About Us
Meet The Pastor
Danai Chinoda is the Pastor at Lillard Chapel United Methodist Church. He was born in Nashville, TN, then at a young age he moved to Zimbabwe, Africa where his family is from. He returned to America at the age of 12.
Danai answered his call to preach on December 27, 2013. He was licensed to preach May 18, 2014, at Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church by Pastor H. Bruce Maxwell. He loyallyserved under Pastor Maxwell’s leadership up until 2020. In the spring of 2021, Pastor Danai and his wife launched The House of Victory church in Mount Juliet, TN. He faithfully served there as the Senior Pastor until mid-2023 when he was appointed as the Pastor of Lillard Chapel UMC.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Ministry and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. He is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors for Tennessee Personal Assistance, Inc.; a non-profit organization that provides services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in middle Tennessee. He has over 15 years of experience in home healthcare services. Danai is also a member of the Board of Directors for The House of Victory scholarship foundation.
He is married to his wonderful wife TaNisha Chinoda. They have 2 children Destin and Laken.He enjoys spending time and traveling with his family, mountain biking, playing and refereeing basketball, as well as participating in any outdoor activities.
He is a humble and devoted servant of God. He is dedicated to teaching God’s uncompromising word to the body of Christ and serving the universal church; for God’s glory.
OUR HISTORY
No one knows the exact day of the beginnings of this humble yet mighty church. It’s first meeting place was a brush harbor, just to the west of the present-day building.
On October 22, 1887, Mr. Bird and his wife, Aggie Peebles, donated two and one-half acres of land for Peebles Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. A log church was built with two doors – one for women and one for men. The building had a wood and coal heather, and used kerosene lamps on the walls and to light the pulpit. The church had a bell used for calling worshipers on Sunday, to announce a death in the community, and to announce funeral processions. Unfortunately, the logs slipped over time and the building was propped up with poles. At one time, the Rev. Goodman used his horse to pull the logs back into place.
The name Lillard Chapel came from the Pastor, Rev. Pap Lillard. He named the community Little Hope because of so few people attending church that there was “little hope” of attendance increasing – a threat to the church. That is how Little Hope Road came to be.
The Peebles family donated the land for the school. The first school was also by the brush harbor. The school was a one room building, and would open in mid-July for six to eight weeks, and then break for cotton picking season. The school year ended in mid-May for cotton chopping season. The 1950s is when the August-to-May school year began; this was also the time period that the first hot lunches were served year round. Children came from surrounding communities to attend school.
When Rev. Reasonover was pastor, he built a vestibule, creating one main entrance to the church. In 1952, the church replaced wooden steps with concrete logs, and they were dedicated to James T. Long, who was in the process of making them at the time of his death.
The Senior Choir was organized by the Rev. Bracey Tillage, who passed away in November 1957. Prior to his death, he began the tradition of New Year’s watch service. The choir stand was built in 1952, along with two choir rooms that doubled as Sunday School rooms. In December 1957, the Rev. A.C. Phillips became our pastor until May 1968. Under his leadership, gas heaters were installed, the United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women were organized, Sunday School rooms were built, and a Kindergarten and Junior High Sunday Schools began.
In 1958, students at nearby Scarritt College studying to be missionaries were placed in the community; Russell Long was placed with our church. Ms. Cora Lee Glenn, a deaconess, was assigned and we had Vacation Bible School.
