long camp for high school students during the summer.
We’ve begun to see the fruits of our labour with these church ministries. Youth that participate in our summer programs and camps often join our worship and fellowships after the summer is over. In addition, many of our CCA alumni -- even if they only attended the school for a few years -- are now members of the church and serving the next generation.
God has blessed Cornerstone abundantly over the past four decades and we know He will continue to do so in the years to come.