Rev. Andy Cornell

My birthplace was London, England in October 1962. I came to Canada as an infant and grew up in the other London, where I attended Western University (history) and Fanshawe College (broadcast journalism) and where I had my first full-time employment, as a reporter at CJBK/BX93 Radio. From there, I felt the call to print journalism and my first taste of small-town life in Tillsonburg, Port Hope, and Simcoe. I settled in Chatham to be with my bride, Pam, and where we raised our two sons. In 2008, I began part-time seminary studies at Knox College. In August 2011, I resigned as assistant managing editor of The Chatham Daily News to finish my studies and begin work as student pastor at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in nearby Dresden, which called me as Minister of Word and Sacrament in late 2012. I was ordained in early 2013 and have remained at St. Andrew’s, growing and learning along with my congregation.

I split my time 60/40 between my congregation and Renewal Fellowship.

A cynical person might ask why I left one dying industry to join another. (God does have a sense of humour.) However, neither journalism nor the church is dying. There will always be a demand for news and we will always need journalism to keep watch on the abuses of power. And there will always be a great, gaping need for a connection to our triune God and people willing to cut through the lies the enemy has planted. Christ is our only hope.

My 24 years in broadcast and print news helped me understand the need to cut through the rhetoric and be clear in our communication. Supervising and managing news employees – a notoriously rebellious, creative cast of characters – under deadline pressure helped me understand human nature and learn diplomacy.

I discovered Renewal Fellowship shortly after my ordination and was amazed that such an organization was not fully supported and embraced by the PCC. I am not a lifelong member of the PCC, having been raised Anglican and attending Baptist and Christian Reformed churches along the way. (In fact, I actually left the church from my late teens until my early 30s, but that’s another story.) The more I learned about the PCC’s gradual drift away from a solid biblical foundation, the more I was drawn to the company of those of like mind. Renewal’s existence made sense. At my first annual general meeting in 2016, I was among kindred souls.

With thanks to our Father God for setting the course, to Christ for our salvation and foundation and to the Holy Spirit as our guide, the words of the Apostle Paul come to mind: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:8 NIV)

Rev. Andy Cornell <amcpastor1@gmail.com>
call/text 226-229-1695

Almost 100 per cent of our revenue is from donations. Prayer is always the most important contribution you can make. And if the Lord is leading you to support us financially, there are a number of ways:

• Interac e-Transfers are our preferred method for one-time donations, as they are quick and there are no deductions, as with Canada Helps or PAR. Through your financial institution, send to renewalfellowshippcc@gmail.com. Renewal Fellowship is registered for auto-deposit, so no password should be required. Donors should include their email and postal addresses in the “Message” section so that tax receipts can be provided.
• Make regular donations with monthly pre-authorized remittances through PAR, or securely online with a credit card through Canada Helps.
• Make a one-time or occasional donation by Interac e-transfer, by credit card through Canada Helps, or by mailing a cheque to the Renewal Fellowship office at 3819 Bloor Street West, Etobicoke, Ontario M9B 1K7. While we appreciate donations by any method, most of our donors contribute using PAR or cheques, in order to minimize our processing costs.
• Become a member or renew your membership using Interac e-transfer, or using a credit card through Canada Helps. Donate $10 per household, entering “Membership” or “Membership Renewal” and the names of the members and their email and postal addresses in the “Send a message to this charity” section.
• Ask your church’s Mission Committee to consider adding the Renewal Fellowship to the congregation’s annual budget.
• Encourage one other person to become a member of the Fellowship.
• Become a Supporting Congregation — $100 per congregation.
• Like us on Facebook – The daily Prayer Chain reminder will appear on your Facebook page.
• Contribute an Article for Renewal News — Send it to the Renewal News Editor: Rev. Andy Cornell <amcpastor1@gmail.com>.
• Submit your prayer requests — Send them to the Prayer Chain Editor: Linda Shaw <rfprayer@gmail.com>.
• Subscribe to the Renewal Fellowship e-mailings. These include Renewal News, the Prayer Chain, and conference brochures. The Subscription Management Page makes it easy to manage your own subscription in all the following ways:
  • Cancel Your Subscription
  • Vacation-Stop Your Subscription — set your own re-start date.
  • Change Your Address
  • Switch the Frequency of Your Prayer Chain E-Mailings — there are daily, weekly, and monthly versions.
  • Send Gift Subscriptions — recommend the Renewal Fellowship E-mailings to people who would appreciate them.
• Advertise with Us — Do you have a position in the church or an event that you want others to know about? The rates are: $75 for Renewal News alone, $75 for the website alone, and $100 for both for a quarter-page advertisement. Contact the Renewal News Editor: Rev. Andy Cornell <amcpastor1@gmail.com>.

We are believers. We are Presbyterian. And we are men and women working and praying for the church to be renewed as a more authentic expression of what Christ wanted in his church: rooted in scriptural truth, guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, putting Christ above all things.

We are ministers and ruling elders, members and adherents, musicians and organists, Sunday School teachers and youth leaders, students and retirees.

We represent every province and presbytery.

At last count, our membership stood at 426 members/adherents and 104 ministers.

What We Believe

We are in full agreement with the faith confessed by the Presbyterian Church in Canada in the subordinate standards of the Westminster Confession of Faith as adopted in 1875 and 1889, and in the Declaration Concerning Church and Nation of 1954, 1954, and Living Faith (Foi Vivante and 산 믿음) as adopted in 1998. In affirming the convictions of our denomination, we wish to underline the following emphases of our biblical, evangelical and reformed faith.

(a) The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
(b) The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgement.
(c) The divine inspiration and entire trustworthiness of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(d) The value and dignity of all people: created in God’s image to live in love and holiness, but alienated from God and each other because of our sin and guilt, and justly subject to God’s wrath.
(e) Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, who lived as a perfect example, who assumed the judgment due sinners by dying in our place, and who was bodily raised from the dead and ascended as Saviour and Lord, to be King and Head of the Church.
(f) The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration.
(g) The justification of the sinner by the grace of God through faith alone.
(h) The indwelling presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit, who gives all believers a new life, identity, meaning and purpose, and a calling to obedient service in response to God’s love.
(i) The unity of all believers in the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, made evident in churches worshipping, witnessing and making disciples throughout the world.
(j) The victorious reign and future personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge all people with justice and mercy, giving over the unrepentant to eternal condemnation but receiving the redeemed into eternal life.

To God be glory forever!

Kyoungsoo Hwang began her new position as Renewal Fellowship Administrative Assistant on January 1, 2019. She replaced Bill Harrison, who retired after almost 20 years in the job.

Kyoungsoo brings a vibrant faith and a wealth of experience to the job. After graduating from Western University’s Master of Library and Information Science program in 2002, she worked for the University in various administrative roles for 13 years. In August 2016, she and her family moved to Simcoe, Ontario, where her husband, Rev. Mikal Schomburg, was called as minister to St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church.

The following links are sites of interest recommended by The Renewal Fellowship, without necessarily advocating all that you may find there. Happy surfing!

PCC Renewal – an organization founded by Gen ‘Z’ believers in the PCC committed to reforming and renewing the Church according to God’s Word <pccrenewal.ca>

Living Stones – a Movement of Reformed Churches in Canada <livingstoneschurches.ca>

The Presbyterian Church in Canada <presbyterian.ca>

PresbyCan Daily Devotional <presbycan.ca>

The Reformed Theology Source <reformedtheology.ca>

Being a Christian and a Presbyterian in Canada Today <presbycan.ca/update>

Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism <institute.wycliffecollege.ca>

Knox College, Toronto ON <knox.utoronto.ca>

St. Andrew’s Hall, Vancouver BC <standrews.edu>

Presbyterian College, Montreal QC <presbyteriancollege.ca>

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada <evangelicalfellowship.ca>

Our executive director, Rev. Andy Cornell, is available to speak to congregations, sessions, and any group or court in the PCC. His availability on Sunday mornings is limited — so please consider a midweek gathering.

He will bring a message of hope for all ministers, elders and congregations — of every theological stance — who are feeling increasingly alone in an unbelieving world.

He will bring a message of encouragement for ministers, elders and congregations who are experiencing division over the debate over sexuality and marriage in the PCC.

He will bring a prayerful presence and a listening ear.

He will bring a reminder that the church is a precious body and that our primary purpose is to proclaim to the world that Christ — the son of God — came to reconcile us with the Father. We are to put all selfish, human desires aside and seek God’s precious will for our lives. We are to submit with joy to power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify and empower us to do the work of our triune God.

• Cell/text: 226-229-1695
• Email: <renewalfellowshippcc@gmail.com>