Cumberland George, God’s servant to the Piedmont, died this day in 1863

Cumberland George began preaching in 1817, and he was ordained by the Baptist Church in Fredericksburg on March 12, 1819. From that time until his death on Aug. 25, 1863, he pastored at least 10 churches in Virginia’s Piedmont region.

The autobiographical notes he left on the flyleaf pages of his books give the few details of his life he thought worth mentioning, starting with his birthdate: April 15, 1797. The next event he recorded was when “the great God revealed Jesus Christ to me as the Saviour of sinners in the eighteenth year of my age.”

Pastor Cumberland George was described as having a “commanding presence,” a “fine physique and his voice was like a trumpet.” One of his sons described him as “a most careful, prudent man.”

From 1830 to 1838, he pastored the Thornton Gap Baptist Church, in Old Hollow in Rappahannock County, about one mile from the village of Sperryville.

Around the time he was finishing his service at Thornton Gap, he wrote a “flyleaf note” that said he had preached on a Saturday at the May 1838 monthly meeting for the Jeffersonton Baptist Church in Culpeper County. The scripture he preached on was Acts 20:24: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

So overwhelmed was he by the power of the Acts 20:24 passage that as he preached on it, “[I] sometimes could hardly give utterance to my thought for weeping.”

In another “flyleaf note” that he wrote dated 1845, he said he had preached more than 4,000 sermons since 1817 — which was more than one every two and a half days — but he lamented the fact that his “numerous engagements” had prevented him from writing at least a memo about each of them.

He pastored at Mount Poney Church, which later became known as Culpeper Courthouse Church, and is now called Culpeper Baptist Church; at Stevensburg Baptist for one year, in 1849 or thereabouts; at Alum Spring Baptist from 1855 until his death on Aug. 25, 1863, and at the Mt. Salem, Reynolds Memorial, and Woodville churches.

The “History of Warrenton Baptist Church” says that in 1849 “Brother Cumberland George” was elected its first pastor and that he “came 25 miles once a month to preach and care for his flock” in Fauquier County.

Sometime between 1857 and 1859, as the upcoming War Between The States rumbled just beyond the horizon, the black members of the Mount Poney Baptist Church formed their own church. It later became known as Antioch Church, but while it was still known simply as The African Church and meeting near the intersection of Davis and East streets in Culpeper,

Cumberland George was the pastor of those “free worshippers.”

An undated notebook of Cumberland George’s contained this written prayer of his: “Let me never dishonor Thee nor the ministerial office in heart or life. But having borne faithful testimony to the Truth, let me be gathered to my fathers in peace, and unto the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ever one eternal God, be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

On Aug. 25, 1863, Cumberland George passed away “while the desolation of war rested upon our fair State, while the excitement of strife and the noise of battle filled the land.”

Cumberland George was buried in the Bel Parc cemetery, a private cemetery that received its name from the 18th and 19th century Park and Bell families who owned it.

Pastor Cumberland George’s prayer was answered: He had finally finished the race and completed the task the Lord Jesus had given to him of bearing faithful testimony to the gospel of God’s grace.

Sharman’s column appears each Tuesday on the editorial page.