Cumberland Presbyterian joins in national celebration

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church will celebrate Back to Church Sunday on Sept. 17 as part of a national movement to invite former churchgoers and spiritual seekers to worship.

The Enterprise spoke with Cumberland Presbyterian Pastor David Carpenter about the event.

The Enterprise: What are the origins of the Back to Church Movement? What was its purpose?

Mr. Carpenter: The Back to Church Movement started in 2009. The organizers of this event saw the declining church attendance. The numbers of people going to church was falling and they wanted a way to reignite a fire in people so they organized it.

In those close to 15 years, it has really grown and thousands of churches throughout many denominations participate. I think it’s a really good event. It’s not just one or two denominations, it includes a whole range of denominations.

The Enterprise: What attracted you to the Movement?

Mr. Carpenter: I came across this a couple of years ago and prayed about it and presented it to the church elders and they decided they wanted to participate.

The Enterprise: What can people expect from your Back to Church Sunday celebration?

Mr. Carpenter: There won’t be anything particularly special. What I am going to do is a typical Sunday morning service to ... see what we are all about. We are hoping to reach people who have not been to church - either have not been [ever] or haven’t been in a long time.

What I hope is that they will feel accepted and loved. I want them to know there is a group of folks here who generally love their neighbors. I think we have that spirit at this church.

They will be welcomed with open arms and they will be loved. In our front yard, there is a church sign with a line at the bottom that says, ‘Everyone welcome.’ They truly try to have that spirit where everyone is welcome and I took the next step.

We want then to feel loved and welcome.