FOCAS / Lord's Gym

About

Foundation of Compassionate American Samaritans (FOCAS)

Description

FOCAS, a 501 (c) (3) charitable faith based organization, was founded in 1986 by Mr. Richard Taylor as a Christian non-profit corporation. The ministry began in Haiti providing the basic medical, physcial and spiritual needs of the community.

In 1992, Mr. Richard Taylor began to see a void in his own city and established The Lord's Gym. He sought to reach out to the young men of the Over-the Rhine community. The Gym's Goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of people, one life at a time, drawing them out from a culture of drugs, violence and seperation from God.

In 1994, following the death of his grandson, FOCAS opened the Nicholas Hoyer SportsCenter for youth and children. The Sportsclub involves activities with Bible Study and is open 20 hours a week during the school year and 40 hours a week in the summer months.

In 1997 FOCAS started The Lord’s Pantry, which is now open at lunch times….Tuesday through Thursday each week offering sandwiches, drinks, clothing, and prayer. We are looking for volunteers to keep it open on Fridays.

In 1997, FOCAS started operating a Child Survival Project in two rural districts of Petionville, Haiti, serving a population of about 93,000. This was made possible with matching funds from USAID, a federal agency of the United States for international aid. The project’s objective is to reduce the rates of disease and death among children and women of childbearing age, increase access to high quality, basic health care, and assist indigenous organizations to successfully operate substantial child survival programs. The project is scheduled to go through August 2003 with potential for an additional extension.

In 1998, The Lord’s Inn, a live-in discipleship program for men, was started. In 2008, FOCAS renamed this project…Jerry’s House in honor of longtime staff member Jerry Dubose (deceased).

FOCAS has also been involved in providing financial relief in emergency situations such as the 1997 drought and 1998 hurricane. Presently, FOCAS is working with Universities and Corporations to bring other resources to Haiti and is looking for sponsors to assist on different projects. If you would like to get on our mailing list to learn more about what we are doing, please contact us at [email protected].

Mission

To proclaim the gospel, develop disciples, and show God’s love in practical ways through gifted compassionate servant-leaders; so that, lives are transformed in urban Cincinnati and Haiti by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ref Luke 4:18-1

Products

Haiti Child Sponsor Program: http://focas-us.org/programs/child-sponsor-program-haiti/

The Lord's Gym & Jerry's House: http://focas-us.org/programs/the-lords-gym/

Nicholas Hoyer SportsClub: http://focas-us.org/programs/nicholas-hoyer-sportsclub/

The Lord's Pantry: http://focas-us.org/programs/the-lords-pantry/

Volunteer Opportunities: http://focas-us.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/

"Lord’s Gym Ministries, borne of the Foundation of Compassionate American Samaritans FOCAS, began in 1993 serving in the urban core of Greater Cincinnati transforming lives and seeing people grow strong in the Lord Ephesians 6:10.We work on a very spartan budget, limited processes, a no-frills environment, and high financial accountability standards. We have been a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability or ECFA since 2002. Our ministries include: Lord’s Gym, Street Outreach Ministry STORM, Family Activity Center, & Rescuing Women from Human Trafficking. To learn more please visit our website.FOCAS, the parent organization, also hosts and operates the Youth Resiliency Adventure, in May."