Cumberland Presbyterian Magazine

07/28/2025

Arthur E. Stenberg IV Joins Bethel Baseball Staff

Bethel University announced July 27, 2025, Arthur E. Stenberg IV has been named assistant coach for its baseball program.

With more than 20 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, Stenberg brings expertise in player development, pitching strategy, and recruitment. He previously served as assistant coach at Cameron University and managed the Tupper Lake Riverpigs to a 20-6 record and regular season championship. He also led the Niagara Power to both regular season and postseason NYCBL titles.

“Arthur is an elite baseball mind and a proven leader,” said Head Coach Rusty Thompson. “His experience and passion will immediately benefit our players on and off the field.”

Stenberg’s coaching résumé includes time with IMG Academy, the University of Tampa, the New Market Rebels, and the Savannah Bananas. A former professional pitcher and standout college player, he has mentored over 30 MLB draftees and holds certifications in advanced pitching techniques.

“We are thrilled to welcome him to Bethel,” said Athletic Director Dave McCulley. “Coach Stenberg’s commitment to student-athlete success makes him a perfect fit.”

Stenberg holds a degree in exercise science and sports management from the University of Tampa.

C P News: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/28/2025

Steve Thomas Named Head Coach of Bethel Shooting Program

Bethel University, July 27, 2025, named Steve Thomas head coach of its shooting program, following several months in the role on an interim basis.

A native of Paris, Tennessee, Thomas brings extensive leadership experience from his service in the U.S. Navy and the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, where he served until retirement. He began coaching in 2012 with the Henry County No Fly Zone and joined Bethel in spring 2024, working with pistol, rifle, and shotgun teams.

“We are excited to name Steve as our new head coach,” said Bethel Interim Athletic Director Dave McCulley. “He has done a great job as interim and has also recruited several talented volunteer assistants to help with the program.”

With a strong returning roster and new recruits, expectations remain high for Bethel’s nationally recognized shooting squads following a championship season.

C P News: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/23/2025

Until the late-1950s the Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Christian Education and Publication (under various names) published educational and informational periodicals for a broad range of age groups. Cumberland Crusader was intended for high school students. This issues promotes the annual Young People's General Assembly, a precursor to the Cumberland Presbyterian Youth Conference.

Read it online: https://www.calameo.com/cppubarc/read/007729667510ff44318df

07/21/2025

The July 2025 Cumberland Presbyterian magazine with coverage of the 194th General Assembly is now available to digital subscribers and for individual purchase.

https://www.calameo.com/cppubarc/read/007729667e1c7f6a99e75

https://www.cumberland.org/resources/ #!/July-2025-Cumberland-Presbyterian-Magazine-Download/p/768572764/category=0

07/18/2025

Songs of the Spirit presents the Spirit Filled Strummers, July 30, 2025, 6:00 - 7:30. St. Luke CPC, 901 W Old Hickory Blvd., Madison, TN 37115

07/17/2025

As of July 17, 2025, we have completed scanning and uploading searchable versions of all minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1948 through 2024! The last volume uploaded was 1953.

https://www.calameo.com/cppubarc/books/007729667475682463121

Or, just visit the site to find hundreds of documents you can read or download for free!

https://www.calameo.com/cppubarc

07/17/2025

New Heaven CPCA Battles Belle Mina Quarry

Among the plaintiffs in a legal battle against a proposed rock quarry near the north Alabama community of Belle Mina is New Heaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a congregation of Huntsville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. The church, pastored by the Rev. Walter J. Jones, Sr., is located on Garrett Road, less than half a mile from the proposed quarry site.

The case, which will be heard Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Limestone County Circuit Court, aims to determine whether the quarry’s landowners can be named as defendants. Plaintiffs include New Heaven, New Beginnings Covenant Ministries, Belle Mina Methodist Church, Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church, and three local residents.

The defendants—Stoned LLC, Grayson Carter & Son Contracting, Elephants R Us, and Landquest Properties LLC—face opposition over environmental and quality-of-life concerns. Residents allege the quarry has already disrupted their lives with dust, noise, and light from near-continuous operations, and they fear the site will further impact property values, water quality, and public health, particularly that of local children.

In particular, plaintiffs worry the quarry will pollute Limestone Creek, deplete groundwater, and damage roads, homes, and churches—including historic and low-income properties central to the Belle Mina community. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has already approved air and water discharge permits for the project, despite opposition from residents and environmental advocates, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Auburn University researchers.

Community leaders, including those from New Heaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, remain steadfast in their opposition, urging the court to halt further development.

C P News: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/17/2025

Rev. Morris Henson Springer

The Rev. Morris Henson Springer, 92, a minister ordained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church who later served in the Presbyterian Church (USA), died July 16, 2025, in Tallahassee following a month in hospice care.

Born November 19, 1932, in Cato, Arkansas, Springer was raised in the Rose City community of North Little Rock, where his family were active members of Rose City Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the former Little Rock-Burrow Presbytery. He was the son of Ether Emerson Springer, an auto parts salesman, and Mildred W. Farris Springer.

Springer attended Rose City Elementary School and North Little Rock Junior High before graduating from North Little Rock High School in 1950. He then earned degrees from Bethel College (now Bethel University) in McKenzie, Tennessee, in 1954, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1957. He was taken under care of Little Rock-Burrow Presbytery in 1950 and ordained in 1953, with the Rev. L.C. Waddle preaching the ordination sermon and giving the charge.

As a Cumberland Presbyterian pastor, Springer served congregations in Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and Alabama, including Pleasant Grove (Moscow, Tennessee), Suggs Creek (Lebanon, Tennessee), Pierson (Crane, Missouri), Shiloh (Virginia, Illinois), Liberty (McMinnville, Tennessee), Greeneville, Tennessee, (as associate pastor and Christian education director), and West End (Birmingham, Alabama). He was variously a member of Springfield, Lincoln-Decatur, McMinnville, East Tennessee, and Birmingham Presbyteries.

Springer was active in denominational leadership, serving on the Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s Nominations and Finance committees, and on multiple presbytery committees including Publication and Christian Education, Extension and Evangelism, and Resolutions. He also contributed to Vision, the church’s youth quarterly, in the 1950s.

In 1966, Springer transferred to the Presbyterian Church (USA), where he pastored several congregations, including First Presbyterian Church of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, a congregation with Cumberland Presbyterian origins. He later pursued graduate work in vocational rehabilitation counseling at the University of Arkansas and completed additional theological studies at Dubuque Seminary.

On June 4, 1956, Morris Henson Springer married Bethel College student Mary Lou Brown, a member of Beech Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Mayfield Presbytery) in McLean County, Kentucky. A librarian and teacher, Mary Lou died April 4, 2004, in Tallahassee. Springer later married Betty Bayes.

He was the brother of Willene Davis, widow of the Rev. Dr. Harold H. Davis, longtime executive of the Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, and the uncle of Mark J. Davis, a former editor of the Cumberland Presbyterian magazine.

C P news: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/17/2025

Rev. Charles Edward Nelson

The Reverend Charles Edward “Chuck” Nelson, 85, a devoted Cumberland Presbyterian minister and lifelong servant-leader in both church and community, died July 14, 2025.

A minister without charge in Red River Presbytery at the time of his death, Rev. Nelson was a faithful and active member of St. Timothy Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Red River Presbytery) in Bedford, Texas. Known for his deep commitment to ministry, he served small congregations and communities throughout Texas with compassion, creativity, and unwavering faith.

Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1940, Chuck charted a nontraditional but deeply faithful path to ordained ministry. He married Phyllis Ann Nelson and together they raised three children while navigating careers, education, and church work. Chuck spent much of his professional life in sales and as a licensed life and health insurance agent, often working full-time while also pursuing ministry education and serving churches in part-time or volunteer roles. Though his early career focused on business, Chuck maintained a persistent calling to pastoral service.

He was ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth in 1998 and went on to serve several congregations as a Commissioned Lay Pastor. He later joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where he completed the Program of Alternate Studies in 2013 and was ordained by Red River Presbytery on May 5, 2014.

Rev. Nelson’s pastorates included Hubbard, Newberry, and St. Mark Cumberland Presbyterian Churches, as well as Browning Heights and United Christian and Presbyterian Churches (PCUSA). His ministry was marked by energy and initiative. In Hubbard, he traveled 220 miles round trip several times a week to serve the congregation while also leading wide-reaching community efforts. Under his leadership, a food pantry was established, a student tutoring program launched, and an Alcoholics Anonymous group began meeting weekly. When the town’s Lions Club faced closure, Chuck stepped up as president, helping the organization continue. He also played a key role in forming a new community center—one of several efforts that continued long after his departure.

Throughout his ministry, Chuck was devoted to equipping congregations for growth and renewal. He believed that the pastor’s role was not to “fix” people, but to help them encounter God through Christ and to grow in grace. He often spoke of the Christian life as “getting to know the new you,” and emphasized sanctification, education, and spiritual formation in every setting he served.

Chuck preached with warmth and humor—frequently warning his congregants that if they didn’t listen, he just might start singing. He wrote a weekly column titled “Thoughts from the Preacher” for the Hubbard City News, sharing insights and encouragement with the wider community. His pastoral leadership was informed by formal theological training, personal experience, and a strong sense of mission.

Together with Phyllis, Chuck embodied a life of service, balancing family responsibilities, professional demands, and the work of the church. Their children, now grown and accomplished in their own right, were raised in a home shaped by faith, education, and love. Chuck often credited Phyllis’s support as vital to his ability to pursue ministry later in life, and he remained immensely proud of the family they built together.

This article is unfinished and subject to additions or further editing.

C P News: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/15/2025

Massey, Emerson to Lead Bethel Softball Program

July 15, 2025 | McKENZIE, Tenn. — Bethel University has announced a new coaching duo to lead its women’s softball program, welcoming Craig Massey as head coach and alumna Shanta Emerson as assistant coach.

Massey, a 2013 Bethel graduate and former NAIA All-American shortstop, brings a wealth of experience from a 13-year professional baseball career, most recently serving as a player-coach for the Florence (Kentucky) Y’alls. He also coached at Jackson State Community College and runs Massey Athletics, a youth training facility in Alamo, Tennessee.

“I’m beyond grateful and humbled for the opportunity to serve as head softball coach,” Massey said. “My goal is to build a Christ-centered culture where we pursue excellence, grow in faith, and glorify God in everything we do.”

Emerson, a 2014 Bethel graduate and former Lady Wildcat, joins the staff after coaching at the high school level and working with local leagues. She also returns to the athletic department as Associate Sports Information Director.

“I look forward to working with Coach Massey and see good things in the future for our program,” Emerson said.

Interim Athletic Director Dave McCulley praised both hires. “Craig brings a wealth of talent and knowledge, and Shanta has great passion for student-athletes. They’ll be a great team.”

C P News: https://cpcmc.org/category/cmt/cp-news/

07/15/2025

The new Cumberland Road is out!

Cumberland Road: William (Bill) Montague: Knowing Who You Are

Pastor Emeritus William H. (Bill) Montague served Mt. Tabor Church Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America from the spring of 2002 until the September Presbytery of 2011 where he asked to be relieved of duties because of an on-going illness. He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1943 and came to Tennessee in 1961 to attend Knoxville College (PCUSA). From birth to 1969 he was a member of Haymount United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, NC. He completed high school at Boggs Academy in Keysville, Georgia which was owned and operated by the Presbyterian Church United States of America. While enrolled at Knoxville College he served as a lay-minister to New Market Presbyterian Church. Upon graduation from college in 1966, he chose to delay seminary and went to work as an Assistant District Scout Executive for Boy Scouts of America-New York City. After 6 months he was drafted into the United States Army and served as an Instructor for Special Purpose Equipment and Vehicles at Fort Lee, VA until deployment to Vietnam in 1969. Upon returning from Vietnam, he came to Jackson, TN as a Police Officer, later joining Mother Liberty C.M.E. Church and answered the “call” to the ministry. In 1973 he was ordained and assigned churches in Hardeman County.TN. By 1976 he had completed graduate school and was assigned to churches across the state until 2002 when he asked to go on “Leave of Absence” status to come to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America as Pastor at Mt Tabor. Pastor Montague had a dual career as a bio-vocational minister along with 30+ years of duty as a Correctional Professional (teacher, Principal, Deputy Warden, Jail Administrator, and Prison Operations Administrator). He was married to Jacque Carolyn Cole until her death. They have five children. He has been married to Deborah Montague since 1996. In 2005 he completed Seminary at Memphis Theological Seminary with a Master’s of Divinity degree.

Cumberland Road is a podcast hosted by Rev. T. J. Malinoski that explores Cumberland Presbyterian’s faith journeys with God and how their faith impacts their daily lives.

https://cumberlandroad.transistor.fm/

07/10/2025

A few copies are still available!

The music issue is circulating. 1. yes, you do have to remove the tab to play the record. 2. If it skips, adjust the skating and/or tonearm weight. 3. If you can’t adjust, try putting a dime on the cartridge.