A Pentecostal Family Church on McGraw Street
Focus Church sits at 27 McGraw Street in Shirley, a hamlet on Long Island's South Shore. The congregation calls itself Focus for its tagline: "Our eyes fixed on Jesus." It is an Assemblies of God church, and the Pentecostal convictions that flow from that tradition shape both the weekly schedule and the ministries offered under one roof.
Senior Pastor Keith Shaw and his wife Lisa lead the church, supported by three associate pastors and a team of children's, youth, and worship leaders. The building hosts two Sunday services, a Wednesday night prayer service, a youth gathering, and weekly programs for kids from one month old through sixth grade.
Sundays at 9 and 11
Focus Church meets twice on Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. The 11:00 AM service is the family hour. During it, FOCUS Kids, FOCUS Littles, and the nursery run alongside the adults in the room, so parents can worship with the rest of the congregation while their children are in age-appropriate classes.
Music at Focus Church is led by Worship Pastor Samuel Patti and a team of singers, drummers, guitarists, bassists, and keyboard players. The 11:00 AM service is also livestreamed on Facebook, and recent messages and a Spotify worship playlist are posted under the "Catch Up" tab so anyone can follow the church at home.
Wednesday Nights: Prayer, Worship, and the Next Generation
Wednesday is the second pillar of the week. From 7:00 to 8:00 PM, the church gathers for a midweek prayer and worship service that the church describes as essential to its faith and a way to understand God's will for life. The same hour pulls in the children and youth programs, all running from 7:00 to 8:15 PM, so that an entire family can be involved at the same time on the same night.
Three programs share the Wednesday hour. FOCUS Youth, the student ministry for sixth through twelfth grade, meets downstairs in a newly renovated kids space and is led by Youth Pastor Josh Shaw and his wife Casey. Girls Ministries gathers the church's girls for teaching and discipleship, and Royal Rangers gathers the boys in a parallel program with its own curriculum. All three groups have their own Facebook communities where parents and students can stay connected between meetings.
FOCUS Kids from Nursery Through Sixth Grade
The children's ministry is coordinated by Assistant Pastor Keith Cataldo and his wife Elizabeth. On Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM it runs in three rooms:
- Nursery for babies and toddlers from one month to twenty-four months. Every staff worker is background checked.
- FOCUS Littles for preschool-aged children, with a creative, age-appropriate program designed to introduce Jesus in ways toddlers can grasp.
- FOCUS Kids for kindergarten through sixth grade, with worship, games, and a message built around the miracles of Jesus.
Wednesday night adds the two gender-specific ministries. Girls Ministries focuses on training girls to be Christ-followers and confident young women, while Royal Rangers focuses on helping boys grow into Christ-loving, people-serving young men. Registration forms for both programs are available at the church.
FOCUS Youth and FOCUS Young Adults
Students in sixth through twelfth grade have two weekly touchpoints with Focus Church. FOCUS Youth meets on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM under Pastor Josh and Casey Shaw, with a snack shop available during the gathering. A second, more relaxed FOCUS Youth service runs on Fridays at the church. The youth ministry describes its rhythm in three words: Connect, Discipleship, Impact.
FOCUS Young Adults is the ministry for ages 18 through 30, meeting once a month on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM. It is intentionally open: the church welcomes recent high school graduates as well as adults up to thirty, members of Focus Church and visitors alike. Dress is come-as-you-are, and meeting places occasionally shift for special events. The group keeps its Instagram at @focuschurch.ya active between gatherings.
What Focus Church Believes
Focus Church teaches the Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths in full. The church teaches that the Scriptures are inspired by God, that there is one true God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ is both human and divine.
Salvation is understood as restored fellowship with God through faith and repentance. Two ordinances are practiced: water baptism by immersion after salvation, and Holy Communion as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's death. The church teaches and teaches about the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a distinct experience following salvation, with speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence, as recorded on the Day of Pentecost and in Acts. Sanctification is taught as both an immediate change at salvation and a lifelong process of becoming more Christlike.
The statement of beliefs also includes divine healing as a provision of Christ's atonement, the blessed hope of the rapture, the millennial reign of Christ, a final judgment for those who have rejected Christ, and the promise of new heavens and a new earth.
The Pastoral Team
Four pastors share ministry at Focus Church:
- Keith and Lisa Shaw, senior pastor and his wife. They lead the church with a focus on generational ministry and have four children and grandsons.
- Josh and Casey Shaw, youth pastor and his wife, leading FOCUS Youth and raising three boys.
- Samuel and Alysa Patti, worship pastor and his wife, building a culture of congregational worship through music.
- Keith and Elizabeth Cataldo, assistant pastor and his wife, overseeing FOCUS Kids.
Janene Howard serves as bookkeeper, and the office is staffed during the week by Lisa Shaw and Alysa Patti.
Getting Connected
First-time visitors are greeted at the door by a team that also runs the coffee bar and helps people find seats. A connect card is available for anyone who wants the church to follow up, and a prayer request form is available for submitting requests.
Office hours run Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The church can be reached at 631-281-3323 or office@focuschurchli.org. Giving is available online, services are livestreamed on Facebook on Sunday mornings, and a YouTube channel carries messages and the FOCUS Kids content for families who want to share it at home.