Emmaus

Central hosts the Great Smoky Mountain Emmaus Community for four walks (two for men and two for women) each year. The Great Smoky Mountain Chrysalis Community has holds two flights a year at Central. There are Chrysalis flights for youth (ages 15-18) and Journey flights for young adults (ages19-24). These 72-hour ecumenical retreats provide a time for spiritual growth for youth and adults and renewed commitment to Jesus. Visit their website for more information.

AA

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who want to stop drinking. The original “twelve-step” program, AA offers alcoholics a means to a satisfying life without alcohol. AA holds a closed discussion meeting every weekday from 9 to 11am at Central, usually on the ground floor. Our Group is a closed discussion meeting for alcoholics and prospective AA members only. More information on AA is found at their website Regional AA contacts and meetings are listed on the East Tennessee Intergroup/Central Office website .

NA

Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based organization of recovering drug addicts. Membership is open to all drug addicts, regardless of the drug or drugs used. The Central Methodist NA group, Together We Can, meets twice a week, on Sunday and Wednesday at 7pm. (usually on the ground floor). The NA website provides more information about the organization, while the Greater Smoky Mountain Area of NA website contains information on regional meetings and activities.

2-1-1 Agencies

The East Tennessee 2-1-1 phone line provides a free, easy to use, comprehensive information and referral system to link people in need with appropriate health and human service resources. Representatives from the local 2-1-1 agencies meet at Central UMC monthly to share information on resources and review the types of calls in the previous months. The service is operated by Family and Children's Service and serves 14 counties. Visit their website for more information.

GED Graduation

The Central United Methodist Church building is the location for the graduation ceremonies of two General Educational Development (GED) preparation programs. One program is sponsored by the Knoville-Knox County Community Action Committee's Workforce Connections Program. Classes meet in the R. T. Ross Learning Center. Another graduation ceremony recognizes those who obtained a GED diploma from the Knox County Schools Adult Basic Education Program, located at Historic Knoxville High School. More information about these programs is available on the Workforce Connections website and the Adult Basic Education website.

Election Polling Site

Registered voters in the 11th Ward visit Central UMC each Election Day to cast their votes. The poll is usually set up is the Good Fellowship room on the ground floor. Voters can enter through the door to the parking lot behind the church building. On some occasions, church members have provided refreshments to poll workers, voters, and restless children in tow. For information on voting, visit the Election Commission's website.

Operation Backyard

Neighborhood Housing, Inc., a housing ministry of Knoxville Leadership Foundation, builds affordable homes and repairs older homes in Knoxville. The Operation Backyard program uses volunteers to provide free home repairs for low-income residents. Operation Backyard Student Service Camps provide an opportunity for local youth groups to stay at an inner-city site while learning about themselves and the needs of their community by performing home repairs. Operation Backyard volunteers have lived at Central UMC during their visits, such as college spring breaks. The church also houses the participants in the week-long Student Service Camps. For more information, see the Operation Backyard website.

Historic Fourth & Gill

    Central UMC sits at the edge of Historic Fourth & Gill, a neighborhood that is composed of Victorian Queen Annes and Craftsman Bungalows built between 1880 and 1930. The church, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1927, complements the other structures in this National Historic District, much of which is covered by a. historic zoning overlay. The Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District contains good examples of the American residential architecture from the 1880s to the 1940s. This neighborhood, once a thriving streetcar suburb, is undergoing restoration and regaining its former glory.

    Central UMC has worked with the neighborhood on issues of mutual interest, including the opposition to the encroachment of the interstate and proposed construction of a county incinerator in the community. The church has hosted hosted neighborhood meetings to discuss zoning regulations, traffic calming, and the concerns of the homeless and marginalized in the neighborhood. Political debates among candidates, as well as monthly Fourth and Gill potlucks and socials are held at the church. Central has participated in the Historic Fourth & Gill Tour of Homes every year since it began in1990.

Contact Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization e-mail: fourthandgillboard@fourthandgill.org