About us
Warn. Guide. Celebrate.
bēkn (pronounced “beacon”) is a faith-based nonprofit in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We work with church leadership to build meaningful community around seniors and the families who care for them.
Our mission
What a beacon does, we do.
A beacon warns of danger, guides ships home, and celebrates safe arrival. bēkn alerts churches to the growing needs of aging seniors and caregivers, guides congregations in developing ministries of care, and celebrates the dignity and value of our aging loved ones.
We equip churches to establish and sustain their own ministries that engage aging seniors, provide respite for family caregivers, and strengthen congregational support. Through educational workshops, practical resources, and ministry consultation, we help churches prepare families for important conversations about healthcare decisions, emergency preparedness, and future care needs.
Our goal is to strengthen churches as communities of compassion where seniors are honored, caregivers are supported, and families are cared for.
Our story
How bēkn began.
bēkn began with a simple conviction: the local church has a vital role to play in caring for aging adults and the families who love them.
Founder Kristina Twitty, MA, brought years of hands-on caregiving to that conviction. Caring for seniors living with cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s gave her firsthand insight into the emotional, practical, and spiritual challenges families face, both within and outside the church.
She first spoke about the church’s role with a caregiver support group in Chattanooga. Her research led to a two-part series published by Samaritan Ministries, Caring for Older Adults and Practical Solutions Through the Church, and became the foundation for bēkn, an Alpha Fund under the fiscal sponsorship of The Generosity Trust.
Combining her caregiving experience with her background in bioethics, theology, and nonprofit advocacy, Kristina developed bēkn to help churches move beyond awareness to meaningful action.
Today, bēkn equips congregations through education, research, and ministry development, helping churches become communities where seniors are honored, caregivers are supported, and no family has to navigate aging alone.
Samaritan Ministries, a medical expense sharing community, featured bēkn in a Member Highlight in summer 2025: bēkn formed to help churches minister better to their aging seniors.
Our journey
From one presentation to a ministry.
- October 2023
Caregiving & Conversations presentation
Kristina speaks on “Caregiving & Conversations” at a Caregiver Support Group hosted by Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church. Her research leads to two published articles exploring aging, caregiving, and the church’s calling to care.
- 2023–2025
Experience shapes the mission
While building bēkn’s organizational infrastructure, board, church relationships, and programs, Kristina also provides weekly care for two women living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This firsthand experience reveals both the caregiving resources available in Chattanooga and the gaps in support. After witnessing the life-giving impact of a local church’s dementia respite ministry on a woman in her care, Kristina incorporates the model into bēkn’s services, offering on-site consultation to help other churches establish similar ministries in their congregations and communities.
- July 2024
Founded under The Generosity Trust
The ministry begins as an Alpha Fund organization under The Generosity Trust, laying the organizational foundation for church-based caregiving education and support.
- November 2025
First pastors’ workshop
bēkn holds its first workshop for pastors, a sample of what it can bring to a congregation, covering dementia care, preparing ahead for emergencies, and the theology of memory loss.
- 2026
From listening to action
Educational workshops expand, and the Maclellan Foundation-funded Senior Caregiver Survey gathers 177 responses, identifying three priority areas for congregational support.
- 2027 and beyond
Equipping more churches
bēkn looks toward strengthening church partnerships, expanding practical education, and building a sustainable foundation for future ministry.
Grounded in Scripture
Honor your parents. Care for the vulnerable. Offer hospitality. Celebrate life.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
1 Peter 4:9“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”
Proverbs 16:31“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16Our team
Ethicists, nurses, pastors, and caregivers.
Our board comes from bioethics, nursing, pastoral ministry, social work, nonprofit leadership, and finance. Every one of them has cared for an aging parent or friend.
Start a conversation
How can we help?
Join the prayer team, get the newsletter, volunteer, or tell us about your church. No commitment, no cost.