Church Staff
Mike Poff – Senior Pastor
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Mike graduated from Virginia Tech in 1980 with a Civil Engineering degree. After working eight years as an engineer in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mike felt led to help others get connected to God and to grow spiritually. As a result, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas for theological and leadership training. Over a twelve year period, he led various ministries for Hope Church in Fort Worth as an associate pastor. After being out of Virginia for nearly 25 years, Mike returned in September 2005 in the role of Cornerstone’s Senior Pastor to serve the Warrenton community. Mike and his wife Anna enjoy running, traveling and learning how to cook.
Mark Brown - Program Director, Cornerstone Cares
Mark was born and reared in Lockport, New York, moving to Virginia in 1981, and to Warrenton in 1988. After a 34-year career in marketing services and business support for a large DC-based nonprofit, Mark retired and began writing grant proposals and serving on the board for a few smaller nonprofits. Mark is married with three grown children now out on their own. Together, Mark and his wife are caregivers for her mom who lives with them.
Marie Clonts - Community Support Coordinator - Cornerstone Cares
Marie earned her BS in psychology from Old Dominion University in 1990, and her physical therapist assistant AAS from John Tyler Community College in 1992. She has worked with senior adults for the majority of her career in out-patient clinics, independent living facilities, assisted living facilities, skilled rehabilitation, and most recently home heath. Marie is acutely aware of the needs of caregivers and their senior care receivers; she feels very privileged to be able to help meet some of those needs by coordinating with a wonderful team of non-medical volunteers to provide friendly and respite visits, education, support, and minor household repairs.
Anjie Smith - Connections Assistant
After getting married to my husband, Chris, in 2018 I had begun my search for a church. In 2020 my family attended our first service at Cornerstone. The warm greeting that was provided instantly made me feel at home and the search ended! When Cornerstone Cares asked for respite volunteers I signed up to help! My husband and I welcomed their son into the family in 2021. The church community offered so much support being a new parent that I decided to volunteer on the hospitality team and share the warmth and welcome to others as I had received. Now, I am the Connections Assistant for the church helping with administrative duties. You can contact me through the church’s email or phone number and I will be happy to chat and offer some assistance!
Elders
Steve Rakoff
Steve grew up in a non-Christian home and heard the Gospel for the first time as a freshman in college. After committing his life to Christ, he was discipled by the Baptist college ministry for four years. Steve moved to Texas to go to seminary to follow a calling to work with the spiritual lives of college students. He worked with students for 23 years as a college counselor and administrator. While in Texas, Steve served in his church for 28 years in the following areas: trailer team, accounting team, leading men’s groups for 10 years, co-leading 5th and 6th grade ministry, working with the youth program, and helping develop an incorporation ministry.
Steve moved to Virginia and joined Cornerstone in 2014. Since then, he co-led the student ministry, has been a part of the Northstar program for the last year and a half, and recently serves as a greeter and usher. He continues to work with college students at NOVA as faculty sponsor of the Christian group on campus. Steve’s primary spiritual gifts are encouragement, wisdom, discernment, and hospitality. His passion is to develop people; his greatest area of growth is trusting God enough to not “play it safe” when challenging opportunities come. His favorite verse is I Corinthians 15:58 “ Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Justin Leatherwood
Justin grew up in a strong Christian household. While in middle school, he accepted Christ and was baptized in his Grandparents’ church in Illinois. As he grew in his Christian walk, Justin found a lot of value serving in church and being part of a group, which at the time was his youth group. In college at Virginia Tech Justin found Kelly, a girl he had met years before in high school. They were married 3 ½ years later. As he became older and busy with work, they joined a church, but he was challenged to connect given his work schedule. As their family grew and Justin’s work schedule got even more chaotic, they found Cornerstone. Justin made a commitment to begin to find a way to plug in regardless of his schedule. First, he connected with a men’s group and began to grow. Several years later, an opportunity came up to enter Cornerstone’s two year leadership program. Justin made a commitment to complete the course, doing as much as he could to put it as a high priority and make it work with his schedule. Northstar was a major moment in his growth with God, church, and values. As a result, he shifted his priorities and found a lot of tools to relate to others. Since that time, Justin has found a lot of joy working with the Men of Cornerstone. He loves getting the guys together and encouraging one another through events and retreats. As an elder, Justin realizes that it increases responsibility and need for flexibility, but is encouraged by Cornerstone members and church leadership to continue to grow and serve God by taking on this role.
Ministry Leaders
Anna Poff – Women’s Ministry
Born and raised in Texas, Anna is the middle of three sisters and found her way to Warrenton by way of marriage to Mike in January 2009. Upon arriving in Warrenton, Anna finished her B.A. in Humanities in May 2009 and graduated from the College at Southwestern in Fort Worth, Texas. Anna serves as Cornerstone’s Women’s Ministry leader along with leading a small group. She loves meeting new people and especially desires to see women walk in the freedom that Christ gives. Anna has run several marathons, 10k’s and 5k’s and is a huge fan of Mexican food.