Our History

In early 1988 Reg and Brenda Andrews began to sense the Lord’s leading to establish a permanent ministry in downtown St. John’s. In the previous three decades several evangelical churches had moved from downtown to the upper levels of the city and the Andrews’ felt that a permanent outreach centre ought to be planted again downtown. Reg at the time was Associate Pastor at The Worship Centre and he and Brenda had participated, through the Worship Centre, in a prayer and outreach emphasis in the downtown area. In fact, during the spring and summer of 1988 a major prayer movement had developed at The Worship Centre with 100 to 150 people gathering each Friday night at the church.

From that prayer movement, prayer walks began throughout the downtown area. As Reg and Brenda began to be involved in the prayer walks, targeting streets in the downtown area, the call to launch out in faith and begin an independent ministry intensified. Having a deep awareness that it had to be the Lord’s doing and not man’s, Reg resigned from his position at The Worship Centre without announcing his intentions to begin a church plant in the downtown. So, initially, all the Andrews’ knew at the time was that they and their two sons, Kent and Brad, would start out on their own and trust the Lord to direct and provide. The Worship Centre leadership under Pastor Gene Clarke, though not in a position to mother a church plant at that time, gave its blessing to the Andrews’ as they set out on this new adventure. In spite of their intentions to start out alone, some thirty people decided that they would like to become involved in the church plant—thus Cornerstone was born. (Though very few of the initial group remained for more than a year.)

In early November of 1988 Sunday services were begun at the Delta hotel. The unreliability of available space Sunday-to-Sunday made the finding of a more stable venue a priority. The little congregation began to pray for a regular meeting place and there were those who felt we should pray for a specific building which was ideally located to meet the need. That building was located at 293 Water Street, the former Scotia Bank building. In a surprising turn of events, a Christian gentleman who heard of the interest in that particular building declared that he was a personal friend of the owner. To make a long story short, the owner permitted the fledgling church to use the upper floor of the building for an entire year free of charge, utilities included! This was but one of the many ways the Lord confirmed His leading. After the year was up, the Cornerstone family moved to a new location—a former courthouse at 357 Duckworth Street.

In the early years Cornerstone began to reach out to the downtown community in a number of ways. One of earliest outreach endeavours was ministry to children. A number of children from the Cabot Street area became regular participants in weekly children’s activities. Also, regular outdoor services were held on Sunday evenings, and sometimes on Saturday night, in various locations throughout downtown from late spring to early fall. Another outreach project was through the coffee house ministry known as The Open Door which was open to the public each weekday afternoon.

Many lives were touched during those early days of the ministry of Cornerstone as the Lord did a deep and lasting work in the hearts of both congregants and visitors. To God be the glory!

From this beginning the church has undergone several changes, but the commitment to the downtown has never changed. Dave and Deidre Newman gave leadership to Cornerstone during the Duckworth Street years. A further move to Military Road occurred in 1999, and ministry continued under the leadership of John and Bev Bailey and later Shawn and Lynette Witcher. In 2010 Cornerstone was able, through the generosity of PAONL, to purchase the current building on Rickett’s Road.

In September of 2011, Pastors Gary and Roxanne Andrews took over as lead pastors of Cornerstone. They have been instrumental in securing the necessary renovations that have been underway in our building for the last couple of years. In September of 2013, Cornerstone added Pastor Rob and Tyra Winsor to our staff as Director of Outreach, adding a greater emphasis in reaching the downtown with the love of Christ. Pastor Rob and Tyra left Cornerstone in 2018 to pursue other pastoral endeavours.

Also in 2018, Cornerstone celebrated its 30th Anniversary of ministry and outreach in the downtown.