To the Memphis Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in session with the Ebenezer Church, April 20, 1985:

Presbyters:

Whereas the Cromwell Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Park Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church have become one congregation, presently known as Cromwell-Park Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church; and,

Whereas the said Cromwell-Park Avenue Church is in the process of relocating to the southwest corner of Holmes Road and Germantown Road Extended; and

Whereas the said church is in essence a new particular church, and should have a new and different name, since the present name does not reflect the newness of the church; and,

Whereas, the Church-session asked the people of the congregation, by means of a straw vote, to suggest a name for the new church; and

Whereas, the name receiving the largest number of votes was "First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Memphis;" therefore,

Be It Resolved, that the Church-session of the said church, request the Memphis Presbytery to approve the name, "First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Memphis."

These preambles and resolution are hereby presented by the Church-Session for your consideration.

Tommy Thompson, Moderator
W. C. Mosley, Clerk of Session
[Source: Minutes of Memphis Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, April 20, 1985, appendix C]

First C. P. Church of Memphis:

"Resolution Regarding Conveying of Property" was heard; on motion this resolution was accepted, marked B and filed.

"Resolution Regarding the Name of the New Church" was heard; on motion, this resolution was accepted, marked C and filed. The request to rename the Cromwell/Park Avenue Church "First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Memphis" was approved.

On motion, Recommendation 1. of Report No. 2 of the Board of Missions, requesting a loan a $50,000 from the Presbyterial Trust Fund for First Church was concurred in, and the recommendation adopted.
[Source: Minutes of Memphis Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, April 20, 1985]

1988

Four years ago, when the Cromwell and Park Avenue Churches decided to merge their congregations, each brought to the marriage a desire to reverse a several-year trend of membership losses. One of the elements of their plan for renewing growth has been completed, and on March 20 the people of First Church, Memphis, moved into new facilities.

Some have joked that Cumberland Presbyterians are famous for locating new churches "on the back-side of subdivisions--where no one can find them." Not so with the Cumberland Presbyterians of First Church. When they began to plan their move from central Memphis, they looked for prime locations in the booming southeastern part of the city.

They found what they were looking for at the intersection of the heavily-traveled Germantown Road Extended and Holmes Road. Three smaller parcels of land were purchased to create one 15-acre lot. In the three years since First Church bought the property, area property values have skyrocketed to the point that lots in the area have begun to be sold, not by the acre, but by the square foot. The property for which First Church paid $330,000 has been recently reappraised at $1,100,000, excluding their new building!

For a year, First Church met in portable trailers (which formed a large, central meeting space) on their new property, while they waited for the first phase of their building to be completed. Even in such obviously temporary housing, First Church added nearly 50 new members during the year. A well-chosen location did seem to be working to the church's advantage.

The first phase of the congregation's master building plan is a multipurpose facility. According to Pastor Tommy Thompson, the Building Committee spent a lot of time studying other multipurpose church facilities. Then they incorporated desirable elements into their own plans.

A gymnasium is used for large group gatherings, including Sunday morning worship. A unique, low-pile carpet covers the whole of the gym floor, giving a usually cold environment a warm and hospitable feel. Basketball lanes are clearly marked with strips of black carpet. The carpet is designed for recreational use. The Communion Table sits just out of bounds under the home team goal, and in front of a low stage, which holds the pulpit.

March 20 was a fine day of celebration for these Cumberland Presbyterians who have worked diligently to see their dreams fulfilled. Members of the General Assembly Executive Committee, coincidentally holding its meeting in Memphis on the same weekend, joined with the church's members for their first Sunday in the new building. Moderator Wilbur Wood spoke briefly at the close of the service and gave a closing prayer.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, May 1, 1988, page 14]

1989

I sat across the desk from pastor Tommy Thompson, in the handsome office of Memphis First Church (formerly Park Avenue and Cromwell). The congregation is now situated in one of Shelby County's fastest growing, upper-middle-class communities. Thompson's face, wreathed in smiles as we talked, showed the confidence that comes with the realization that many "insurmountable" barriers had been overcome and that the future for this church is very, very promising. It is a cause for considerable happiness on all our parts.

The church's trek to the suburbs was a very chancy venture and the odds against success were pretty high. The notion that you could take an aging, mid-town congregation and transport it fifteen miles into the county struck me as almost foolhardy. I remember saying so at the time. I wondered aloud whether there would be enough of the congregation left to make a substantial beginning on a building site a mile or so from the Mississippi state line.

"The decision to relocate was difficult for more than one reason," said Thompson. "I attended a church growth conference in Indianapolis back in the 60s and the speaker, E. V. Hill, said that 'If you can't do it where you are, you won't be able to do it where you are going.' That had always made sense to me. I believe in long pastorates. I believed that moving was no more than swapping problems. This Park Avenue experience has taught me that a congregation can outlive its potential where it is. A church can find itself "maintaining a monument" and when that happens it will never be able to minister effectively. Relocation can be a significant decision for those people. For example, a rural church can move up on the highway, or a small town church can move out on a bypass, or a suburban church can find a more visible location.

"In Park Avenue's case, the community had long since changed. Over the years, members had moved to the suburbs and, after a while, would stop making the drive back to church. We had a good, substantial building but the entire top floor was empty.

"We did a self-study for the church to see what our options were and came up with four solutions: we could stay where we were and try to make it on our own. We could relocate the church on our own. We could merge with another church, and be a part of that congregation. Or, we could unite with another church and, with them, relocate in a growing part of the city.

"On December 9, 1984, the Cromwell congregation and Park Avenue became a single church. It was one of those good decisions we needed to make. Cromwell brought leadership, good stewardship, children and youth with them. The sale of their church and manse would provide us with funds needed to make any new move possible.

"We visited the Board of Missions seeking advice and learned that a study of Memphis Presbytery had been made ten years earlier by Howard Melton. We obtained the report and learned that he had recommended two choice areas for church expansion. One was the spot later chosen by Faith Church in Raleigh. The other was at the intersection of Holmes and Germantown Road Extended. It was still available, for a price."

Thompson described the kinds of agony a church can go through as it experiences the frustrations of trying to sell property, obtain new meeting places, beat financial deadlines. Of course, from the vantage point of 1989 it all looks easier. You sell the Cromwell church and manse, sell the Park Avenue church and manses. You negotiate a loan for the balance needed and you have it.

"It was quite frightening," said Thompson. "I recall our mood as we made the first $75,000 down payment on this twelve acres. It cost us $300,000. We were into a million dollar venture and we knew we might never see that $75,000 again. There were no guarantees that we could see Park Avenue for enough to make this move. No bank wanted to loan our prospective buyers the money. More than one deal fell through. When we did sell--to Bibleway House of Prayer--they wanted in the building. Where would we go?

At this juncture the clerk of the session walked into the office. W. C. Mosley agreed with what Pastor Thompson had been saying about the risk factor. "It was the greatest walk I've ever taken," said Mosley. "We have traveled strictly by faith. We didn't have the way or the means to do all this. I am convinced that if you are going to walk by faith you had better be strong. This is not for the timid soul."

Things began to come together. Park Avenue got a good price for its properties. Colonial Church made its sanctuary available for an early worship service. "This was the first critical test of what we were trying to do," Thompson said. "We thought our people would come with us to Colonial, but when more people were present at the first service there than we had for our previous Sunday at Park Avenue, we were greatly encouraged. We had chance.

"The banks were not too eager to loan us the money we needed. Then one door opened to us and we didn't worry about that anymore. Walter Plumlee met us at the door of Germantown Community Bank and offered us more money then we were asking for. We were over the hump."

The handsome result of that loan is a first class location on the southwestern corner of Holmes and Germantown Road Extended, which included a nice brick home now used for Thompson's manse. "We had planned to have our first service in the manse," said Thompson, "but when more people arrived for worship than the manse would accommodate we simply put chairs up outside under the trees and worshiped there. For the next few weeks they worshiped outside by their lake. They had purchased two double-width mobile homes to use until the first unit of their new building was completed. On May 17, 1987, they moved into their temporary quarters and watched their church building rise, beside them.

On March 20, 1988, the new building was ready. This first phase of their master plan is a multipurpose facility in which the sanctuary doubles as a gymnasium. A unique, wood-fiber carpet covers the whole of the floor, giving a usually cold environment a warm, hospitable feel. Elder Linda Hipsher describes her feeling on that first day in the new building. "It was jokingly said that we would be having half-court services. The fact is, as more and more people came in we continued to add chairs until we were well beyond half-court, with an approximate count of 275 to 300 in attendance at our 10:45 service. It was a moving, emotional time with a total of forty-six visitors signing our guest register."

So, the smile on Thompson's face has to do with what has happened since March 20. "We are pushing 200 most Sundays," he said. "The church has become so much younger. We have ten babies in the nursery with more on the way. We have new Sunday school classes in the corridors. In many, many ways it is a new church, now. Our members have done a good job assimilating newcomers. In fact, two of the newly elected elders have joined since we moved out here."

As for the enlarged program, Thompson said that 120 women meet at the church each week in the jazzercize group. There are two volleyball and two basketball leagues playing in the gym/sanctuary. Park Avenue's old Boy Scout troop is back again after several years' absence. The choir has tripled in size. Fifty newcomers are now regulars in the church. A much more intentional evangelism effort is being done in the neighborhood, with something like 10,000 brochures having been distributed telling people about the church's programs and services.

"The church was pushed to raise a $90,000 budget when I came," said Thompson. "We presented a 1989 budget in excess of $200,000." It is a realistic figure. By September 31, the church had received $178,000 toward its 1988 budget.

As I left the driveway of the church, I had to wait for two huge moving vans to pass. New houses are popping up on every side of the First Church property and people are moving in. Many of them will be looking for a dynamic young church to join. "Old" Park Avenue is coming of age at just the right time! It is something we can all smile about.
--Dudley Condron, reporting

[Source: The Missionary Messenger, February 1989, pages 5-7]

1997

Resolution from Memphis First Church: The Resolution was adopted. APPENDIX T

Be it therefore resolved:

WHEREAS, the Session of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc. has met and considered a contract of sale submitted to it by Cypress Southern Companies Inc. for the purchase of its property located at 6915 (Church) and 6921 (Manse) East Holmes Road, Shelby County, Tennessee, and said Session has approved and executed said contract, and;

WHEREAS, said contract provides that First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc. will sell and the Cypress Southern Companies, Inc. will purchase all of said property consisting of approximately ten (10) acres for the sum of Three Million Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand and no/100 ($3,850,000) dollars, in cash, and;

WHEREAS, the Rules and Regulations of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church require West Tennessee Presbytery to approve the sale of any church property and the relocation of any Cumberland Presbyterian Church;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Session of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc. requests the approval of the West Tennessee Presbytery for the sale of the property located at 6915 (Church) and 6921 (Manse) East Holmes Road, Shelby County, Tennessee, to Cypress Southern Companies, Inc. for the sum of Three Million Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand and no/100 ($3,850,000) dollars and that said Presbytery authorize the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc. to move to a new location, said location to be determined at a later date.

Respectfully submitted to West Tennessee Presbytery this 4th day of October, 1997, by the Session of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc., Memphis.

[Source: Minutes of West Tennessee Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, October 4, 1997, pages 29 & 60]

1999

Resolution from First Church, Memphis: The resolution was granted, marked APPENDIX T, and filed.

WHEREAS, the West Tennessee Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in session on October 4, 1997, gave permission to First Cumberland Presbyterian, Inc., Memphis, for the sale of property located at 6915 Holmes Road East (church) and 6921 Holmes Road East (manse); and

WHEREAS, the West Tennessee Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the same meeting also gave permission for the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc., Memphis to "move to a new location. Said location to be determined at a later date;" and,

WHEREAS, a site, consisting of approximately 30 acres, known as the Umberger farm, has become available to the church. Said site is located on Germantown Road South, approximately 1.5 miles from the present church site. The site is approximately .5 mile inside the city limit of Olive Branch, Mississippi; and,

WHEREAS, in a vote of the congregation, 93% voted "in favor of" relocating to this site, and the church session voted unanimously "in favor of" purchasing this site;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Session of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc., Memphis, requests approval from the Presbytery of West Tennessee to purchase the above described site, consisting of approximately 30 acres in Olive Branch, Mississippi, for the sum of six hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($650,000.00); and authorization to relocate to that site; and permission to make other decisions relative to the relocation of the congregation to this site; and, authorization for the elders of the church and/or officers of the corporation to sign all legal documents relative to this relocation project.

Respectfully submitted to the West Tennessee Presbytery this 6th day of March, 1999, by the Session of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Inc., Memphis.

[Source: Minutes of West Tennessee Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, March 6, 1999, pages 20 & 47]

2005

Changed Church Name: The name of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Memphis, was changed to First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Olive Branch, Mississippi.

[Source: Minutes of West Tennessee Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, March 5, 2005, page 23]