The Cornerstone Forum Newsletter

The Emmaus Road Initiative
2008 / 2009

Inspiring a Wholehearted Faith in a Half-hearted Age

Mark you calendars for February.
TOPA Message from Gil Bailie
Gil Bailie

Dear Friends,

I had hoped to embed a YouTube clip as an appropriate way of telling you about some of the new technologies that we are planning to use to increase our effectiveness and reduce some of our expenses. Alas, I was only home three days between the January and February round of talks, and here it is the night before I take an early flight to Chicago and there was no time to fit the YouTube experiment in. If all goes well, I'll send something out from the road mid-month or so.

The BIG NEWS is a Matching Grant, and we need your help in matching it. Please read about it in the Randy's portion of this newsletter.
 
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing as many as possible at the sessions this month. A heads-up: there is a change in the schedule in Houston and in Cambridge. Click on the links for details.

I'm off to pack.

Thanks for everything.

The topic for this month's Emmaus Road Initiative is:

"Why did it take the Crucifixion to save us?"

The February Emmaus Road Initiative Sessions:

Click on these links for the locations, dates and times of the sessions.
And remember that there are two temporary changes this month, in Houston, Texas and Cambridge, Massachusetts. See the details by clicking on the sites.



Thank you so much for your interest in our work and for helping to make it possible.

With affection and gratitude,

Gil Bailie
RandyThe Fine Print
Supporting Our Efforts
Randy Coleman-Riese
From Cornerstone Forum Executive Director,
Randy Coleman-Riese

Dear Friends,

From Stumbling Block to Stepping Stone

In the months and years immediately ahead the effort to retain and revitalize the Christian foundations of Western Civilization will face monumental obstacles, and we are more committed than ever to contributing to this crucial task.

But as we said in last month's newsletter, due to the economic downturn, we have suffered a drop in the tax-exempt donations on which our work depends. And so we are asking friends for help even as we explore new technologies that may improve our effectiveness and allow us to use our resources more efficiently - technologies such as streaming audio, streaming video, and even YouTube. (Now that the Vatican has set up a YouTube website, we have overcome our hesitation about turning to that technology.)

Uncertainties remain: Whether we will be able to provide unlimited free CDs of the Emmaus Road Initiative sessions to those who attend them will depend on the results of our fund-raising over the next few weeks. More crucially, whether or not Gil will be able to continue to travel to all eight metropolitan areas and twelve venues that he has been visiting every month also awaits the outcome of our fund-raising efforts.

The Good News:

As Gil mentioned above, we are happy to say that we have been given a $10,000 matching grant, and if we can match the full amount, we will be able to complete the Emmaus Road Initiative series through May and lay the groundwork for a follow-up series beginning in the fall.

In an effort to help us broaden our donor base and deepen the commitment of those who have supported us in the past, this foundation has stipulated that the matching grant will apply only to certain donations. Their criteria is this:

The foundation will match, on a 1:1 basis, all gifts from a) first-time donors; b) increased giving from 2008 levels; and c) renewed giving from donors who have lapsed for two years. The deadline for the giving commitments will be September 30th, 2009.

If you do not meet these criteria, I hope you will consider supporting us in any event, but if you do fall into one of these categories, your donation will be doubled by this grant.

If you can help us meet our $10,000 goal, we will be deeply grateful. You can help by going to our to the DONATIONS page of our website and selecting either a one-time donation or a monthly donation. You will then be given the option to select the amount you wish to donate.

Monthly donations - even small ones - are especially helpful, and regardless of whether or not we are able to continue to give those attending the Emmaus Road Initiative sessions free CDs, we will mail complimentary CDs to all monthly donors who contribute $15 a month or more.

If you have any questions , or if I can assist in any other way, please contact me: toll-free: 866-506-5451, ext. 703 or email me at: randy@cornerstone-forum.org

As always, we welcome the opportunity to speak with those interested in making a more substantial contribution to our work. If you would like to discuss a more generous program of support, please contact me or Gil Bailie and we will arrange to meet with you to discuss our work and our needs. You may reach me by email, or call me toll free at 866-506-5451, extension 703, or you can contact Gil Bailie by simply replying to this email newsletter.

We are sincerely grateful for your support, encouragement, and prayers.

 Randy Coleman-Riese

Thank you for helping to make our work possible.