Groups & Connectionadmin2026-08-18T20:53:06+00:00

Summer 2026 Session Groups & Connection Opportunities

If you have trouble contacting the hosts of these groups, email molly@crossingsknoxville.com, and she will get you connected.

Artist Accountability

Join us for a regular check-in for artists that pushes timelines, deadlines, and accountability of creation. We all have creative impulses, but sometimes life gets busy, or we convince ourselves that creating is childish, impractical, or something we’ll get around to “someday.” This group is an invitation to make room for creation. Whether you paint, write songs, poems, or renovate homes, or are simply looking for encouragement to bring an idea to life, no skill level is required. We will meet once a month after the Sunday gathering (BYOL) to share what new creation you are working on or to set a goal or timeline for next month. Contact jenson.martinelli@gmail.com.

Good Enough Parenting

Join us as we work through Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship with Your Child by psychologists Tim Cavell and Lauren Quetsch. Cavell and Quetsch push back against the modern epidemic of perfectionist, high-anxiety parenting. Drawing on Donald Winnicott’s classic psychoanalytic concept of the “good enough” parent, they offer a grounded, research-backed framework designed to relieve parental burnout while providing children with the stability they need. This group is for parents of kids of any age, including adult children. People interested in exploring their own relationship with a parent could also benefit. Depending on participants’ interests and location, the group could meet before or after Sunday gatherings and work together to make a plan for kids while the group meets. Contact Katie at katiewisch@gmail.com.

Justice Group

Crossings Justice Group has been meeting for over six years and has created a safe place to dialogue about God’s heart for the poor, marginalized, and oppressed. The group meets to process various matters of injustice and ways to participate in justice initiatives around Knoxville. Contact Valen at emmert.valen@gmail.com or CLICK HERE to fill out a form indicating how you would like to participate in our Justice Group.

LGBTQ+

This group is for folks to build connections, explore faith together, and offer support. Contact Lauren at lagreenie89@gmail.com.

Recovery Check-In

We host a group for anyone in substance abuse/addiction recovery. This is not a formal 12-step meeting, just a chance to check in with everyone about how they are doing, wherever they’re at in their recovery. Contact Joey at joey.english07@gmail.com.

Second Half of Life

Carl Jung and Richard Rohr write about the “second half of life” as the transition into a season when we begin to understand that life is not only about doing; it’s about being. In the second half of life, we begin to discover the contents of the “container” we had spent the last 40+ years building. There is no age limit to this group, but if you consider yourself among the “older and wiser” folks at Crossings, this group is for you. This will not be as formal a small group, but a time to connect with others in the same season of life as you. Details will be decided based on the group’s needs. Contact Grant at grant.standefer@gmail.com.

Thursday Book Club

For almost a decade, a revolving door of folks have met at 7:30 AM to read and discuss a variety of books. The group currently meets on Thursday mornings at Rami’s Cafe in North Knoxville. Contact Caleb at caleb@crossingsknoxville.com.

Undivided Racial Healing Cohort

Far more than a discussion group or diversity training, UNDIVIDED facilitates experiential learning in community. Our hope in these cohorts is to engage each other in courageous conversations that create measurable impact in our city. Based in scripture, theology, sociology, and personal experiences, UNDIVIDED is designed to build a foundation that will lead to racial healing throughout our families, churches, and city. It’s a process, not a single act. It is something we will spend the rest of our lives doing and UNDIVIDED is a great start towards that healing. Jonathan Scoonover (a leader at Crossings) will be one of the facilitators of this cohort. They will meet for six weeks beginning September 14th from 11am-1pm on Mondays at First Baptist Church of Knoxville (Downtown). It is free to attend. Contact Mark at mrnelson@johnsonu.edu or CLICK HERE to register.

Wednesday Playground Meetups

Gather your kids and meet other families at playgrounds throughout our community. Kids and caregivers of all ages are welcome. The group will meet one Wednesday morning a month. Contact Rebecca at rebecca@crossingsknoxville.com.

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Cave-Table-Road

Cave Table Road (CTR) is a six-month cohort that meets every other Wednesday evening and moves through the three primary movements of monastic life. The cave is the place of solitude, silence, prayer, introspection, and contemplation. The table is a space of connection, hospitality, conflict, and reconciliation. The road is where we follow and join in the restorative work of God in the places where we live, work, and play. CTR is experience- and-reflection-based, not lecture- or content-heavy. Here is how some participants have described it:

“Cave Table Road gave me space to intentionally pause, quietly reflect, and meaningfully connect with others. This group offers a place to explore the complexities of the spiritual life on a personal and communal level, while offering various spiritual practices and opportunities to learn and listen. Also, it’s fun and a good way to get to know other folks.” -Jen

“Cave Table Road is a journey with acquaintances and strangers. The first part of your journey is inward together, then journey outward in a safe and loving, generous environment. It is a journey reflecting on life, place, spirituality, and God’s presence. The strangers and acquaintances become friendships that inhabit shalom.“ -Beth

“Over the course of six months, Molly guided us through oftentimes intimate and vulnerable conversations that invited us to explore how we interact with God/faith on a personal level, within a community, and in the wider world. Part small group, part group spiritual direction, the friendships I formed in CTR were deep, meaningful, and fulfilling.” -Al

“Cave-Table-Road gave me a rare space to simply be…to bring my faith, questions, doubts, and even past hurts without feeling the need to perform or have everything figured out. The monastic-inspired framework helped me look inward, connect meaningfully with others, and see community and my outward expression of faith in a fresh way. I found it both grounding and soul-filling, and I would encourage others to experience it for themselves.” – Susan

We have 5 spots left in this year’s cohort. Contact Molly@crossingsknoxville.com to sign up or ask more questions. The group begins Wednesday, September 9^th.

Ongoing Small Groups

People are looking for deep, connected, and vulnerable relationships. Finding these connections as adults in the short time we have together on Sundays is nearly impossible. Cultivating these deep relationships requires work, it takes time, and we know we can’t engineer friendships. And yet, smaller groups are the spaces where we can have deeper conversations, wrestle with our questions about life, faith, and God, and figure out how to embody our faith. Our faith community is too large for all of us to know and keep up with everyone, so we depend on these smaller circles of support as we do our best to care for one another. Crossings organizes and facilitates groups to provide opportunities and space for deeper connections. This guide outlines the expectations and steps for joining a long-term group, as well as the processes groups will follow once they’ve started.

What to Expect

Gaining clarity about what people expect when they commit to a small group is crucial. How do people know what small group is right for them? What’s the process if a group isn’t working? Some people want their group to read and discuss a book together. Others might want to focus on what they are learning and experiencing from the Sunday gatherings or other life circumstances. Some people are looking for a more casual space to share a meal and connect with other humans in ways that go beyond surface-level relationships. We know that geography is becoming increasingly important, so we do our best to coordinate groups in the same area of Knoxville when location would otherwise be a barrier to their participation. People come in with different expectations of the group, varying levels of past group experiences, and varying levels of availability. Our goal is to make sure that people looking for a group find one that fits them well.

On-Ramps

New Group Startups: A “call out” to start new groups happens in January and August for those who prefer to wait or find it easier or more preferable to join a newly formed group rather than one that has been established for a while.

Group Survey: Fill out THIS FORM to get the ball rolling and start considering your own expectations and experiences with groups.

Staff Check-in: Molly or another member of our staff will meet with you or talk briefly before or after a Sunday gathering to clarify responses to the above form, so we are clear on what you are looking for.

Temporary Alternatives: This process takes time, and while it’s always possible to make changes, we don’t want to rush people into group situations that don’t make sense. There might be situations where joining a session group or Cave-Table-Road in the short term is the best option until a new group forms or an existing one becomes available.

Off-Ramps

Life changes and groups evolve. While some level of commitment is crucial for deeper relationships, people need regular checkpoints to determine whether the group still makes sense for them. Clear “off-ramps” are essential to help people avoid feeling stuck in a group and avoid burnout due to a lack of engagement and ownership. Clarity is kindness. We want to create a process that takes out the guesswork. Off-ramps include:

Annual Check-ins: Individual year-end checkups between the group leader and group members will provide an opportunity to communicate any changes or needs, including the need to step away from the group.
Group Intention Setting: At the beginning of the year, the group will discuss their needs, expectations, and plans for the upcoming year with one another.

For continuity purposes, people in groups are also welcome to reach out to any of our staff members at any time to discuss further participation in a group. Basically, we don’t want you to feel stuck in an awkward social situation you don’t know how to get out of—stepping away from groups and commitments when seasons in our lives change is normal. We want to remove as many barriers as possible for you to feel comfortable committing to a small group.

Click on names to learn about people in our community, and how they’re Finding Their Way Back to God.

stories

Crossings Makers
Sam and Jenelle Walker
John and Kelsie McGlothin
Ashley Cutshall
Eric and Kristi Anderson
Ted and Stephanie Hethcote

Crossings Makers

View all of our Crossings Makers series by visiting our YouTube channel.

Sam and Jenelle Walker

We are Sam and Jenelle Walker and we have been a part of Crossings for over a decade, first as individual college students and now as a family of 5 (Nora, Anna, Remington). We are part of the North community that meets a couple of blocks away from our house at Christenberry Elementary. We find great value in living so close to where we worship and where our daughter goes to school. Our kids also have thrived as a part of a community that so clearly shows them that they are a vital and important part of it. This has even more significance to us because we live far away from our extended families. Our hope is that our kids continue to feel support from us, their faith community, and their school and neighborhood and that these layers can continue to overlap.

John and Kelsie McGlothin

Hello! We are John and Kelsie McGlothin, and we joined Crossings in 2018. We met and fell in love in Chattanooga while both training to be mental health therapists and are now working as counselors in Knoxville. As an Adoption Support and Preservation family therapist, John serves families who have adopted children, both through the foster system and through private adoption. Kelsie works as a therapist at Haven Counseling Center in Bearden, and specializes in trauma healing and recovery. We both have different reasons, different stories, different wounds that led us to into the mental health field. Like many, our individual experiences of seeking God have included times that vary from abundant to lacking, but we both feel strongly that this is the work God would have us do in furthering his kingdom. At a time when John was in great need as a teenager, a camp counselor accepted and invested in him. Now, John has a belief that relationships — steady, compassionate and often silly — have incredible power to heal. This enables him to sit with, talk with, play with parents and kids who are struggling. Kelsie sees her job as a way to gently illuminate and soothe the parts of us that hold shame, pain, grief and fear. As someone who suffered with OCD and anxiety without appropriate intervention or explanation for a significant portion of her life, Kelsie now feels particular joy in expressing a message of “You’re ok, and we’ll figure this out together.” To have this opportunity to be the hands and feet, and hopefully the heart, of Christ is the joy and glory of God to us. On a less philosophical but still important note, our lives are also filled with our huge Pyrador puppy Laurel, genuine friends, silly and sweet nieces and nephews, and lots of coffee!”

Ashley Cutshall

Hi, my name is Ashley Cutshall, and I am an ESL teacher at a Knox County middle school which has the highest population of English Language Learners of and middle School in Knoxville. My students are navigating their whole world in a language and culture that isn’t familiar to them. A lot of people think that I teach grammar all day or that I spend most of my class time translating for students, but that is definitely not the case. Most of what I do at the middle school level is teaching them grade level concepts at a proficiency level that is appropriate for that group of students. We practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing and set goals to reach new proficiency levels. Working with a variety of cultures has taught me so much. I’d say the number one thing I’ve learned is how much of a privilege it is to be a part of a multicultural community. I waltzed in to this job thinking, of course they will love me. I’m a really nice white lady. I just assumed my students would love me. But it’s taken years to build trust. My first year teaching, I had limited family engagement and I think that’s because I never stopped and asked “How does this community feel with me being a part of it?” I’ve built trust by committing to this community and learning from the leaders already in the community (i.e. parents!) I am truly working on being first a learner, and then a teacher. I feel like I get to seek out the Kingdom of God in my job by helping my students of all languages and cultures to feel comfortable showing up at school in the wholeness of their own selves, create a sense of belonging for them, and reassuring them of their importance and value in our community.

Eric and Kristi Anderson

When introduced together to someone new and the question is asked about how we met, “In prison,” is the standard refrain; it’s a scratch on the conversational record that skips us to a social justice issue we both care deeply about. Our winding way, first apart, now together travels through the most unlikely of places; prisons and jails and through the locks, walls and razor wire into the hearts of the incarcerated. You see, everyone matters to God regardless of what they’ve done, no one is beyond redemption and restoration: there simply are no disposable people. What if you were only ever known by the worst mistake you ever made? The men, women and youth in custody are reminded continually of their offenses by just about every minute and detail of their life behind bars. For us, moving from the abstract (prisoner) to the personal and known has moved the waypoints on our journey. Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy) insists you have to, “get proximate to the problem.” Hutch, Hicks, D-White, Iron Head, Keith, Ronnie Slim, Deli, Sandra, Cindy, Sabrina – each name recalls a face, a heart, a life that matters. Little by little we come to know each other, we tell our stories from level ground, not about what we’ve done but who we are, and who we are becoming, exhorting one another, not alone, but in community, to love, redemption, restoration, and good works. Working to make prison a place of shalom, where the wounded can find healing, is a driving force and source of joy in our life. We were married under the arch outside of Café 4 in August of 2019, on a Sunday morning in-between Crossings’ services. We love our life in The Knox – the Gay Street Gingers – Graffiti Alley and Market Square in the back yard and Cruze Farms in the front. For us, early mornings are for coffee and the sharing of words read in the books shelved and stacked about, days for work at the 4th Purpose Foundation, nights for Schitt’s Creek, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, or a walk down to the river; weekends for mountain hiking and flower seeking. We are rich in daughters having 4: Miranda, Madelyn, Callie and Emily. We are exceeding grateful for our life in the Crossings Community – come visit us downtown, we love to cook and break bread around the table.

Ted and Stephanie Hethcote

Soon after becoming Christians we began more than 30 years of intense involvement in the Christian community through both churches and non-profit organizations. Our hearts goal was to bring the hope, freedom and unity with God that is available to all the world through relationship with Christ. Then after those 30 plus years of what seemed to be successful Christian work, we both had powerful encounters with God within a 24-hour period. Those encounters altered the trajectory of our lives changing how we engage in our relationships with each other, our family, our friends, and with God. Prior to the time of our encounters much of what we did stemmed from a mindset of very “Black and White/Right and Wrong” thinking. In many ways that made life simple making judgements about people and situations easy. It also made it easy when working with those in distress to simply offer good biblical advice and then disengage from their situation. Our times of encounter changed all of that radically. God showed us that His pleasure isn’t in what we do but rather in who we are. That sounds fundamental enough, but it took on great depth when God started asking us to explore these questions: 1) Who am I? 2) What caused my distortions? 3) What needs to change for me to reflect Him more clearly? Our journey to discover answers to those questions altered our hearts toward ourselves and other people. First, we discovered our own stories and how they impact the ways we engage our world and God. This made us curious about how the stories of others have impacted their lives. Our new journey with God has led us from: “Certainty” to “Curiosity” “Having answers” to “Asking Questions” “Working for God” to “Resting in God” “Talking” to “Listening”