Knoxville Wedding Photographer |

One of the things I love most about my job is meeting so many new people…..

Two weekends ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Cornerstone Academy’s annual fundraising banquet – Truth & Treasure. Cornerstone is a private Christian school located in Morristown, TN. The event location was in the First Presbyterian Church gymnasium. Evi Hunstman, the event coordinator, did an incredible job pulling a large team together to make this years Banquet a great success. This was especially impressive since, as she likes to say, Evi is a Nurse Practitioner and not an event planner. 🙂 The gym was dramatically transformed into a stunning banquet hall with soft accent lights, beautiful center pieces, and white billows of fabric hanging across the entire room which made an elegant ceiling. Last year, Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales, was the guest speaker. This year Michael W. Smith graced the stage.

The evening started with a VIP event followed by dinner deliciously catered by Jersey Girl Diner. Guests enjoyed browsing and bidding on silent auction items before the main event. The banquet hall quickly filled with over 600 guests, dinner was served, and the live auction began! Then, Zion Dance Company performed three songs. Several of Cornerstone’s students participated in one of the dances.One of my highlights from the evening was watching a video presentation about the vision and heart behind the school. The feature film, shot and edited by Joshua Stephen Jones Cinematography and directed by Joe Huntsman, was dedicated to Pastor Richard Emmert. Pastor Emmert was the pastor of Manley Baptist Church for over 30 years and was greatly LOVED in the Lakeway Area. He was instrumental in helping cast the vision for a Christian school. Pastor Emmert was a great source of encouragement, prayer, and wisdom to the founding board of directors and the school. He so believed in the school that he even opened the church doors and allowed Cornerstone Academy to be in their building for the first few years at no charge. He passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. This film was a beautiful tribute to him and his legacy.

Then, Michael W. Smith took the stage, sang several of his all time favorite songs, and shared his heart on fathering and life. I have been to QUITE A FEW of Michael W. Smith’s concerts in the past, but I loved how many stories he shared at this banquet. He also shared what he feels to be his biggest accomplishment. He deemed this accomplishment to be that he survived success and fame! This statement was very impactful. One of the funniest comments he made was in reference to the story behind the song “Friends are Friends Forever.” “I never knew when my wife and I wrote this song 20 years ago that I would be singing it for the rest of my life!” Haha! Michael W. Smith was a wonderful guest speaker and so gracious during VIP photo time! He’s the real deal!

The evening ended with Headmaster Ben Holland casting a new vision for the future of Cornerstone. Their goal is to build a school that can accodomate over 600 students. If you are interested in donating please visit their website at www.camtn.com. Enjoy some of my favorite photos from the evening! xoxoxo