THE SAMUEL WEEMS COLLECTION

Ordained into the Swedenborgian church in 1917, Rev. Samuel O. Weems was the founder of the North Cambridge Community Church (NCCC). Held within Weems’ own home, the NCCC was a true reflection of his hospitable, holistic, and community centric spirit. Weems was born in Georgia in 1887 and gained a college education at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. A vegetarian and early proponent of animal rights, Weems stressed the importance of physical health within spirituality. He was inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg’s proclivity for scientific advancement, and gave special attention to science in the classes and sermons he delivered to members of his community.[1]

When Weems opened his church, he sought to create a safe space for the Black community that reached beyond Sunday service. His daughter, Marie Davis, recounts the success of his church, stating, “[the church was] nonsectarian, had strong religious and social service programs, and was the only social service agency in the area for Blacks.”[2] Pulling from the lessons he learned while living and running a farm in Poughkeepsie, New York, Weems sought to highlight the divinity found in nature. His church activities included cultivating a garden where members could grow food and learn other important gardening skills. The church also offered classes in things like woodworking, sewing, music, and weaving, with the goal of helping Black families coming from the south settle and find jobs.

The Samuel Weems Collection in the CSS Digital Archive includes written notebooks and typed manuscripts, including essays, sermons, and lesson plans. There is a series of “Scientific Bible Study” programs, as well as essays and journals that cover a variety of topics: The role of the mind in spiritual cultivation, the importance of loving one’s neighbor, animal cruelty, racism within religious institutions, the evils of war, progressive views on gender roles within marriage, and dismantling the “seeming curse upon labor.” Rev. Weems published a tract titled “The Virgin Birth” in which he states that “all creation was produced by a series of virgin births.”[3] A draft of this published work is also amongst the items in the Digital Archive. His ideas impacted the thought of later Swedenborgian theologians, such as the Rev. Dr. George Dole, who sought expansive, spiritual-sense interpretations of Christ’s conception.

To explore the Rev. Samuel Weems Collection, click here.

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[1] Buteux, Sarah. “The History of The Reverend Samuel Weems and The North Cambridge Community Church.” April 30, 1998. p 5.
[2] “In Our Own Words” p 103.
[3] Unknown Author, Center for Swedenborgian Studies. “From the Archives: The Writings of Rev. Samuel O. Weems.”