Who We Are
Our Vision
At Cornerstone, we believe that the good news of Jesus Christ changes lives. We are committed to teaching, acting on, and following His mission. His Word and His Spirit guide us as a congregation. We aim to be the hands and feet of Jesus in every encounter, shining His light in the darkness. We work to spread the good news of Christ to others, helping bring His Kingdom to earth through love and service.
We believe that all humans are broken and in need of saving. We believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross and His resurrection allow us to find healing and eventually redemption through God’s grace. We believe that The Bible is inspired by God and wholly trustworthy. Together, we work to figure out the rest of the details. Ultimately, to paraphrase St. Augustine, we strive for unity in the essentials, freedom in the non-essentials, and charity in all things.
Our Pastor
Seth Kerlin is the bearded guy you will see at the front of the church, otherwise referred to as the head pastor. He became a follower of Jesus in his early twenties through the witness of one of his high school teachers. After deciding to pursue church ministry, he earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Illinois and a Master’s of Divinity from Regent College in British Columbia.
He began his ministry vocation as a worship pastor at an Episcopalian Church in Kapolei, Hawaii. He then returned to his hometown of Urbana where he served as the worship and youth pastor at New Covenant Fellowship for four years. During that time Seth and his wife Laura felt the calling to start their own church. In the summer of 2010 they founded Cornerstone Fellowship.
Seth and Laura have been married since 2002 and have two young children. Laura works as a Speech/Language Pathologist at Garden Hills Elementary School, and puts up with Seth’s bad jokes the rest of the time. When Seth isn’t preparing for services, he enjoys Biblical archeology, science fiction, and playing with his kids. He also helps keep Cornerstone afloat by working part time at the Urbana Theological Seminary as a Librarian.
Our Service
Cornerstone opens its doors to all who desire to worship God with us. Our services run from 10:30 to noon; come early for some coffee and to hang out and listen to the worship musicians practice if you wish. We begin the service with two or three opening songs, followed by prayer, a sermon, communion (open to all believers), and more worship.
Our services offer a unique, authentic worship experience. The presentation is stripped down, but the spirit is unrestrained. Expect to praise God to a variety of musical styles, including blues, gospel, and contemporary worship.
At Cornerstone, we believe in taking on the challenging questions of life, theology, and science while relying on the Bible as our foundation. We are a group of believers who come together to worship our Heavenly Father, learn more about Him, and do life together as friends. We look forward to meeting you!
Our kids
At Cornerstone, kids are a part of our community and are treated as such. Kids at Cornerstone have a strong sense of this being their church too because we emphasize intergenerational relationships and do not isolate the various age groups in our church. Everyone knows the kids by name, and the kids know everyone else.
Every child of every age is welcome to stay with the adults for the service if they wish. They are also welcome to fellowship with the other kids in Sunday School. Because of our small size, all of our school-aged kids are able to learn and build relationships with each other in one class. Our youth worker provides activities for them to do and keeps them playing together happily.
We also have a nursery where nursing mothers or caregivers can tend to their infant/toddler while also listening to the sermon through in-room speakers.
