Welcoming Cumberland Presbyterians honors Elicia Scobey, whose life of faith, music, service, and love was a gift to the Church and to all who knew her.Elicia shared more than 30 years of life and love with Allison Stewart. After they were legally married in 2016, their marriage became part of an important conversation within the church regarding inclusion. Those who knew them saw something even more personal and profound: a deep devotion to one another. As one friend said, “Of all the couples I have known, I don't think I have ever witnessed two people more devoted to each other than Allison and Elicia.”Throughout Elicia’s cancer journey, Allison remained faithfully by her side, caring for her with extraordinary love and tenderness. Their life together was a testimony to the depth of love that can be lived through ordinary days, difficult seasons, and the commitment to remain present to one another.In 2021, Elicia and Allison courageously shared their story in a video series created to help the Cumberland Presbyterian Church know LGBTQ+ members of the church as real people of faith and followers of Jesus Christ. Their hope was that, as the church continued its discernment, it would listen to the testimony of their lives, their faith, their love, and their experiences, and become more willing to hear the stories of others like them, coming to know the people behind the conversation.When Elicia shared her testimony, she had already served as pianist at Cool Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church for more than 28 years. She coordinated music and worship, directed children’s choirs and bell choirs, served as a Sunday school nursery teacher, and generously shared her gifts in the life of her congregation. Through music, teaching, service, and presence, Elicia helped nurture the faith of generations of Cumberland Presbyterians.Elicia was a beloved

Have you ever reread a book years later and discovered something you never noticed before? The words had not changed, but you had. New experiences, new questions, and deeper understanding allowed you to hear the same text in a new way. Reading is a conversation across time. The words on the page remain the same, yet every generation brings new questions, new experiences, and fresh understanding. A confession of faith is much the same. It bears witness to the church's understanding of the gospel and Scripture within a particular historical, cultural, and theological context. As a written witness, it preserves that testimony for future generations, but it cannot by itself answer new questions, correct misunderstandings, or respond to changing circumstances. Written words remain fixed while the church continues to deepen its understanding of Scripture, of God's world, and of the people God has created and loves. This tension between the permanence of written texts and the ongoing work of faithful discernment was recognized more than two thousand years ago. In the dialogue Phaedrus, Plato, through the character of Socrates, argues that writing is useful but limited. A written text cannot answer questions, clarify misunderstandings, defend itself against misuse, or adapt its message to the needs of a particular reader. Once it is written, it says the same thing to everyone. By contrast, a living conversation allows ideas to be tested, challenged, refined, and deepened. Wisdom grows through dialogue rather than mere recitation. Likewise, a confession of faith is an important testimony, but it is not the church's final authority or a substitute for the living work of the Holy Spirit in the community of faith. Like any written document, a confession cannot by itself respond when new knowledge emerges, when a marginalized community asks a question the writers never imagined,

​We invite fellow Cumberland Presbyterians to sign this open letter of March 20, 2026: We, the undersigned Cumberland Presbyterians, ministers, elders, and members, write in public support and affirmation of the right and responsibility of ministers and church sessions to carry out pastoral ministry in ways that faithfully serve the needs of their particular congregations and communities. Since its beginnings in the second Great Awakening, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church has trusted pastors and sessions to minister with prayerful discernment and sensitivity, making decisions suited to the unique needs of their communities, valuing local discernment and contextual ministry over rigid uniformity. This spirit of trust and decentralized authority made possible historic developments such as the early inclusion of African Americans and women in ordained ministry, as well as the founding of some of the first higher education institutions to admit women. Christian ministry is not one-size-fits-all. Every community is unique, and every pastoral situation calls for wisdom, compassion, and attentiveness to the Spirit’s leading. As a denomination that from its beginning was especially attuned to the calling of individuals and the movement of the Holy Spirit, we affirm that in contexts where churches come to know, love, and affirm their LGBTQ+ members, this should include the freedom to extend the full ministry and blessings of the church—including marriage. We uphold the freedom of ministers and sessions to prayerfully respond with care and integrity, especially when celebrating the love, commitment, and covenant shared between two people, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. We understand that sincere Christians may differ in their discernment, yet we believe such ministry is a faithful expression of the Gospel—a Gospel that calls us not to judgment but to love, not to exclusion but to embrace. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church has long affirmed that “God alone is Lord of the conscience”

As a part of the larger Cumberland Presbyterian community, Japan Presbytery humbly shares the following statement as an expression of its own commitment to the ministry of peacemaking. It is offered in the hope and prayer that our siblings in Christ, including those influenced by nationalism, will hear its witness and prayerfully consider its message. On the Occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the End of the War —A Commitment to the Ministry of Peacemaking— November 24, 2025 98th Regular Presbyterial Meeting Japan Presbytery, Cumberland Presbyterian Church “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Fifteen Years’ War, including the Asia-Pacific War, we confess before God and one another our sins in turning toward violence, and we renew our commitment to the ministry of peacemaking. In November 2022, we, the Presbytery of Japan, adopted a resolution declaring, “We oppose all acts that seek to impose one’s will through violence,” in response to the widespread reality of violence throughout the world. Since that time, however, conditions in many regions have not improved but have continued to deteriorate. In Palestine, in retaliation for attacks by the Islamic organization Hamas, Israel has undertaken military incursions, and the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry has determined that these actions constitute genocide against the Palestinian people. Even now, many continue to suffer unspeakable hardship as a result of violence. In Japan, security-related legislation permitting the exercise of the right of collective self-defense was enacted by the National Diet in 2015. Since then, as many citizens feared, military expansion has continued, and the defense budget for fiscal year 2025 has reached 1.8 percent of GDP. The Self-Defense Forces, advancing a “Southwestern Shift,” are proceeding with the establishment

The Resolution presented to the 2025 General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, “A Biblical Call to Followers of Christ: Speak Up Against Injustices,” invites us to reflect together on what it means to follow Jesus in a time when many people, including immigrants, refugees, racial and religious minorities, people with disabilities, and others, face injustice and dehumanization. ​A Biblical Call to Followers of Christ: Speak Up Against Injustices WHEREAS, God calls us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8), showing compassion and hospitality to foreigners, refugees, immigrants, and to all who are oppressed or subjugated (Deuteronomy 10:18-19; Hebrews 13:2-3); and Leviticus 19:34 reminds us that aliens among us shall be as citizens, and we shall love the aliens as ourselves, for we were aliens in Egypt; and WHEREAS, God calls us to never be silent about injustice but to speak out for the rights of all who are destitute (Proverbs 31:8), to rescue all who are oppressed (Isaiah 1:17), as our Confession of Faith also declares (6.31): We are advocates for anyone the law or society treats as less than people for whom Christ died; and WHEREAS, God calls us to oppose anyone who encourages violence or hatred or who denies any person the full, fair processes of law for any reason, including persons violently targeted or illegally seized because of race, religion, gender, or immigration status. James 2:1-9 reminds us: As followers of Christ, we show no partiality in our treatment of others. We stand up for all the oppressed (Ezekiel 22:29–30; Matthew 23:23) because Jesus died for the whole world (John 11:52). As our Confession of Faith (6.30) affirms, we are to oppose, resist, and change all circumstances of oppression – political, economic, cultural, or racial – that deny persons the essential

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church does not impose a singular view on abortion. According to our Confession of Faith, "God alone is Lord of the conscience and in matters of faith and worship, God frees believers from the opinions and commandments of others that are contrary to his word..." (CoF 6.02). This statement affirms the sacred agency and conscience of each individual who seeks God’s will. Rev. Dr. A. B. Miller was a leading minister, educator, and author in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and he served as Moderator of its General Assembly in 1877. His most significant work was Doctrines and Genius of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, published in 1892. This book became an influential articulation and defense of the denomination's theological positions. In it, he emphatically stated:  “No pope or counsel or creed can bind the conscience in this respect. Only the word of God is the rule of faith and practice, and it is such to every [individual] in the sense in which [they understand] it through an honest effort to arrive at its meaning. This doctrine, common to Protestantism, is the key to progress in the interpretation of scriptures. To give it up is to go back to the spiritual bondage of the middle ages….the spiritual death in which [persons] repose unquestioning faith in the opinions of a fallible [person] or council of fallible [individuals]." The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, with its history of honoring individual conscience, exemplified this approach during the 1991 General Assembly when addressing the contentious topic of abortion. Rather than imposing a singular viewpoint, the church embraced the validity of diverse interpretations within its covenant community. This inclusive stance fostered unity and underscored the significance of aligning one's actions with Christian conscience. EXCERPT FROM "SANCTITY OF PERSONS" (1991) Since Cumberland Presbyterians affirm a variety of

To the members of Presbytery del Cristo, Greetings to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ! May the One who loves and holds the Church be with us, now and always. I’m writing to offer my thoughts to you with regards to the proposed amendments which will come before our Presbytery next week. Passions are high and perhaps we’re coming to this meeting with anxiety and with the singular goal of ensuring that “our side” wins. But I’m praying that what marks our conversation would be a desire to listen deeply for what the Spirit is saying to the Cumberland Church and that we would accept the gift and receive the risk of a real conversation. This means listening to our brothers and sisters in Christ with curiosity and generosity, allowing our hearts to soften towards each other. This means speaking out of our deepest Christian convictions, yes, but also with the humility which understands that we can never, in ourselves, have the “full” picture. Thankfully, that’s God’s job and God is more than gracious to invite us to move forward, in spite of our limited visions, long-held assumptions, and fears. As we’re together, I pray that we’d be given a heart of humility before the One whose ways are not our ways and whose vision far exceeds our own. So, what is the invitation? What is the door the Spirit wishes to blow open so that we might live as a more resurrected Church? What of our own assumptions needs upending and refining so that we might live into this vision? Can we begin to imagine LGBTQ Christians fully integrated and fully flourishing in our congregations, not as a sign of moral and spiritual “decline,” but as a sign that God, through the Spirit, is breaking down

February 25, 2024 To our beloved partners in Christ in Del Cristo Presbytery, The staff and session of Grace Fellowship Community Church in San Francisco write to share our concerns with you over the proposed amendments to our Constitution. While we whole-heartedly affirm the letter from the former Moderators of the General Assembly from August 31, 2023, we wish to add our own thoughts to the conversation. Our life together bears witness to the Good News that Jesus brings. Jesus’ prayer in the upper room was that His church would be one. While we practice life together in this unity, we find ourselves with differences in our understanding of sexuality and gender. Grace Fellowship lives on the far reaches of our presbytery. This is where God has placed us. This is how God is shaping us. In our own congregation, we find diversity in ways that include race, age, gender, socio-economics, and theology. But, out of obedience and humility before Jesus, we are learning to treasure the unity of the Gospel, and the joy of having connection and relationship with the larger body in which God has placed us. We are working to explore how to reconcile our diversity. We start with listening in humility, and then engage with one another. We have read the passionate letters from our faithful Cumberland pastors and leaders on either side of the issues at hand. In the presence of such a difference of opinion and beliefs, we want to keep doors open, not shut them. The process and practice of how we engage may be as important as any conclusion we arrive at someday. We live by grace, and we extend that grace. For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith... it is a gift of God. We urge patience

In every generation, the Church is called to discern afresh who God is raising up to lead. However, rather than listening to God's voice, some have shifted the focus to restricting whom God is allowed to call. This reversal distorts the Church’s call to listen attentively to the Spirit. Discernment has too often been replaced by disqualification. The posture has moved from one of hopeful recognition—looking for signs of God’s Spirit in surprising people and places—to one of narrow policing, as if God must first seek our approval before extending a call. This risks distorting the nature of discernment, making it an obstacle to the Holy Spirit. True discernment invites openness. We must ask: are we truly opening our hearts and minds to the Spirit, or are we trying to control who is deemed “worthy” of the call? It is not ours to decide who is worthy, but rather to bear witness to the signs of God’s calling—and to rejoice when the Spirit shows up where we least expect. Today, some seek to ignore the Spirit's calling and legalistically exclude from ministry certain individuals—those in committed relationships who choose not to marry, perhaps due to financial constraints, engaged couples who might be living together or engaged in relations before marriage, and those in same-sex relationships—often appealing to the Confession of Faith as their basis for doing so. Yet notably, the Confession of Faith never condemns or rejects persons in same-sex relationships nor addresses the topic of sex outside of marriage and the recent attempt to specifically add such a restriction to the Constitution was unsuccessful. Even if the Confession had addressed these topics, the Cumberland Presbyterian tradition has never claimed that the Confession of Faith is infallible or exhaustive. When we treat the Confession as infallible or absolute, we risk

February 2024 Dear Friends and Family of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Presbytery del Cristo, I write this letter with trepidation, because I know how emotional the upcoming vote on the proposed amendments has become. I’ve been impressed with the thoughtful letters shared from several of you and so I would like to offer my input in that same sense of civility and connection. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been part of Grace Fellowship in San Francisco since 1990, have served as an elder since 2003, and have served on the Presbytery del Cristo Congregational Care Committee and the CPC/CPCA Unified Committee on Theology and Social Concern. Over the past two years, I’ve taken a sabbatical from Grace Fellowship to worship with other local congregations, from Roman Catholic to Mennonite trying to gain perspective on what God is doing in this neighborhood. The thoughts in this letter are mine alone and reflect things I’ve learned both ministering at Grace Fellowship and looking outside the Cumberland to see how other traditions handle sexuality discussions. Several letters have discussed the polity implications of these amendments and I have nothing to add since they were penned by people, such as the 13 former moderators, with a deep understanding of the history and function of the Cumberland. If I were voting, I would give great weight to what these people say. Likewise, the letters that deal with the Biblical texts are extremely helpful and I, a layperson with no formal training in theology, read them with great respect. Our culture is very different in many ways from the ancient cultures in which these texts were penned, so we need the educated voices to help us see what God was communicating to God’s people in those days and today. What I