Each year new students from around Australia come to Canowindra to study at Cornerstone Community, working in the local area and joining in with local community ventures.
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This year sees the 25th group in Canowindra, with 10 students hailing from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales undertaking a Certificate IV in Christian studies at Cornerstone.
Canadian-Australian student Alison Courtney said that her first impression of Canowindra wasoverwhelmingly positive. “I like the real, personal touch in the local businesses – welcoming us and being open and friendly”. She said she was looking forward to the balloon festival and glad that Canowindra had these kinds of events going on.
When asked what brought her to Cornerstone, Alison said that she had found a level of dedication and knowledge amongst staff at the campus, together with a commitment to journey together in learning and life. Sophie Bell, a Glen Innes local, said she decided to check out Cornerstone when she realised that the people she knew and wanted to be like were all Cornerstone alumni. Sophie also loved discovering the strong community support in town for all things local in Canowindra – especially the beautiful cafes!
In recent weeks students were involved in activities in Canowindra like an Easter play and an Easter Sunday sunrise service. For number of years, Cornerstone has hosted this public event, which is a time of reflection on the story of Easter as the sun rises over the hills. Alison was asked what was really important about this time for her.“The resurrection of Jesus is what the Christian faith really rides on – God’s power over death is central to our understanding of him,” she said. “It’s the ultimate mark of freedom”.