WEEKLY SMILE: Faith, Family & Fall

Across the Upper Cumberland, churches, schools and families are finding ways to gather, serve and grow together

The air turns cooler. Leaves paint the hillsides in shades of red, orange and gold. Families gather. Church doors open. Fellowship halls fill. Children laugh. Meals are shared. Neighbors who may have entered as strangers leave knowing one another a little better.

From Cookeville, Algood, Baxter and Monterey to Granville, Gainesboro, Livingston, Sparta and Crossville, the season offers a reminder that some of the best things in life are still simple: faith, family, fellowship and time spent together.

This week’s Weekly Smile belongs not to one person, but to the churches, Christian schools, ministries, volunteers, parents, grandparents and communities making room for all four.

At St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Cookeville, the parish summed up its annual Fall Festival with three words that could describe this entire feature: Faith. Family. Community.

Families and neighbors gathered for food, children’s activities and fellowship while supporting parish ministries.

First Church, Cookeville, recently celebrated 70 years of faithfulness in the community, bringing generations together for worship, reflection, memories and a fellowship meal.

At Central City Church, located in the former JCPenney space at the old Cookeville Mall, the congregation emphasizes belonging to community and carrying faith beyond the church’s four walls. This week, its gathering space also welcomed the Heart of the Cumberland banquet, bringing people together around support and hope for those walking through grief.

Cookeville Church of the Nazarene recently opened its campus for Gears & Giving, a community benefit for 3-year-old Jasper and his family as he undergoes treatment for leukemia.

At Collegeside Church of Christ, Bread for Life brings families together each Wednesday for food and clothing assistance, along with devotion, Scripture and prayer.

The River Community Church brings adults, students and children together through Midweek ministries, giving different generations opportunities to study, worship and grow in faith.

Living Light Church also offers ministries for children, youth, young adults, men and women, built around a simple invitation: You belong here.

At The Bend Church, that investment stretches across generations. Children, parents and grandparents are encouraged to worship, serve and grow together as the congregation seeks to help people encounter Jesus, build authentic community and live out their faith throughout the Upper Cumberland.

In downtown Cookeville, Engrafted Word Church welcomed people this month for several days of worship and Bible teaching during its Pneumatikos Conference.

Other congregations, including Hampton’s Crossroads Baptist Church, Hope Church, Washington Avenue Baptist Church, Cookeville First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Stevens Street Baptist Church and Rock of Faith Family Church, have also used the fall season as an opportunity to welcome families and neighbors.

Different congregations. Different traditions. Different ways of serving.

But the common thread is people making time for one another.

For these congregations, faith extends far beyond Sunday morning.

Sometimes it looks like worship inside a sanctuary.

Sometimes it is a meal placed in someone’s hands, a Bible opened with a child, a prayer offered for someone who is hurting or a community gathering around a family in need.

And sometimes it is simply making a place for people to belong.

That spirit does not stop at the Cookeville city limits.

In Algood, Algood Christian Elementary School is investing in children through an education centered on spiritual growth, academics and service. The school’s mission includes helping students grow in their love for Jesus and learn to serve others.

In Baxter and the Boma community, local faith communities include Baxter First Church of God and Boma First Church of God. Life Church also has a Baxter campus, one of several Upper Cumberland locations that include Cookeville, Livingston and Sparta.

In Monterey, Monterey United Methodist Church provides another example of faith expressed through everyday service. Its Agape Thrift Store operates from the church, while its Lunch Bunch offers homemade meals and fellowship throughout the week. The church describes its mission as responding to the needs of the Monterey community so others may know the love of Jesus.

In Granville, fall itself becomes a celebration of family and community tradition. Throughout October, the historic town has welcomed visitors for its Scarecrow and Artisan Festival, fall displays and demonstrations of traditional crafts. Local churches remain part of the fabric of a community where history, family and tradition continue to connect generations.

In Gainesboro, Center Grove church of Christ will begin November with its fall Gospel Meeting, “Drawing Near to God.” The Nov. 1-4 gathering will center on God’s Word, worship, prayer and the cross, with a covered-dish fellowship on Sunday.

In Livingston, Allons Baptist Church offers another picture of faith and family gathered around the table. Wednesday evenings begin with a free supper for everyone, followed by Bible study for adults and Allons Bible Club for children and youth.

Livingston is also home to a Life Church campus and Upper Cumberland Christian Academy, a ministry of Agape Worship Center serving students from preschool through high school.

In Sparta, Life Church brought families together this week for its Community Fall Festival at the White County Fair Association. Beyond the seasonal activities, organizers specifically included opportunities for prayer, connection and meaningful community.

Christpoint Church also celebrated the season with its Fall Fest and Chili Cook-Off, combining food, games, fellowship and a little friendly competition.

And in Crossville, Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church welcomed families earlier this month for its annual Family Fall Festival, another example of a congregation using the beauty and traditions of the season as an opportunity to bring people together.

Perhaps nowhere is the connection between faith and family more visible than in the investment being made in children.

Starlight Bible Academy began at Sycamore Church of Christ in 2025 as a released-time Bible program allowing students to receive off-campus religious instruction during the school day with parental permission.

It began with Sycamore Elementary.

This fall, it grew.

The program now serves students from Sycamore Elementary, Capshaw Elementary, Park View Elementary, Baxter Primary, Cornerstone Elementary and Dodson Branch School.

Classes are connected with Sycamore Church of Christ, Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ, Willow Avenue Church of Christ, Baxter Church of Christ and a Dodson Branch program sponsored by Zion Church of Christ.

The Baxter effort is also supported by Locust Grove, Double Springs, Silver Point and Baxter churches of Christ, showing what can happen when congregations work together for children.

About 220 students were enrolled in the expanded program this fall, according to The Christian Chronicle.

That investment in the next generation extends well beyond one program.

Collegeside Church of Christ offers ministries for children, teenagers, college students and families, including an emphasis on helping young people develop a faith that lasts beyond their youth-group years.

Churches throughout the region offer similar opportunities through children’s ministries, youth groups, Bible classes, camps, worship and service projects.

Christian education is another part of that investment.

Highland Rim Academy in Cookeville is an interdenominational K-12 Protestant classical Christian school serving families from Cookeville, Baxter, Monterey, Livingston, Sparta and surrounding communities. The school combines academic rigor with a Christian worldview and an emphasis on servant leadership.

New Colossus Academy puts its focus plainly: “Learning with Purpose | Faith That Lasts | Time Back to Families.” Its mission emphasizes educating the next generation while placing faith and family at the center.

Tennessee Christian Academy, based in Cookeville, provides a Christian homeschool umbrella for families who choose to educate their children at home.

In Livingston, Upper Cumberland Christian Academy, a ministry of Agape Worship Center, serves students from Pre-K through 12th grade with Christ-centered, Bible-based education.

And Algood Christian Elementary School adds another piece to that picture in Algood.

Different educational models. Different denominations. Different approaches.

But each begins with a similar conviction: what children are taught today matters tomorrow.

These churches, ministries and schools are not simply thinking about the next event on the calendar.

They are thinking about the next generation.

They are teaching children that faith is something to learn, certainly, but also something to live.

Soon, the brightest leaves will fall.

The pumpkins and hay bales will disappear. Fall festivals will give way to Thanksgiving meals, Christmas programs, candlelight services and another season of gathering.

But the work happening behind those gatherings will continue.

Meals will still be prepared.

Children will still be taught.

Families will still need encouragement.

People will still need prayer.

Neighbors will still need one another.

Churches will continue opening their doors. Volunteers will continue showing up. Teachers and ministry leaders will continue investing in children. Parents and grandparents will continue building traditions that those children may one day pass along to families of their own.

That may be the sweetest thing about this particular Weekly Smile.

The fall colors are beautiful, but they are temporary.

The faith, love, service and memories being planted in families across the Upper Cumberland have the opportunity to last much longer.

This week, we celebrate Faith, Family & Fall, and all those throughout our region who are bringing them together.

They are this week’s Weekly Smile.