Membership
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Mission Giving
Our Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Anne McKee has been serving Erin as Interim Pastor since Jan. 2024.
Our Staff
Meet the team.
Our Beliefs
Erin is one family of faith under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, seeking to live that out in a richness of personal expression.
Our Lay Leaders
The Erin Session is responsible for leading the church’s ministry teams.
Our Ministries
At Erin, we don’t just “come” to church. We seek to “BE” the church.
The Erin Story
Erin Presbyterian Church is a congregation of about 300 members of all ages, economic, social, and educational backgrounds. It was established in 1877 and is the oldest continuing church in West Knoxville.
The Erin/Bearden Community
In the 1700’s and 1800’s, a small community to the west of Knoxville along Kingston Pike was known as Erin, named by the many early settlers from Ireland. The “Erin” name was changed to “Bearden” in the late 1800’s when a post office was built; an Erin post office already existed in West Tennessee. According to Bearden historian, Jack Neely, Erin Presbyterian Church is the only remaining entity to retain the early “Erin” community name.
A Church is Born
In the early 1870’s, there was no church or meeting house in the Erin community. Community members funded and built the first church in 1872-1873. As Presbyterians had taken the lead in building the church, Mrs. Mary Jane (General Joseph) Cooper deeded the land in 1874 by “in Trust and for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church of the United States” for the sum of $1. The land was deeded with the stipulation that other denominations might use the facility when not in use by the Presbyterians. The four Trustees listed in the deed were Joseph A. Cooper, John W. Nave, William F. Crippen and James W. Ventries. Erin Presbyterian Church was officially organized in September 1877.
Three Locations
The first Erin church was located between Kingston Pike and the railroad tracks near Kingston Pike and Northshore Drive. As was typical of churches of the time, the church had two entry doors: one for women and one for men.
The second Erin Presbyterian Church was erected in 1903, and stood at 6200 Kingston Pike, where Rose Mortuary/Mann Chapel now stands. An old Erin Cemetery remains in that area.
Erin Presbyterian Church moved to its current location in 1955, with major renovations and expansions in 2012.
Erin is part of the PC(USA) and has been Presbyterian since it was first established. We are a Christ-centered church and do our utmost to spread the Gospel through our ministries and missions.
We are also part of a local community of churches called the Bearden-Sequoyah United Ministries. Throughout the year, we participate in various ecumenical services and projects in our neighborhood. We see this as an important part of continuing our 130+ year mission to this part of Knoxville.