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About Us...A
Brief History
The town of Cumberland was
established in 1830 by the erection of Cumberland Hall to accommodate
travelers along the Cumberland Road, later called the National Road, and
now known as U.S. highway 40. When Cumberland was established in 1830,
the population of Indianapolis was 1200 and Marion County was 7192. The
country was like a wilderness. Stagecoaches passed through this village
at regular intervals. Mail on the stages was sent to Terre Haute twice a
week. It took six days and twenty hours to reach Washington D.C. from
Indianapolis. Businessmen and many others used the stagecoach, as it was
their only mode of traveling. So to accommodate these travelers that
they might have food and lodging, roadhouses were located along this
great national highway. Many persons who bought farms or built homes in
the area worked on the Cumberland Road for .60 cents a day
The need for a church
in the community soon became evident. There was no meetinghouse in which
to gather, and no pastor to give them encouragement. The Baptist
brethren living along Buck Creek in Hancock County decided to meet at
the home of James Parker, on a farm known as the “Atherton Farm”,
located about one mile northeast of Cumberland. This meeting was held on
October 20, 1832. A group of six people attended this session: James
Parker, Ambrose Shirley, John Kitley, Lyman Carpenter and Sarah Pogue.
They agree to organize as a church, “constituted on the faith of the
apostles”. In these early days of the church, worship services were held
in the homes of the members, being called ‘cottage meetings’.
For many years, the
worship service was held once a month on Saturday at noon with praise
and prayer, then the sermon, then the business meeting with the
congregation, the pastor and moderator. For the first fifty years
pastors were called on a yearly basis, preaching once a month, later
twice a month. Since 1924, the Church has had full-time pastors. During
the 174 years, there have been forty-two pastors. Our current pastoral
staff consists of the Rev. T. Wyatt Watkins, who became our pastor on
June 1, 2001, serving as Minister of Worship and Outreach, and Kevin D.
Rose, who has served this church since March 1989, currently as Minister
of Discipleship and Mission.
 The
church has had three buildings, all located at 116 South Muessing
Street. The first ‘meeting house’, built in 1840 was a very modest frame
structure, and served the church for 43 years until 1883. The second
building was dedicated in December 1883 and served the church for 30
years until the current structure was dedicated on June 1, 1913. The
corner stone of the present building was laid on the northeast corner of
the church building on Sunday afternoon, September 1, 1912. This present
building, in the design of the Akron plan and costing approximately
$15,000.00, was made of poured concrete, with walls 16 to 18 inches
thick. Beautiful art glass windows, made by German artisans from the
area, are believed to have cost $600.00. These windows continue to be a
treasure and a source of encouragement to all who see them. Cumberland
First Baptist Church is the oldest church in Cumberland and has been
included in the Historic Record. This year, 2007, we are celebrating 175
years of ministry in this community.
Over the years, as the
church continued to grow, future expansion of the building was
considered, resulting in a new educational wing in 1965 and the
construction of a new Narthex area, a future new classroom, and the
installation of a new elevator, dedicated on June 3, 1990.
In 2001, as Cumberland
First Baptist was calling T. Wyatt Watkins, it was restructuring its
life on many levels. Embracing a welcoming and affirming stance of
broader inclusion regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation,
Cumberland also gradually adopted a new ministry team model of
organization which departed from the old institutional pattern. This has
served the congregation well, as new gifts have been called up among the
leadership and a consensus approach to decision-making has brought a new
level of empowerment into the mix. It has been accompanied by a
congregation-wide openness to and pursuit of new, post-modern ways of
examining and living out our faith. These are exciting and invigorating
days to be followers of Jesus at Cumberland First Baptist Church!
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