Our story & our convictions
A rooted people
history · beliefs · ministries · leadership
Heritage
A century and a half
on the same corner
Twelve families laid our first stone in the spring of 1874, on a hill that was then pasture at the edge of town. The city grew up around the chapel — and the chapel, in its stubborn stone way, kept the hill quiet. Every generation since has added something: glass, bells, a garden, a longer table.
1874
The cornerstone is laid. The first congregation — twelve families and a borrowed organ — meets under a half-finished roof by autumn.
1902
The great east windows are installed, hand-leaded jewel glass that still throws emerald and ruby light across the nave every clear morning.
1968
After a fire guts the north transept, the parish rebuilds it stone by stone — with neighbors of every creed hauling granite alongside members.
2015
A full restoration returns the bells to the tower and opens the churchyard gardens to the neighborhood, dawn to dusk, every day.
What we believe
Old creed, open hands
We confess the faith of the historic creeds — nothing novel, nothing trimmed. Held, we hope, with warmth rather than clenched fists.
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Scripture & creed
We read the Bible as the church always has — publicly, prayerfully, and a lot — and confess the Apostles' and Nicene creeds without crossed fingers.
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Word & table
Every service moves from the sermon to the supper. Communion is the center of our worship, and every baptized believer is welcome at the rail.
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Grace before merit
Nobody earns a place here — not in the pews, not at the table, not in the kingdom. That settles the door policy: open.
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Parish before platform
We are called to a hill, not an audience — to neighbors with names, streets with potholes, and a garden that needs weeding.
Ministries & community life
The rooms of the household
Everything below is run by parishioners who wanted it to exist. Join one, or start the next.
Kids & Families
Nursery from birth, kids' church through grade 5, and a middle-school crew that eats a frankly alarming amount of pizza. Sundays at 11:00.
Prayer & Care
The side chapel stays unlocked for anyone who needs quiet. Behind it: a prayer chain, meal trains, hospital visits, and funerals done right.
Gardens & Grounds
Two acres of churchyard — roses, lavender, vegetables for the food pantry. Work mornings every second Saturday; tools and coffee provided.
Music & Choir
A robed choir at 9:00, a band at 11:00, and evensong once a season. No audition for the congregation — that's the loudest choir we have.
Common Table
Small groups that share a weekly meal and the week's honest questions. Twelve tables across the city; there is room at every one.
Serving the City
A Tuesday food pantry, winter shelter shifts, and tutoring at the school down the hill. The parish exists for the people who never attend it.
Leadership
The people who hold the keys
A parish this old belongs to its whole congregation — these are simply the ones you can blame.
Fr. Michael Abara
rector
Twenty-two years at Cornerstone. Preaches for fourteen minutes, not one more, and knows every name in the pews.
Rev. Ruth Solano
associate · families
Runs kids' church, the newcomers' lunch, and — by common consent — the actual parish. Ask her anything first.
Elias Kim
director of music
Keeps one foot in the choir loft and one in the band. Believes the 1902 organ is a member of the congregation.
Meet us in person
Stories are better told
over coffee.
Come this Sunday — we'll show you the 1902 glass ourselves.
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