Christ Community’s

40th Anniversary

CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH

40 Years of God’s Faithfulness
1986-2026

SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, November 15

This year marks 40 years of God’s faithfulness to Christ Community Church. On Sunday, November 15, we’ll celebrate together during worship and with a special gathering immediately following the service. Save the date and plan to join us as we give thanks for God’s faithfulness from generation to generation. More details will be coming soon.

40 Stories for 40 Years

“We are blessed to be a blessing.”
— Joyce Kennedy, Founding member

When you attended church services in the old building, you never knew where you would sit. Pews, folding chairs, windows, the choir loft, or even the floor were all options! It was an awesome worship experience in every way.

—Greg Poston, member since 1989

Witnessing How God Has Provided

Joyce Kennedy and her late husband, George, were founding members of Christ Community Church. They watched it grow from Sunday afternoon services in Christ Presbyterian Church’s fellowship hall into a congregation of 1,000 people in a few short years. When the church was planted in Franklin, members met wherever space was available. Joyce remembers teaching Sunday School in an old Fourth Avenue grocery store, where fabric dividers separated classrooms, and children sat on mats and rugs.

Over the years, Joyce has witnessed God’s faithfulness in providing for the church. When the Third Avenue building Christ Community shared with the Baptist church went up for sale, the congregation bought it, then spent 13 years searching for a permanent home. The Poteet farm on Hillsboro Road seemed perfect but was millions of dollars beyond their reach. Years after the owner’s death, the family was finally able to sell the land to the church for less. Today, Joyce hopes Christ Community will continue to transform lives, helping people “be more like Christ, grow deeper, love stronger, share more generously, and be the ‘hospital’ we were at our beginning.”

“I grew up in a Christian home, going to church three times a week. But Christ Community was where I first learned about grace. The song ‘Amazing Grace’ has so much more meaning to me now. The community here has been my rock, my support system, and has helped me raise my children.”
— Andrea Henrie, member since 2006

Discovering Grace in Difficult Seasons

In 1995, the tragedy experienced by Lou Beasley and her family confronted me with suffering and the devastating reality of sin in a way I could not fathom. As a young mother, my faith was shaken to the core when I realized there were no guarantees my family would be spared such a catastrophe.

But the message of God’s love and grace met me in the midst of unimaginable loss and pain. Lou was a constant witness to God’s enduring presence through the darkest circumstances.

From the pulpit, the truth was proclaimed, especially as presented through the words of Jack Miller who said, “Cheer up, you are a far worse sinner than you ever thought, but in Christ you are far more loved than you could ever imagine.” Sin might be darker than I imagined, but God’s love was able to redeem the most horrific of life events.

The Gospel truth preached at Christ Community has continually fed and nourished me and my family—even when life is very hard. I’m so grateful Christ Community has been my church home. —-Marie Morris, Founding member

I’ve had the privilege of being here at Christ Community for most of my adult life. It’s been the place where my faith has truly grown deep. Some of my favorite memories include the rich learning of Sonship, Lectio Divina, and countless other Bible studies; learning the Westminster Catechism as my kids sang “Who Made You” at Mustard Seed Preschool; acting out snippets of Jesus’ last week on the Resurrection Trail; and the care and support of the community groups Jon and I've been privileged to be a part of as we walk through life’s joys and pains together. Christ Community is my community.

—Alicia Reynolds, member since 2002

“Christ Community has shown me what it means to truly live out your faith in a community of people, not just a building.”
— Alisha Seger, member since 2009

Sharing the Gospel With Our Community

John and Dorla Schlitt arrived at Christ Community in the early ‘90s, and within a few years, Dorla was volunteering with Vacation Bible School. Held at Jim Warren Park, VBS was more than a youth program; it became an outreach to the Franklin community.

In 1995, Dorla remembers the excitement when children’s pastor Lou Beasley introduced a new approach to VBS with B.J. Goetz’s “Bible Times Marketplace,” followed by “Antioch AD” in 1996. Tents, costumes, singing, Bible story dramas, family-group storytelling, and themed settings immersed children in a biblical world, while crafts, games, and snacks reinforced each day’s lesson. The program engaged diverse learning styles and all five senses. “It was awesome,” Dorla says.

The Children’s Ministry team renamed the event “Family Bible Adventure” to show it was for all ages. In the years that followed, new curricula were developed, with volunteers creating activities to emphasize the biblical truth of daily lessons.

In 2000, the program moved to the new church campus, where it ran until 2010. “It was a special time for our church,” Dorla says. “God provided over 200 volunteers to serve nearly 500 children every year.” Fellowship Bible, Strong Tower Bible Church, and Parish Presbyterian Church partnered with Christ Community, bringing more volunteers and children.

Soon afterward, Christ Community started the Resurrection Trail. What began as a walking path at Pinkerton Park grew into an immersive 12-station experience behind the church. Tents, props, costumed dramas, and take-home items helped participants experience the final week of Jesus’ life. Again, God faithfully provided the volunteers to make it possible.

“Rain or shine, cold or windy, the Resurrection Trail has continued to draw large numbers of people in our community who want to be reminded of or introduced to the love of Jesus Christ through His life, death, burial, and resurrection,” Dorla says.

The experiences that have shaped and grown my faith, and encouraged and blessed me have been opportunities to serve in hands-on ways through the body of Christ, including: Appalachia, Wednesday night dinners, Samaritan's Purse, Angel Tree, Vacation Bible School, Resurrection Trail, Crossroads of the Nations, Room in the Inn, FrankTown, GraceWorks New Hope Academy, children's ministry, and, of course, serving “family” members with the hospitality of coffee! Serving alongside sisters and brothers and loving one another is a beautiful faith journey I’ve been privileged to be part of.

—Penny Lively, member since 2000

“I see God’s faithfulness every Sunday morning in the people around me. As I worship, I remember the seasons we’ve walked through together—the hard ones and the joyful ones, the prayers we prayed, and the ways God met us in each of them. Simply seeing others in the Worship Center has become part of my worship: a way of remembering how God has been faithful through every season.”
— Becky Clark, member since 2007

Seeing Christ Grow His Church

When Christ Community was formed out of the Sunday school class Kristine and I attended at Christ Presbyterian, joining seemed like the right next step since we lived in Franklin. We weren't founding members—we were too young and had no idea what was going on! We were just “sheep.”

One of the most interesting things about these 40 years has been the number of people who came through the doors of Christ Community and were fed by the Word. They were called here for a season, then sent out somewhere else. We never got an “alert” that they were coming or a “departure notice” that they'd left. We just tried to help them feel welcome. A few years ago, I heard a nickname for those of us who've been here since the beginning: “The Never-Lefters.”

This fall, Randy taught us that this church didn't begin in 1986—we're connected to 2,000 years of church history, rooted in the Word, the sacraments, and prayer. As he’s said, we’re not the “genesis of ourselves.” That's exactly what I've watched play out for four decades at Christ Community: not people gathering around a program, but Christ Himself feeding His people through His Word, week after week, generation after generation. —-LeRoy Bizzell, charter member

We are thankful to be members of Christ Community for the past 25 years. We've been blessed to worship, serve, learn, and grow in the gospel alongside our church family. It has been so special for us to join as a married couple, have our children involved from nursery through senior high, and continue to belong as empty nesters. Some of our favorite memories are of our children's baptism and later their professions of faith, the Resurrection Trail, Emmaus Road Sunday night services, and the 2020 Christmas Eve service held outside on the north lawn as light snow fell. We’re excited to be part of what God will do through Christ Community in the years to come!

—Steve and Michele Fort, members since 2000

A Glimpse of God’s Faithfulness

For 40 years, God has been at work in and through Christ Community.

What began with a small group gathering in 1986 grew into a community seeking to love God, love one another, and love our neighbors. Along the way, members of Christ Community helped establish ministries that continue to serve Franklin and Williamson County, invested in the next generation, gathered around God’s Word, cared for people in seasons of need, and sent people out to serve.

Buildings, ministries, and programs have changed over four decades. But the deeper story is one of God’s faithfulness—seen in lives transformed by grace, relationships formed across generations, neighbors loved and served, and the gospel passed from one generation to the next.

As we celebrate 40 years, we give thanks for what God has done and look with hope toward what He will do next.