A Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Home in Frisco
Grace Avenue United Methodist Church sits on Main Street in Frisco, Texas, just west of Legacy Drive and next door to the Frisco Family YMCA. The white-stucco sanctuary, worship center, learning wings, and grounds shared with the adjacent pumpkin patch have made the corner of Main and Kyser Way a familiar gathering spot for the fastest-growing city in North Texas. Founded in 1999 as a third-generation congregation planted by St. Andrew United Methodist Church of Plano, which itself grew out of Highland Park United Methodist Church of Dallas, Grace Avenue is built on the conviction that everyone needs a spiritual home, an emotional home, and a physical home.
The church describes its mission plainly: "Eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself." That mission shapes everything from Sunday morning sermons to a community food pantry, an English-as-a-Second-Language program, and an annual capital campaign called "A Church for ALL." In its own words, Grace Avenue exists so that no one in its orbit has to face spiritual emptiness, emotional isolation, or physical want alone.
Six Congregations Under One Roof
Grace Avenue calls itself "One Church, Six Congregations." Each expression has its own flavor, but they all share the same pastors, staff, and theology. Visitors can pick the community that fits them best and stay for as long as it feels right.
Sanctuary. The Sanctuary worship services at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. offer a familiar, traditional style with classic liturgy and hymns. Pastors and worship leaders wear robes, the full Sanctuary Choir brings anthems to life at the 10:30 service, and every service closes with the sung benediction "Lord, Make Your Home in Me." The Sanctuary seats up to 450.
Modern. The Modern services, also at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m., meet in the Worship Center. The 9:15 a.m. gathering, called "A Different Door," drops the sermon in favor of music, prayer, and a live-podcast-style conversation with guest voices. The 10:30 a.m. service blends contemporary music and a casual atmosphere with a message. Together they are designed to be a disarming entry point for anyone who has been hurt by church before. Modern's community values are summed up in the words "Without Exception, We Belong."
Grace Chapel. Located north of Highway 380, Grace Chapel is a second campus under the Rev. Kim Eiffert, with its own Director of Worship, Family Ministries Coordinator, Early Learning Center Director, Business Manager, and Technical Director.
Seekers & Skeptics. Led by Amber Baker, this congregation is a community for people who feel that not all those who wander are lost. It includes the Through a Different Lens class, Kaleidoscope (a class that explicitly welcomes queer, neurodivergent, and otherwise "unique" participants), and Outside the Lines, a study of queer theology.
Silver Link. Silver Link is a worship service held at The Landing, the assisted living area of Watermere at Frisco. Volunteers from Grace Avenue lead a congregation of about 20 residents from all denominations each week. Leaders are asked to commit to roughly six Sundays a year, offering a devotional message, music, communion, or liturgy.
Little Elm. A new worshipping community is preparing to launch in northwest Little Elm.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and is closed Friday and Saturday. Worship services are offered every Sunday at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. in both Sanctuary and Modern styles. Holy Communion is celebrated in all services on the first Sunday of every month. On the second through fifth Sundays, a 9:00 a.m. Communion service is offered in the Sanctuary before the 9:15 services begin.
First-time guests can request a personal building tour and a "Connect" meeting with the pastors by emailing Rev. Karyl Patredis at karyl@graceavenue.org or by filling out the online Connect form. Children are warmly welcomed in worship, and the church notes that the sounds of children are "a beautiful reminder of intergenerational ministry." Coloring pages, sermon note pages, and fidgets are available to keep little hands engaged.
Three parking lots are marked by colored flags on the light poles. The North lot (blue) leads to the Church Office and the Worship Center where Modern Worship takes place. The West lot (yellow) is closest to the playground and the entrances to the Learning Center Lobby, the Rainbow Corner Preschool wing, and the Edge Room. The East lot (green) is the closest spot for Tom Graves Hall and the Sanctuary. The church shares an entrance from Main Street with the Frisco Family YMCA; turning at the Kyser Way light and going left takes visitors onto the church property.
Children, Youth, and the School of Music
Nursery through 5th Grade. Nursery care is offered during both Sunday services for children from birth through PreK in Rooms 117, 119, 121, and 123. K through 5th grade Sunday School meets in the Edge Room at 9:15 and 10:30, with children breaking out by age for lessons and activities at the 10:30 hour. Songbirds Children's Choir, directed by Olivia Cottar, rehearses during the 9:15 hour. Edge, a fellowship for 4th and 5th graders, meets the second Sunday of each month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. for pizza, games, and conversation. Kids Day Out for 1- and 2-year-olds runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from September through May.
Confirmation and Youth. Confirmation is offered for 6th through 8th graders, who "confirm" their baptismal vows and become full members of the church. Sunday morning youth Sunday School gathers in the Coffee Shop Room (217) at 9:15 a.m., with a combined Sunday School followed by the 10:30 worship service. Sunday Night Youth runs from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Youth Room (211/213) with a $5 dinner. Wednesday Missions meets on first Wednesdays for middle schoolers (4:30 to 6:00 p.m.) and third Wednesdays for high schoolers (7:00 to 8:30 p.m.). Each summer the youth participate in mission trips and attend Bridgeport Camp & Conference Center, a camp ministry of the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Rainbow Corner Preschool. Rainbow Corner serves ages 2 through 5 (by September 1) with classes two, three, or four days a week from 9:15 a.m. to 2:10 p.m., Monday through Friday. Early Drop Off is offered from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and Fabulous Fridays run a few times throughout the year. The preschool follows the Frisco ISD calendar. Families communicate with the school through the Brightwheel app, and prospective families can schedule an in-person tour or watch a virtual tour video.
School of Music at Grace Avenue. Established in 2001 in memory of Elisabeth Wagner as "Heart and Soul: The Elisabeth Wagner School of Creative Arts," the School of Music offers private lessons in piano, voice, guitar, and violin for students from age 4 through adult. Lessons run in 30-, 45-, or 60-minute weekly slots on weekday afternoons and evenings and some weekends. Fall and spring recitals are held at the church.
Adult Discipleship, Small Groups, and Gatherings
Adults can pick from a wide menu of Sunday morning groups and midweek studies. Sunday morning offerings at 9:15 a.m. include Christ Connections (Room 216), Discovery (Youth Room), GraceLink (Room 219), Kaleidoscope (Room 218), Providence in Tom Graves Hall (a class for adults 65 and up), and Village of Grace (Room 214) for parents with children at home. Through a Different Lens meets at 10:30 a.m. in Room 218, and Young Professionals gathers at 11:30 a.m. on the first and third Sundays in Room 216.
Midweek classes cover Atlas Bible Study (Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. on Zoom), Thursday Morning Bible Study led by Rev. Laura Echols-Richter, Men’s Bible Study (Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m.), Zooming Through Scripture (Mondays at noon), Disciple 2, Divorce Care, and seasonal offerings like Faith & Film: Women Talking, Beyond the Nest for empty nesters, and Navigating Depression During the Holidays.
Small Groups of eight to ten people meet throughout the week in homes and online for deeper community. Recurring gatherings include line dancing, chair yoga, the Community Mill, men’s softball, Chai Chats, the MAMAS (Moms at Many Ages and Stages) group, book club, Pub Theology, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and the Legendary Lunch for retired men.
Senior Adults, Care, and Healing
Senior Adult Ministry, led by Rev. Handi Jo Dolloff-Holt, designs programming for adults 55 and up, including technology help on Technology Tuesdays, balance and brain health coaching groups, sound baths, monthly luncheons, field trips, a homecoming dance, and a veterans social. Health Ministries focuses on holistic care of mind, body, and spirit through a team of fifteen church members and a video series called "Abundant Health Stories."
The Care & Healing ministry offers ongoing support groups such as AA: Fourth Dimension (Saturdays at noon), Eating Disorders Anonymous (Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.), Abundant Life, Caregiver Support, and Parenting with Pride for parents of LGBTQ+ children. Classes and workshops address grief, divorce, and depression. Care Teams bring prayer blankets, hot meals, communion, and visits to those who are homebound or hospitalized. The church partners with A Center of Grace to provide mental health resources to the broader community.
Missions and Outreach in Frisco and Beyond
Grace Avenue runs several mission programs out of its Frisco campus and partners with organizations across North Texas.
- Welcome With Grace. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced adult English classes plus citizenship classes meet weekly, with free children's ESL support and childcare provided. The Welcome Team supplies apartment furnishings and other necessities to refugee families in North Texas, and the church partners with Dallas Responds and Oak Lawn UMC to assist migrants arriving in Dallas.
- Summer Lunch. Lunches are packed and delivered for children in the Preston on the Lake community of Little Elm throughout the summer months.
- 5th Sunday Missions. On every fifth Sunday, the church hosts special mission projects and a Carter BloodCare blood drive from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Waves of Grace. The emergency response ministry coordinates prayer, Early Response Team training, and relief for natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
- Building the Bridges Community Services. Grace Avenue's Director of Missions, Keri Keck, also serves as Executive Director of BTBCS. The Feed My Sheep Food Pantry distributes groceries on Wednesdays at the Colin Powell Community Center in Little Elm, the Little Elm ISD Clothing Closet runs on Thursdays, and Buttons & Bows (a foster closet) opens the second Saturday of each month.
- Frisco Helpers. A senior adult volunteer group that meets at Grace Avenue every Thursday at 8:15 a.m. to help senior and special-needs citizens with minor home maintenance.
- Other partners. Grace Avenue is an ongoing donation site for Refresh (hygiene products for students), Frisco Fastpacs (weekend food for students), and partners with Frisco Family Services for a week of summer lunch and games for Frisco ISD students.
Worship Arts and Music
The Sanctuary Choir rehearses Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Music Suite and sings each Sunday at the 10:30 Sanctuary service, presenting two or three major programs a year with orchestra. The Songbirds Children's Choir (K through 5th grade) rehearses during the 9:15 Sunday School hour. The Wire Choir welcomes stringed instruments of any kind for Sunday afternoon rehearsals, and the Handbell Choir rehearses on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. and welcomes beginners and substitutes. Worship Arts extends to visual artists, dancers, poets, and tech volunteers, who can connect through the Director of Modern Worship, Vaughn Faison, or the Director of Media, Preston Reid.
Laurie Hanson Roberts leads two on-demand online offerings: "The Calm Connection," a weekly meditation that prepares worshipers for Sunday's scripture, and "Sleep Meditations." Senior Pastor Billy Echols-Richter records a weekly video series called "Faith Handles." The Grace Avenue Worship Team has released original music including "Grace Upon Grace" and "A New Song" on YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
Sacraments, Weddings, and Funerals
Grace Avenue baptizes people of all ages during Sunday worship services at either 9:15 or 10:30 a.m. Baptism inquiries go to Kristen Lane, Minister of Discipleship.
Weddings can be held in the Sanctuary ($2,500) or the Worship Center ($2,350 for a ceremony; $2,000 for a reception with tables for up to 200 or standing room for 450). Receptions also take place in Tom Graves Hall ($1,000), which seats 100 or holds 250 standing. Wedding packages include a three-hour rental, rehearsal space, wedding suites, an officiating pastor, pianist or organist, a facility coordinator, sound technician, custodial services, and on-site accessible parking. Inquiries go to Rev. Jessica Lowe.
Funerals and Celebrations of Life are arranged through Rev. Laura Echols-Richter, with clergy and church musicians available to design a service that honors a loved one's life and offers hope in the midst of grief.
Voter Engagement and the Public Square
Grace Avenue operates a nonpartisan voter engagement ministry built on the conviction that faith and civic participation go hand in hand. The church provides step-by-step Texas voter registration guides, links to Collin County and Denton County election offices, and a nonpartisan voter guide. The ministry is rooted in the United Methodist Social Principles that call believers to "love our neighbors, to do justice, and to care for the vulnerable."
Stewardship, Giving, and the Endowment
Grace Avenue considers financial giving "an act of worship" and a means of thanksgiving. Offerings can be made online, by texting "GraceAvenue" and a dollar amount to 73256, through Venmo (@graceavenueumc), by cash or check in Sunday services, by mail, in stock, or through a Kroger Rewards card. A three-year Capital Investment Campaign launched in 2025 called "A Church for ALL" focuses on three pillars: Hope, Accessibility, and Transformation. The Permanent Endowment Fund, created in 2017 and managed by the Texas Methodist Foundation, channels bequests and other legacy gifts into General, Spiritual Home, Emotional Home, and Physical Home funds for non-budgeted mission projects.
Beliefs and the 4G Rhythm
Grace Avenue describes itself as "a church built on a foundation of God's love and compassion for all." Its stated beliefs hold that faith and doubt are not exclusive, that God is love and all people are welcome and equal in the family of God, that Jesus modeled radical justice-seeking love, that the Holy Spirit empowers the daily work of the church, and that the Bible is divinely inspired but read through scholarship and lived experience. The church explicitly welcomes and affirms LGBTQ+ siblings into leadership, sacrament, and service, acknowledges that Black lives matter, and condemns misogyny that denies women a prophetic voice in the church.
The method of discipleship is called 4G Faith: Gather, Grow, Go, and Give. Members are encouraged to worship together, study Scripture and theology, serve their neighbors, and share financial resources with gratitude. A long-running Atlas worship guide, published each fall and a shorter version each summer, maps out the year of sermon series, scripture, resources, and companion studies.
Getting Connected
The church office can be reached at (972) 335-2882 or communications@graceavenue.org. Visitors can register their attendance online, submit a prayer request, or make an offering. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, and previous sermons are archived on YouTube and Vimeo. Realm login gives members access to the church database, online giving, and event registration.