Cornerstone´s History
I, Elder Douglas R. Hargrave, the Pastor of Cornerstone Church of God in Christ, was led by the Lord to step out and Pastor a church. I didn't have a building,
nor did I know where to look for one. There were no pews or church accessories. I had no members and no musicians: Just my wife and five beautiful children. I just stepped out by faith , and was led to the corner of Garden and
23rd Street. It was there that I rented an old service station that had previously been used as a church. On the 30th of October, 1971, we moved in. A kind Baptist Preacher named Reverend Wilson, loaned me enough pews to fill
up the church and another Baptist Preacher, Reverend Johnson, now deceased, lent me the chairs. Truly the Lord was in the plan, and his will was going forth. Even though we have gone through a lot of pain and suffering, God has taken care of, and looked out for us. We are still putting him first here at Greater Cornerstone Church of God
in Christ, and our motto is: Philippians 4:6 God Bless...
The following Sunday after opening, a deacon who had been a
backslider, came and gave his heart back to God and said he wanted to be with us. We had no piano until Elder Frazier, the father of Councilman Frazier, loaned us his. My daughter Mary, started learning the cords and eventually she
started playing the piano. A Preacher named Elder Lucky, would often come and lay hands on Mary, and pray for her to play under the anointing of God. He continued to do this, and she became better and better. Missionary Gooden,
of Greater New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ, gave us a piano, and we were able to let Elder Frazier have his piano back.
We later joined Superintendent Mims' District with District Missionary Young and the Lord led
her to run our first revival. It was very very hot, so the Landlord gave us a brand new fan to help us to be comfortable during the revival and throughout the summer. The Deacon and I worked all day the Saturday before our Sunday
Service to install the fan, and by Sunday morning it had been stolen. It was at that time, due to that incident and other stresses, I was ready to give up Pastorship.
My wife encouraged me to hold on. Missionary Young was
also encouraging, stating, she could remember when they didn't have fans and had to use branches and leaves to fan with, and even worshipped God in Brush Harbors.
She conducted the revival anyway, and the people were
blessed. The building was hot when the weather was hot, extremely cold in the winter, and when it rained, it rained in the building, not to mention the rent was very high.
That's when things started to change. First, God
moved on Missionary Butler, and she informed us of a building on 5th and Muscott Avenue. We later moved into that building and continued to call it Cornerstone Church of God in Christ. We were blessed to pay only $50.00 a month,
but members came and left. Some said that the Lord was going to demolish the church, and that I had moved to Alaska, but eventually people began to come. Our first family to join the church was the Scott Family. My daughters, the
entire Scott Family, my first son-in-law and now, Minister Edward Bufkin, and another son-in-law, Deacon Gary Harris, got saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. Eventually others came and God filled them with the Holy Ghost.
Missionaries such as Mother Harris, Mother Lewis, Missionary James, and Missionary Jones, along with Elder Alley, Elder Lucky, Elder Freeman, ran revivals for us. Many other Elders and Missionaries spoke for us and many were
saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.
Many souls were saved and added to the church in 1983 during revivals ran by Missionary James and I. On October 24, 1983, God moved us to 1604 North "G" Street, now called The
Greater Cornerstone Church of God in Christ Inc. We are thanking God, praising God, shouting and dancing that God is still working miracles. Since we moved in, more than 300 souls have been saved, and several have joined the
church. Members still come and go.
(6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
