Written By Ben Cox – When this feature debuted on our site, one of the first two preachers highlighted was Dr Don Scroggs along with Joey Wilbourn. Scroggs, the Lead Pastor for First United Methodist Church of Brownwood, had recently announced his retirement later in the year.
The man who is now filling the traditional service’s pulpit at FUMC is named Jay Fraze, and he comes to Brownwood from the Community of Hope Methodist Church in Mansfield. I had an opportunity to sit down with him and find out a little bit about him, and his background in the ministry.
Fraze says “For me it started back when I was 14. I grew up Baptist, and attended a youth camp and then came back and told the pastor that I felt God was calling me to ministry. He said ‘Great, you’re preaching Sunday night!’ I said ‘What?!?’ And he let me flounder that first one but then worked with me and helped me after that.”
Taking his cues from the liner notes of a Petra cassette, Fraze says his first sermon was “written out and color coordinated, but lasted all of five minutes.” Since then, he’s put in a bit more work.
Finding his way through Youth Ministry and eventually to the pulpit in the Baptist church, Fraze ultimately left the ministry for several years after a divorce. That experience made him believe he was unfit to lead a congregation.
After visiting a Methodist church for some time, he relayed his experience with the ministry and leaving it “with the pastor who asked ‘Can’t God forgive you for that?’ which opened the door to ministry for Fraze once again. “Those words changed me, I had to go home and think about it.”
Fraze says one thing he took to heart from the beginnings of his return to ministry is “the fact that you don’t have to be a pastor who preaches to be in ministry. You can be a news guy that plays drums and guitar, you can be someone involved in scouts, you don’t have to be full time or a paid staff person to be in ministry. We’re all in ministry.”
“I’m an East Texas boy, I grew up in pine trees. And when this church called we came to visit. And right around the corner from where the parsonage is are some pine trees, and my daughter said ‘Dad, you’re home!”
Across 10th Street from Brownwood High School sits First United Methodist Church of Brownwood
A story teller, impressionist, and humorist at times, Fraze tries to stay away from one style of preaching unless a series calls for it. “I try to do several different styles during the year. Some of it is more thematic, sometimes it’s about things we are all going through, sometimes I will do a book of the Bible and pick out some of the themes in that book. Rather than line by line, which I like to do in a Bible Study setting.”
A drummer from the 6th grade, Fraze played in several youth and praise bands over the years. He has passed his love of percussion to his eldest son, who is entering college this fall. His daughter is beginning her 2nd year of college and his youngest son is entering the 7th grade at Brownwood Middle School. His wife was a teacher of American Sign Language in Mansfield.
Welcome to Brownwood, Pastor Fraze. We hope the slogan “It Feels Like Home” will ring true for you and yours, rapidly.
