Home

About Us

Ministries & Info

Related Links

About Us

History of Virtue Cumberland Presbyterian Church

 

On February 8, 1887, a meeting was held to consider the need for a building for “education and religious purposes.” At the meeting it was agreed that no church organization be allowed to use this building and that religious services be controlled by the board of trustees to be elected. This resulted in Prospect Church being built on land donated by J.M. Montgomery.

 

In 1892, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was granted use of the building and the name was changed to Virtue. Virtue was the typical country church with potbellied stoves and three Sunday school rooms in the basement, with no running water.

 

In the mid-1950’s, under the leadership of the Rev. Charles Faith, “a Lord’s acre and hour plan” was started. This resulted in the construction of the present building, on land donated by Bill Kennedy, in sight of the original building and cemetery.

 

The present building has been used since 1964 and a new life center was completed in 1992.

We know that God has placed us here for a special purpose– to worship Him and share the love of Christ with those around us.  Virtue Church has been an active part of this community since 1887.  Although many things have changed since then our purpose remains the same.  We are committed to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This commitment calls us to share the message of Christ with others.

Yes, we are Presbyterian, but no we are not most people’s idea of Presbyterian.  The truth is there are at least a dozen Presbyterian denominations in the U.S. alone.  Virtue Church belongs to a denomination known as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  In 2010, the C.P. Church will celebrate 200 years of ministry in North America, South America, Asia, and beyond! 

The C.P. Church was born on the American frontier on Feb. 4, 1810, when three Presbyterian ministers reestablished the Cumberland Presbytery in Dickson County, TN.  Cumberland Presbyterians disagreed with the Presbyterian Church’s rigid requirements for ordination of ministers and objected to the doctrine of predestination.  We believe that God knows what every person will choose to do, but at the same time He grants us the free will to choose or reject His offer of salvation.

The name “Cumberland” refers to the region of Kentucky/Tennessee where great frontier revivals took place.  “Presbyterian” refers to our church roots, and to our representative form of church government.

Many churches today describe themselves with terms such as conservative or liberal.  We in the C.P. tradition prefer to think of ourselves as evangelical, meaning that we are committed first and foremost to sharing the message of Christ with those around us.  As far as being a liberal or a conservative church, Virtue is somewhere in the middle, leaning decidedly toward the conservative side.  That being said, we welcome discussion from both the right and the left, and ultimately seek to test these thoughts to Scripture, which we believe to be the authoritative guide for Christian living and the infallible rule of faith and practice.

The responsibility of governing the church belongs to the session, which is comprised of the minister in charge and six elders, who are elected by the congregation to serve three year terms.   

ABOVE:  A painting of the original church building which was used from 1887 –1964.

 

BELOW:  A picture of the church building that has been in use from 1964 - the present.

WE BELIEVE . . .

· The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

 

· There is but one God, who is a self-existent Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.  He is a Triune God with three natures: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God created the world and all things within, whether visible or invisible.

 

· Adam and Even the parents of mankind, were seduced by Satan and because of this original sin, fell from their original righteousness and lost their communion with God.  By their sin, death entered into the world and passed to all mankind, but God, for His glory, did establish a series of covenants with man for the purpose of redeeming mankind to Himself.  The final complete covenant was established by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, who took upon Himself man’s nature, was without sin, fully man and fully God.

 

· Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice on the cross atoned for the sins of all who confess their sins and place their faith in Him for salvation.  It is not by our desire that we are brought to call upon Christ for forgiveness but by the power of the Holy Spirit that moves upon the heart of men to call them to salvation.  Each man has a free will and may accept or reject this salvation but that all those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ are made children of God by the blood of Christ.

 

· On the third day after his death, Christ was raised in the body from the grave and did appear to His disciples and others before He returned to be with His Father in Heaven and remains there until His return at the end of time to claim the world as His own.  When Christ returns in that final great day of the Lord, there will be judgment.  Those who are in Christ will, by His sacrifice, pass through the judgment to live eternally with God, but those who have not accepted the grace offered in Christ will be cast into the eternal fires of Hell.

For more information regarding the theological position of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, please click on the links below

 

What Cumberland Presbyterians Believe

 

Confession of Faith and Government of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Phone: (865) 966-1491

E-mail: virtuecpchurch@tds.net

For additional information please contact us at: