2022-23: A Year in Review
June 2022 - May 2023
GROUPS
• This time last year we had an average of 480 people plugged in during the discipleship hour.
• The current number is 640, an increase on average of 160 more people plugged in to a group every Sunday morning.
• FYA (Frazer Young Adults) grew from one class to a ministry of 5 partner classes that complete service projects and host fellowship events together. They are preparing to expand to 6 classes in August with the Launch of a new 18-24 group.
• 9 Frazer Members took a next step as new Bible study teachers and small group leaders this past year.
• 13 new groups were launched, including a Korean Fellowship Group, Salt & Light, aimed to bring together our members and guests from Korean backgrounds.
• We hosted 2 leader encouraging/equipping events for more than 150 leaders.
• The Groups Ministry Board was formed, allowing for 8 of our faithful leaders to serve in support of our teachers and leaders.
• The FYA council was formed, allowing 7 young adults to step into leadership, giving direction and energy to this growing ministry.
Stories of Impact from Groups:
1. Don & Henrietta Bascom — sensed a call to mentor and disciple young parents after attending a parenting and grandparenting conference. They launched a small group and have poured into the lives and marriages of several young couples over the last year. They frequently invite couples over to their house and offer to babysit children for date nights.
2. Dianne Watters — Dianne sensed a call for a long time to be a group leader, but stepping out in faith took a lot of courage for her. She started leading a group using video curriculum but after attending our 2022 Night of Vision, decided she wanted to do her part to help end biblical illiteracy and began teaching through the gospels with the Life Along the Way series. Now her group is thriving and growing, and she has grown her skills and confidence as a teacher-leader.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
• Our Worship Wednesday Kids have grown in their expression of worship to God by packing out the stage in both the Traditional and Contemporary Services several times this year.
• We had almost 100 kids sing at our Palm Sunday Service! Our Kids love to worship in spirit and in truth and they are getting that reinforced even more on Wednesday nights as we have looked at every book in the Old Testament!
• We rejoice in 25 Baptisms this school year!
• We rejoice in children accepting Jesus and praying to receive Christ at home – we just help plant and water, but it is awesome when the PARENTS get to reap the harvest by praying the prayer of salvation with their children!
• We have had 95 first-time guests this school year - 20 of them now attend on a regular basis.
• Our Kids Worship Team has been growing and they are here every Sunday and Wednesday and love to lead!
• Frazer Kids Volunteers have remained faithful with many of them serving every single week – Sundays and Wednesdays (and we still need more to join the mighty force!) Our teenagers that serve on Sundays have increased in number to 30.
• Jeremy and Niki Peterson have been faithfully serving our 4th & 5th grade boys and girls (separately) since Covid.
• We took 111 kids and leaders to Kids Camp the first week of June!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
• 2nd annual Faith Meets Mental Health Summit held in May had an increase in attendance from last year, and featured keynote speaker Dr. Matthew Sleeth, an emergency room doctor and author. Our summit this year focused on maintaining healthy boundaries, the DNA of a sacred marriage, suicide, and the intersection between faith and mental health.
• John Ed Documentary: an original documentary screening in November 2022 featuring our Pastor Emeritus, Dr. John Ed Mathison, as we shared the story of John Ed’s life and his work in ministry. John Ed retired in June 2008 after 36 years of serving as the senior minister of Frazer Church. Since then, John Ed Mathison Leadership Ministries was established to help equip pastors and churches, including participating in the global Billion Soul Initiative.
DISCIPLESHIP
• We currently have three Women’s Circles that meet monthly, September-May, and bring in speakers to enrich their understanding of the ministry going on in our church, the community, and around the world. They care for each other, serve together and have given close to $10,000 to mission needs this year. One of the circles started going to the Duffy Center at Wesley Gardens a few years ago once a week and now there are 3 groups that go three afternoons a week.
• Women’s Christmas Brunch: 60-plus hostesses create beautiful tablescapes for friends and strangers. More than 100 volunteers work at this event.
• Food preparation included: 400 eggs, 22 pounds of grits, 100 pounds of fruit, 3500 ounces of coffee, 1500 sausage balls, 1500 pecan muffins, and 2000 cinnamon bites
• Widow’s Ministry: Through our ministry to widows, GriefShare draws the unchurched widows and widowers, as well as men and women grieving any kind of loss. They come from various churches in the area and are welcomed with open arms. They find hope and help from others who have faced similar losses.
• 20+ Frazer widows were helped on a community workday for widows, by men from ministry areas throughout Frazer (Men’s Ministry, FYA, Choir, Groups). Additionally, over 250 are encouraged and served through Widow Encouragement and Care throughout the year.
• Moms of Preschoolers Playdate is planned for June 1st and 52 moms have been personally invited. The purpose is to connect those in a similar life stage.
• Around the Table Women’s Gatherings enabled over 200 women to meet at least 5 other women –starting 1000 new relationships!
• New Members: July 2022-April 2023 - we had 112 New Members representing 68 family units!
• We began “The Welcoming Table,” inviting new members to a seated dinner for 12 in a home. The purpose is to connect with new members over a meal, telling stories about themselves based on story cards. The result: 70 feel known, and they know something about everyone else at the table.
• My Story Form - added this to our new member process. We learn where they are in their faith journey, how they got there, as well as who has impacted them and where they want to serve.
CONNECTION POINT/GUEST SERVICES
• Assists an average of 20 people per Sunday, which is over 1,000 questions a year.
OLDER ADULTS
• Speeders Choir: 25-30 participate in this choir. We shared 15 concerts at nursing homes and assisted living homes.
• SPIRIT: Held every second Thursday night throughout the year. Our highest attendance was 450!
Entertainment included Elvis, a 70-piece concert band, a harpist, and various choral ensembles.
• Older Adult Bible Study and Worship: An average of 45 people participated in a plated meal and Bible study on Wednesday nights. Sunday night worship had as many as 80 people with an average of 45. We have covered dish meal twice a month.
• Over 700 people attended Stations of the Cross
CARE MINISTRY
• Our pastoral care team made over 750 hospital visits and over 600 calls to individuals in nursing homes, assisted living, rehabs, and shut-ins at home.
• Our Prayer Team participated in the National Day of Prayer Breakfast and had a dozen people share in the Bible Reading Marathon in downtown Montgomery.
• Year-to-Date we have had 60 baptisms.
• There are 40 Joseph Ministry volunteers who have served at 26 funerals since July 1, 2022.
PRISON MINISTRY
• Kairos – Four men from Frazer joined with 25 men from the River Region to share a 72-hour Kairos weekend at Staton Prison with 60 inmates.
WORSHIP
• Our Frazer Worship album, “Anchored”, has been streamed 30,000 times and in 40 nations around the world.
• Unity in Music Ministry – We have 17 members of the music ministry serving across all styles of worship and in all worship services here at Frazer.
• We offer a Korean translation and ASL interpretation for our 11 AM service.
• Our traditional choir ranges in age from 14 to 86 - that’s 7 decades!
• Our summer concert, “Then Sings My Soul,” brought over 1,100 people to our campus to celebrate our country and worship together through song and praise.
• In the past year, we have had 31 new members join the choir.
MEDIA MINISTRY
• Our TV station was awarded a Communicator Award of Distinction in the Religion and Spirituality Category for the 2022 Christmas Day Special
PRODUCTION MINISTRY
• Has 10 volunteers with 3 nationalities represented
STUDENT MINISTRY
• 330 Students and Volunteers have been a part of our ministry since August
• 145 First Time Guests
• 180 in attendance at DNOW
• 20 at Memphis Mission Trip
• 100 Students experienced our Middle and High School Retreats collectively
• 18 students have been baptized this year
• 20 adults now leading in student ministry, came up through the ministry as students themselves
• 14 active high schoolers in high level accountability and leadership group
• 40 weekly volunteers (small groups, check-in)
• Students are worshiping more freely - vulnerable to be prayed for during IMPACT & on Sunday
• 30+ students active in our Sunday Night College ministry - led by Jeremy and Lindsey Goddard
• Over 4,000 chicken nuggets and 1,000 Krispy Kreme Donuts have been consumed on Sunday
mornings during our quarterly donuts and devos.
• 33 different schools represented within the student ministry
• Drove the church bus nearly 2,400 miles across the United States
• 15 students got covid after Generate
• Over 600 Frazer Student shirts made
SPORTS AND FITNESS
• Over 263 new participants in our youth sports
• 40 participants who played multiple sports within our programs
• Over 50 coaches who volunteered in our program, and 6 who volunteered for multiple sports
AROUND THE CHURCH
• $1.2 million dollars spent on improvements throughout the campus
HISPANIC MINISTRY
• Added 13 new families to our ministry
• Gave aid to 2 families who have arrived by Visa program.
• Online activity very good - 2 times a week, 14 kids participate in an online Bible study
• 40 adults participate in age-appropriate modules for discipleship through Zoom
• New sign on building is attracting more Hispanics
• Growing in Wednesday Night Prayer – have 40 attendees
NURSERY
• We have doubled the number of children, averaging 65 children on Sundays and 45 Children on Wednesday nights.
• We have supported 3 Military Family Programs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings as well as Wednesday nights.
• Approximately 30 new families with multiple children have joined since last year.
• 16 new Babies
• 3 Parents Night Out Events
• 1 Foster Care Respite Night Out Event
• Supported English as a Second Language and DHR Foster Parent Classes on Tuesday Nights
• Supported DHR Montgomery Adoption and Foster Care Association Monthly Meeting on Tuesday nights.
MISSIONS
• ESL had 28 volunteers serving 212 total registered students from over 20 countries. Our nursery also helps provide free childcare for this group.
• Prison ministry has been fully back in swing since COVID. There are 15 volunteers that rotate going into Kilby Prison every Tuesday night to provide worship and a message for 60-80 inmates ending with an altar call each night. Since expanding their budget, we have been able to aid in other ways such as donating Bibles and eyeglasses, co-sponsoring a Thanksgiving meal for the guards who worked that holiday, and providing food for a cookout for the Honors Dorm inmates. We were also able to help with several bags of ice when their freezers went out last summer and Ken Roach helped lead a communion service during Holy Week.
• We were already involved at Dalraida Elementary to provide “backpacks” of food for children to take home for the weekends. This year we added Chisholm Elementary and now provide 68 bags of food each week of the school year for children identified by the school counselors.
• When the tornado hit Selma, AL, the FYA council organized a service project that collected items for that community. They assembled 250 hygiene kits as well as collected diapers, blankets, pillows, and towels.
• We were able to give a $10,000 grant to Montgomery Christian School which will fund their afterschool literacy program for one year.
• We partnered with Cami and Cheryl (Children’s and Nursery) to offer a Foster Family Respite Night for foster and adoptive families in our area. 16 children attended and were loved and cared for while their parents were blessed with 3 hours of respite for themselves.
• Gary Cochran led a mission trip to Guanabacoa, Cuba on July 24 - August 1, 2022, of ten team members. This team helped paint Sunday School classrooms, provided supplies/resources for a children’s VBS, led a Women’s Bible study, and provided marriage workshops.
• Michael Gross led a mission trip to Holguin, Cuba on November 4-10, 2022, of four team members. The purpose of this trip was to reconnect with pastors/churches in Eastern Cuba as our ministry in Cuba will be focused on Holguin for the next few years. Mike and Lisa Conn also provided marriage workshops.
• Elizabeth Drollette, Michael Gross, and Kym Klass visited our mission partner, Blair Brendle, in Malawi. The purpose of this trip was to provide encouragement for Blair as well as to see the school buildings that were built with money raised during Christmas 2021.
• Funds raised during Christmas 2022, provided over $30,000 for Hannah’s Home in Egypt as well as $20,000 for Alabama based organizations providing the same services for women and children.
• We began partnering with our first Free Methodist World Missions (FMWM) missionary, Jason and Wendi Doblin, who are located in Thailand.
• We hosted Luiz and Dani Cardoso on May 26-29, 2023, as we began to form a partnership to help them plant the first Free Methodist church in Glasgow, Scotland. The church raised over $30,000 to assist them with start-up costs.
TRANSFORMATION MONTGOMERY
• A resident who started making payments in 2014, has completed paying off her house and became the first homeowner in the Transformation Montgomery Program! A reception was held to celebrate her accomplishment.
• Transformation Pre-K served eighteen students this year with two special needs children and seven who did not speak English. Now, the seven speak English and both special needs students have everything in place to be able to enter public school with all the services needed. We also had 100% participation in all parent events.
• Transformation Montgomery Pre-K was chosen by the Alabama Department of Early Learning as the training site for all the Mental Health regional coaches across the state. We have formed a working relationship with the Mental Health division that now includes working with our students in summer camp.
• One of our Transformation Montgomery children, who started with us in 4th grade, has now graduated and is enrolled in the USAF dental program and is on track to enter dental school. He was homeschooled at the Center for high school.
• This school term, nine students, from kindergarten – 6th grade, were homeschooled at the Center. Most had perfect attendance and excelled in their academics. Part of their curriculum was learning the Bible and memorization of verses. They excelled at both.
• Our 6-week Summer Camp has started, and the theme is Romans 8:28. All the children in Garden Square Neighborhood are invited to attend and we have 25 volunteers who have committed to investing in the children this summer.
• A Garden Square Neighborhood Watch has been established and meets with the Police Department at the Center once a month. This has helped build a great sense of community.
