PURPOSE: To inform and contribute to the appreciation and understanding of us as a church for those who do not know our history; and to confirm our story for those who already know it.

It is for new generations of Cumberland Presbyterians and people who have come into our church from other backgrounds, as well as those who have been in the church for many years.

TIME AND SETTING FOR PRESENTATION: Denomination Day is suggested as the time to make the presentation.

SETTING: In the sanctuary of the church, using the pulpit for the speakers. Or, if a more informal setting is desired, in a fellowship hall.

POSSIBLE DISPLAYS: One symbol of the 20th century visible for all the congregation: A rocket? A computer? A space ship? Or?

If a more dramatic effect is desired, prepare small flags as shown below to be placed on a table at the front to stress the number of forward steps the church took. As the story unfolds, the flags can be brought forward for each point of progress.

Point of progress

Date

Pictures of our institutions may be displayed on tables or on bulletin boards or walls.

AN HISTORICAL NOTE

There have been two Cumberland Presbyterian Churches--the one born on the American frontier in the early 1800s and the continuing Cumberland Presbyterian Church which was born in 1906.

Although we often go back to the church of 1810 for clues to our identity and nature, the church as we have known it in the 20th century was largely shaped by the events of 1906.

Thus, we are a part of two heritages: the heritage of 1810 and the heritage of 1906.

PRESIDING: The pastor or a designated lay person

PRELUDE: A musical group (choir, quartette, trio, or duet) singing a medley of religious songs.

INTRODUCTION: A brief overview by the presider

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church came into being on the American frontier in 1810. It came into existence because the times were crying out for a church that would be willing to depart from the rigidness of the old ways of doing ministry.

It became a vital institution during the first eighty years of its history, growing into a progressive national denomination with a respected place among other mainline churches.

It spread rapidly throughout the country, and the world. It was regarded with esteem and appreciation as a liberal and influential body. A time came, however, when it was faced with the question of its continued existence and ministry as it approached the 20th century.

THE OPENING HYMN: The Church's One Foundation (1st stanza)

SPEAKER: At the beginning of the 20th century, Cumberland Presbyterians in large numbers had been caught up in a movement toward union with other churches to permit them to render a greater service and witness to the world. This was due to the conviction that the church had fulfilled its original reason for being and was ready to move to a larger destiny. Union was in the air. The tide could not be turned.

The movement culminated in an official union with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. in 1906, leaving behind a dejected and depressed, but sizable minority. These Cumberland Presbyterians refused to abide by what they perceived to be an unfair and hurried decision which was forced upon them.

SPEAKER: According to Presbyterian polity and government, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church no longer existed. But it did! Cumberland Presbyterians began picking up the pieces of broken congregations, presbyteries, synods, boards and institutions, trying to glue them back together.

Educational institutions such as Cumberland University, Trinity University, James Milliken University, Missouri Valley College, College of the Ozarks, and Waynesburg College were gone. Only Bethel College was left. The majority of congregations were split and/or entered the union. Disputes over property made their way into the secular courts. The number of Cumberland Presbyterians was cut in half, or more. Many who did not enter the union simply drifted away. They either left the church or went to other denominations.

TWO SPEAKERS (to add force): Hurt, anguish, and repressed anger characterized the attitude of the people who formed the continuing Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Yet, among those who endured, there was a strong determination to survive. There were no limits to their sacrifices in rebuilding. They believed that "somewhere in the sunlight of God's love the Cumberland Presbyterian Church would live on."

HYMN: Faith of our Fathers (1st stanza)

SPEAKER: The years that followed the partial union were years of spiritual illness and frustration. The church was suspicious and untrusting. Fear of another union continued. The church turned inward, and a mood of extreme isolation developed which carried over even into the 1940s.

*Point of Progress—Mission Outreach Reassigned, 1908

SPEAKER: In this time of survival, the men of the church were so involved in rebuilding what remained, they called upon the women to assume the responsibility for missions–a move which opened the church again to the world and gave women a strong role in leadership.

*Point of Progress–Beginning of mission work in Canton, China, 190?

*Point of Progress–The official approval of the Ordination of Women, 1924

*Point of Progress–Establishing mission work in Cali, Colombia, South America,
by the Women's Board of Foreign Missions, 1925

SPEAKER: In 1921, the General Assembly adopted the following deliverance: "We most respectfully submit that the word ‘man' with reference to a human being is a generic term, and as used in the Holy Scriptures, and Constitution and the other confessional statements of our Church has no reference to sex, but should be construed to, and does, in fact, include the human being whether male of female."

This opened the way for presbyteries legally to ordain women to the gospel ministry. This was a decided step forward and a first among mainline churches.

As time passed, small rays of hope began to appear as some people were able to look more openly and positively at the situation. In spite of many problems, God was leading the church to many points of progress.

INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE: Lead On, O King Eternal (1st stanza)

*Point of Progress–Young People's Work, 1924

SPEAKER: 1924 underlined a kind of new beginning for the church, although some progress had already begun, and more people had started to believe again in the viability of the institution.

The General Assembly created the Board of Young People's Work, held the first Young People's General Assembly, and initiated a new youth movement in 1927 with the central office in Newbern, Tennessee. Congregational Societies of Young People's Work were organized and the printing of educational material was begun.

The Church Camping Program for Youth was begun, and is still alive and well. As many as forty or fifty church camps/conferences were held each summer. Thousands of youth were led into Christian life and ministry. For many years, most of our ministers found their calling at these camping events.

In this period the Board also created The Standard Leadership Education Curriculum, consisting of courses in various areas of the Christian life and leadership which were offered at church camps and in other settings.

SINGING OF A YOUTH HYMN OR CHURCH CAMP/CONFERENCE CHORUS OR CHORUSES

*Point of Progress–New buildings on Bethel Campus, 1924

SPEAKER: The John T. Laughlin family made possible the building of Laughlin Home and Laughlin Hall, girls' and boys' dormitories, and the city of McKenzie raised the money to erect an Administration Building on the Bethel College campus. This opened the way for a stronger educational program.

*Point of Progress–Education for Ministry, 1931

SPEAKER: Education for ministry, having lagged behind for some time, became the center of concern, when the Cumberland Presbyterian Seminary was reopened in the fall of 1931, showing the church's desire for better educated ministers.

A PRAYER OF THANKS

HYMN: We Are Called to be God's People (Stanza 3)

We are called to be God's prophets, speaking for the truth and right,
Standing firm for Godly justice, bringing evil things to light.
Let us seek the courage needed, our high calling to fulfill,
That the world may know the blessing of the doing of God's will.

Words: Thomas A Jackson, 1973
Music: Franz Joseph Haydn, 1797 AUSTRIAN HYMN 8.7.8.7.D.
(The Worshipping Church, A Hymnal, Hope, 1990)

*Point of Progress–Board of Christian Education Organized, 1936

SPEAKER: In 1936 the General Assembly created a Board of Christian Education to replace the former Board of Young People's Work which would promote a program for children and adults as well as for youth. This action marked a giant step forward for the educational work of the church.

*Points of Progress–Worship Renewal, 1930-1999

SPEAKER: As the youth of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church became more involved, they brought significant contributions to their congregations. Among these was an influence on worship, especially hymnody. New hymns introduced into camp were taken back home to the churches and often used there. New youth hymn books were produced and a strong emphasis on worship was made, especially in camps. Vespers was the highlight of each day.

The need for an improved worship moved the General Assembly to authorize from time to time the production and/or selection of hymnals.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church became a part of worship renewal which began to emerge in the 1960s and the 1970s among most denominations. A major result was the publication of The Book of Common Worship, in 1992. This was a cooperative effort between the Presbyterian Church USA and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

SINGING THE DOXOLOGY

*Points of Progress - Christian Unity, over several years

SPEAKER: Hindsight often reveals what foresight never sees. Almost without an awareness that it was going on, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church has attained a grassroots ecumenical spirit which was manifested in mutual acceptance and interaction with other denominations.

We have learned, as people called Cumberland Presbyterians and people of other denominations, to look through the eyes of Christ at each other as being one in him. Denominational lines have become blurred, and we move across these barriers freely.

Further, this attitude has been formally and officially embodied in many ecumenical and cooperative relationships and joint activities with other denominations.

HYMN: Blest Be the Tie That Binds (1st stanza)

*Point of Progress - Decision to move the Orphan's Home to Denton, Texas

SPEAKER: In 1937 the building which had housed an Orphan's Home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for many years was sold, and a new home was planned which would be located in Denton, Texas. The erection of this new building made possible new and more effective ways of serving children from broken homes.

SPEAKER: But as we moved into the 1940s, despondency characterized the morale of the denomination, still under the burden of the Great Depression. Little progress was being made. When our country entered World War II, the entire church was affected by human and material resources being siphoned off into the war effort.

*A Surprising Point of Progress - Beginning of Mission work in Japan

SPEAKER: An army chaplain serving in Japan, organized a Cumberland Presbyterian Church there in 1946. From this church a flourishing mission field developed which is now composed of a presbytery and 12 churches.

SPEAKER: Following the War, new challenges arose. Although the ongoing program of the church had continued, it needed new leadership, new vision, new program materials and new movements to insure its future. Congregations and pastors were being given little direction and resources for mission. Many younger ministers became dissatisfied and went to other denominations.

In spite of these conditions, there was a gradually emerging groundswell for change. The church seemed anxiously poised as if waiting for another forward thrust.

*Point of Progress - A New Beginning, 1948

SPEAKER: The 1948 General Assembly led the church into a complete reorganization of the denominational structure which culminated in The Program of Achievement (a Capital Gains program). This enabled the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to develop a Theological Seminary which was separate from Bethel College, erect a Seminary Library Building on the Bethel College Campus, and build a denominational center in Memphis, Tennessee, for the church's boards and agencies which contained a printing shop and a bookstore. Hopes and dreams were rekindled and new life flowed, which enabled the church to move into the future creatively.

A positive result of these actions was a more unified church which could pool the resources and personnel of boards and agencies. Whereas these had been more or less separate and independent, they were now working as a community. This contributed to the total improvement of the work of the denomination.

HYMN: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Stanza 1)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near; join me in glad adoration!

Words: Joachim Neander, 1680
Music: Emeurren Gesangbuch, Stralsund, 1665 LOBE DEN HERREN, 14.14.4.7.8.

*Point of Progress - Growth at Bethel College

SPEAKER: The 1950s and 1960s were decades of growth at Bethel College. Its student body grew so rapidly that a demand for an expanded curriculum and additional space led to the erection of a number of new facilities. These included a student union building, a dining hall, a library and several new dormitories.

In 1962 the lingering enmity between the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was finally put to rest when the General Assembly received a letter from the 174th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. asking forgiveness on behalf of the church as a whole for any wounds and pains caused by "the original division of the Cumberland Presbytery in 1810, and the only partially successful union of 1907."

The 132nd General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church replied in part as follows: "We most humbly and sincerely seek your forgiveness for any results from our faults and failures which may have affected our relationship and our common witness as Christians."
(See Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1962, pages 155 and 176.)

*Point of Progress - Seminary moved and name changed to Memphis
Theological Seminary

SPEAKER: A decision made in 1964 to move the Seminary to Memphis, Tennessee, was a landmark step. The church perceived this action to be God-inspired and a most strategic adjustment for progress. Memphis Theological Seminary educates ministers and other related professionals from all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

*Point of Progress - Adjustments in Mission Work

SPEAKER: In the 1960s, those who were responsible for Missions in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in view of the shifts and changes going on in the world, became concerned whether or not the church would meet the challenge of emerging needs. hey asked : "What new vision is needed? What realignments are essential to progress? How shall they be made? How will it be paid for?"

The result was a complete restructure of the work of missions and the place of men and women in it in 1966. New fields of overseas missions were opened. ew emphasis was given to the work in Choctaw Presbytery, ministry in Appalachia, ministry with seasonal farm workers, new church development, evangelism and church growth.

Restructure gave birth to a new organization called Cumberland Presbyterian Women, a vital and effective force in the total program of the church.

*Point of Progress - Changes in the field of Education for Ministry, 1984

SPEAKER: In 1984 a "Program of Alternate Studies" was created for those who for sound reasons were unable to attend Seminary, primarily to train them as tentmaker pastors to serve small and neglected congregations.

PRESIDER: Now let us pause to give thanks to God for all these points of progress during the last part of the century.

A PRAYER OF THANKS: (This may include more than one brief prayer offered by a pastor, an elder, a CPW member, and a youth.)

THE GLORIA PATRI

PRESIDER: And now, we, a small membership denomination of small membership congregations, stand on the edge of a new century, with the future opening doors of immeasurable opportunity for service and witness. We fervently pray that God will give us new life for new times and the obedient courage to fulfill our calling.

HYMN: O Breath of Life

THE BENEDICTION: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20 RSV, 1952)

POSTLUDE: Lead On, O King Eternal

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