Greetings to you from Cornelius Corps during this holy season of Advent and Christmas. This is the first of three reflections during December focused on our year end financial campaign. The goal of this year’s financial campaign is $15,000. We have already raised $5,000 toward that goal. In these reflections, several of our Board members reflect on the ministry of Cornelius Corps – past, present, and future. Please consider helping us reach our goal through partnering with Cornelius Corps by making a year-end, tax-deductible gift. If you receive this via email, you can use the donate button at the bottom of the email. The donate button is also available on our website: (www.corneliuscorps.org). Another option is sending a check made out to Cornelius Corps and mailing it to Cornelius Corps 10002 Locklies Drive Glen Allen, VA 23060.
Through the generosity of our supporters, the impact of Cornelius Corps has continued to grow from our founding in 2001. In this post The Rev. Greg Merlo reflects on his relationship with Cornelius Corps over the course of nearly twenty years highlighting some of our ministry offerings in the past.
I am grateful for the ongoing work of Cornelius Corps. For 15 years I served as the pastor of a small church plant in DC. Early in the life of our church we fell in love with Jim Melson’s ministry of racial justice and reconciliation and chose to support his work through a monthly offering. Dr. Melson blessed our community through guest preaching and leading multiple church retreats focused on spiritual formation and racial justice issues.
Following the death of George Floyd in 2020 our Sunday school class recognized a need to increase our awareness of racial inequality in America. Again, I reached out to the Cornelius Corps. Dr. Melson worked with us to coordinate two online workshops: The Color of Compromise and Remember and Recommit. These online workshops proved invaluable for both framing and informing our understanding of the history of racial inequality in America and its present realities. My prayer is that the Cornelius Corps will have the support and resources needed to continue this good work.
Sincerely,
Greg Merlo
Pastor of Youth & Young Adults
Parkwood Baptist Church
Cornelius Corps Board Member
