The congregation divided in 1870 to form the New Bethlehem and Newbern congregations. Hamilton Parks served as minister to the Newbern congregation until 1878. Clark Williamson, leader in denominational Christian Education and namesake of Camp Clark Williamson, was a native son and minister for the Newbern congregation from 1930 until 1933. The Board of Christian Education was headquartered in his
home, located just down the street from the Church, for several years. Camp Clark Williamson opened in the early 1960s and has been in operation ever since, touching countless lives throughout the years. When the camp first opened, the members of the Newbern Church fully staffed the Camp kitchen. Williamson’s sister, Lucille Holman, also attended the Church and was instrumental in leading Sunday School classes and other mission projects. At that time, youth Sunday School classes were held in a log cabin located on the Church grounds. Morris Pepper came here as a ministerial student and assisted in the operation of the Office of the Board of Christian Education. He served as minister to the Newbern congregation from 1933 until 1935. In the 1950s and 1960s the Church enjoyed a time of wealth and prosperity, both financially and in membership. Influential members of the Newbern community attended and led the Church. The ministers and members of the Church were also important to the denomination. During this time, the Church also became involved in community outreach. In the 1950s, a young girl came to a worship service during the Christmas season and asked for help for her family. Members of the congregation went to her home and found that all of the members of her family were sick and that they did not have any food in the home. The Church provided assistance to the family. Seeing a need to serve the community, the Church partnered with other churches in the community to form the Ministerial Association to provide food and other necessities for families in Newbern. The Association is still in existence today and continues to provide aid to those in need. Bill Woods served as minister to the Newbern congregation from 1953 until 1956. Bill Wood and his wife, Katherine, left the Church and became missionaries in Columbia. Katherine said that she only cried two times while she was in Columbia. The first time was when she received a letter from one of the members of the Newbern congregation. The letter described a fellowship meal and its menu. She cried another time when she received a country ham from the Parnell family. She cried as she cooked the ham, her tears sizzling in the skillet. The Church was lead by community leaders and business owners. The Wilson, Parnell, Holland, and Burkett families owned the Newbern Sales Barn. The Hart family owned the Hart’s Cleaners. The Shucks operated a Ford Motor Company dealership. The Parks owned a dairy. The Shibleys had an insurance agency. These pillars of the community created deep roots and a financially sound Church. Many of their descendants are members or frequent visitors of the Church. During this time, the fellowship hall was built and the sanctuary was remodeled. The members provided financial gifts and met the needs of the Church by providing gifts both large and small. In the mid-1990s, we again entered a time of growth and outreach. This began with the reorganization of the Newbern Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministries. Jamie Kay Berkley and Molly Jackson Williams, both teenagers, were elected to lead the group. They liked to call themselves the “Head Church Ladies.” As the CPWM thought of and embarked upon more projects, the Church as a whole became involved. We continually amaze ourselves at the HUGE results that come from our small congregation. George Butler has served as minister to the Newbern Cumberland Presbyterian Church since 1984. He and his family have selflessly served the congregation. He visits shut-ins, helps to operate the Church food pantry, participates in all Church projects, and gives freely of his time and resources. For almost a decade, we have held an annual bazaar. This is our biggest fundraiser and is always held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. All of the members of the congregation donate handmade crafts, baked goods, and casseroles to be sold. We also participate in Operation Christmas Child ministry and the Angel Tree ministry. Sunday School has been reinstituted. CPWM resumed hosting Easter Egg Hunts. Two years ago, three of our members went to General Assembly and to the CPWM convention. They were sitting at the CPWM luncheon, and the speaker was from Heifer Project. As he talked about making a gift of an Ark, one member looked to another and said, “We can do that.” In May of this year, we had raised $5,000.00 and officially “purchased” our Ark. Our congregation is small and we are truly a church family. Our Church is open to its members. We enjoy Christmas and Easter programs and other special occasions with one another. The Church hosts monthly fellowship meals, men’s fellowship, wedding showers, baby showers, weddings, funerals, and bereavement meals.
