Kern Memorial United Methodist Church sits on East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and for seventy-five years it has been a steady presence for families across Anderson County. Generations of children have learned Sunday school verses in its classrooms, teens have gathered for choir and small groups in its hallways, and neighbors have come through its doors for a hot meal, a food box, or a place to pray. The congregation's motto is Belong, Grow, Make a Difference, and the three words frame everything from Sunday worship to its largest-ever capital project: a licensed childcare center launching as part of a Growing the Next Generation campaign tied to the church's seventy-fifth anniversary.
Two Sunday Services in Oak Ridge
Sunday mornings at Kern run in two distinct shapes, and the congregation has made a point of letting visitors choose the one that fits.
The 9:00 AM Contemporary Worship is a relaxed, modern service with a live worship band, current songs, and teaching aimed at everyday life. A nursery is available for the youngest children. The 11:00 AM Traditional Worship draws on hymns, liturgy, and a Chancel Choir, paired with a meaningful message and the same nursery care. Both services center on Jesus and hope for ordinary life, and the schedule is built so a family can move between them around Sunday School.
Sunday School meets at 10:00 AM. Younger(ish) Families meet downstairs in Room 4, the Seekers Class in Room 3, and the Christian Formation Class gathers as well, all offering discussion-oriented study. Children in Pre-K and Kindergarten meet in Room 26, and first through fourth graders meet in Room 24. The nursery, staffed by background-checked volunteers trained in CPR and Safe Sanctuary policies, opens during both worship services and Sunday School in Room 28 of the Education Building for infants and toddlers from six weeks to three years.
Visitors are not asked to stand, introduce themselves, or speak. A New Here booth in the lobby holds a free gift for anyone who stops by, and the church's policy is simple: come as you are, dress as you are. Jeans, golf shirts, shorts, and even the occasional suit are all normal sight on Sunday mornings.
Kern Kids, Youth, and Camp Faith
Family ministry at Kern is led by Chanda Knight, the Director of Family Ministry, and stretches from nursery care through high school.
Camp Faith is the weekday arm of that work. It is a nursery school and childcare program that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, serving children from six weeks old through age five (and now, in expanded form, through fourth grade). The program is Christ-centered, CPR and Safe Sanctuary trained, and intentionally small. Monthly tuition is $160 for the two-day week with a $25 yearly registration fee and a $40 session fee in winter, summer, and fall. Parents can request a registration form directly from Chanda Knight.
Kern Kids is the Sunday morning program, with Bible-oriented preschool activities for the nursery children and Sunday School classes for Pre-K through fourth grade. The team emphasizes first aid, secure check-in, and screened volunteers so that families can drop their children off with confidence.
Youth Group gathers students in grades seven through twelve for the Youth Belong Group, hosted by Chanda Knight at her home on Sundays at 4:00 PM. It is a relaxed weekly setting built around community, conversation, and faith in everyday life, with special events layered on through the year.
Belong Groups and the Small Group Rhythm
Small groups are the connective tissue of life at Kern, and the church has organized them into a simple menu.
The Younger(ish) Family Home Group meets in homes most Sundays from 4:00 to 6:30 PM for meals, cookouts, and honest conversation about life and faith. Children are always welcome, and several usually tag along. The Anyone & Everyone Group, hosted by Lyman and Janet Bowker, meets at the church on Sundays at 4:00 PM and welcomes people of all ages, with many participants retired or nearing retirement. The Tuesday Morning Belong Group gathers at Kern at 11:00 AM to dig deeper into the previous Sunday's message and pray together.
For those who prefer a Sunday-morning rhythm, the Seekers Class in Downstairs Room 3 studies both modern and ancient material with an eye to finding Christ's purpose for daily life, plans social gatherings each year, and joins in church-wide projects. The Christian Formation Class reads scripture and discusses how theological concepts apply to real life. Hookers & Needlers gathers Wednesdays at 6:30 PM around crocheting, knitting, and other hobbies, with group projects often given to a good cause - beginners welcome. United Women in Faith meets on the third Monday of each month at 10:30 AM for fellowship, study, and mission to women, children, and youth.
A Choir, a Band, and Two Hymnals
Music at Kern is built around two ensembles that serve the two Sunday services.
The Chancel Choir, directed by Ronda Mostella, leads music at the 11:00 Traditional Worship, singing a wide variety of anthems and helping the congregation with hymns and responses. The choir also prepares special music for Advent and Holy Week and rehearses on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. The Worship Band, led by Praise & Worship Leader Chris DeCew, leads the 9:00 Contemporary service and rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Organist Wanda Parks and Pianist Carol Cox round out the music staff. The church welcomes anyone who sings or plays an instrument to join the band.
Food, Neighbors, and the City of Oak Ridge
The church's Love Where You Live initiative frames its outreach around three concentric circles: love at the table, love in the church, and love for the city. Practical ministry flows out of that frame.
Kern partners with Second Harvest Food Bank to host a bimonthly food distribution for families in the community, generally on the second Saturday of every other month. The church also partners with Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC), a regional agency that provides direct assistance to families in need. Anyone seeking help is referred to ADFAC's request line. Volunteer events run throughout the year, and a public Ways to Volunteer document lists current opportunities across children's ministry, hospitality, tech, music, and outreach.
Prayer Walks and Breakthrough Prayer
Pastor Will Conner has built the church's prayer life around the conviction that Jesus taught his followers to pray for miracles and expect God to make them happen. The two main expressions of that conviction are Community Prayer Walking and Breakthrough Prayer.
The Prayer Walking campaign, anchored in Jeremiah 29:7, invites the congregation to literally walk the streets of Oak Ridge and surrounding neighborhoods, praying for peace, prosperity, and breakthrough. A downloadable guide walks participants through what to pray for and how to cover a block or a campus. Breakthrough Prayer is a daily rhythm: at 11:01 AM every day, members pause to pray together this short prayer - "God, release the resurrection power of your Holy Spirit to break through and bring miracles of new hopes, dreams, and possibilities for our church and in my own life. Grant to us your boldness to follow Jesus into your new and unknown future. May your Spirit come and your will be done. Amen." - with a smartphone wallpaper available for download so the prayer is always at hand. The church also maintains a standing prayer request form for personal and community needs.
Growing the Next Generation: A 75-Year Vision
In 2026, Kern marks seventy-five years since its founding, and the anniversary is tied to the largest ministry expansion in the church's history: Growing the Next Generation.
The campaign centers on launching a licensed childcare center in the church's existing education wing, serving children from six weeks through age five, with before- and after-school care for school-age children. The center is designed to serve up to 150 children and to provide a safe, nurturing, Christ-centered environment while creating a daily bridge into the life of the church for families who might never otherwise walk through the doors. Facility updates include seven new classrooms, a dedicated entrance, fire safety upgrades, and HVAC improvements that will also strengthen the rest of the building for long-term ministry. The youth room will be relocated upstairs so the first floor can serve children and families every day of the week.
The estimated project cost is roughly $789,000, with a campaign goal of $700,000. Leaders have been careful to point out that this giving is over and above regular tithes and offerings, which sustain ongoing ministry. Wednesday Family and Fellowship Suppers may eventually become a natural connection point for families picking up children, blending weekday hospitality with the new program. The campaign frames itself theologically through Psalm 78: tell the next generation the praise due the Lord and his strength, the wondrous works God has done, so children not yet born can rise up and put their hope in God.
Generosity, Stewardship, and Faithful Giving
Outside the capital campaign, Kern practices Faithful Giving as an annual rhythm. Members are invited to complete a giving plan form each year, and giving is framed as a step of trust rather than a transaction: "God, I trust You first." Recurring and one-time gifts can be made online through the church's Breeze platform, and the church is explicit that the boring giving of steady, ordinary support makes extraordinary ministry possible - food boxes, nursery care, Sunday worship, prayer, and outreach all flow from those regular gifts.
Pastors, Directors, and Lay Leaders
The staff team is small and intentionally close to the congregation. Rev. Will Conner serves as Pastor and preaches at both Sunday services; he writes and hosts the Kern Talks podcast and is the public face of the Growing the Next Generation campaign. Chanda Knight is Director of Family Ministry, overseeing Kern Kids, the youth group, and Camp Faith. Chris DeCew leads the contemporary worship band, and Ronda Mostella directs the Chancel Choir. Wanda Parks plays organ and Carol Cox plays piano. Mike Cox serves as Treasurer, and Irene White as Custodian.
Beneath that staff is a wider ring of Lay Servant Leaders, lay members who serve under the United Methodist principle that every member of the church is a servant of Christ on mission in the local and worldwide community. A 2023 Lay Servant Leaders roster is available to download, and the church regularly invites new volunteers into roles across teaching, hospitality, music, and outreach.
Faith and Denomination
Kern is a local congregation of the United Methodist Church. The church describes Methodism as a worldwide family of nearly 13 million members, sharing basic beliefs and mission while trusting each local community to discern how best to live out its faith in its own context. The Kern community is rooted in grace, shaped by Scripture, and organized around three convictions: everyone needs a place to belong, faith is meant to grow, and Christians are called to make a difference in their families, their city, and the world.
Staying Connected Throughout the Week
Worship is at 9:00 and 11:00 AM on Sundays. Sunday School is at 10:00 AM, with nursery care open through both services. Youth meet Sundays at 4:00 PM. Camp Faith meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Choir and band rehearsals are Wednesday evenings. The church office is open Monday 9:00 AM to noon, Tuesday 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, Wednesday noon to 4:00 PM, and Thursday 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, at 451 East Tennessee Avenue.
Sunday messages are livestreamed on YouTube, archived on the church's watch page, and released as the Kern Talks podcast. Online giving, prayer requests, volunteer sign-ups, and Connect forms are all available through the church's main pages, and the church can be reached at (865) 483-5273. Kern Church is a place where the people of Oak Ridge have been belonging, growing, and making a difference together for seventy-five years, and the next seventy-five are already being planned.