Cornerstone Community Church
Pastor Robert Permenter arrived in Red Wing as the pastor for Cornerstone Community Church just as the pandemic began. Now, two years later, he is so happy for more opportunities to really get to know the people, businesses, and organizations in the community. He was attracted to Red Wing for its arts and culture. He was involved with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for six years. He uses this experience and talent in support of the church's mission, which is, to "build bridges."
"And one of our values is that your story matters. So we want to build a bridge to follow Jesus because we think his teachings make a difference. Another one of our values is to love people, not like you. We're pretty gracious in the way we do that. So we try to have that spirit of peace and grace knowing that people are in different places and we're all struggling with something hard. We worship in a casual and contemporary way. "Being involved with the community in various ways is very important to Cornerstone Community Church. They've hosted musical acts for the Big Turn Musical Festival and hope to again in the future. During this tax season, they provided their space for AARP to offer tax preparation assistance to members of the community.
They're well known for the activities they have during the Holiday Stroll, like hosting a meal at no cost. For those that need it, they take special care to provide transportation to downtown residents for this meal. They also host local musical entertainment. In 2020, when the event was abbreviated due to the pandemic, they installed a lighted "HOPE" window display which lit up the downtown the night of the stroll. It was so uplifting. A photo of the installation even made it onto the cover of Rethos Places Reimaged Issue #4 2020 publication. Now, let's meet their staff!
Lead Pastor, Robert PermenterAssociate Pastor: Care and Administration, Tim BennyhoffYouth and Worship Director, Jonathan ReaAdministrative Assistant, Eileen HallsThank you Cornerstone Community Church for being a Partner and a valued member of our downtown community.