About Us

We are a group of people committed to following Jesus. That means we worship him with joy. That means we encourage prayer in church and throughout life. That means we love people outside the church through generosity, invitation, and compassion.

Our hope is that all people will feel loved and welcomed at Sumach. And once here, we pray that people will meet God and as a result of meeting God, give their lives to Jesus Christ. We want that for you. Come as you are. Check us out. But more importantly, seek the truth of God that can only be known when one knows Jesus.

Our History

Sumach Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in 1851 under the leadership of Rev. S.H. Henry. The church had met as a congregation since 1846, but was made part of the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination in 1851. By 1853, a church building had been constructed, which was immediately occupied by the growing congregation.

By 1869, Rev. Henry had been named to the Murray County Board of Education. A movement that began in 1876 led to the construction of Sumach Seminary in 1881. The Seminary was an educational facility providing education at primary, secondary, and junior college levels for students from 15 states who were housed in three dormitories. For over 30 years, Sumach Seminary (sponsored by Sumach CP Church) was recognized as a leading educational institution. The Seminary building burned in 1921, was rebuilt, and burned again in 1926. Changes in education were so dramatic, the school was not rebuilt a second time.

Sumach Church, known as the “church on the hill” enjoyed many years of stability and growth in the years after the Seminary was dissolved. It was a time which the Lord fortified the people with the faith, love, and determination they would need to face tribulations that were to come.

On May 22, 1966, one day before the annual Homecoming event, the church building and annexes caught fire and burned. The next day, many members and former members who had traveled for Homecoming, arrived not knowing the church structure had burned. Services were held as usual under the tall pine trees that were still standing using chairs borrowed from Northwest Elementary School. Since inception, the church, seminary, and manse have rebuilt and survived five fires.

The faith, dedication, and stamina of the people who are members of Sumach have served them well. Through all the trials, from the Civil War to our latest conflicts, from the Great Depression to our current economic condition, from the great revival of the church to the current growth in the unchurched, Sumach has emerged as a congregation who loves the Lord, one another, and the community as a whole.

What we believe

In the only true and living God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit

God is the creator of all that is known and unknown. All creation discloses God’s glory, power, wisdom, beauty, goods, and love

God gave us free will and when we abused that privilege, He sent His only Son, Jesus, who willingly took on the sins of the entire world and gave His life in forgiveness of all sin so that all who believe that He is the Son of God and repents of their sins will be saved to live in eternity with Him

The Bible is the inspired Word of God and offers the infallible rule of faith and practice and the guide for Christian living

God’s word is spoken in and through the Scriptures and should be understood in the light of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

God acts to heal the brokenness and alienation caused by sin beginning with Adam and Eve and to restore the human family to community through the reconciliation effected in Jesus Christ