Agape Community Ministries

Anna's story is one of courage, healing, and hope. Hear how God used faith, community, and Setting the Captives Free to help her find freedom from an abusive marriage.

🎥 Watch her testimony: https://youtu.be/WW4_0KRkP_U

We began our third ministry cohort for domestic and sexual violence. This year we have our largest group which will begin addressing abuse in the congregational contexts for a year. To read more about our cohorts visit www.agapecm.org/ipv-cohort.

AgapeCM Quarterly Update: Hope, Healing, and the Urgent Need to Serve https://mailchi.mp/60428ed6c456/agape-community-ministries-newsletter-jan-6429558

Our friends from Tulsa (Park Church of Christ) finished the last two days with us. We repaired areas in the “mud kitchen” and finished cleaning the surrounding area at Tree of Knowledge Pre-school and toured Agape Village’s new overnight shelter and the Gateway Domestic Violence Center. Thursday night was our time to serve at Night Strike in downtown Portland followed by Voodoo doughnuts. It was a nice finish to a busy schedule of work projects. Next year will be Agape Blitz’ 20th Anniversary.

Our first two days of Agape Blitz was a service project We had groups from Texas, Oklahoma, and Portland working on the grounds. It was unusually hot and humid but everyone worked hard on painting, developing a fire line, and repairing some of the tiny homes.

Agape Community Ministries provides a service to attorneys defending victims of various forms of abuse in our court system. Too often, due to litigation and lengthy court proceedings, the victims further suffer trauma, delayed justice, and often, no justice in these cases. In spite of all the hard work of those working in our justice system, our country does not provide justice to victims. We are troubled to see the following post from our friends at the Conference on Crimes Against Women. However, this is a reminder that we all must speak out and be a voice for victims in our communities. “It is not good to be partial to the wicked or deprive the innocent of justice.” Prov. 18:5.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Da0prjPk6nV/?igsh=MWdrczJ1c2ljdXZtaw==

Agape Community Ministries provides a service to attorneys defending victims of various forms of abuse in our court system. Too often, due to litigation and lengthy court proceedings, the victims further suffer trauma, delayed justice, and often, no justice in these cases. In spite of all the hard work of those working in our justice system, our country does not provide justice to victims. We are troubled to see the following post from our friends at the Conference on Crimes Against Women. However, this is a reminder that we all must speak out and be a voice for victims in our communities. “It is not good to be partial to the wicked or deprive the innocent of justice.” Prov. 18:5.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Da0prjPk6nV/?igsh=MWdrczJ1c2ljdXZtaw==

The Department of Justice has proposed merging the Office on Violence Against Women with two other federal offices into a broader grantmaking bureau. This change could create funding delays, weaken specialized decision-making and undermine decades of progress in the response to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Click the link in our bio to read more from our Executive Director, Becky Park, and join us in advocating for the Department of Justice to abandon this proposal.

Every year I have the opportunity to co-teach a Doctor of Ministry class for Harding School of Theology with Dr Jeff Peterson. This year the cohorts met in Ft Worth at the Southside Church of Christ. In addition to great discussions in class we all toured the Stockyards, One Safe Place (Family Justice Center), Hope Works, and Southside’s community ministries. One of my students, Charles Fulbright, invited me to speak to his congregation at Eastland while we had an ice cream buffet and discussion about AgapeCM. It was good visiting with Darrin and Sharon Lackey—her mother and father were shepherds where I first served as a youth minister and treated me well. Outstanding food along with many great conversations made the extremely hot weather enjoyable.

Had a good session today on Faith, Masculinity, and Engaging Men in Violence Prevention. The audience shared stories that remind us how abuse in faith communities and our culture continues to become more prevalent. Advocates are on the front lines and faith leaders must listen and support women in their journeys to safety.

Well presented sessions on Men and Masculinity, Expert Witness Trainings, and Preparing for Strangulation Cases today. We were very moved by the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit. Nodding Donkey’s smoked brisket queso ended a first day that has already impacted us for our work.