By Jennifer Colosimo 

Rev. Dr. Alan Shaw and his wife Michelle have found their footing. After several years as a part of a bigger church, their small group decided to plant their own. They founded Christ First Community Church inside rented space in Stone Mountain and grew from there. While that growth has seen them bouncing from location to location, it’s helped ground them in their mission to put ministry first. 

This congregation felt called by God to serve their community, and nothing else matters as much. Two church members, Paul and Jeri Austin, founded Hugs & Hope, a food service ministry. 

“We feel that serving the community is part of the Gospel, and we believe that is our calling as a church,” Alan said. “Even though we’re small, this particular ministry is critical to why we were led to plant a church in the first place.” 

At first, church members simply went to the local laundry mat to reach out to people. They’d offer to help pay for their laundry, discuss what needs they could meet and try to talk about the Gospel. The next step was visiting the parking lots of several extended-stay hotels and giving out food to the people there. Finally, they were able to find a building they could rent, one with space for a kitchen, and expand their service to giving out groceries. Hugs & Hope was underway. 

As the ministry grew, they established a partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which opened doors for them with local supermarkets like Walmart and Aldi. Every week, they were able to serve about 50 families with a hot meal and groceries to go.  

They had to find a new home for their ministry when the owners sold the building they were operating. They moved into Park Place Baptist in Snellville, where they are still working today. 

“It really was a God thing,” said Michelle about moving to Park Place. “Now we had this large space to invite people in, have a hot meal, shop for their groceries, but also be able to have conversations with other people at their table, get to know new people in their own community, play games, socialize and feel normal and cared for. Even after they shop, many people would go back to their seat so they could keep talking. We were really building a community, getting to know people for who they are.” 

Then Covid hit, and they had to make changes that included shifting their services to a drive-through option only.  

“Covid forced us to become completely mobile, and then the need just exploded,” she added. “We went from serving 50 to 500 families in a very short amount of time. Now, cars drive through, and they can pick up groceries for up to two families.” 

Christ First Community Church was able to secure a grant from DoorDash and deliver to between 50 and 70 families every week. On certain days, families with dietary restrictions can shop by hand, and Fridays have reserved time for the elderly to come inside so that they don’t have to wait in line. Families come from the local area, but they also drive from hours away. Although distribution starts at 2 PM, many of them are in line before lunch.  

The Christ First team operates with Paul and Jeri at the reins but depends on many volunteers to make it a success every week. Most volunteers come via word of mouth, but through an online presence at Hands on Atlanta, they get new volunteers every week. Volunteers help pick up food, unpack delivery trucks, organize goods into grocery bags, pass out groceries in the drive-through line and assist special shoppers on those dedicated days.  

“’For me, the idea of increasing the size of our church is second to making sure that our church is helping people live out their calling.’,” said Alan, paraphrasing Ephesians 4’s message about the church supporting their members’ calls in any way it can. “As people get a sense of the vision that God has called them to, we want to come together as a community of believers and help them answer that call. It may not increase our church numbers, but it’s going to make an impact on God’s Kingdom.” 

As they navigate how to hold onto the community feel they established before Covid, they’re in need of a large truck or van to make pick-ups more efficient. They are actively looking for a bigger space, perhaps one they call their own.  

The greater vision is to place Hugs & Hope under a larger umbrella—one that would exist as a community resource to help people find jobs, housing and healthcare, house a homeschool program, act as an incubator for others with ministry visions and, of course, house their church.  

Making connections has been one of the highlights of Christ First’s journey. Previously, CBF’s Ellen Sechrest visited the Shaws at their food pantry. She helped them connect with another local church, Smoke Rise Baptist.

“The relationship we have with Smoke Rise is one where we are excited to blend our congregations and see how we can learn from one another,” said Alan. “Michelle has joined their racial reconciliation group….They appreciate being able to cultivate a relationship with a Black church.” 

Both Alan and Michelle agree that the connection Sechrest made has been helpful because one of the most important things right now is getting to know each other. That same sentiment is the kind of community the Shaws hope to rebuild with their ministry—just knowing each other for who they are.  

As Christ First’s congregation begins to meet in person again, that’s going to gear up.  

“It’s very exciting for us to think about being able to invite some of these people we’ve met, people we’ve prayed for and with, people we’ve gotten to know to come join us in worship,” Alan said.  

That is church growth worth talking about.