WELS/LCMS Church Growthers in Sleepy Eye"in hopes to get the congregation out of debt and maintain its school". Check Out Stroh's Results with Latte Lutheran. Ha!

 Even the online student watching from the laptop
is terrified.

About Us

Our mission is to raise dollars for Lutheran ministries by growing God’s joyful managers.

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Cornerstone is a team of dedicated disciples who have a deep relationship and love for their Lord Jesus. We value originality and live grace-filled lives to inspire, share and serve God's kingdom. We work collaboratively, and challenge His people to grow in the grace of giving. We are committed to understanding and teaching that it is not about raising dollars, but raising hearts through a strong relationship with our Savior. We strive to bring honor to Jesus while giving thanks to him for all things. Our team is highly approachable, flexible and resourceful - problem solving is our strength and we are eager to serve.

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Jeffrey Davis

Jeff is President and co-founder of Cornerstone Stewardship Ministry. He is an eager student of generosity, always striving to learn more so that more can be shared. Jeff is passionate about spreading the message of generosity throughout the church. He has written extensively on the subject. A gifted and proven advisor, Jeff brings over 10 years of active, full-time experience. His wide array of life experiences and an innovative spirit are assets. He loves teaching, which meshes well in serving God’s people. Jeff and his wife Sally reside in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Jeff began Cornerstone in 2002. Contact Jeff at: 920-648-7997  or  jeff@joyfulgiving.net

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Tom Grunow

Tom is co-founder of Cornerstone Stewardship Ministry having served Lutheran churches and schools since 1992 in strategic planning, stewardship and fund development. From his previous administrator roots in Florida, Texas, and Oregon, Tom still possesses a deep passion to grow Lutheran schools, high schools and colleges through creative strategies and 4th source funding. Currently he resides in Lincoln, Nebraska and serves as the Director of Biblical Generosity at Christ Lutheran Church. Contact Tom at 503-702-1345 or tom@joyfulgiving.net.

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Michael Fuchs

Michael is a seasoned stewardship consultant having owned a consulting business serving Lutheran churches, schools, circuits and districts for over 18 years. He has directed 160 plus campaigns across the country and fully understands the Biblical giving process. Michael is an expert in funding and very detailed oriented. He graduated from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska in 1970. Michael’s experience also includes serving as the Director of Development for the Texas District of the LC-MS focusing on funding for missions in the state of Texas. Michael lives in Colleyville, Texas. Contact Michael at:  817-368-4438 or Michael@joyfulgiving.net

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John Goecke

John brings to Cornerstone a wealth of leadership and stewardship experience gained from within the church and in the secular arena. His heart for mission and ministry and his passion for connecting people to Jesus were demonstrated in the classroom, the churches he served, the workplace and in his stewardship endeavors. He served the Texas District as Stewardship Executive before beginning Texas Partners in Mission, a ministry to fund new missions in Texas. He also served as a Stewardship Consultant with Pathway Lutheran Ministries and as a Ministry Advancement Associate with Pastoral Leadership Institute.  John lives in Georgetown, TX with his wife Shirley. You can contact John at 512-943-0081 or jagdeepwater2@yahoo.com.

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Elton Stroh

Elton has a passion for assisting God’s people with pursuing His mission. His extensive experience serving Lutheran congregations both as a parish pastor (24 years) and as a church consultant (since 2002) provides a wide range of insights and problem solving ability in assisting churches with planning and funding. He also conducted the Turnaround Churches in the WELS research project. Elton received a M.Div. degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and a D.Min. degree (leadership and ministry management) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Gail, a horticulturist, live in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Contact Elton at 608-837-3819 orecstroh@frontier.com.

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Ron Roth - In Honorarium

We give thanks to Ron Roth and his many years of service to the church at large and more specifically to our special ministry. Ron gained entrance to heaven on January 3, 2011, where he met Jesus face to face. Now, he sings praises of thanks to Jesus all the time! Cornerstone wishes to acknowledge Ron’s contributions to our many and varied stewardship material. His writings on grace-based stewardship continue to live on after his death and benefit God’s people in many ways. We are so grateful for Ron’s friendship, time and special partnership with our team. To God be the glory!

Sassy Supervises the Crepe Myrtle Photography Session

 Sassy loves to be around us when visiting.
She first sat a safe distance from Mr. Gardener watering,
then joined us for a conversation about Springdale and the Clintons.

This is the new bloom on the Crepe Myrtle,
caused  by pruning the lower half some time ago.

 This shows how the lower half of the Crepe Myrtle bloomed
while the upper half began going to seed.
The resident Cardinals love the food provided on the spot.

Earlier in August, the lower half
was newly pruned and starting to bloom again.

 Crepe Myrtle seeds form slowly and last
through the winter. I encourage new growth by
pruning them in the spring and feeding the soil
with multiple layers of mulch at the base.

Never Grow Roses, The Saying's True But Treat Them Like Royalty, If You Do

 Before he was Bones on Star Trek,
DeForest Kelley defended the planet against giant rabbits in...
Night of the Lepus.

Sassy Sue and I took an unusual route yesterday for our morning walk. I knew someone else had a lot of roses, so we walked north a block to check out that yard.

I counted 11 rosebeds in neat rectangles in the front yard. We drove by before, so I knew the layout. But as we approached, I saw that every single plant was unpruned, so dozens of rosebusheswere at the last stages of producing rosehips, not an attractive sight.

I told Mrs. Ichabod about this, and we agreed that the couple who lives there must have serious health problems, because a little daily pruning is not difficult.

The sorry state of the yard reminded me of the saying about Alcibiades, an early Greek leader who vexed the people who knew him -

"Never raise a lion cub, the saying's true, but treat him as a lion, if you do."

I contend that roses are far easier than most people realize, but they do require regular pruning. Trimming back KnockOut roses is even more necessary, because the speed of its blooming cycle is so fast and the growth so vigorous.

Famous movie stars do not make a weak premise
any better. Ever wonder why Bones was so grouchy?
Answer - Night of the Lepus on his resume.

We increased our rose crop when rabbits and squirrels ate so many food crops. How can someone plant hundreds of carrot seeds, see them germinate, and have nothing to show for it? Rabbits. I wanted true baby carrots fresh from the soil, and I only got healthy tribes of rabbits.

This is my backyard at night,
as I imagined it.

The hot dry weather was rough on my rosarian self-esteem, but cooler weather and rainstorms have given every plant a new start.

Rainwater - The Only Miracle Fertilizer
Time after time, stored rainwater has turned a weak plant into a producer of perfect roses. Gardeners may want to increase their rain storage for that reason alone. I moved several containers into the front yard just to make the trip shorter. I am thinking of rainbarrels on a little cart next year. All I do is gather rain from the water dripping or cascading off the roof - no gutters in the back. In the front I have a plugged gutter - thanks to maple leaves - that gives me similar results.

Anything organic, that is - that once lived, will be a good fertilizer when decomposed.

Harvesting Roses Means Regular Pruning
Some days I simply cut every fading KnockOut bloom off. I think I am done and see more as I return down the path. When the entire plant is droopy from too much rain or too little, I cut the bush in half.

Total pruning gives me vibrant color on all the KnockOut bushes, and many roses are good for bouquets when I need them. I let the two white KOs absorb the insect damage, because I want to keep the pest-eaters well fed - Ichneumon wasps, Tachinid flies, Flower Flies. They gather to say goodbye every time I create a new vase of roses.

God created roses to be pruned. Cutting off flowers spurs more branch and root growth.

Look at the Crepe Myrte, which I need to photograph again. I left the upper blooms alone because of Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal's home deep inside. But I cut off all the blooms on the lower part and mulched the plant with the tender branches and flowers. Now the lower part is in full bloom and the upper part is fading slowly and going to seed, making it into a seed plant for the Cardinals in winter.

Rotten wood that falls from trees in the neighborhood is piled up under the Crepe Myrtle. I told one couple that I visit often - "If the neighbors wonder about my collection of dead wood, ask them how many roses they have."

Compared to KnockOuts, hybrid tea roses are much slower in producing buds, and the buds are slower to open. When they do, they fade slowly - but much faster than a Crepe Myrtle bloom. Every rose bouquet invites therapeutic pruning on the roses. Dead wood is removed. Crossed branches are cut away. The plant is shaped. Some are marked for extra rainwater.

The 92 year old retired rosarian asked, "Do you raise hybrid teas?" He was probably nostalgic because of the massive popularity of KnockOuts. A mature hybrid tea can produce a vase of large blooms all at once. Hybrid tea roses are the most beautiful and fragrant. I aim for the perfume effect when I put a group together. The novice recipient will start to inhale close to the blooms and say, "Wow, the fragrance!" The ones known for their strength of fragrance are a bit much close-up, but good to fill a room with just one flower.

KnockOuts, Peace, and some others are almost devoid of fragrance. Fragrant Cloud, Mr. Lincoln, Pope John Paul II, Double Delight, and some others are long on fragrance.

Queen Elizabeth II -
her servants disappear into passages
when she walks through the hallway of her castles.
Likewise, the beneficial rose insects are invisible
to most people but a delight to the flowers.

Treat Them Royally
Roses need proper treatment - respectful, regular, and toxin-free:
They do not belong to the cactus family. They need watering, rainwater from the Creator is best.
They do not like insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide. Do you meet an esteemed person and hose him down with antibiotics, deodorant, and Off!? How about a good puff of Raid, just to be sure?

Queen Elizabeth II has a host of servants to take care of her needs. She does not need your chemical solutions.

Queen Elizabeth Rose -
developed by a Creationist PhD - Walter Lammerts.

Likewise, the Queen Elizabeth rose would rather let its tiny servants provide food and protection rather than suffer their deaths in the name of preventing problems:

1. Soil microbes develop the foundation for feeding the rose - fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes.
2. Soil creatures use the microbes for food and add to their value - earthworms, etc.
3. Beneficial insects work over the plant to devour the pests and have families of pest eaters.
4. Spiders occupy spaces here and there and capture rose attackers, spawning more spiders.
5. Birds and toads eat even more of the pests.
6. Garter snakes add to the diversity of servants - all created, engineered to perfection, and managed expertly by God.

Pink Peace is stunning, especially
when a group of blooms open at once.

Roses are a lot of trouble 

• If the soil is not mulched
• If the beneficial insects are slaughtered
• If the life-giving fungi are killed
• If the fruitful branches are not pruned to be more fruitful - John 15.

Barbra Streisand is not a diva rose,
a great producer and always appealing.