In 1917 the Charles Byers family passed through Knoxville on their way to do mission work farther south. Instead, they were asked to begin a mission in the Mechanicsville area of town. This was the beginning of a Mennonite presence in Knoxville that has continued for 100 years. At first, the Byers, and those early church leaders who came after them, served and taught in an area of town made up lar
gely of factory workers. They held services in a small house for several years. Then, in 1921, they acquired a small brick church building on University Avenue. The church work at that time included a school, sewing classes for young women, clothing for the poor, and, for all the life of the church, Bible school has been an important part of the church's mission. As manufacturing changed throughout the years, the community around the little brick church changed. There were fewer jobs and fewer workers in the neighborhood. In 1977, the church moved to our present location, where we hope to better serve the community. We would love for you to visit us at our facility at 4401 Sullivan Road. Although there have been many changes at our church over the years, our heritage and our mission are the same as they were for those first Knoxville Mennonites so many years ago: First, we want to teach our community about God's gracious gift of his son, Jesus. And secondly, we want to learn to live in peace together and to be peacemakers in our community and in our world. In 1917, when the world was in the midst of World War I, Charles Byers brought that message to Knoxville. Today, just as then, God's message of peace is so very needed. We, at Knoxville Mennonite Church, want to share that message. May the peace of Christ be with you.
