History

The “Cumberland” Presbyterian Church was organized following the great Revival of 1800 in the rural areas of Kentucky and Tennessee.  As the Presbyterian faith spread with frontier Ministers moving west, Cumberland Presbyterian Ministers came to Texas and established churches for the rural communities. This congregation was formed by one of those frontier revival movements. Rev. G.L. Tucker established the congregation in 1857 near Matsler Cemetery a short distance from the current church site. The original church was just a “Brush Arbor “that was framed with logs from a sawmill in Florence. The first real Oak Grove church was built in May of 1896. The Tabernacle was built in 1898 and still stands, although the roof was replaced at some point in its time in the last 100 years. The original church building burned to the ground sometime in the 1920s and was then rebuilt as it currently stands. The church now stands as nearly 100 years old sitting on oak stumps and rocks for its foundation. See more History in “The Culture of the Shin Oaks” (1964).

Many folks say they feel the presence and peace from God when visiting our little church in the oaks. Our church is small with an attached “fellowship hall for special meetings and has a full kitchen for potluck get togethers.

The open-air Tabernacle has been used for many functions in the last 120 plus years. When weather cooperates, it is still used intermittently for Sunday services to give us that old time religion feeling. We use the Tabernacle for special and festive occasions such as weddings, memorials, anniversaries, Easter/Christmas, 5^th Sunday singing, and other celebrations and festivals. Sometimes even a Saturday night hot dog roast!

There is a “goodness” here that we want to share. There is a feeling of the presence of the Spirit, we want you to know.

Our Tabernacle is available for private use and for community activities, contact the church if you are interested.

So…Take a step back in time for good old-fashioned worship in this historic church. We sing a wide range of songs from old gospel hymns to some contemporary music. We are a welcoming and friendly congregation, maybe a little different than others, slower paced, and more intimate and caring. Someone will say hello and shake your hand when you walk in the door and there is always lively conversation.

Beliefs

We are “Christians”, we believe in The Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We follow Jesus Christ and believe we are saved by Grace through our belief in Him. We believe Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, was Baptized by John the Baptist, performed miracles, walked, and preached on this earth, was tortured, and suffered under Pontius Pilate the Roman, was crucified by the Romans, Died, and placed in a tomb. He was then raised from the dead on the third day and was seen by hundreds of people and then ascended into heaven and is seated with God the Father. We believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and that salvation, our salvation, comes through his sacrifice for our sins, our repentance, and our faith in Him as our Lord and Savior. (Apostles Creed).

 We believe in the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the written Authority of our faith.

 We are Presbyterians, meaning we have a structure in the larger church of a General Assembly, then broken down into regional Synods (Groups of Presbyteries), then Presbyteries made up of “Particular Church” Sessions. Each Particular Church session is led and governed by “Elders” who are chosen by the members through Election.  https://www.cumberland.org

 We are “Cumberlands”, meaning our faith is rooted in the belief of “Free Will”. We follow the Confession of Faith and Government of the Cumberland Presbyterian church 1984, (March 2019 as amended). https://www.cumberland.org/gao/confession/

We follow these basic principles:

1. There are no eternal reprobates
2. That Christ died not for a part only, but for all of mankind.
3. That all infants dying in infancy are saved through Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit.
4. That the Spirit of God operates on the world, or as co-extensively as Christ in such a manner as to leave all men (and women) inexcusable.

 In short, we believe not in pre-destination, but that God gives us choice with free will.

 And while we are rooted in the traditions of the past, we also know that we can’t forget the times we live in and we accept new ideas, contemporary Christian music, a sharing and comforting sanctuary of acceptance for all who enter.

 If you wish to know more, please contact an Elder listed on the Contact page.