the Mega Church . . . at 6000 Atlanta Highway, began in 1899 as Frazer Memorial in a storefront on Holt Street in West Montgomery. It had grown to 500 members when it was displaced by I-65 construction in the early 1960s. The church relocated far out on the Atlanta Highway, onto a tiny 5-acre site, but did not lose a single member in the transition. By 1990 it had the largest worship attendance of any United Methodist Church in North America. By 2003 it offered seven worship services each Sunday, and had over 8000 members. The original site now appears to have grown to 50-acres.

In 2005 Frazer opened its 2000-seat contemporary worship center with DisneyWorld design influence, well able to accommodate large city-wide events. PH&J designed much of its earlier plant, from the first unit in 1967, to the traditional sanctuary in 1973, to the family life center in 2000. The photo above clearly denotes the change in architectural direction.

The old photo at right depicts Frazer when it was located on Herron Street in the church plant that was lost to the vast I-65 clearing and construction. That huge undertaking took not only the church building itself, but also the homes of many of its members.

-Charles Humphries