Modern Church

Who We Are

For more than a hundred and fifty years, Austin First Cumberland Presbyterian has been a part of Austin.

Located in northcentral Austin, in the heart of the Brentwood and Crestview communities, First Cumberland Presbyterian is a neighborhood church that welcomes new faces as well as longtime members. It’s a faith community where you won’t feel lost in the crowd — where folks will remember your name and you can find your place, whether it’s in the choir, in a pew, in Bible study or starting a youth ministry.

Most important, we hope you’ll find the love, joy and peace that only come from knowing Jesus Christ.

So join us — make First Cumberland Presbyterian your spiritual home. You are welcome here.

The Gospel

God's love is calling you!
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Jesus invites you!
John 11:25-26
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

What do I have to do?
Matthew 16:24-26
“Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?”

If you are willing to start a personal relationship with Christ that He may live in you, repent, turn away from your sinful life, and turn to God.

Acknowledge with God that you are a sinner and that Jesus died upon the cross to pay the price of your sins.

Ask God to forgive you of your sin through the cleansing power of Jesus' blood.

Accept God's salvation and thank God for calling you, loving you and choosing you for a personal relationship.

Doctrine

Cumberland Presbyterian Church Doctrine

The Bible

Cumberland Presbyterians accept the Bible as the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

The Godhead

We believe in the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well as in God the Father; the three persons making up the Trinity.

The Church

We believe in our denomination as a part of the Church of which Christ is the head and all believers in Christ are a part. We believe in cooperation with all who accept Jesus as Christ and Lord.

Salvation

We believe that every person needs regeneration and must make a personal commitment of his life to Christ in order to be saved.

Preservation of Believers

We believe that a person who is truly regenerated will not totally fall away from a state of grace, but will be preserved to everlasting life.

Sanctification

We believe that every child of God will use every means possible to grow in grace. We do not believe that a state of sinless perfection is possible in this life

The Sacraments

We believe that there are just two sacraments of the Church.

WATER BAPTISM is one sacrament. It is a sign or symbol of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and a seal of the Covenant of Grace. There is no saving power in water baptism, yet it is the duty of all believers not previously baptized to confess Christ in this solemn ordinance and to present their infant children for baptism.

THE LORD'S SUPPER is the second sacrament. The symbols to be used are bread and grape juice, which remain after consecration literal bread and juice. All who acknowledge Jesus as Christ and who have faith to understand the significance of this sacrament are invited to partake of it with us, regardless of their denominational affiliation.

Marriage and Divorce

We believe that although marriage is not a sacrament of the Church, it is a very sacred institution and should be so regarded by all people. The marriage relationship should not be dissolved for any cause not justified by the teachings of the word of God.

Things to Come

We believe that the bodies of men after death return to dust; but their spirits return to God who gave them. The spirits of the righteous are received into heaven, and the spirits of the wicked are cast into hell. The Scriptures speak of no other place for departed spirits.

Confession of Faith

The official statement of doctrine of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church is known as THE CONFESSION OF FAITH.

Our History

The present First Cumberland Presbyterian Church building was erected in 1956 on the edge of wheat fields, in what was then far north Austin. The church relocated from downtown, because more space was needed to accommodate the growing congregation.

Our history in the capital city goes back more than a century before that, however. In fact, “Cumberlands” have been in Austin for more than 165 years.

Building God’s House
In 1846, the men of the Cumberland Presbyterian congregation in Austin built a small log church at 7th and Lavaca streets. They had no regular pastor, but relied on lay leadership.

Austin First Cumberland Presbyterian Church at 7th and Lavaca

Seven years later, in 1853, the missionary, the Reverend A.D. Crisman, formally organized the church and served as its first pastor. The log church was replaced some time before 1890 by a frame building. In turn, a beautiful rock building was constructed in 1892 at the same location. This new church was especially admired for its exquisite stained glass windows and fine organ.

By 1902, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was enjoying unprecedented prosperity. During the next four years, however, it would be shaken to its foundation by a movement to unite with the Presbyterian Church in the USA, which had been confined principally to the North and West since the Civil War.

The beloved church at 7th and Lavaca became the property of the Presbyterian USA denomination. The church building was later sold to the Baptist Church. Elder R.M. Castleman was instrumental in raising funds and guaranteeing that a major portion was allocated so that the Cumberland Presbyterian Church could purchase back the building.

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Woodrow Ave.

Moving North
With plans under way for a larger building at 6800 Woodrow, Cumberland Presbyterian sold the old rock church in 1955. Before it was destroyed, some of the windows and the organ were saved. These windows are at the front and rear of the present sanctuary, and the organ was installed near the altar. The new church building included a fellowship hall at the back of the sanctuary named Castleman Hall, to honor the man who facilitated the return of the rock church to its builders.

In later years, the building was expanded to include a full kitchen, a small chapel, a gym/auditorium named Estes Hall, and a two-story classroom wing.