WHERE PAST MEETS PRESENT

Cumberland and Guinea Presbyterian Churches are rich in history. Cumberland Church began as a colonial congregation and was established in 1754 (though the historical roots of this church antedate the aforementioned date by fifteen to twenty years). The long legacy of Cumberland Church has impacted people in four centuries for the sake of Jesus Christ. In its first two centuries of existence, this church gave birth to numerous Presbyterian congregations in several area counties. The early outreach of Cumberland Church contributed directly to the spread of Christianity in central Virginia in the colonial and early American periods. The Christian influence of this church, however, reaches far beyond its early beginnings. The Cumberland congregation continues to impact its community and world through its spiritual revivalism and social activism.

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Cumberland Church, moreover, has influenced the field of education. This church was instrumental in establishing Hampden-Sydney College in 1775, the 10th oldest college in the nation and the same college that gave birth to the Medical College of Virginia (now VCU Medical Center) and Union Theological Seminary (now Union Presbyterian Seminary). Thus, one might think of Cumberland Church as an ecclesiastical "mother" and "grandmother" of these notable institutions.

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The year 2025 marks the 160th anniversary of the 1865 Battle of Cumberland Church, an American Civil War conflict that was fought around the church's location. Cumberland Church was used as a battlefield headquarters by General Robert E. Lee and General William Mahone. A number of battlefield casualties were brought to the church. This engagement is noteworthy as Cumberland Church marked the area of Lee's last tactical victory of the war as well as the site of the last major combat of the war in Virginia.​ The Battle of Cumberland Church, however, was not a Confederate strategic victory as it helped set the stage for Lee’s
forthcoming surrender at Appomattox Court House and thus for the eventual healing of the nation.

 

The year 2025 also marks the 200th anniversary of Guinea Presbyterian Church. Guinea Church is a chapel of Cumberland Church, located in south-central Cumberland County. Historically speaking, the Guinea congregation was planted in 1825 as an "outpost" of Cumberland Church, and as such, Guinea Church has faithfully shared Christ, in word and deed, with its rural community for two centuries. Though the Guinea and Cumberland congregations share the same pastor and represent one church family, Guinea Church has grown into a distinct congregation with its own collective identity. This congregation is a vibrant, country church that continues its legacy of living the Good News of Jesus Christ through local and international outreach.