Kathleen Farnham to retire as MC director of Church Relations after more than two decades
April 15, 2025
As the spring semester draws to an end, there’s a sense of finality in the air for Kathleen Farnham, director of The Office of Church Relations at Maryville College for more than 20 years.
Farnham has held the position since November 2001, serving the Maryville College community by working with many organizations to maintain the relationship MC has with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Earlier this year, she announced her retirement at the end of the 2024-25 academic year.
“The reality is that much of the Church Relations work happens in partnership with others on campus — either initiated by Church Relations, supported by Church Relations, followed-up on by Church Relations, or implemented by Church Relations with support or follow-up by others,” Farnham explained.
Farnham’s involvement in the church is almost entirely collaborative, she explained. The goals of the church follow the College’s Faith and Learning Statement perfectly — fostering a welcoming and diverse community of belonging for all; providing students with the tools to critically engage spiritual, philosophical and ethical issues; embracing rigorous exploration of differing points of view; challenging all peoples to work for justice, strive for peace, and care for creation; and offering opportunities for worship and engagement in a community of scholarship, respect and integrity.
Farnham pointed out that there is a misconception that the work that the College does with the churches in the area is limited to the Presbyterian denomination, when in reality, MC works with a wide variety of denominations.
“What a joy it has been to work with many churches and members of the community over these years and to be in partnership with them, and to be able to work closely with MC’s church-related alumni around the country through (the Office of) Advancement,” she said. “We have a very ecumenical character as a college and relationships with many faith traditions.”
Relational work takes many forms
Farnham explained how there have been many impactful relationships that she has formed over the years. The Board of Church Visitors, which includes clergy and lay leaders from various denominations, has helped the College with its spiritual relationships for 25 years. She also described how she worked closely with the Rev. Dr. Anne McKee, Maryville College’s campus minister who stepped down to return to full-time ministry in 2022 and was integral to the growth of church relations.
“Anne and I did so much together that it was sort of like having two heads on one body. She did campus ministry, taking care of students, teaching and preaching. I was outside of the College, talking about the College, raising money for the College, talking about scholarships. It was one kind of job, but divided,” Farnham said.
This is how Farnham described a large majority of the work, in that it’s split up among different people and organizations. The relationship that MC has with the churches in the community would not be possible without the bridging of gaps between church communities and the College.
“We have a close relationship with our Presbytery (Presbyterian Church [USA] churches from this part of the state), the Presbytery of East Tennessee. The Presbytery and the approximately 60 churches within the Presbytery are some of our closest partners. Over the years, a major part of my work has been to create opportunities to support each other’s work and to raise the awareness of Maryville in the church and the awareness of the external church in the College,” Farnham said.
Another organization that has a big impact on church relations: The Maryville College Concert Choir. Each year, the choir goes on a national tour to spread the joy of music through spiritual songs.
“(I have experienced) 20 years of witnessing the dedication of (Choral Director) Stacey Wilner and the MC Concert Choir on tour, the deep connection between choir students and congregations across the Southeast and the radical hospitality of churches as they welcome students into their sanctuaries and their homes,” Farnham said.
In addition, MC’s campus ministry places emphasis on supporting and nurturing graduates who are working in the church. Farnham explained how important this outreach toward new graduates is to her work, and how she’s worked to bring that awareness to two alums who currently work in the Center for Campus Ministry.
The Rev. Jessica Kitchens Lewis ’07, the College chaplain, and the Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown ’15, associate chaplain, are the alumni who have benefitted from a Center for Campus Ministry culture of developing leadership for the church. Farnham expressed excitement about the current team at the CCM, which also includes Jamie Webster, interim director of interfaith ministry.
Divine providence leads to MC
Farnham’s work before coming to Maryville College was spent in education, first with the Head Start organization and then teaching middle school, high school and eventually adult learners. After 15-plus years of teaching, God led her to MC, she said, through former Maryville College Board of Directors member Ginny Morrow.
“I read the Founding Story and the Statement of Purpose, and knew I would be very lucky to be part of this place. In 2001, under Dr. Gerald Gibson’s leadership, MC was beginning the Window of Opportunity strategic plan, which included a renewed emphasis on faith, learning and service. Within a few months, the College advertised a job for a church relations director in the newspaper. I’ve always found it amazing that I even saw the job posting, and that the next steps fell into place,” Farnham said.
Farnham was born and raised in Knoxville and attended Central High School and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she got her undergraduate degrees in English and Sociology and her master’s in Educational Psychology.
Growing up, Farnham was an active part of church life. Her family was Episcopalian while a large portion of her community was Baptist and Methodist. Because of this, she attended church events with a large number of people, whether it was Wednesday night services or youth choir performance, but she also enjoyed experiences with more intimate church settings at her home church.
Farnham was introduced to the Presbyterian church after meeting her husband, Bill, in college, and soon after, discovered the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville.
“[Westminster’s] character as a young, growing church that also drew people from many traditions and parts of the country gave us room to grow in faith, to explore issues and ideas, to serve and to be in community. It’s not a surprise that the language of faith in general, and the Presbyterian Church in particular reflect the foundational character of Maryville as a college of welcome, learning, faith and service. We speak the same language,” Farnham explained.
Retirement reception set
Despite the decision to retire that brings her equal parts joy and sadness, Farnham is excited to be able to spend more time with her husband, children, grandchildren and grand-dogs. After 23 ½ years working with the College, she said the decision to step down was a lot like love — “you just know.”
Farnham looks forward to the luxury of doing one thing at a time, she said, but will carry the time she spent at Maryville College with her forever.
“I am so thankful for the gift of being a part of Maryville College — the people I’ve known and the work we’ve done will stay with me forever.”
A public reception to celebrate Farnham’s career and retirement will take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, in the Center for Campus Ministry.
Written by Lilli Bryan ’25
