World Servants first came to Jellico in June, 2000. Over the past few years, our partnership with local leaders, Good Soil Ministries, and the Woodland Community Organization has grown and is now key to our work in Tennessee today. Together we are working to meet the needs of this community.
Located between Knoxville, TN, and Lexington, KY, Jellico is part of the Appalachian Mountain range. The scenery is breathtaking and people are very friendly. Its native inhabitants represented a variety of Native American tribal groups. Tennessean’s passion for the outdoors and love for music, especially fiddles and other stringed instruments, speak of their early European roots even to this day.
Today, Jellico has a population of approximately 2,400. During its ‘boom days’ until the 1960’s, when coal was king, the population was more than 10,000. Times have changed—sixty percent of its current citizens are on government assistance, the schools are struggling with resources, and employment is a problem.