A Wiregrass Worship Center from Humble Beginnings
New Freedom Church sits on Depot Street in Webb, a small town in Houston County in the Wiregrass Area of southeastern Alabama. What began in April 1982 as a pioneer work meeting in an old gas station on Highway 52E has grown into a regional worship center whose Sunday gatherings draw people from three states.
From a Highway 52E Gas Station to a 700-Seat Sanctuary
The first members of New Freedom Church met in a former gas station on Highway 52E, which the congregation slowly renovated over the next decade. Pastor Larry Adams became senior pastor within the first six months and shepherded the church until August 2013. Membership stayed under fifty through the early years, but in 1995 the church experienced a revival and doubled in size to more than 200 within two years, which led to plans for a new building.
A sanctuary seating 500 was completed in 1998, followed by a Family Life Center and a balcony that lifted total capacity to 700. A separate Children's Ministry building has since been added on the property.
Sunday and Wednesday Around the Coffee Shop
The church's weekly rhythm is built around Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. The coffee shop opens at 9:00 a.m., with Sunday School meeting from 9:15 to 9:50 a.m. and the main worship service beginning at 10:30 a.m. On Wednesdays, the church gathers again at 6:30 p.m. for a midweek service.
Pastors and Elders
Sidney and Kumary Miller serve as Lead Pastors and Elders of New Freedom Church. They are joined in the eldership by Jimmy and Jo Christmas and Larry and Brenda Guess. Larry and Marilyn Adams, who launched the church in 1982 and served as founding pastors, are remembered as the founders of the work.
freedomKids and eXcel Youth
Children are a priority at New Freedom Church. freedomKids provides a safe, fun environment for children age 4 through fifth grade, with programs during the 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning hour and the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday service. Children's leader Vickie Cochran oversees the ministry, which includes the MPact Girls program and pathways for both adult and junior volunteers. eXcel Youth is the church's ministry for older students.
Missions Across Asia and Beyond
Global outreach runs through Go To Nations, a sending agency that New Freedom Church partners with to take the gospel to every tribe and tongue. Among the missionaries supported is the Shuck family. Nate Shuck founded Rise Music and Arts in 2003, teaching music, dance, drama, and worship to street children in Iloilo City, and joined Go To Nations as a full-time missionary in 2004. He and his wife Abegail now serve with the Asia Pacific team, working alongside a local church that ministers to children and families at a local trash dump and relocation site through Sonshine Kidz and F.A.I.T.H. Gardens.
Visiting New Freedom Church
The church meets at 115 Depot Street in Webb, Alabama, with a mailing address of PO Box 119, Webb, AL 36376. The phone number is (334) 784-9470. Sunday guests are invited to start with coffee at 9:00 a.m., join a Sunday School class at 9:15 a.m., and stay for the 10:30 a.m. service, with freedomKids available for children age 4 through fifth grade. Giving is available online through Tithe.ly.