Vol. 25 No.5
News & Events Turn in your Followership Card! It’s not too late to turn in your Followership cards. Turn in your card by mailing it to the church, dropping it off in the church office, or going to www.frazerumc.org. GET CONNECTED- Connection Groups such as small groups, Bible studies, Sunday School classes are how you can connect to God’s Word, God’s People, and God’s World. New groups are forming now for men, women, singles, couples, young and old. Check out all the options at frazerumc.org/connect, pick up a Connections magazine in the Atrium, or visit the Group Expo in the Atrium Sunday. SAVE THE DATE: FOLLOWERSHIP VOLUNTEER TRAINING JAN. 26- Mark your calendar for Saturday, Jan. 26, for Followership 2013 Volunteer training! A complete schedule of training times and locations will be posted in the bulletin and other publications in the coming weeks. You should also be contacted by the ministry area which you signed up to serve. Please note, not all ministry areas will hold training activities on Jan. 26 but the individual ministries will contact you to let you know when that particular training will be scheduled.
www.frazerumc.org
January-February 2013
‘More of Jesus, Less of me’: Sharing Frazer’s Vision for 2013 Staff Reports To start off the new year, Senior Minister Tim Thompson shared his vision for Frazer for 2013, and his heart and desire for every member of the congregation to discover the life that God designed for them to have. The four essential pieces to becoming a C-4 church, and having a transformed life, lie in God’s Word, Community, Mission and Worship. He shared his vision with the congregation on Sundays, Jan. 6 and 13. “Every morning, I say the same prayer: Lord, today let there be more of Jesus and less of me,” he said. “I believe with every fabric of my soul, that if I can get that right, then I can begin to discover the abundant life found in Jesus. Only in Him will we find the life for which we are created, the life God intends for us to have.” If we want to be better parents, spouses, children, employees, neighbors and friends, then we have to have more of Christ in our lives, and less of ourselves. Therein lies the problem: ourselves. Oftentimes, we like to blame others for our struggles, but most of the time, we are the problem.
Photo by LEE WERLING
Senior Minister Tim Thompson shared his vision for Frazer in 2013 with the Wesley Hall congregation Sunday, Jan. 13. He shared the same message of becoming a “C-4 church” through creating compelling connections with Christ with the Sanctuary congregation on Sunday, Jan. 6.
“We keep getting in the way,” Tim said. “How do we get ourselves out of the way to find the life God designed for us?”
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Christmas Eve offering will help continue God’s transforming work in Garden Square neighborhood
DOWNLOAD DAILY BIBLE STUDY GUIDES AND DEVOTIONS As we focus on being a WordCentered, World-Changing church in 2012, our teaching pastors are providing a daily Bible study guide to lead you through the section of the Bible they are preaching on each week. Pick up your copy inside your bulletin on Sunday or download from the links found at frazerumc.org/ bible_study_guides. You can also sign up online to receive a daily devotion e-mail. PHOTO BY LEE WERLING
More events & a nn o u nc e m e n t s pa g e 2 M o n t h ly C a l e n d a r Pa g e 3
PHOTO BY CHRIS THORNTON
The Frazer congregation gave more than $63,000 in a special offering collected for Transformation Montgomery on Christmas Eve.
By Amy Presley News Editor
The Frazer family once again felt God nudging at their hearts to give to those in need through a special Christmas Eve offering for the Transformation Montgomery project. Between the two Christmas Eve candlelight worship services, the congregation gave nearly $63,000 specifically to help with renovation costs for
a recently purchased commercial building at the entrance of the Garden Square neighborhood. Frazer closed on the property on Dec. 13, and will soon begin the process of restoring the building and turning it into a “Transformation Center” that will provide a base from which to serve the entire neighborhood in life-changing ways. Classrooms for after-school programs for
The Transformation Montgomery sign near the entrance of the Garden Square neighborhood.
school-age children and adult education opportunities, meeting spaces for small groups, Bible studies and mentoring sessions are just a small part of the vision we have for this space and how it can help change lives and build strong families within this community. As of the end of December, three of the homes purchased by Frazer are occupied with renters and a fourth will be ready for occupants after some minor repairs. Continued page 5