A Faith Family in Halls Crossroads
Christ United Methodist Church sits on Maynardville Pike in Halls Crossroads, a community in the northern reaches of Knoxville, Tennessee. The congregation describes itself as one family of people of different ages and walks of life, united in their love of God and one another. The church is home to a music ministry led by Sarah Holloway for more than 25 years, a single Sunday morning traditional worship service, and an active program of small groups, mission projects, and community outreach that reaches from the food pantry on site to hands-on kits shipped to Liberia and Zimbabwe.
Sunday Worship at 10:00 A.M.
One Sunday worship service fills the sanctuary each week at 10:00 a.m., following the historical order of worship used across the United Methodist Church. The congregation joins in prayer, lifts voices in hymn and anthem, hears a Scripture-based message from the pastor, and shares in tithes and offerings. On the first Sunday of every month, the table is set for Holy Communion, and everyone who gathers is welcome to share in the meal.
The service is also livestreamed on YouTube at 10:00 a.m. for those joining from home. Pastors and members describe the tone as hopeful, traditional, and grounded in community. The adult choir leads the singing of hymns each Sunday and adds an anthem that pairs with the day's Scripture before the sermon.
Sunday School in Two Slots
Christian education at Christ UMC runs through Sunday School that meets in two slots, 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with most classes gathering at the 9:00 hour. Adults can choose from several classes that fit different learning styles:
- Adult Bible Study meets at 9:00 a.m. for a wide-angle look at the Bible and how it fits together, with discussions known for laughter, prayer, and mutual support.
- F.R.O.G. (Fully Relying On God) meets at 9:00 a.m. and balances Bible study with mission projects and food-and-fellowship gathering.
- Revealers meets at 11:00 a.m. and uses the Uniform Series so the congregation studies the same texts as Christians around the country on the same Sunday.
- New Horizons meets at 11:00 a.m. and gathers parents of elementary through college-age kids for faith and fellowship.
- Multipliers meets at 11:00 a.m. for a deep dive into Old and New Testament Scripture and rigorous study.
Youth Sunday School meets at 9:00 a.m. in two classes, one for middle schoolers and one for high schoolers, in the youth wing. Children's Sunday School spans infants through fifth grade in the Christ's Kids wing.
Children's Ministry and Vacation Bible School
Children's ministry serves newborns through fifth grade. Sunday morning for pre-K through fifth grade begins at 9:00 a.m. with mission projects, continues at 10:00 a.m. with Children's Church after the Children's Moment in worship, and finishes with Sunday School at 11:00 a.m. Infants through age three have a nursery and toddler room available at the 10:00 a.m. hour and at 9:00 and 11:00 when needed.
The Children's Moment, near the start of the 10:00 a.m. service, gathers kids at the front of the sanctuary for a short, kid-sized version of the day's message before they head to Children's Church in the children's wing with the Director of Children's Ministries.
Voices of Christ, the children's choir led by Sarah Holloway, is open to children from first grade through eighth grade. Rehearsals run on Wednesday evenings during the school year from 6:30 to 7:10 p.m. The choir sings in worship several times a year, joins the adult choir for the Christmas Concert, and brings music to shut-in and disabled church members on Sunday afternoons.
Each summer, usually the third week of June, the church hosts Vacation Bible School with crafts, games, dinner, and themed learning centers, open to children throughout the community.
Youth: Fun, Faith, and Fellowship
The youth ministry serves students in grades six through twelve, and the program is known around the church as "fun, faith, and fellowship." Sunday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with Sunday School in the youth wing, then young people move into the sanctuary to worship, often serving as greeters and offering stewards.
Wednesday nights add a youth connection time after the shared church meal and adult programming. Through the year, youth gather for pickleball, pickup basketball, mission projects in the church and wider community, and weekend retreats. Each January, the group travels to Pigeon Forge for Resurrection, an annual worship and spiritual growth gathering that draws young people from East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Northeast Georgia. Additional mission trips run locally and regionally throughout the year.
A Quarter-Century of Music
Music sits at the heart of Christ UMC's identity. Sarah Holloway has served as Director of Music Ministries since February 1998, and her mother Jenny Holloway played the church's piano for roughly the next 25 years before vision loss forced her to step away. Today the music ministry pairs Sarah with organist Mike Beckley and pianist Nancy Hodges. Together they lead the adult choir and the children's choir, accompany handbells, and prepare music for weddings, funerals, and special services.
The adult choir rehearses every Wednesday night from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. and sings in worship each Sunday, presenting an anthem tied to the weekly Scripture before the sermon. Two community concerts anchor the choir's calendar: a December Christmas Concert and the summer Songfest. Adult Handbells rehearses Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room and rings in worship roughly once a quarter, welcoming new ringers regardless of music-reading ability.
During the spring and summer, every other month (March, June, July, and beyond), a local bluegrass or gospel ensemble leads the music for Bluegrass Sunday, replacing the usual hymn-and-choir format for that worship service.
Wednesday Nights: Meals, Journeys, and Choir
Midweek at Christ UMC centers on the first Wednesday of each month, when the church gathers for a fellowship meal. The dinners are often church potlucks, with themed seasonal dinners occasionally serving as fundraisers. After the meal, youth programming begins at 6:30 p.m. and adult choir rehearsal runs from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.
Every Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., the Journeys small group meets in Wesley Hall under the leadership of Karen Woods. The class began as an introduction to the Methodist tradition and to Christ UMC's own story, and has grown into a multi-generational study that mixes theology, philosophy, and Bible study. The class does not meet on Wednesdays when the First Wednesday Fellowship dinner is held.
The Food Pantry and Local Outreach
Christ UMC's food pantry, staffed by volunteers from the church, distributes non-perishable and canned goods, birthday cake packages, frozen meat, health foods, supplements, and diapers. Clients may visit the pantry once per month and choose which day to come. The pantry opens on the first Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and on the third Wednesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Alongside food assistance, the church provides KARM gift cards year-round and distributes coat vouchers during late fall on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., while supplies last. In partnership with Family Promise of Knoxville, the church hosts families experiencing homelessness for four weeks each year, rotating with other area churches, and the youth ministry helps organize that week.
Hands-On Mission Kits: Liberia and Zimbabwe
Through the Holston Conference, Christ UMC supports the Hands-On Mission kits program each spring. Members assemble food buckets, school supplies, and health kits that ship in containers to the Liberia Annual Conference. For 2026, the church is partnering with the Tennessee Valley District to fill kits for children in Liberia and to provide $5 virtual kits for Zimbabwe, where supplies are purchased at wholesale prices and assembled in-country for children at Ishe Anesu.
Wider mission giving from the congregation includes support for UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief), Rise Against Hunger, and disaster relief in areas of the conference hit by flooding and other natural disasters. The men's and women's groups lead most of the church's hands-on mission organizing.
United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men
The local United Methodist Women unit operates three circles open to anyone in the community:
- Prisca's Partners meets the second Monday at 10:00 a.m. in the UMW Room, visiting members unable to attend Sunday worship and gathering for coffee, cookies, and conversation.
- Sing a New Song meets the second Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the Conference Room for fellowship, Bible study, and devotion.
- Istoria (Greek for "book") meets the fourth Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Library as a reading group centered on fiction discussion.
UMW fundraises throughout the year for local and global missions, including an annual spring rummage sale and contributions to the Wesley House Grannies program through hygiene bags and pocketbook supplies.
United Methodist Men gather for a monthly breakfast on the second Saturday at 8:30 a.m. in Wesley Hall, with the men cooking the meal. Annual community events hosted by UMM include Santa Brunch, Fall Festival, Strawberry Sunday, and a late-summer Car Show.
The Building, Scouting, and Recovery
The Christ UMC campus includes a sanctuary, a children's wing, the youth wing, the Choir Room, Wesley Hall, a gym, the UMW Room, the Conference Room, and a Library. A large parking lot begins in front of the sanctuary and wraps around the building, with parking team members in yellow vests helping direct visitors on Sunday mornings.
During the academic year, Boy Scout Troop 506 meets Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. and Cub Scout Pack 506 meets Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m., using the gym and Wesley Hall. An Alcoholics Anonymous group also meets in the Library on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m., and the church hosts the Boo Bash Family Fall Carnival in October each year with trick-or-treat candy tables, games, a costume contest, and a cake walk.
First-Time Visitors
Visitors are welcomed at Christ UMC. Dress ranges across the room from t-shirts and jeans to business attire, and members say "come as you are." Ushers greet guests at the door and offer a small gift for first-time visitors. The service runs roughly an hour.
Children are invited forward for the Children's Moment early in the 10:00 a.m. service before heading to Children's Church. Children from birth through age three may stay in the nursery throughout worship. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month, and visitors who wish to receive it are welcome at the table.
Beliefs and Identity
Christ UMC describes itself as a community shaped by grace rather than judgment, where honest questions and doubts have room to breathe and where wounded people can find healing. Members seek to grow in love for God and neighbor and to be the hands and feet of Christ in Halls Crossroads and beyond. The congregation follows the historical order of worship and the theological and ethical commitments of the United Methodist Church.
Staff and Communication
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Mark Kilbourne. Sarah Holloway directs the music ministry and the children's choir. Barb Knowlton directs the youth ministry. Mike Beckley is the church organist, and Nancy Hodges is the pianist. Karen Woods leads the Journeys small group.
The Christ Connection, the church's weekly newsletter, is sent on Wednesday mornings with announcements, Scripture previews, financial reports, and prayer list updates. Digital bulletins for recent Sundays are archived online. Giving is available online through the Vanco platform, by mail, in person, or through legacy gift arrangements. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.