cornerstone touchstone winter 2014

8/12/2019 Cornerstone Touchstone Winter 2014

1/8


2/8

martins musings

It is a privilege to be following

in the footsteps of Laurie and now of

Paul, who have of course followed faithfully in

the footsteps of Jesus himself. Often I hear or read in

the New Testament or in a book by a wise author something

we ought to be living out and, nearly always, I realise Ive

seen it modelled in Paul and Laurie. The risk of faith they

took, along with Robyn and Elvira, has borne beautiful fruit in

so many of our lives. While we in Cornerstone still face somevery significant challenges, we have been given a beautiful

and priceless gift. I will be eternally grateful to them for this,

and hope I can help us build on what God, through those who

have come before us, has given us.

Where to from here?Its easy, with time, to have a crust grow over ourselves.

To become comfortable, and to lose our way a little. Im

convinced though that God wants us to re-examine why were

doing what were doing. To realign ourselves with Jesus

and his mission. To recommit ourselves to sharing him withothers. To not just know theology deeply, but to obey him

radically. To serve, even if no one knows or cares, in ways

that Jesus appreciates. To become a people that God can

really use. Not to demand that he do, but to be ready for him

to do whatever he wants to through us.

I was asked recently by Mark Watt, the chairman of the

Surrender board, what our main needs are. I answered, New

people to join us at our entry level were in the country

and dont have contact with that many people whod love to

do what we do. And new leaders to enable us to do more of

what God would love us to do. The church planter, Neil Cole,has challenged me to set my alarm at 10:02 am to remind me

to pray each day for more labourers to bring in his harvest

(Luke 10:2). Ive begun to do that. Some of our members have

begun to do the same why dont you join us? t

2

Roe family Christmas 2012.

pauls parting shotL

arge doors swing on small hinges. My daughter Alison

thoughtfully crafted our family story into a beautiful quilt for

our 40th wedding anniversary. A tree spreads its branches and

leaves from which pictures of our children and their families spring.

Overarching our wedding photo are the words The Lord will provide

the promise made to Abraham as he set out on his journey of faith.

Those same words hung on the wall of our honeymoon cottage as we

stepped out in life together and we accepted them as the principle

the Father wanted us to live by. Again, when we were deciding to quit

teaching to study in Canada in preparation for beginning Cornerstonein the unlikely location of Bourke, the obedience of the pioneer of our

faith gave us courage.

As Robyn and I step down from leadership, we want to testify that

our lives have swung on the Fathers simple hinge-promises. We feel

deeply satisfied

to have witnessed

the fruit born in so

many of the young

men and women

who came to be

discipled over thepast thirty six years

and our familys

lives have been

enriched beyond

measure by the

men and women

who have worked

alongside us. t

But seek first his kingdom and hisrighteousness and all these things shallbe given to you as well. MATTHEW 6:33


3/8

At the annual Members Conference in April, Paul Roe stepped

down from his role as National Director with Martin Watson

being elected to take his place. Laurie McIntosh held this

role for many years before Paul took the reins, these men with their

wives, being co founders of the Cornerstone movement in Bourke

in 1978. Paul felt it was time for the next generation to step forward

in leadership but he and Robyn and Laurie and Elvira remain active

members in Dubbo and Bendigo, continuing to have an informal

pastoral role across the movement.

Paul has several projects that he is keen to spend more time on,

especially as part of a committee working to establish a Christian

Heritage Centre in Canberra. He and Robyn are now living adjacent

to the campus at Pera Bore Lodge, formerly the home of Bevan and

Beth Walker, who have moved into town. The adjoining rooms are

available for spiritual retreats and welcoming visitors passing through

Dubbo, hopefully becoming financially sustainable in the future.

Martin Watson interrupted his university studies to come toCornerstone in the mid 1980s. After returning to Brisbane

for a few years to complete his medical training, he headed

back to Bourke with Sandy to do further Cornerstone study and to

teach. Marty and Sandy spent many years leading the Pera Bore

Centre and raised their young family there. During this time, he

worked part time in his profession as a doctor.

During one particularly long drought and the subsequent lack of

employment, the movements directors decided that it was timely

that Cornerstone should move to a new place. Martin and Sandy,

with their staff, moved to Swan Hill and after one year settling into

the town, they established the Swan Hill Cornerstone Centre.

Martin has proved himself a faithful, determined and conscientious

leader and he has been very actively supported by Sandy. Having

stepped back from leading the Swan Hill centre in favour of Jono

Dickinson, Martin has focussed on wider Cornerstone issues. He

continues to teach and also to work in town as a GP one day each week.

Martin and Sandy have had two daughters married in the last couple

of years while completing university studies and David has just

left home for university. Jane and Carmel both met their marriage

partners during their year at Cornerstone Canowindra. Tim remains

at home finishing high school. When Sandy is not involved at theCentre, she loves to spend time pursuing her art interests. Her

personal tribute to Jack Buster is on page 1. t

a new national director

ISSUE NO 40

3

Martin and Sandy Watson (centre) with Laurie and Elvira McIntosh on the left and Paul and Robyn Roe on the right.


4/8


5/8

Promotionsfacilitatorwanted:Cornerstone has been calledAustralias best kept secret.Every year tremendous potential isunleashed in people who join us inCornerstone. If only more peoplehad this priceless opportunity.A promotions facilitator can helpenable this to become a reality.

Applicants must be both enthusiasticabout Cornerstone and able to relateto young adults as well as to gatekeepers, and live in a major city.Skill in social media is helpful.

Position is paid, part-time.

[email protected]

Applications close 30th July 2014

ISSUE NO 40

5

Six years ago the Bendigo Committed Company headed across

to Belgrave Heights Convention Centre to attend a day of

our first Surrender Conference the conference was run by

Urban Neighbours of Hope and we went along hoping to connectwith other believers with hearts for mission and community. Jump

forward six years and a large Cornerstone team was at the heart

of a vibrant, bustling Surrender 2014. This years conference theme

Walk Alongside dovetailed well with our own distinctive of making

disciples in mission community and preparing people to be Christs

presence in their own communities.

A pop-up community garden with yarn bombed archways provided

the entrance to a large marquee where Guss pizzas provided the

heart of a very hospitable place for connecting with others; as wellas a display up front and centre in the main auditorium foyer where

many conversation were had which encouraged people to walk

alongside Jesus in the adventure of Kingdom life. Nerida, Martin

and Andrew presented in

workshops. Tom Sanderson

and his crew did an awesome

break dance workshop

and performance on the

Main Stage for Youth night.

Already a bunch of people

we connected with have

visited our communities

seeking refreshment and

inspiration, some are

considering joining us.

Our partnership with

Surrender has been a great

blessing and has integrated

our mission with a tribe of

other members of the wider

body of Christ who share

similar passions to us. We

look forward to hosting the

Surrender Partners retreat

here in Bendigo in July. t

ANDREW VINCENT

Please join us in praying for our teams this year in Orange,

Bendigo and Newcastle. Jon and Helen Giger continue to

lead the Orange teamand this year, Paul and KatrinaWalker offered their support by moving from Dubbo to join

them. Les and Carmel Follent and son Jake have also made

the move to Orange this year.

2013 was the last year for ateam in Strathalbynthough several families have stayed on and made their home

there. For Schoolies Week in the nearby town of Victor

Harbour, a Cornerstone team donned their green shirts and

got into the action, being present to assist and help protect

the visitors during their celebration week. t

SERVANTS COMMUNITY HOUSING INC (SERVANTS)provides community housing for single people at risk of

homelessness in the inner-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

They are looking for appropriate Housing Managers andcapable people to live on-site and enter into community with

the residents. If interested, contact [email protected] or

check out the website www.servants.org.au t


6/8

WINTER 2014

6

a faithful warriorDrought, flood and fires all in his stride

With faith and a grin two miles wide

And a brave bush lady right by his sideJACK

In January this year, Jack Buster died at his home in Bourke.

The close and loving care of his wife Harriet and his children and

grandchildren in his last days bore testimony to the strength of his

family. Many of the thousand or so people who attended his funeral,

including a good number of past Cornerstoners, came because they

felt that at one time or another they too were embraced in that family

circle. It was Jack and Harriet, together with their friends and farming

partners Owen and Esther Boone, who opened their farms and their

lives to support the fledgling ministry of Cornerstone.

In his tribute to Jack, LAURIE MCINTOSHalso remembered Owen and

Esther Even though there were times in the beginning when helping

Cornerstone was a costly effort, Jack, and Owen and Esther, will not

now be regretting the price they paid. I honour their memory and am

grateful for what I learned through them, for their help, and for their

encouragement. My family was blessed by knowing them and we,

with Cornerstone, owe them much.

PAUL ROE WROTE: A very large chapter of Cornerstones history

closed this year as Jack Busters spirit soared from Bourke into the

wide skies of Heaven. His long battle with infirmity finally ended and

he came face to face with the Master and heard his Well done!When Robyn and I sang hymns with he and Harriet on the last

Sunday before he died and shared communion, he became coherent

enough to join in and mouth Blessed Assurance and to loudly

affirm I am ready! when we sang Soon and very soon. Always a

larger than life figure, Jack has left a stamp on many lives. Stories

of his impetuous generosity and his many random acts of kindness

will probably outlast anything else about him. He threw himself intoCornerstone in the pioneering days with the same vigour he did

everything and the open hospitality of Jack and Harriet has multiplied

into hundreds of Cornerstone families.

There have been a number of articles written about Jack and there is

a facebook page Jack Buster Memorieswhich contains many tributes

and some past newspaper articles: https://www.facebook.com/pages/

Jack-Buster-Memories/189855797 890924

These are just a few snippets of those tributes from some of

our past students:

You were a foundation maker and block builder in my life ...Thank you for the investment your families have made so that

multitudes of people like me could experience the richness of

Gidgee and Pera Bore as our own

personal Holy Land.

I loved his generous heart that

constantly gave of his time, home,

food ... anything.

Jack helped unleash the potential

of many men that came into his sphere

of powerful influence.

Jack rolled up his sleeves too, Cmon,

You can do it! were the words that

remain with me. They say that a true

leader doesnt say Go! so much as

Come with me!

We made so many mistakes I dont

know how he ever kept his patience. I

admired him for his love of Jesus and his

desire to pour his life into others.

I am the richer for him ...

So to the young men and women keen

eyed and fresh of face,

Who will step up? Who will take up

his place? t

Jack and Harriet, with (left to right) Sam and Michelle Buster, Dan and Jenny Buster, John and Heather Buster,Ian and Louise Cole, Steve and Maria Buster.


7/8

7

L

ife has been a journey! Pot holes, sunshine, cloudy days and

storms. I left The Gold Coast in 1985, for Bourke Cornerstone.

I still remember the anguish and trauma I felt turning my backon neon lights and night clubs and golden beaches for red dirt,

a caravan and smelly showers.

It turns out almost 30 years later, I can say with out question it was

one of the best years of my life. Not only did I learn some very, very

essential skills for living, I met my best friend and wife Sharon.

Today I am involved with a church called Beachside Community in

Palm Beach and it is encouraging and exciting to witness what God

is doing first hand, not just in our community of believers but across

this broken, fragile and often hedonistic community.

Thank you to everyone in or associated with Cornerstone whohave encouraged me to continue to allow Jesus Christ be the centre

of my life. t

TIM ANDERSON

The time I had at Cornerstone in Bourke and Cooma firmly

placed the importance of discipleship in Christian life and

ministry. That was a long time ago and Leanne and I, until

February, lived and ministered in Sydney with our three young

adult children. But now, under our own Macedonian call, we are

preparing to go to our near neighbours in South East Asia to servein a Buddhist nation who still more than ever need Christ.

The location we are going to is poor in gospel terms, 73% of its

ethnic groups have little or no Christian witness. The church is

small but growing in spite of

restrictions placed on it by the

government.

After language learning, God

willing, I hope to work in a

Bible College assisting with

the training and discipleship of

local church leaders. Leanne

will aim to be involved in

health or community services.

Please pray for us that God

will be glorified and souls

profited.

MAL REID

[email protected]

ISSUE NO 40

A

nother warrior in the faith, Irene Gruber, went to be with

her Lord in February. She and her husband Ian set aside

part of their land to establish the Canowindra CornerstoneCentre. More of Irenes story will appear in the next issue of

Touchstone. Ian is now living in Orange with daughter Helen and

Jon Giger and their family.

where are they now?

Tim, Sharon, Jemima, James and Shawn Anderson at Currumbin Alley on theGold Coast. This photo was taken just after James was baptised.


8/8

Reflection on a tripto ThailandFast. Were going fast. The road is smooth. Little

side-road temples flash past. Pineapple stalls

come and are gone in an instant. A man at the

traffic lights is selling strings of flowers. Scooters

and other cars are zipping around us. Chillies,

beans, bananas, all for sale. A hot pink taxi honks

at a brave little scooter ducking between it and a

bus. Smiling and laughing faces crammed into the

back of the ute with us. Their eyes full with many

experiences almost impossible to convey with words.

Different. So different to us with our light hair

and our lips language. Similar. So similar to us

in our enjoyment of all things beautifully created

and our hearts language.

Last December, Rayne Aldridge, Georgia Hardy-

Wilsher, Jake Follent, Narelle Pfeiffer, Kyles

Skidmore and I embarked on a journey to

Thailand. We were going to meet up with Dee and

get a taste of her and her teams lifestyle. The

idea was that we would help out with whatevertasks Dee threw at us (literal term intended) but

we ended up being helped by them. Dee runs

an orphanage spread out over three different

campuses with the help of her family and a team

of young dedicated adults.

We got along with each and every person. They

are all so awesome and we built strong friendships

regardless of the language barrier. Its pretty

amazing to see how not even different languages

can get in the way of forging new relationships.

I learnt many new things (including a few Karenwords) and re-learnt much more from the three

weeks I spent in Thailand. Something that stood

out to me personally was the different concept of

beauty they had from us. In Thailand, the women

and men are obsessed with being fair skinned.

Youd be no more surprised seeing the extensive

range of skin lightening products they have

available than they would be walking into thebeauty section of an Australian supermarket and

seeing the rows of self tanning bottles and tubes.

The rich Thai girls wear contact lenses to make

their eyes look bigger and more European. They

cover their skin with clothing when they leave the

house to keep it from being darkened by the sun.

All in the name of beauty.

But why do we spend so many hours and coins in

a desperate attempt to fit this criteria of beauty?

We are all made to be different, not only in looks

but how we think and see the world. The sunhas its own beauty, the moon another beauty,

and the stars a different beauty; and even among

stars there are different kinds of beauty.

(1 Corinthians 15:41 GNT)

So we might as well save our money and spend

it on a trip to Thailand! If youre interested in

going to Thailand or finding out more about Dee,

get in contact with Narelle Pfeiffer (narelle@

cornerstone.edu.au). In the meantime, please

put Dee and her team in your prayers. I had a

fantastic time and am keen to go back one daysoon. Feel free to tag along! JESSIE GODFREY

Congratulations to Jasmine Harrisonon hergraduation in Social Work from the University of

Newcastle. Jasmine has been part of the Cornerstone

fellowship of students in Newcastle. She has

recently returned from a trip overseas with sister

Georgie and Hannah Richards, visiting Dee and

her team in Thailand as well as Daniel and Chaya

Horsburgh and their family in India. She has a

temporary contract with a domestic violenceservice until the end of June but then heads to

Darwin where she would like to work with refugees,

young people or in community development. t

touching baseCornerstone is a non-denominational

Christian movement, equipping

and mobilising men and women to

genuinely follow Jesus Christ, to

experience and express the reality

of God in all of life.

If you would like to find out more,

see our website

www.cornerstone.edu.au

Our mission is to expand

and enrich the Kingdom

of God through committed

communities, winning,

training and mobilisinggenuine disciples of the

Lord Jesus Christ to live

radical Christian lifestyles

editorspaul & robyn roe

t 0429 722 983e [email protected]

publishercornerstone communityabn 49 066 809 612contributions welcome at:po box 1151 dubbo nsw 2830t 02 6884 0402f 02 6881 6450e [email protected]

designer

jacqui [email protected]

touchstone

8

cornerstone touchstone winter 2014

Documents