Our History
CornerStone International (CI) was first incorporated in the summer of 1972 as a mission board to facilitate missionaries who were called to Europe. The founding director and his family were missionaries in Italy for a number of years prior to returning to Wilmore, Kentucky to officially organize the sending agency, then called The CornerStone, Incorporated. The ministry in Italy continued and missionaries were sent to other nations in Europe, including Germany and France.
In 1988, the founding director resigned and the Board of Trustees began a search for a new full-time director which lasted many years. In January 1991, the board approached E. Duane Jones to be interim director until they could find a permanent director. Eventually, it became apparent to all that Duane was indeed the man that God called to fill this position and in July 1995 he was commissioned as the full-time Executive Director for CornerStone.
As he began his tenure, Duane believed that CI would branch out from Europe to other nations, especially Latin America. As God directed, this has indeed been the case and today, in 2007, CI has over 40 missionaries on 5 continents, most of whom are in Central and South America. Today, we have missionaries in the US, Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Norway, South Africa, Thailand, China and most recently Israel!
In the ensuing years there have been many changes in CornerStone. CI has grown in size as well as spectrum. In 2001, after moving the office to several locations, the Lord enabled CornerStone to purchase 10.9 acres with a house that serves as the missions base office. This has been a blessing, and while the house is relatively small, we have room for staff and board meetings, 5 individual offices, dinners and even a bedroom suite that is open to CI friends or missionaries who need a place to stay.
In 2003, the Lord began leading us toward establishing a house of prayer on our missions base. We want the ministry of CI, at home and abroad, to be fueled by worship and intercession. The board approved this direction and in July 2004, after a six-month trial period, the board commissioned Jo McKenzie as an Intercessory Missionary and the Director of the CI-House of Prayer (CIHOP).
In September 2006, CI opened the prayer room for 40 hours a week and there are now a number of intercessory missionaries at CI-HOP. We anticipate, that as more worship leaders, intercessors and musicians come, we will increase the prayer room hours until the day that it is 24/7!