In 2006, God began to impart a dream in the hearts of Chris & Lisa Frith. Upon realizing that God was calling them to eventually birth a church, they started compiling the vision on paper. In the late months of that year, Chris & Lisa began seeking godly counsel from seasoned and trusted pastors, leaders, friends & family in order to proceed wisely with what they knew the Lord had laid on their hearts.
Initially, they thought the work would be established in Texas. They had been living there since 2002 and cultivated many deep relationships along the way with people who were now praying along with them for direction in this vision. However, as God was faithful to guide and direct, He also closed every door. It was during this year of continued prayer & counsel that ‘We See a Place’ found its way from their hearts to written expression. It also became obvious that they were to pack up everything & return home to Alabama. They did so in January of 2008.
A southern homecoming was a no-brainer for the Friths. Chris was born and raised in Dothan, and it was the first 6 years of their marriage spent in the South that Lisa says, “ruined her” to find a way back. Upon their return to the Wiregrass area, it was confirmed in their hearts and in the mouths of many witnesses that this God-dream was to be planted in Dothan.
Chris made several phone calls to close friends with whom he and Lisa had already done ministry & life together, telling them of the adventure ahead and casting the vision of ‘We See a Place’. He asked each of them to pray about joining them in the journey of planting a church in Dothan. Meanwhile, the Lord was downloading a specific blueprint on how this work was to be accomplished & what it was going to look like. The dream was given a name: Legacy Church. A local Body with a huge heart for the emerging generations & for mentorship, the Friths believe the Lord led them to this name.
From February to May 2008, Legacy held a monthly prayer meeting for the city, state, nation, and current events. In June, Legacy started meeting for service two Saturdays out of the month in the upstairs game room of a dear friend. Around the same time, 4 families & 2 individuals from different parts of the United States answered the call of God in their hearts, left everything, and moved to Dothan. Now, with a very strong foundation of great families & individuals, Legacy Church is continuing the pursuit of the dream as it truly wants to build up people and bridge the generations.
New Church looks to bridge ‘generation gap’
Dothan Eagle
LANCE GRIFFIN
Published: March 4, 2009
It started with what some would call a gut feeling, but Chris Frith sees it as a divine nudging. It went from there on to a piece of paper. Frith, an avid journaler, began to put his thoughts into written words and soon others joined in.
“We realized real soon we had a church,” he said.
On Saturday nights in Dothan, guitars, keyboards, drums and vocals set the tone for worship at Legacy Church. Five families began meeting in a home just more than a year ago. Now, more than 100 come to the Fine Arts Building of Northside Methodist Academy, Legacy’s new home for about two months.
So why start a church in a town that has one on almost every corner?
Frith, Legacy’s pastor, said the idea for the church was born out of data he said indicates a disconnect between church and people in their late teens and 20s.
“There is a Grand Canyon gap between generations,” Frith said. “Generations do life completely different, and we saw a reason and a need for Legacy in Dothan. If you have this huge gap, that means the Christian heritage can’t be passed down, and the biggest thing we can pass down is our Christian heritage.”
“If we lose this generation, we are in deep, deep trouble,” he said.
Frith said several families moved from different parts of the country to help start the non-denominational church.
Their mission statement is “building people and bridging generations.” The music is typically upbeat and contemporary, with the congregation joining in many popular praise and worship choruses. Hymns are sung, too, with fresh arrangements. While the worship style may cater to a younger set, Frith said Legacy is for everyone.
“Yes, we are trying to reach people 18 to 30, but we have people coming from all ages,” Frith said.
The church meets Saturday nights at 6:30. Frith said the church chooses to meet on Saturday nights to reach those to which traditional Sunday morning church may be a stumbling block to attending. A link announcing Legacy’s worship time is headed by the words “Sleepyheads Rejoice!”
“We are not coming in and trying to compete and we are not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Frith said. “There are many good churches in Dothan and we just want to come alongside them in doing God’s work.”
Frith said it is not uncommon for his family to visit other churches on Sunday mornings.
Northside Methodist Academy is located at 2600 Redmond Road. More information on the church can be found at LegacyDothan.com. |
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