ABOUT US
Just as a beacon offers a warning, guidance and celebration, bēkn's mission is to warn of current and growing needs of seniors and families in the church, guide and equip our church families to care for one another and celebrate the years of our aging loved ones.
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We do this through partnerships with church leadership to provide essential support for family caregivers and seniors by creating spaces for respite and renewal and facilitating meaningful conversations about wishes for the later years of life.
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Using the proven tools offered by The Conversation Project and Respite for All Foundation, or tailor-made ministries, we guide congregations in implementing programs that minister to the unique spiritual, emotional, and practical needs of their senior members and their families.
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We empower churches to become centers of compassion and care. This ensures that both seniors and their caregivers are supported in every aspect of their journey.
Our mission is grounded in Scripture's call to honor our parents, care for the vulnerable, offer hospitality and celebrate life.
James 1:27
"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."
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1 Peter 4:9
"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."​
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Proverbs 16:31
"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life."
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Deuteronomy 5:16
"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."
OUR TEAM
Our board consists of a dynamic mix of visionaries, strategists, and communicators. They come together from various backgrounds and expertise, but all have one common ground...care for our aging population.
Kristina
Twitty
Founder/Director, Board Chair
bēkn was founded by Kristina Twitty with a desire to create solutions for aging seniors and caregiving family by equipping the local church.
An advocate, speaker, writer and consultant, she got her start in public policy and nonprofit advocacy, beginning in the mid-90s in Georgia. Her focus turned to bioethics issues during the 2006 cloning debate in Missouri where she was serving on congressional staff. In 2008, she received her certificate degree in Biblical and Theological Studies, with an emphasis in bioethics from Covenant Theological Seminary (CTS). Continuing to work and self-educate in the field of ethics and public policy, she returned to graduate school in 2017 and received her Master’s in Bioethics from Trinity Graduate School in Deerfield, Illinois, May 2020.
Following the illness & loss of loved ones in 2019 and providing in-home senior care during covid, Kristina recognized the need for having informed problem-solving support when faced with medical decisions, especially on behalf of one's family members. She has seen first-hand the struggles of families managing care for themselves and their aging loved ones, often with a diagnosis of dementia.
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Kristina has continued to put her skills to work personally and professionally, helping to provide tools and resources on a wide variety of topics through public speaking and discussion groups. Through bēkn she offers guidance, support and a celebration of aging loved ones.