Churches should embrace older adults as vital contributors, supporting their dignity, health, and connection, fostering age-friendly communities where every generation flourishes with purpose, belonging, and continued engagement.
Congratulations to the newest Age-Friendly Congregations recognized at the Holston Annual Conference on June 2! These congregations earned their Age-Friendly
Elder’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Smyrna is among 20 churches across Tennessee receiving a $5,000 Food Security Grant from ENCORE Ministry Foundation. The funding is part of a $100,000 initiative aimed at helping churches expand food programs for seniors impacted by rising costs and cuts to SNAP benefits.
In the quiet bend of the highway through Hickman County, Tennessee, the community of Nunnelly carries its history close. Named for a family who settled there in the early 1800s, their generosity shaped the town. In 1924, they gave land for a school; in 1939, land for a church — Nunnelly United Methodist Church — which still stands today.
For more than 120 years, Elders Chapel United Methodist Church has stood at the heart of a small but rapidly growing community about 20 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee. What began as a historically African American congregation has grown into a vibrant multicultural church that reflects the changing neighborhood around it.
In the heart of rural Tennessee, the small congregation of Centertown United Methodist Church has long been a beacon of hope for its community. With only 70 to 80 people attending Sunday services, many might underestimate the reach of this church—but the impact of its food ministry is anything but small.
In a town of only a few hundred residents, Kirksey United Methodist Church demonstrates that impact is not measured by size. Through steady commitment and careful stewardship, this small congregation strengthens food security—one breakfast, one basket, and one neighbor at a time.
SMYRNA, Tenn. (WSMV) – After January’s ice storm left some families without power for days, many Middle Tennessee residents are still feeling the financial fallout.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Nursing is partnering with ENCORE Ministry Foundation to launch a new Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program designed to help faith communities and individuals better support older adults through intentional, practical action.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 3, 2026) — ENCORE Ministry Foundation (ENCORE), a nonprofit organization focused on ministry by, for, and with older adults in Christian communities, announced today the recipients of its Food Security Grant, a funding initiative made possible through the generosity of individuals and churches, McKendree Village Foundation, as well as ENCORE’s Kent and Ellen McNish Grant for Older Adult Food Security Endowment Fund. The program awarded $100,000 in food security grants to 20 churches to strengthen food distribution ministries serving older adults across their communities.
Empowering Churches.
Honoring Senior Adults.
Strengthening Communities.
