On a rise above Oak Ridge Highway in the Karns community of northwest Knox County, Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church has been gathering for more than two centuries. The congregation calls itself simply "the Church at Karns," and that local identity shapes everything about it. Sunday worship is led by Pastor Teresa Atkins McClure, and the church is a place where "neighbors become family." Its motto is, "Rooted in Karns. Growing Together in Christ. Serving, loving, and walking alongside our neighbors."
Two Hundred Years on the Ridge
The story of Beaver Ridge is inseparable from the story of Karns and Beaver Creek. The first interdenominational church at Beaver Ridge met in a small log structure on Emory Road that also served as a schoolhouse, with services held one Sunday each month. On April 1, 1815, trustees Thomas Reed, James Scott, and David Hall purchased the adjoining land for Beaver Ridge Cemetery. The Methodist congregation began to take shape on April 3, 1869, when Samuel D. Leinart gave a strip of land running down to Beaver Creek for a church and Masonic Hall. The brick for that building was made from clay on the Leinart farm, and it stood until 1900, when the congregation moved to a white frame building on the present site, land given by the Amos Trotter family.
That frame building was remodeled in 1929 and then taken down in stages as the campus grew. An educational unit was added in 1950, a new educational building was dedicated in 1963 under Bishop Roy H. Short, and the present sanctuary and education wing were completed in December 1967 after a ground-breaking in March of that year. In the 2000s, the Family Life Building went up; it now houses the preschool, the nursery, and an upstairs walking track and basketball court. On May 3, 2015, the congregation marked its 200th anniversary with a service that opened with the oldest and youngest members ringing the bell that once hung at the old church building.
Sunday Mornings at 10
Worship is held in the sanctuary at 10 am, with a blended style that weaves traditional and contemporary elements together. The service is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube each week, and recordings stay available for anyone who wants to catch up later. Once a month, when weather allows, the church holds an outdoor family-themed service that is also streamed live. Pastor Teresa supplements the Sunday message with "T Time With Pastor T," a weekly devotional on Facebook.
Before worship, the adult Sunday School classes gather at 9 am. Five options are available: Goodwill (Room 209, Main Building) taught by Brian Moazen, the Gleaners class (Room 206, library) led by Carol Brenner using the Adult Bible Study Series, The Way in the Family Life Center lobby where members pick their own study material, the Good Samaritan class in the Education Building that works through the Upper Room devotional, and a periodic Newcomers class led by Pastor Teresa. Visitors are welcome in any of them.
Children, Nursery, and the Family Life Center
Children's ministry at Beaver Ridge is led by Children's Director Travis Burnett, a husband, father of seven, and grandfather. Immediately after the children's sermon during the 10 am service, kindergarteners through fifth graders are dismissed to Children's Church in the Family Life Center, where they hear Bible stories, make crafts, play games, sing, and share a snack. Children age five and under who are not yet in kindergarten go to the nursery, also in the Family Life Center. Every volunteer who works with children is background-checked and trained through the church's Safe Sanctuary program.
First-time families are met at the Kids Check-In, where a friendly team helps with the paperwork and walks children to their rooms. The teaching aims to be age-appropriate, interactive, and centered on Jesus. The church's vision is that children will understand who Jesus is and how he can make a difference in their lives.
Youth Ministry in Grades 6 Through 12
The youth ministry at Beaver Ridge is directed by Rachael Searcy. On Sunday mornings from 8:45 to 9:45, middle and high schoolers gather for "Group Chat," catching up with one another and working through a short Bible lesson before the 10 am worship service. Wednesday nights add a second rhythm: an optional dinner at 5:45 pm, followed by youth group from 6:30 to 7:30 pm with games, fellowship, and a themed Bible study. Both Sunday and Wednesday youth programming run from August through May.
Service is a through-line for the group. Beaver Ridge youth have prepared communion, cleaned classrooms and closets, baked cookies for community firefighters, made gifts for a local nursing home, and stuffed eggs for the church Easter egg hunt. Fellowship outings have included Main Event, Ice Bears hockey games, Oakes Farms, and ice skating, plus an annual mystery event. During the summer, the group shifts to fellowship field trips and a mission trip that varies from year to year.
Beaver Ridge Preschool
The weekday preschool and Parents Day Out programs began in November 1963 with twenty-five children enrolled and have grown to more than one hundred students. Director Vicki Davenport oversees the program, which serves families year after year. The preschool operates out of the Family Life Building during the week, sharing space with the Sunday nursery.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
When the school year is in session, Wednesday evenings at Beaver Ridge have a family rhythm of their own. A community dinner begins at 5:30 pm, with adults eating for $5 and kids eating free, followed by a fun, family-themed activity from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Past evenings have included Creature Features, Family Light Night, Family Science Night, and Family Fun Night. The format is built to bring neighbors together around a table and a shared activity, with the youth group meeting in parallel down the hall.
The Food Pantry and a Network of Gleaners
The Beaver Ridge Food Pantry, coordinated by Leslie Little, is one of the most active local missions on the campus. It is open in the Education Building (the building closest to Weigel's) on Mondays from 1 to 2 pm and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, serving anyone in the community who needs help with groceries. A monthly list of needed food items appears in the church newsletter.
The pantry has grown into a regional gleaning hub. Cedarbrook Outreach collects food weekly from Sprouts and Kroger and routes surplus to Beaver Ridge. Food City on Middlebrook Pike provides gleaned dry goods three days a week. Trinity Methodist Church donates bread, Concord Methodist Church delivers gleaned bagels twice a month, and the Food Donation Connection has linked Beaver Ridge to surplus from local Weigel's stores. During the growing season, volunteers glean produce at the Downtown Market Square and Hardin Valley markets. The church also partners with Knoxville Area Rescue Mission (KARM) stores, where donations credited to Beaver Ridge come back as Corners of Your Field gift cards that are distributed to neighbors who need clothing and household items. A separate drop-off for I Support the Girls, coordinated by Knoxville affiliate director Erica Zuckerman, gathers feminine hygiene products and undergarments for organizations including Wesley House, Susannah's House, and the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
Other mission efforts include a coat giveaway, local school mentoring, and an annual Spring Woodcut trip to Marion, Virginia, led by Randy Creswell, where the team cuts and splits firewood for Project House families.
Adults, Seniors, and Small Groups
Adults at Beaver Ridge have several fellowship and study pathways. United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) meets in two circles at the church, Dorcas and Sarah, for study, leadership development, and creative fellowship. United Methodist Men gather for supper on a Thursday evening and breakfast on a Saturday morning, sharing fellowship and helping with grounds upkeep.
Senior Beavers, coordinated by B.J. Cox, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. The group alternates between programs with covered-dish luncheons in the Education Building and day trips that range from ten to sixty miles from the church, including restaurants, museums, places of history, and nature scenery. The walking track in the upstairs gym of the Family Life Building is available year-round for members who want to walk indoors, and Sharon Carmichael leads line dancing classes twice a week: beginners on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and advanced dancers on Mondays from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, with a $3 cost per class.
Stained Glass Windows That Trace the Biblical Story
One of the most distinctive features of the sanctuary is the set of ten stained-glass windows, designed and created by member Leslie Little. Each window is abstract by design, intended to invite viewers into their own interpretation, but together they trace a sweeping biblical narrative: the beginning of creation, the Exodus, the time of Kings and Prophets, exile under foreign empires, the first cross, the resurrection and ascension, Pentecost, the development of Christian doctrines, Armageddon, and finally the doorway into Heaven, where the remnants of all the churches combine in a single brotherhood. Leslie and her husband Dean Little, both long-time food pantry leaders, have been woven into the story of Beaver Ridge in many ways.
Connectional Methodism in East Tennessee
Beaver Ridge is part of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, a regional body that links the Karns congregation to United Methodist churches across east Tennessee, north Georgia, and southwest Virginia. Online giving is available through a secure portal, and gifts can also be directed from IRAs through Qualified Charitable Distributions. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm, and prayer requests can be sent to the church email at any time.
Visiting Beaver Ridge
Most people arrive about fifteen minutes before the 10 am service. Three parking areas are available: the main lot in front of the church, the lot behind the Family Life Building, and the lot behind the church. The dress code is "come as you are," from dress shirts to t-shirts. The campus offers multiple handicapped parking spaces, ramps at the entryways, and an elevator to the upper floor of the Family Life Building. The church is located next to Weigel's on Oak Ridge Highway, and signs at the entry make it easy to find the Kids Check-In for a first visit with children.