Dear Cornerstone Family,
We are not an isolated church community. We are part of the Alliance. On the other side of this note (see attached), there is a letter from Javier Gómez, superintendent of the C&MA Puerto Rico District. There are 63 C&MA churches in Puerto Rico, some large, some small like Cornerstone. Some have been slightly damaged, some devastated. Many (53 out of 63) could not be reached by the superintendent as of several days ago, because power is out and cell phone and landline communications is spotty.
Under those circumstances, it will be difficult to get direct aid to individual churches (like the home church of Karla and Guillermo). However, the Alliance has set up a donation site for contributions to be distributed to the island and the C&MA Puerto Rico District through the Alliance.
Next Sunday, October 8th, we will take a special Cornerstone C&MA Puerto Rico relief offering. Cornerstone—as a church—will forward the collection to the C&MA Puerto Rico relief fund. Please use the attached envelope marked C&MA PR and drop it in the offering. (Those of you who use Cornerstone online giving, Margarita has set that up a separate “drop down” selection for C&MA Puerto Rico relief.)
Our Houston friends (Jo Jo Sanchez and family) were spared and the Houston and Florida communities, while devastated, have resources our Puerto Rican families do not have. This is extraordinary giving, outside of our regular Cornerstone giving. We are a little church. Our donations may be just a drop in the bucket. But we can be part of the rain of relief God sends to his beloved people. Pray. Be prepared next Sunday. We help our brothers and sisters as best we can.
The Scriptures tell us that when the Jerusalem church was in need, believers beyond Judea gathered sacrificially what they could for relief of other believers. So should we at this time.
The Cornerstone Elders,
Pastor Robinson, Hans, Mike, and Bob