ABOUT US
Established in 1984, FOCUS, Inc. (Fellowship of Christians United in Service) is a non-profit in Hamilton, Georgia which serves the residents of Harris County. The vision of the founding leaders was to bring together churches from across the county to meet the needs of those suffering from food insecurity and those in need of clothing. Forty years later, the organization is led by over 100 volunteers representing 30+ churches. The ministry has grown exponentially and is now serving close to 4,000 families per year. The organization is led by a board comprised of business leaders, local pastors, and retired professionals. Funding is provided through donations received from churches, individuals, civic organizations, and the sale of items donated to our thrift stores.
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FOCUS programs in 2025....
Celebrate Recovery
Level Up Children’s Program
Open Arms Food Pantry and Pastoral Services
Emergency Services and Outreach
FOCUS Fitness
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FOCUS funding comes from our STORES,
generous DONORS & our LOCAL CHURCHES.
OUR STORES:
The Boutique - Clothing Store
The Specialty Shop - Furniture Store
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We believe in one God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who created all things in love and calls all people to reconciliation through Jesus Christ.
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​We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became fully human, lived among us, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead on the third day, and reigns now as Lord. In Him, we find forgiveness, hope, and new life.
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​We believe in the Holy Spirit, who gives life, equips the Church, and empowers us to love and serve in Christ’s name.
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​We believe that all followers of Jesus Christ are spiritually united as one body, called to live out the gospel in love and service
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​We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, revealing God’s character, truth, and plan for our salvation. It teaches us how to live faithfully, humbly, and justly in service to others.
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We affirm our common mission to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. In all we do, we seek to reflect the compassion, humility, and grace of Jesus Christ.
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In recognition of the God-given dignity of every person, FOCUS serves individuals and families in need without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or background, reflecting Christ’s love in both word and deed.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
OUR PURPOSE
The purpose of FOCUS programs is to three-fold. One is to provide a means for Harris County churches to engage in home mission, meeting the needs of the poor by modelling the love of Christ for those who are suffering. The second purpose is propelled by the four core pillars described in the mission statement. Thes pillars are also goals which include spiritual, emotional, financial, and personal enrichment support. Thirdly, FOCUS is committed to a sustaining financial model. From the early days of ministry, God provided donations and other items which led to a way for the organization to fund and sustain all the ministries. Today, donations of clothing, household items and furniture are sold in two stores which fund most of the programs and operations.
OUR HISTORY
Following a plea from local churches and the Department of Family and Children Services DFACS, FOCUS became a reality in 1984. As a large and predominantly rural county, the distance and isolation made it difficult to meet the needs of our neighbors. DFACS was struggling with the growing need to provide emergency food and clothing, while the churches were overwhelmed with needs beyond their capacity. At that time, the churches were small, often meeting once or twice per month, with limited financial resources. In 1984, a large Harris County church may have a membership of 75 families. Church leadership representing numerous denominations: Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Church of God, Episcopal, etc. came together to establish a central location non-profit to serve as the hub for supporting the needs of the poor in the county. This commitment remains today and has continued to strengthen to become more intentional, purposeful, and collaborative.
FOCUS programs in 1984…
A food pantry, clothing bank, community Thanksgiving food distribution,
home repair, tutoring, and homebound food delivery.
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March 2020 and COVID brought about transformational change and purpose for FOCUS' 35 years of program delivery. For many organizations, COVID became the downfall, for FOCUS it became the transition that launched growth that has continued to expand. Prior to COVID, food distribution emergency services involved 6-9 families per week. This immediately changed with COVID, increasing to 50-60 families overnight. Food distribution was moved outdoors and each Tuesday and Wednesday a line of cars wrapped around Hamilton to receive bags of groceries, pastoral prayers, Bibles and emotional support. Due to the virus, volunteers were limited and the FOCUS thrift store, which provided most of the funding, closed for three months. However, God was not limited and always provided for every need. Once the non-profit was able to return to the indoors, the organizational foundations for delivering services changed:
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During COVID food distribution, it was noted that families returned food they did not need. This was a pivotal point for FOCUS food distribution. The board, pastors and volunteers determined that pride, dignity and choice should drive all acts of kindness. Therefore, later in 2020 FOCUS opened a “Choice Market” for all visitors to have the ability to shop and choose their food needs.
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Also revealed by God during COVID was that “spiritual needs” are more important than “earthly needs”. While distributing food on the side of the road, Pastors from several churches began offering prayer and Bibles. A commitment for pastors and church leadership to offer prayer and spiritual hope to every visitor to the Choice Market was made. Although they could choose not to have prayer, in five years only a handful of people refused this gift.
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COVID also changed the organization’s policies to limit food distribution to only once a month. With spiritual food as the center point and purpose, rather than a bag of groceries, it made sense for the visitors to have prayer each week. In addition, as 60% of the individuals are 60 years of age and older, the leadership agreed that they needed to have access to food on a weekly basis.
These critical foundational changes have continued to
shape how FOCUS delivers its services.
By 2023, the FOCUS “Choice Market” had outgrown borrowed space at the Hamilton Methodist Church and donations to the thrift store were growing exponentially. The children’s programs were housed in a donated community center in Pine Mountain and other programs were rapidly expanding. Space limitation was beginning to limit the ability to serve and meet the needs of the county. In 2024, a 10,000 square foot facility in Hamilton, formerly Christ Chapel church became available. With FOCUS savings, the sale of the community center in Pine Mountain and donors, the building and ten acres of land were purchased with cash for $575,000. This new and expanded space allowed for the ministry to consider deeper relationships, the connection of services and the ability to envision a true “circle of hope” and life-changing programs.
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FOCUS moved all ministries to the new campus in June of 2024. The new center called the Philomena Family Center (PFC) is named after Sister Philomena Fogarty of Christ the King Catholic Church, Pine Mountain, Georgia. She was a member of the initial planning group to establish FOCUS in 1984. She firmly believed in the idea of Christians uniting to serve the poor and needy in Harris County. She dedicated her life to FOCUS until March 28, 2003, when she was tragically killed by a local man in his 20’s suffering from mental illness. Leaders at FOCUS today are dedicated to continuing her vision of providing a place where churches come together to share the love of Jesus while helping those in need.
