Cornerstone: An Evangelical Free Church

What a great church. I have only been one time, during the fall of 2012. I have not been to an actual service but I got to experience the church on a Monday night at 6:55PM just like I would in Winter Park at my home BSF class. One of the best things about Bible Study Fellowship International is that there will always be a class to join as a guest if you are traveling, any where in the world. In just about every major city all over the world there is a BSF class for both men and women. This awesome church happens to be the host facility for a men’s Monday evening BSF class for the DC area. The wife and I happened to be there for a wedding. Knowing well in advance that we would be away, I searched online to see where the closest men’s class would be for the week we were up there. Cornerstone happens to be just 8 miles from her aunt’s house in Arlington where we were staying so it was perfect. I just did my normal weekly lesson where we study verses and answer questions each day and it’s the same format. I have found that most of the men’s classes meet at the same time and same day all over the country, Monday @ 6:55PM. Makes it easy to remember and I can stick to my normal routine even when I am traveling for work, or in this case on vacation for a friend’s wedding. We meet in the main sanctuary (anywhere from 200 to 450 men, depending on the size of the city or area you are in) sing a few songs, say a prayer, then break into smaller discussion groups. All week long we are on our own with the bible and daily questions. In the small groups it gives us a chance to bounce ideas off each other and talk about the tough questions together. A lot of times someone will say something and it just clicks or they might have the same exact answer as you so it’s neat to see what the other guys have for their answers. I love visiting random classes because it’s a whole new batch of awesome christians that happen to be from all walks of life (doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, you name it). After going through the entire lesson and sharing the different answers we pray for each other then head back to the main sanctuary and meet as a large group again. We usually sing a couple of songs as everyone trickles back in. There are a lot of discussion groups because it’s only about 10 – 15 people per group. The host churches always have a bunch of Sunday school classrooms. Cornerstone’s classrooms were nice and the main sanctuary was nice too. Once we all get back to our seats we listen to a lecture about the same material, then on the way out we are given a little packet that usually has about six pages of notes that are about the same material. The last page has our next lesson readings and questions for each day for the coming week. It’s a great way to learn. I wish my college classes were this thorough! It’s a four step learning process. One, you are own your own during the week, each day, reading scripture, answering questions about each passage. Two, you discuss the questions in a small group sometimes getting personal or very challenging when it comes to application and hearing other personalities answer the same question in a different way. Three, hearing a full blown lecture that kind of feels like a sermon from an educational standpoint from someone that has spent over 20 hours during the week preparing the material, which is all from the same scripture we just did our own and talked about in our small group. Four, you get to read five or six pages of notes on the same passages that are written by scholars with multiple PhD’s in theology from the BSF headquarters. After each week’s lesson and going through all the steps you really get a better understanding of what you just studied. Each year is focussed on one area. Last year when I came here to Cornerstone, we were studying Genesis. This year we will be studying Matthew. The BSF calendar goes along with a basic school year. It usually starts just after Labor Day and runs through May, usually taking some breaks for holidays but still getting about 30 lessons in. I love BSF and I love traveling and meeting new people. All the men I met that night in Annandale at Cornerstone were really cool and I would recommend this church to anyone that lives in the area. The facility is great and the people are very nice. If you are interested in BSF, check out their website for more info and start studying the history book of life! You won’t regret it. Thanks to Cornerstone for being a great host church! I look forward to coming to an actual service one day.