In the summer of 1972, Cornerstone International, Inc. (CI) was incorporated as a mission board. The founding director and his family had been 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 began a search for a new full-time director. In January 1991, the board approached Duane Jones to be interim 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 now CI has over 40 missionaries on 5 continents. Today, we have mission workers serving in the USA, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Norway, Liberia, Uganda, South Sudan and many more.
In 2001, after moving the office to several locations, the Lord enabled Cornerstone to purchase nearly 11 acres with a house that serves as the missions base office. This has been a blessing as we have room for board meetings, 5 individual offices, dinners and a bedroom suite that is open to CI friends or missionaries who need a place to stay.
In 2003, the Lord began leading us to establish a house of prayer on our missions base so that the ministry of CI, at home and abroad, would 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 (CI-HOP, aka Sanctuary).
In September of 2015, after more than 10 years of operating at the missions base, the director was led to move the house of prayer and open as Sanctuary in the downtown area of Wilmore. CI remains in close affiliation with Sanctuary as we desire that prayer and worship be the center around which our mission activities revolve.
In July 2016, Duane Jones resigned as president but the Lord quickly provided a replacement. At this same time, Craig and Kara Garrison (CI missionaries to SE Asia since 2004) and their family were transitioning to the States and seeking the Lord as to His plan for the next season. It seemed good to CI, to Craig and to the Holy Spirit that Craig lead the next season of CI. In January 2017, he officially became our president.