“We were land-locked, there is no room for growth or expansion,” said Geoffrey Sikes, minister for the church. “Over the years, with all the growth taking place downtown, even parking has become an issue. Our potential for growth will be so much greater at our new location.”

“We make a big deal out of it every year. My kids love it so much that they ask me what day it’s going to be held on and then they mark the days of the calendar leading up to it.”

In a front-page story in today’s Nashville Tennessean, religion writer Bob Smietana highlights the racial diversity of the Rural Hill Church of Christ. Smietana describes Sundays at Rural Hill as “very traditional, with a capella hymns like ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus,’ a straightforward Bible sermon with few jokes or anecdotes, followed by prayers and communion.”

A new dental clinic is now open for people who can’t afford dental care in Nashville, Tenn. Donelson Church of Christ held a ribbon cutting ceremony Sunday for a $2 million addition that includes the clinic.

Another weekend. Another flood of youth groups from Churches of Christ bound for Gatlinburg, Tenn. On the heels of last week’s Winterfest — which drew more than 12,000 teens and sponsors to the mountain resort town — the Challenge Youth Conference expects a crowd of 9,000 for its event this weekend.

More than 12,000 teens and sponsors from Churches of Christ in 27 states are focusing on spiritual disciplines at the 27th annual Winterfest in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The three-day youth retreat began Friday afternoon and wraps up Sunday morning.

The building where the McClellan Avenue Church of Christ in Cookeville, Tenn., had met since 1975 was destroyed by fire late Monday. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Cookeville Times reports.