Our History

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The vision of this ministry began in the summer of 1996, by Sophfronia Tucker that decided to invite friends to her home in Frederick, Maryland for an afternoon cookout. The aroma from her backyard must have traveled far; because, 17 women eventually filled her basement until the late hours of the evening.

In her heart, she knew it was more than just eating good food and fellowship. She presented the gospel in a subtle way, by dividing the women into 3 groups and presented each group with a thought-provoking scenario. She then asked them, "how should they respond as a Christian?" The women really got involved in their small group discussions, and the first fellowship lasted until nearly 10 PM. Unfortunately, even good things must come to an end. But each guest left with an encouraging scripture card, a gift and a merry heart.

It was at that time, a true fellowship was born along with regular meetings schedule. Each meeting consisted of sharing the word, breaking bread, having fun and praying. 

In 1998, Sophfronia moved to Atlanta and passed the leadership torch on to another faithful sister in Maryland, Sister Phyllis Dogan. She was another sister with a heart after God, that kept the fires burning in MD. After being in the Atlanta area for almost a year, the calling for a lady’s fellowship was still in Sophfronia’s heart. So, she prayed on it and mentioned the idea to a few friends and they said, “go for it”, and she did. The first meeting was held at the home of Sister Angela Wims, where, over 15 women attended. Under Sophfronia’s leadership, women would drive as far as an hour away to attend the monthly meetings.

In 2003, at the 3rd annual retreat, it was prophetically spoken to elevate the group from fellowship to ministry. Ironically this was already in Sophfronia's heart. Thus, in December 2003, what was formerly known as the Ladies Fellowship, officially became Women of Purpose Fellowship Ministries, a non-profit in the state of Georgia. 

Over the years, the impact of Women of Purpose began to expand, reaching men and young adults, both male and female. The young people would meet regularly and became known as YPOP (Young People of Purpose). Then greater expansion came after Sophfronia said “I Do” and held the first coed retreat in Charleston, SC. Clearly fellowship wasn’t just about women anymore. Thus, Sophfronia was lead to expand the ministry, birthing People of Purpose Fellowship Ministries in 2018, as the parent ministry; and was officially approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2019. Praise God for His works and all that He has done, is doing and will continue to do.