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Anne Frey: Service is Her Heart's Song
Pam Dykes
When God blesses us He never does anything small. He often provides exceedingly and abundantly more than we can think or imagine. That is exactly what has happened here at Central Church. God has blessed us with a phenomenal Senior Pastor whose fresh anointing and solid teaching has lead our church into this new season of restoration and revitalization. We are truly experiencing an overflow of His blessings because included in the
'Frey acquisition' is Ernie's lovely wife Anne.
Having Anne at Central church is a blessing because she encompasses many of the requisite qualities becoming of a pastor's wife. She is well educated. Anne has a Bachelors degree in music from Baylor University, and a Masters degree in art management from American University. She has held many prestigious job positions both inside and outside of the church, including Fundraising Development Associate, Director of Women's and Children's Ministry, and Praise and Worship Leader at Grace Community Church in Pennsylvania. Anne is also a writer, gifted musician, teacher, and composer.
In addition to all of her professional and educational accomplishments, Anne is an awesome woman, who truly loves God, and who is seeking to keep Him first in her life. Since doing God's will is her first priority she is able to serve God, her husband and children, and the members at Central Church in a special way. Although Anne has the qualifications and experience to hold a number of staff positions here at Central Church, she believes during this season in her life she has been called to fulfill three very important supportive roles.
"I believe that my role right now is to support what Ernie does by providing him with honest feedback and a supportive ear. I have a passion to create an environment of love and joy in my home that allows Ernie to excel at work. I want my home to be filled with fun and laughter. It is important to me that Ernie and I keep it real, remain authentic, are accountable to one another, and that we follow God's word," said Anne.
Anne adds, "Another important role in my life right now is being a mother. While Ernie has a huge responsibility at the church, I have a big responsibility for the daily care of our three daughters Morgan (8), Meredith (5), and Madison (12mos). God has recently changed my perspective in this area. I have come to realize that my biggest mission field is in my home. As someone who has been on the mission field in Africa, I often feel that we have to go somewhere to minister to people. But I know now that the people God wants me to minister to are the children that God has blessed me with. I want my children to develop a personal relationship with God. I want to show them that we go to church not because Ernie is the Pastor, but because we need the Lord. I believe that if we instill godly principles in them now, they will be able to make the right choices for themselves later."
When asked how she teaches her children about the Lord, Anne said that she reads the Bible to them as often as she can, and she tries to have a time of devotion with Morgan in the mornings before she goes to school. Anne said that she mostly tries to show them how to live as the Bible instructs them to live. She tries to show them how to apply the concepts outlined in the Bible to real life situations. "For example," she notes, "the Bible says that we are to forgive (Mark 11:25). If I have done something wrong, or when Ernie does something wrong, we show them how to confess to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. By allowing them to see you walk out the principles in the Bible, it teaches them a lot more than just telling them what to do. I truly love being a wife and mother and I love all that comes with my role. I have recently come to appreciate even the more mundane tasks such as doing the laundry or cleaning the house. I no longer look at these tasks as drudgery. God has totally changed my perspective in this area, and I love serving my family."
"Another important role that I have been called to do, is to care for, and love the members of Central Church. I know that with a church as large as Central, I will not be able to get to know everyone. But it is truly my heart's desire to know as many people as I possibly can. I don't just want to have a casual relationship with our members, I want to know what is in their hearts," says Anne. " Basically, I want to love whomever God places in my path. Finally, I want to support the ministries of Central Church, by praying for them and participating in them when I am asked to do so. Besides, I believe that I can do what I have been called to do during this season in my life because of the phenomenal staff here at Central. I am really excited about the way that the Holy Spirit is moving in this church. I am also excited about the people that God has surrounded Ernie with --- because they are very capable of accomplishing their jobs, and more importantly the staff is hungry to experience a richer and deeper relationship with the Lord."
"Right now my biggest challenge," adds Anne, "is getting over the feeling that since we are leading the church, Ernie and I have to have it all together, or that we must be perfect. But I believe that the Lord has delivered me from this unrealistic expectation. We try to keep it real, and let everyone know that we are human and that we are not perfect which allows the congregation to see how wonderful God's grace is. We allow people to see our imperfections so that they will know why we need the Lord."
Although Anne is quick to point out that she isn't perfect, she is in fact the perfect woman to be leading the women at Central Church, because the women at Central are not looking for someone who is perfect. We are looking for someone who is authentic and transparent. It is encouraging for all of us to see that Anne has some imperfections and that she is diligently seeking her completion in God.
When asked where her art and music fit in to all of this Anne laughed and said, "At this point in my life it is something that I do in my spare time." Anne has released 3 music CDs and she is working on her forth, and she is also in the process of writing a book. She also teaches piano and harp to several students, and enjoys running, painting and doing several crafts.
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