Birmingham female vocal group singing ‘straight from the heart’

Singing from the heart brings with it a sense of passion and for four Alabama Baptist vocalists it also brings opportunities to reach people for Christ.
   
“We’ve all made a deep commitment that what we do will come straight from our hearts, and that’s where our name came from,” said Jane Morgan, a singer in the four-woman group Straight From the Heart. “We’ve spent a lot of time in prayer over that.”
   
The four women who make up the group are Paige Dahlke, a CPA in Birmingham; Kristie Frazier, a teacher at Adamsville Elementary School; Shaye Garst, a teacher at Moody Elementary School; and Morgan, who is the media and automation specialist at Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham. Only one member has been replaced due to a member’s move since the group’s 1995 start and Morgan’s daughter, Frazier, took the position.
   
“We began in 1995 when we were asked to be worship leaders for a women’s conference to be held at Huffman Baptist Church, where we were all members at the time,” said Morgan. “I don’t know if anyone else got a blessing from it, but we sure did.”
   
Morgan said the women thought God was trying to tell them something. They spent the next two years doing music specials in churches, especially at Huffman, where Morgan’s husband, Gary, was minister of music. Gary is currently interim minister of worship at Hilldale Baptist Church, Center Point.
   
The focus of the group’s ministry goal is to “seek and follow God’s will for their lives,” and the group was assured of His will three years later when they went to Orange Beach for a woman’s weekend getaway with Alabama’s Woman’s Missionary Union. “They had a talent night, and that night we made the commitment that the minute we started doing this for ourselves, we’d get out of it,” Morgan said.
   
“God gave us answers that night. He was saying, ‘As long as I’m providing you a place to sing, do it.”
Since then, Straight From the Heart has led during praise and worship services, banquets and revivals. The women intertwine their testimonies throughout the services and lead up to an invitation or time of reflection.
   
“It’s not a heavy invitation, but we want people to consider if there are areas in their lives that are lacking joy,” said Morgan.
   
As far as the style of music, Morgan said, “We sing hymns and praise and worship, southern gospel and a cappella, because you never know who’s going to be in the crowd.”
   
For more information on Straight From the Heart, call 205-680-3686 or e-mail jmorgan@lakesidebaptist.com.