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Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s roots can be traced back to December 15, 1860, when thirteen citizens from the Concord and Marietta Cumberland Presbyterian churches met to worship together and plan for a new church.  These founding members, met in a log, schoolhouse near the Loudon County line, near an old road that later would become Kingston Pike.  With 10 new members and it’s first pastor, N.M. McNabb, Union Cumberland Presbyterian church was admitted to the Cumberland Presbytery three years later, in 1863. 

Church services were disrupted during the Great American Civil War and no regular preaching occurred during this time and until 1869. Having no church structure, still meeting in the old log school, and having only eleven members at that time, the church members petitioned to dissolve the church and the members scatter to other churches.  The Cumberland Presbytery denied their petition and encouraged them hold on and “got to work” with the Lord’s help. The members were encouraged and felt the lord’s call to regroup and build a church.  A new church was built from timber donated by members and held a protracted meeting on the second Sunday of September 1869, that lasted nine day and resulted in twenty three new members added to the church. The Reverend S.B. West was called to become Union’s new minister.

Union continued to prosper during the next two decades from 1880 to 1935, surviving WWI and the Great Depression. The church had grown so much, that during the warm summer months, Sunday school classes were held outside underneath the oak trees near the cemetery. A bigger structure was needed, but money was hard to come by during the depression years. The members elected to raise funds through pledges and fund raising events. Labor and materials were donated and a bigger structure was eventually built. 

Union experienced a slow down in growth, during World War II and into the early 1960’s. 

As the rural landscape began to change from a farming community to a suburban community, the population of the community greatly increased during the 1970’s.

The church called Reverend Lenord Turner in 1972.  In just a few short years, the church grew to over flowing capacity and a re-occurring dilemma emerged. A larger structure was needed and once again the church was faced with the decision of growth and how to pay for it.

A campaign was started to raise money from member pledges in addition to a building loan. Land was purchased for the new campus in the mid 1970’s. A new structure was built and dedicated in November of 1980.  As membership continued to grow under the leadership of Reverend Leonard Turner, A new worship structure was built in 1993 and the entire campus is situated on fifteen acres including the structure itself and recreational facilities.    (See photo to the right)

     The church has continued to grow and added the broadcast ministry, WUCP FM 99.9 in 2004.

     A more complete history of Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church can be found in the Church Library.