Rev. Bobby Hancock – Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Rev. Bobby Hancock

The Reverend Bobby J. Hancock, 86, known both Bobby Jo and B.J., pastor emeritus of Cowan Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Murfreesboro Presbytery), died January 20, 2021. Bobby Jo married Charlie Ross McCain December 26, 1955, and together they had five children from 1957 through 1967.

Bobby Jo was born in Alcorn County, Mississippi, March 3, 1934, to Addie Lee Williams Hancock and John Robert Hancock. In 1947, he joined the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church near Corinth, Mississippi., in Madison Presbytery.

Bobby graduated from Alcorn County High School in 1952, went to Bethel College (now Bethel University), and then to the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary in McKenzie, Tennessee. He came under the care of Madison Presbytery in 1954, was licensed in 1956, and ordained by Madison Presbytery May 12, 1957. The Reverend Howard Charles Walton preached Bobby’s ordination sermon and the Reverend Orland Taft Arnett delivered the charge.

He served more than a dozen Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Middle Tennessee including New Bethel, New Salem, Antioch, Coker, Mason Hall, Rutherford, McMinnville, Huntland, Goshen, and Sewanee. He served the Cowan C. P. Church between the years of 1970-1980 as well as other Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Tennessee, Alabama and Indiana. During his ministry, Bobby was a member of Madison, New Hope, Obion, and Murfreesboro Presbyteries.

Matthew Gore

Matthew H. Gore is a historian and journalist with a deep commitment to preserving and interpreting the past. He holds a BA in History, a BA in Journalism, and an MA in History, all from Western Kentucky University, which honored him with their prestigious James H. Poteet Award. He also pursued doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky. Gore has contributed extensively to both academic and popular publications, specializing in religious history, particularly within the Cumberland Presbyterian tradition. He is best known for his book The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988 (2000), and his work has also ranged widely, covering subjects as diverse as The Origin of Marvelman (a British superhero of the 1950s and 1960s), the relative scarcity of East German philatelics, and the biography of British pulp artist Denis McLoughlin. Gore has spent much of his career in service to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where he holds key roles in communications, historical preservation, and publishing. Since 2018, he has served as editor of the Cumberland Presbyterian magazine for the Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church A past president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists, Gore is widely recognized for his leadership in archival work and his passion for sharing the narratives of faith communities with broader audiences.

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Alba Cornelia Swain

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