Disabled Marine Veteran Gives Back To The Community

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Marine Veteran who is also a local pastor is trying to make a difference in his community.

And this Veteran’s Day, his primary focus is giving back to the community.

Pastor Jerry Lockett is a disabled Marine Veteran who founded I Focus Ministries 4 years ago.

He’s reaching out to others by taking his church outside of it’s traditional 4 walls and into the streets of Columbus.

Veteran’s Day is typically a day spent honoring those who serve in the military like Pastor Jerry Lockett, but the Veteran, who is also a Pastor, is doing things a little differently.

“Even though it’s Veteran’s Day today, where we get honor, that wasn’t even my concern. My main concern was making sure we could do some outreach in the community,” says Lockett.

Lockett is legally blind and bound to a wheel chair, but that doesn’t stop him from helping others in need.

“I feel like after my service there’s other work to be done. And so I always try to find something to do each Sunday after church,” says Lockett.

The “I Focus Ministry” was started with the goal to help others whether its helping with yard work, dieting, spreading positive vibes, or getting people back on the right track.

“They are not a church that’s inside, but a church that goes outside so they are very hands on in the community,” says freelance grant writer Lynn Brown.

“I heard many valuable things that are going to help me in my recovery and my transition in life and it’s just a blessing how God works through the Lockett program that he’s got going on here,” says service attendee Steve Williams.

The organization also has it’s focus on the community’s youth.

“It’s important for people of our generation to experience the word of God because it’s so much happening in the world and it’s important to know about God,” says service attendee Hannah Follins.

The nonprofit ministry is funded by the pastor and his wife.

“Don’t look in terms of donation as monetary. People can also donate what I consider the three Ts– Their time, their talent and their treasure,” says Brown.

Pastor Lockett says he wants people to know there’s help out there, no matter what their situation might be.

“A lot of people might say ‘well we didn’t know that was right here in Columbus,’ but we have it here,” says Lockett.

If you’d like to make a donation to the I Focus Ministry, you can contact them at 662-243-3165, or you can mail a donation to P.O. BOX 7732 Columbus, Ms. 39705.