The Cornerstone Servants, a contemporary worship band from Niverville, are currently recording their first album at Arcade Studios.
This seven-piece group is comprised of siblings, cousins, and friends alike. Simon Doerksen plays piano while sister Elizabeth sings. They are cousins to Larissa Doerksen, who plays both mandolin and violin. Armando Toews, singer and guitarist, performs alongside brother Fabian, the bass player, with friends Jon Wiebe on percussion and Ian Voth on drums.
According to Armando, he and Fabian grew up in a home that wasn’t particularly musical, yet their parents were still very encouraging when it came to their children’s talents and dreams.
“When I was quite young, I took a year of guitar lessons and hated them,” Armando says. “But six years later I picked up that old guitar and started teaching myself the basics. Then my dad took me to buy my first acoustic guitar, and before too long the members of my church thought I was good enough to lead worship. At that time I turned to my old friend, David Wiebe, for advice and he helped me start my first small group.”
Cornerstone Servants began playing together back in 2012 as part of the worship team at the Niverville CMC church. Over the past six years, their confidence and ability has grown, resulting in finding their authentic sound.
During this time, they mostly played the Sunday morning services with an occasional performance outside the church at special events. More recently, the Cornerstone Servants have joined in community worship events with other Niverville churches.
“Choosing to record an album was a huge step for the band,” says Armando, “but one that was made easier with the generous offer of sponsorship from two gentlemen within our congregation.”
The next step was to seek out a place to record—and this brought them to Arcade Studios.
“As soon as we met the guys, Gerry and Evan St. Cyr, we felt comfortable and confident in them.”
With the hope of eventually writing and recording their own songs in the future, this project is a beautiful rendition of the music they currently play and love. The ten-song album is well underway
“Cornerstone Servants are really an awesome group of young people that really have their priorities in the right place,” says Evan St. Cyr, Arcade owner and music producer. “They came into this project fully prepared and have given it their all, which has made my job so enjoyable. It has been a pleasure to work with them!”
The album is due to be completed by the end of the summer. The group also has plans to host a CD release event sometime in November.
Cornerstone Servants will continue to handle worship duties in their home church as well as participate in community events. They’ll also perform at this year’s Worship on the Water, an open-air event held at the Hampton Amphitheatre in Niverville.
“We don’t as of now have any big plans for the future,” says Armando. “But we are open to God’s plans for us!”
