Meet the Pastor

Jerry and Sharon Helms

Jerry and Sharon Helms have been in the ministry since Jerry graduated from Mount Vernon Bible College in 1971. They served in Raleigh, NC (Youth Minister), Jamestown, NY (Pastor), Amherst, OH (Assistant Pastor), Moline, IL (Moline Gospel Temple – Youth Pastor), Decatur, IL. Foursquare Church (Youth Pastor), Glendale, CA (Pastor), St. Charles, MO (Pastor), Moline, IL (Assistant Pastor) and presently in Moline, pastoring CornerStone Christian Fellowship.

CornerStone began in 2001 with first meetings at the Viking Club. Subsequently CornerStone Christian Fellowship (CCF) rented space for eleven years at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. The present property at 5106 28th Av, Moline, was purchased in 2012.

Jerry and Sharon are the proud parents of three adult children: Melissa (Andrew), Jeremy (Flavia) and Jonathan (Erica). There are six grandchildren.

Statement of Faith

ARTICLE II – STATEMENT OF FAITH AND COVENANT

Section 2.01 - Statement of Faith. The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members. We believe in…

A.          The Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. (II Tim.3:16-17; II Pet.1:20-21)

B.           God the Father. Believers are told to pray to God as their Father (Mt.6:9). Throughout the Scripture God’s nature and work is described. For instance, there is but one only, (Deut.6:4; I Cor.8:4–6) living, and true God, (I Thess.1:9, Jer.10:10) who is infinite in being and perfection, (Job 11:7–9;26:14) a most pure spirit, (Jn.4:24) invisible, (I Tim.1:17) without body, parts, (Dt.4:15,16; Jn.4:24, Lk.24:39) or passions; (Acts 14:11,15) immutable, (Jms.1:17, Mal.3:6) immense, (I Kings 8:27, Jer.23:23,24) eternal, (Ps.90:2; I Tim.1:17) incomprehensible, (Ps. 145:3) almighty, (Gen.17:1, Rev.4:8) most wise, (Rom.16:27) most holy, (Is.6:3, Rev.4:8) most free, (Ps.115:3) most absolute; (Ex.3:14) working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, (Eph.1:11) for His own glory; (Prov.16:4; Rom.11:36) most loving, (I Jn.4:8,16) gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; (Ex.34:6–7) the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; (Heb.11:6) and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments, (Neh.9:32–33) hating all sin, (Ps.5:5–6) and who will by no means clear the guilty (Ex.34:7; Nah.1:2–3).

C.           God the Son.

1.           The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa.7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor.5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)

2.           Jesus accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom.3:24-25; I Pet.2:24; Eph.1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5)

3.           Jesus is mankind’s exclusive means of salvation. (John 14:6)

4.           Jesus ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb.9:24; 7:25; Rom.8:34; I John 2:1-2)

5.           Jesus’ work on the cross provides healing for the whole man. (I Pet.2:24)

D.           God the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom.8:9; I Cor.12:12-14; Eph.1:13-14; Titus 3:5)

2. The Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures. It is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. Believers are enabled to live a holy life by the sanctifying, indwelling Holy Spirit. (Eph.1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27; Gal.5:16-25)

3. God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely used evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom.12:3-8; I Cor.12:4-11, 28; Eph.4:7-12)

4. The sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing are operational in God’s Church today. Speaking in tongues is the common sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, but God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Cor.14:21-22; Acts 2:4)

E.           The Total Depravity of Man. Man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gn.1:26-27; Rm.3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph.2:1-3; 4:17-19)

F.            Salvation. Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. All sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (Mt.12:31,32; Jn.1:12; Eph.1:7;2:8-10; I Pt.1:18,19; I Jn.1:9)

G.           The Church. The local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is made up of solely born-again persons. (I Cor.12:12-14; II Cor.11:2; Eph.1:22-23; 5:25-27) 

1.           The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim.3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11) 

2.           The autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom.16:1,4; I Pet. 5:1-4)                             

3.           We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Mt.28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; I Cor.11:23-26)

H.          Separation. All the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. (Rom.12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor.6:14-7:1; II Tim.3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; I Cor.6:19-20)

I.           The Second Coming of Christ. The “blessed hope,” the personal return of Christ. (Ps.89:3-4; Dan.2:31-45; Zech.14:4-11; I Thess.1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev.3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

J.           The Eternal State.  The bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt.25:46; John 5:28,29; 11:25-26; Rev.20:5-6, 12-13) The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II Cor.5:8; Phil.1:23; 3:21; I Thess.4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6) The souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Mt.25:41-46; Lk.16:19-26; II Thess.1:6-9; Jude 6-7; Rev.20:11-15)

K.          The Personality of Satan. Satan is the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6,7; Is.14:12-17; Mt.4:2-11; 25:41; Rev.20:10)

L.           Creation. God created the universe in six literal days. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, the Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen.1-2; Ex.20:11)

M.        Civil Government. God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom.13:1-7; Eph.5:22-28; Heb.13:17; I Pet.2:13-14)

N.         Human Sexuality. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen.2:24; Lev.8:1-30; Rom.1:26-29; I Cor.5:1; 6:9; I Thess.4:1-8; Heb.13:4) The only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen.2:24; Rom.7:2; Eph.5:22-28)

Family Relationships. God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the leadership of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle and appropriate discipline. (Gn.1:26-28; Ex.20:12; Dt.6:4-9; Ps.127:3-5; Prov.19:18; 22:15; 23:13,14; Mk.10:6-12; Eph.5:21-33; Col.3:18-21; Heb.13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7)

P.           Divorce and Remarriage. God disapproves of divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouse dies. (Mal.2:14-17; Matt.19:3-12; Rom.7:1-3; I Tim.3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

Q.         Abortion. Human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. (Ps.139:14-16; Isa.44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer.1:5; Luke 1:44)

R.          Love. We should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev.19:18; Mt.5:44-48; Lk.6:31; Jn.13:34-35; Rm.12:9,10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil.2:1-4; II Tim.2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18)

S.          Lawsuits Between Believers. Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. The church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensations for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Cor.6:1-8; Eph.4:31-32)

T.           Missions. God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations. (Mt.28:19-20; Mk.16:15;Lk.24:46-48; Jn.20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor.5:20)

U.          Giving. Every Christian is a steward of the portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him and is obligated to support the local church financially. God has established the tithe as a basis for giving. Every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a person relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gn.14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor.16:2; II Cor.9:6-7; Eph.4:28; I Tim.5:17-18; I John 3:17)

Section 2.02 - Authority of Statement of Faith. The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however that the forgoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.

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