History
Cornerstone Christian Center was founded in 1949 by Rev. Allan L. Ellis.
He attended Zion Bible Institute in Providence, Rhode Island where he met Eileen English who became his wife. Rev. Ellis was a gifted teacher of the Bible and he traveled throughout North America establishing Bible Schools and founding churches. He served as Senior Pastor of Cornerstone for 33 years. In 1992, Rev. Ellis installed Marcus Rooks as Senior Pastor and shortly thereafter, Pastor Ellis went on to be with the Lord. Rev. Rooks and his wife Saundra ably led Cornerstone for 9 years, continuing Rev. Ellis' vision of a church where God's unconditional love and Grace freely abounds through Jesus Christ.
Read More >In June 2001, Pastor Rooks was called to another ministry and Alfred D. Watts was installed as Senior Pastor of Cornerstone. Pastor Watts along with his wife, Akiba, had previously served for 5 years as youth director of Cornerstone, while he worked as a corporate law attorney. When God called him into the ministry, however, he left his promising legal career to follow God's plan for his life in full-time ministry. When Pastor Watts began leading Cornerstone, he did not have any formal theological training. He, thus, studied the scriptures diligently, and sought the Lord in prayer for His direction. Prayer became the foundation of the ministry, as Pastor Watts led the congregation on a weekly basis to pray for God's direction for the church and for the needs of the people.
God has been so faithful. Under Pastor Watts' leadership, Cornerstone Christian Center has blossomed into a multicultural ministry which seeks to share the love of Jesus Christ with people from all backgrounds. Some of Cornerstone's outreaches include the Storehouse Food Pantry, which provides families in need with food and other items necessary for daily living, an annual Family Fun Fest, choir concerts in malls, parks and senior centers; coffeehouses and much more.
In November 2009, Cornerstone Christian Center began holding services at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, CT in order to accommodate the needs of the growing congregation. On March 6, 2011 Cornerstone Christian Center moved into a new building located at 349 Wheelers Farms Rd. Worship Services are currently held each Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. Our prayer meeting is held each Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. at 192 Meadow Street.
Our God provides all of our needs! On October 25, 2010, we purchased a new building which will allow us to accommodate more people and reach more souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We plan to move into our new building at the beginning of 2011.
Through fervent prayer and steadfastness in the work of the Lord, we expect to see God do great things both in us and through us, for His glory.
What We Believe
The 13 Articles of Faith
Article of Faith 1 - The One True God
We believe in the one eternal God. This one true God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are one God. (I Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6; II Cor. 5:19; Joel 2:28; Mk. 12:29; Deut. 6:4)
Article of Faith 2 - The Son of God
Jesus Christ is the son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. God took upon Himself the form of man, and was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life; nevertheless he took on the sins of all people by dying on the cross. Jesus arose from the dead after three days, thereby demonstrating his power over sin and death. He is coming again at which time we shall go to be with Him forever.
(II Cor. 5:19;Col. 1:19; I Tim. 2:5; I Cor. 15:28; Rev. 1:8)
Article of Faith 3 - The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and the Son of God. He lives in the life of every Christian from the moment of salvation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians receive power to understand the word of God and to live in a Christ-like manner. As Christians, we are to be led by the Holy Spirit in our daily activities. (2 Cor. 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14, 16; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 2:12, 3:16; Eph. 1:13; 5:18; Gal. 5:25)
Article of Faith 4 - The Bible
We believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God. The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore, all doctrine, faith, hope, and all instruction for the church must be based upon, and harmonize with, the Bible. It is to be read and studied by all men everywhere, and can only be clearly understood by those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 2:14; II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20,21)
Article of Faith 5 - The Creation of Man and His Fall
In the beginning, God created man innocent and pure; but through the sin of disobedience, Adam and Eve, the first of the human race, fell from their sinless state, and God banished them from Eden. Hence, by one man’s disobedience, sin entered into the world, and the whole world is deemed guilty of sin.
(Gen. 1:27; Rom. 3:23; 5:12)
Article of Faith 6 - Salvation
Salvation is a free gift from God, and we obtain salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life and genuinely believing that God raised Jesus from the grave. Once we our saved, we are no longer under the law of sin and death.
Eternal life begins upon a personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord by faith. Once we have been genuinely saved, our salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God through our faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, not by our human efforts.
(Rom. 6:23; 8:1; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9; John 3:16; Gal. 3:2-3, 26)
Article of Faith 7 - Grace of God
We believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The word “Grace” means favor. Thus, when a Christian transgresses and sins against God, it is through God’s grace that we are forgiven, not because of anything we did or could do, but because of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross and miraculous resurrection.
We do not believe, however, that God’s grace encourages a person to willingly continue in sin. To the contrary, we believe that God’s grace teaches us that we are to live a holy life here on earth. Grace is not a license to sin, but the basis for continued salvation when we do sin.
(Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 2:11, 12; John 1:17; I John 2:1-3).
Article of Faith 8 - Water Baptism
The scriptural mode of baptism is immersion, and is only for those who have received the salvation of Jesus Christ. It should be administered by a duly authorized minister of the Gospel, in obedience to the Word of God, according to the Acts of the Apostles laid out by Jesus himself. We, therefore, believe in baptism unto Christ in the Authority of His name. (Mat. 28:19; Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5)
Article of Faith 9 - Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The terms baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire, filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost are synonymous terms and interchangeable in the Bible. Biblical examples show that most who received the gift, filling, or baptism of the Holy Spirit received the same physical, initial sign of speaking with other tongues. (Mat. 3:11; Acts 1:5, 2:4, 10:46, 19:6, 2:33, 2:39)
Article of Faith 10 - Holiness
Holiness is a derived word that comes from the root word Holy. The word Holy in the Hebrew (Ko-desh) means to be dedicated, consecrated, separated, or sacred. Thus, as a Kingdom of Priests we seek to live a dedicated, consecrated, separated, and sacred life before the Lord; putting aside anything that hinders us from serving and/or being the Godly example before the world.
(Titus 2:11,12; I Pet. 2:21-23; Heb. 12:1, 14; I Pet. 1:15-19)
Article of Faith 11 - The Lord’s Supper
On the night Jesus Christ was betrayed, He ate the Passover supper with His Apostles, after which He broke bread and gave it to His disciples, and shared the fruit of the vine with them. Today, this ceremony is commonly known as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. In remembrance of the Lord, we partake of the Lord’s supper on the first Sunday of each month. (Lk. 22:19,20; I Cor. 11:23,24)
Article of Faith 12 - Divine Healing
We believe that divine healing for the body is available for all who believe in the healing power of Jesus Christ. Jesus said of believers, “ . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Later, James wrote in his Epistle to all the churches: “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We believe that these promises apply to the church today.
(Ex. 15:26; James 5:14-16; I Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5; Mat. 8:17; Heb. 13:8; Mat. 4:23,24)
Article of Faith 13 - Tithing
We believe Tithing is God’s financial plan to provide for His work and has been since the days of Abraham. Tithing came with faith under Abraham and God continued this principle through the Law which God through Moses gave to the Israelites to uphold. When they did not honor God with their tithes and offerings, God said that they were robbing Him.
We believe that giving tithes and offerings is a principle of grace, and a sign of our faith in God. Thus, doing so does not bring one under the Law, but is a fulfillment of Grace. When we tithe, God’s promises to bless us with more than we have room to receive.
(Gen. 14:17-23; Heb. 7:1,2,4-10; Mal. 3:8, 10)