05/04/2026
The Shape of Compassion
When I sat down with Jodie to talk about Cornerstone, she was organizing supplies while answering my questions. It felt fitting. Service isn’t something she schedules. It’s something she lives.
As we talked, one thing became clear: her life has been shaped by compassion modeled for her here.
In her senior year of high school, Jodie met weekly with Ms. Lois, one of Cornerstone’s founding members, for one-on-one Bible study at her home. Using a simple green workbook, Ms. Lois helped prepare her for college, encouraging her to wrestle with one key question:
“Why do I believe what I believe?”
It wasn’t flashy. It was faithful. It was a safe space to ask hard questions without fear. At graduation, Ms. Lois gave Jodie her first adult study Bible, still worn from use today.
Ms. Lois and her husband, Mr. Ed, also opened their farm to the youth group. They hosted gatherings, built relationships, and showed up. When Jodie’s car broke down, an adult Sunday school class quietly paid to fix it.
“We don’t sign up. We show up,” she told me. That phrase captures something essential about Cornerstone.
Today, that same thread continues. Through programs like Secret Pal, adults stay connected to graduating seniors with notes and encouragement throughout their first year away. Cornerstone has also been recognized for excellence in missions, from local partnerships to global response efforts.
Compassion here isn’t abstract. It’s practiced.
When we developed the new logo, the team was drawn to the cross. Rather than a single solid form, they chose individual pieces coming together to create one unified whole. That visual reflects Cornerstone.
Different generations. Different ministries. Different stories. All forming one body.
Stories like Ms. Lois and Mr. Ed’s generosity are not side notes in Cornerstone’s history, they are part of its structure.
Individual acts of compassion, like each shape in the cross, may seem small on their own. But it’s their closeness that gives the cross depth and dimension. Those singular pieces come together to form the full shape of the cross, strong, unified, and unmistakable.
