Who We Are and What We Believe
Who We Are
We are part of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
a Presbyterian denomination formed in 1810.
As a Cumberland Presbyterian Church, New Providence CP Church is connected with all other Cumberland Presbyterian churches, through Presbyteries, Synods, and the General Assembly.
See “Our Presbyterian Structure" below.
What We Believe
We believe in one living God who is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By word and action, God invites all into a covenant relationship.
We believe all Scripture to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. God’s words and actions in creation, providence, human history, judgment, and redemption are witnessed to by the covenant community in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that there are two sacraments of the Church: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. These are an outward sign of an inward reality and a means of the grace of God. All Christians are welcome at our Table and may partake of the Lord’s Supper whenever and wherever it is observed.
We believe the “one baptism” spoken of in the Scriptures. We acknowledge either mode of water baptism (sprinkling or immersion) and a believer is not required to be baptized again when joining our church by transfer of membership from another Christian denomination.
We believe in the “Whosoever Will” doctrine. (John 3:16) We believe saving faith is our response to God, prompted by His Holy Spirit, wherein we rely solely upon God’s grace in Jesus Christ for salvation.
We believe Christian worship is the affirmation of God’s living presence and the celebration of God’s mighty acts. It is central to the life of the Church.
Want to know more? Check out our Confession of Faith documents.
Special People, Special Moments
We Have a Great History
New Providence CP Church may be a young church in the Clarksville area (founded in 1962), but we have a great history. This page on our website is specifically dedicated to sharing some of the special things that make us who we are. It is the people who worship and fellowship here.
Here are some of their stories.
"Miss Dorothy's Over-Hang" and Garden Spot
Dorothy Darnell was a founding member of New Providence CP Church. She was an active and generous member of our church. If the Youth Group needed a host for a meeting, Dorothy volunteered. If the church needed something for a potluck or other event, Dorothy volunteered. She is what we call a Pillar of the Church.
One of Dorothy’s last requests was for “a cover to keep folks from getting wet going back and forth between the buildings.” Her daughters, Patricia Clemments and Susan Donegan, made this a priority after Dorothy’s death. This cover and garden spot is located in the back of the main building, covering and connecting the entrance to the gym facility. Susan remembers, “Mother always said she ‘couldn't carry a tune in a bucket,’ loved the church and was there ‘every time the doors were open.’ She was an active member in the CP Women’s Ministry for as long as I can remember. When ‘meetings’ were held in each other's homes, Mother was a frequent hostess, with much prep work and planning each time! Mother, too, was known to love to laugh, both as an instigator and recipient of ~”
Mary's Garden
The Bible at the Altar
In the front of the church, to the left of the entrance, sits Mary's Garden. This serene memorial for Mary Drugmand hosts a two-seat iron bench and a statue of an angel, with comforting plants and flowers surrounding it all. Mary Drugmand had a wonderful sense of humor and faithfully sang in the choir. Toni Morgan, Jeanne Morgan's daughter-in-law, constructed Mary's Garden in a loving and lasting memorial to Mary Drugmand.
Mary has two sons, Lou and Dennis, and four daughters, Chere, Susan, Leslie, and Shannon Connor. (Shannon married David Connor, son of Charles and Doris Connor. Our gym, officially titled the Wilkens-Connor Activities Bldg, is named for David’s parents.)
The Bible at the Altar
The Bible at the Altar
The Bible on our altar is special and has been loved for many years before it came to adorn our altar.
Arthur and Hallie Welch, two of the founding members of the church and parents of Maybelle Carpenter (another founding member with her husband, Ernie), were loving parents and Christians. Arthur was a quiet man, kind and gracious to all he met. Hallie was a talented woman -- whether it was gardening, making clothes, or crafting. "She was always doing something," Maybelle recalls.
Arthur's Bible was loved by the Welch family. When Arthur died in 1965, Hallie gave the Bible to our church so that our altar could prominently feature God's Word. It has been on our altar ever since.
Sanctuary Cross
Sanctuary Cross
Ernie and Maybelle Carpenter are founding members of New Providence CP Church. In 1998, when Pastors BJ and Joyce Wright asked that a cross be added as the focal point of the Sanctuary, Ernie immediately volunteered.
Wood was purchased from a local lumber yard and Ernie cut and fashioned the wood -- outside on the front lawn -- into the beautiful cross we see in our Sanctuary.
Since our founding, Ernie has been an integral part of the development of our property. Ernie's initiative and hands-on activity is evident throughout our church property.
Giving to the Church
As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS, New Providence CP Church accepts and appreciates financial gifts to help us continue in ministry to our members and our neighbors.
We accept cash, checks, credit cards, and Venmo payments.
Donations can be presented during worship, or mailed to
New Providence CP Church
1307 Fort Campbell Blvd.
Clarksville, TN 37042
We accept Venmo payments through the Venmo app on your phone to New Providence CP Church @NewProvidenceCPC.
Giving to Missions/Outreach
Cumberland Youth & Family Services (www.cumberlandservices.org)
Pastors of Our Church
Logan A. Tilghman, 1962 – 1963
Don Hubbard, 1963 – 1965
Allie D. Rudolph, 1966 – 1969
James H. Kelso, 1969 – 1971
Jerry Anderson, 1971 – 1973
Wendell Trotter, 1973 – 1976
Marvin E. Wilkins, Jr., 1976 – 1983
Dwayne Tyus, 1984 – 1988
Jesse E. Freeman, 1988 – 1995
W. Charles Pruitte, 1995 – 1996
Brent Turpin, 1996 – 1997
B.J and Joyce Wright, 1998 – 2000
David West, 2001 – 2005
Tom Kelly, Pulpit Supply, 2005 – 2014
Jon Smith, 2014 – 2019
Elizabeth Daniel, 2019 – present
Nashville Presbytery
Nashville Presbytery is comprised of 36 Cumberland Presbyterian local churches,
of which New Providence CP Church is one. The following are the churches
within Nashville Presbytery (only the first name is listed here,
as all the churches have “Cumberland Presbyterian Church” in their names):
Arlington
Beech
Bethel
Brenthaven
Brush Hill
Camp Ground
Cane Ridge
Charlotte
Clarksville
Concord
Cristo Vive
Cumberland Valley
Dickson
Donelson
Dry Fork
Goodlettsville
Halls Creek
Hendersonville
Liberty
Locust Grove
Madison First
Mariah
McAdoo
Mt. Denson
Mt. Liberty
Mt. Sharon
Mt. Sinai
Mt. View
New Hope
New Providence
Shiloh
St. Luke
Sudanese
Tusculum
Waverly
West Nashville
Keith VanStone
Stated Clerk, Nashville Presbytery
615.210.5010
Each Cumberland Presbyterian Church is connected with each other
through fellowship, doctrine, and faith.
Our Denomination
Our History, Briefly
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian body formed during the Great Revival of 1800.
The revival caused disagreement within the Presbyterian Church (USA) both over the mechanics of the revival and over allowances the pro-revival faction was willing to make in order to secure ministers for its rapidly expanding following.
In two presbyteries, Springfield and Cumberland, the pro-revival faction dominated. These presbyteries, Cumberland in particular, believed that that the revival to be an extraordinary circumstance which allowed for exceptions to both educational requirements for ordination and the required subscription to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Both Springfield and Cumberland Presbyteries were members of Kentucky Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In Kentucky Synod the faction opposed to the revival dominated. This anti-revival faction took steps to curtail the activities of the revival oriented presbyteries. Frustrated, Springfield Presbytery withdrew from the Presbyterian Church in 1803. In 1804, in order to discipline her ministers, Kentucky Synod dissolved Cumberland Presbytery.
On February 4, 1810, at the home of Rev. Samuel McAdow near present day Dickson, Tennessee, McAdow, Rev. Finis Ewing, and Rev. Samuel King reorganized Cumberland Presbytery, previously dissolved by Kentucky Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
These disaffected Presbyterian ministers did not intend to found an independent Presbyterian body. They felt that they would have greater success resolving their differences with Kentucky Synod as an organized body than as individuals. They also felt that the organization of a presbytery would better enable them to serve their congregations.
Growing rapidly, Cumberland Presbytery became Cumberland Synod in 1813 and, in 1829, when a General Assembly was established, the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination.
Cumberland Presbyterian congregations are located throughout the United States as well as in several other countries (Japan, Hong Kong, Colombia, etc.) but are primarily located in the American South, with strong concentrations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, southern Illinois, Arkansas, and Texas.
CPC Historical "Firsts"
● Cumberland Presbyterians were among the first denominations to admit women to their educational institutions and to accept them in leadership roles including the ordained clergy.
● The first woman ordained in the Reformed Tradition (in 1889) was Louisa Woosley, a Cumberland Presbyterian.
● Cumberland Presbyterians began ordaining African Americans to the ministry early in its history (circa 1830).
● The 1984 revision of the Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith was one of the first inclusive confessional documents in the Reformed Tradition.
Our Presbyterian Structure
Individual Cumberland Presbyterian congregations are governed by elected elders who make up a "Session." Several churches are grouped together to form Presbyteries, which are made up of ordained clergy and elder-delegates from each congregation within their bounds. Presbyteries, in turn, send delegates to synods. Finally, the entire structure is governed by the General Assembly ( General Assembly). The General Assembly authorizes various boards and agencies with the day-to-day operation of the denomination as a whole.
Cumberland Presbyterian congregations are located throughout the United States as well as in several other countries (Cambodia, Japan, Hong Kong, Colombia, Philippians, Hong Kong, Spain, France, and more!.) but are primarily located in the American South, with strong concentrations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, southern Illinois, Arkansas, and Texas.
Click here for more information about our theology and polity.