Perseverance - by Monica

Read the original article I wrote for the Oakland Press at Church Members Helping in Haiti

A couple weeks ago, I drove by Cornerstone Community Church in Waterford to see their wooden cross, half charred by fire, still standing proudly in front of the church for everyone who passed by to see. That cross showed me how much that church perseveres through the tough times and still shares their message to anyone who passes by.

In the beginning of college, I went to Cornerstone every Wednesday night. And I was shocked when I heard that, on Aug. 9, an unknown person broke into the church and set the inside on fire, causing $50,000 in damages. I am convinced that this means the church was doing something right if someone tried so hard to stop them.

But the members of Cornerstone are not letting this stop them! They are not letting the person who set the fire stop them! With no church building to call their own, members of Cornerstone Community Church will be holding a fundraiser tonight — not for themselves, but to help others.

Members of Cornerstone will host a drive-in movie outside the church to raise money for their upcoming trip to Haiti. All funds raised will go to support the trip, which is approximately $1,300 per person. The movie will be “The Blind Side,” and the cost is a donation.

“If anything, our struggles make us more equipped to help others,” said Brian Baldwin, pastor of Cornerstone. “Everyone, at some point or another, struggles, so if we can in any way help someone through a hard time, we will.”

Before the fire, members of the church began planning a mission trip to Haiti. And, despite their recent loss, they will not let it hinder their mission trip in March 2011.

“Just because we face a few trials doesn’t mean we are going to stop helping people the way God is calling us to do. That’s the whole reason Cornerstone is here, to help people,” said Jennifer Baldwin, Brian’s wife.

How often do we let people who set fire to who we are stop us? There are plenty of times where I sat down and just gave up because someone hurt me and I felt worthless. There are plenty of times where I also turned a blind eye to someone else's pain because I was going through my own fair share of pain and didn't feel like helping someone else. Cornerstone Community Church taught me that despite what you are going through, there will always be someone worse off than you who needs help WAY more than you do! They also taught me that, if someone tries to set fire to who you are, this does not mean something is wrong with you! In fact, it means the opposite! It means you are doing something great and the enemy is trying desperately to halt you. Instead of listening, keep on going!

To attend the Haiti mission trip fundraiser, bring a lawn chair to the drive-in at 8:30 p.m. tonight outside the church at 2611 Dixie Hwy., Waterford Township. Donations will be accepted, and church members will sell drinks and popcorn.