About Us

Founded in 1746 and with the first building erected in 1750, Cypress Chapel Christian Church was originally a rural glebe of the Episcopal Church in Colonial Virginia. Still in its original location near the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, the "Chapel on the Cypress Swamp" had been proudly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ since before the birth of our nation. During the Revolutionary War the Wesleyan Society, later known as the Methodist-Episcopal Church, held services here. 

In 1792, many ministers and churches withdrew from the Methodist Conference because they believed the churches should have greater freedom in their local church governments. Cypress Chapel was among them, and was one of he early leaders in the establishment of the Christian Denomination of the South. The  Christian Church, as it was called, was founded in 1794 in Surry, Virginia. The first regular session of the Southern Christian Convention was held at Cypress Chapel in 1858. 

When the Christians merged with the Congregationalist in 1931, Cypress Chapel became a Congregational Christian Church (combining to become the United Church of Christ), but on this occasion the people of Cypress Chapel felt led of God not to participate. 

Cypress Chapel remained independent for over 30 years, faithfully holding to the Christian principles upon which the Church had originally been built. In 1994, the 200th Anniversary Year of the founding of the Christian denomination, Cypress returned to its roots by joining the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (the "4 C's"). Together with the 4 C's, Cypress is again linked with other like-minded congregations around the country and with missionaries all over the world.