First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga

06/08/2026

The Prayer behind the Prayer: Hannah's Witness. Bible Study for June 14

Have you ever made a promise to God in a desperate moment — and wondered if you were just trying to make a deal?
You're not alone. And you might not be doing what you think you're doing.
In this week's Bible study, teacher Courtney Krueger digs into the story of Hannah from 1 Samuel — a woman so broken by grief and humiliation that she fell on her knees and poured everything out before God. Her story sits alongside Paul's unanswered prayer and a deeply personal story about what it looks like when crisis finally strips away our excuses and shows us what we've needed all along.
This isn't a lesson about finding the right words to get God to act. It's about what God actually hears when we pray.

Have you ever made a promise to God in a desperate moment — and won...

06/07/2026

06/04/2026

The Learning Center at First Cumberland graduation!

06/03/2026

Unlikely Heroes: The Multitool Principle
Bible Study for June 7
A rock wedged in a horseshoe. A tent peg. A young girl’s “yes.” A medical permit for a typhus inspection.
None of these were designed to change the world.
God used every single one for precisely that.
In this week's Bible study, Courtney Krueger digs into an odd and wonderful action-adventure story that features two unlikely women named Deborah and Jael who didn't have the right credentials, the right weapons, or the right résumé. They just had what was already in their hands.
And that was enough.

A rock wedged in a horseshoe. A tent peg. A young girl’s “yes.” A m...

06/03/2026

Drawn To Us! Sermon for June 7
What do a phone scammer, a first-century tax collector, and a mother burying her son have in common?
Jesus moved toward all of them.
Not after they cleaned up. Not once they earned it. Toward them. As they were.
In this Communion Sermon, Pastor Courtney Krueger opens Matthew 9 and asks a question that might just change how you walk through the rest of your week: what if Jesus isn't waiting for you to get it together — what if he's already moving in your direction?

What do a phone scammer, a first-century tax collector, and a mothe...

05/28/2026

Invitation to the Party - Bible Study of Hebrews 10:19-25
What if worship is less like a quiet obligation — and more like a party you were made for?
Courtney Krueger unpacks Hebrews 10:19–25 in a fresh video Bible study that will change how you think about worship, community, and why showing up matters.

What if worship is less like a quiet obligation — and more like a party you were made for?Courtney Krueger unpacks Hebrews 10:19–25 in a fresh video Bible st...

05/27/2026

I witnessed something absolutely beautiful in our 4-Year-Old TLC Chapel today:
We have a new 4 year old in our daycare, and this was his very first chapel. Each week, I take the kids through eight symbols that tell the sweeping story of the Bible — from Creation's globe all the way through Pentecost's candle. Because he was new, I was making sure he could follow along as we went.

When I reached the cross, I said what I always say with as much understatement as I can: "Now we come to the very sad part of the story. The next day, Jesus died on a cross."

Without missing a beat, the little girl sitting beside him wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

And then she whispered:
"It's OK. He is going to come back to life in three days!"

She had no idea she was doing an inadvertent Mary Magdalene impression: sharing the good news she already knew. She just knew her new friend looked like he needed some comfort — and she knew exactly that clueing him in to what happened next was what was required.

The greatest story ever told, whispered from one four-year-old to another, sealed with a hug.

THIS is why we do chapel with three and four year olds.
I wish I had it on video. But I'll carry it in my heart for a long, long time.
Courtney Krueger

05/27/2026

"They Will Now" Sermon for May 31.
A little girl is drawing in class. Her teacher says, "No one knows what God looks like." The little girl smiles and says, "They will now."
She didn't know how right she was.
What if the world's clearest picture of God isn't an argument — it's you?
This Sunday we're on a mountain in Galilee, standing where Jesus swept his hand across every nation and said go. This sermon by Courtney Krueger — They Will Now — is a message about the Great Commission, the Trinity, and what it actually looks like when people see God in ordinary lives.

A little girl is drawing in class. Her teacher says, "No one knows what God looks like." The little girl smiles and says, "They will now."She didn't know how...