- “we are a faith-based mission,”
says Sellers – though clients are
not required to profess or claim
any particular faith. Volunteers,
many of whom are members of the
five Lake-area churches – Radford
Baptist, Staunton Baptist, Covenant
Fellowship, The Dwelling Place and
Eastlake Community Church - that
have come together to support the
center, are expected to concur with
the organization’s statement of faith.
Among the Agape Center’s newest
volunteers is a former center client,
Annie James of Glade Hill. James was
injured in a car accident in 2011, and
as a result lost her job. As she faced
mounting debt and the real chance
she might lose her home, she came
to the Agape Center for support
and assistance. Bolstered by the
support and prayers of her mentor
and volunteers at the center, she was
able to keep her home and has gotten
back on her feet.
James, who serves as associate
pastor at Emmanuel Tabernacle
Baptist Church, is now one of the
volunteer mentors at the center.
“It is good for me, and for the
clients,” she says. “I want them to
know that they are not going through
their struggle alone.”
The Agape Center’s growth,
spurred, Sellers believes, by both a
wider knowledge of what it offers and
a growing need in the community, left
the center desperate for a larger space.
Last year, as staff and supporters
discussed options and prayed, a
22,000-square-foot building – known
locally as the old dress factory – came
available. Lipscomb marvels at what
happened next.
“We had a real need and here
was this building, a half-mile away,
just waiting for us!” she says. As the
organization depends completely on
volunteer support, a fundraising effort
was mounted to raise the $450,000
to buy the building. It started, as such
efforts typically do, with a “silent”
phase before the campaign began
seeking donations from the general
public. Remarkably, 80% of the total
was raised during that silent phase -
in four months.
“That was a miracle,” Lipscomb
says matter-of-factly. “You just can’t
deny it.”
Once purchased, the building
needed to be renovated to fit the
center’s needs. Once again, Lipscomb
says, God provided. Using materials
bought with cash donations, skilled
volunteers donated their time to
plan, design and retrofit the building.
In late 2012, they moved in.
As the holiday season approaches,
the staff at the Agape Center is
entering its busiest season. Thanks
to the generosity of hundreds of
donors, approximately 500 families
received a complete Thanksgiving
dinner this year. And to give families
a new option for Christmas, the
center recently opened the Gracious
Gift Boutique and Tea Room, where
clients can “shop” for toys and gift
baskets in a warm, pleasant setting.
Lipscomb, whose husband, Jack,
joins her as a volunteer at the center,
says she feels blessed to be part of
what the Agape Center is doing
in Bedford and Franklin counties,
and they intend to stay with it until
they’re directed elsewhere.
“We believe God’s given us
this ministry and until He puts us
somewhere else, this is where we’ll
serve,” she says, then adds, with a big
smile, “I can hardly wait ‘til tomorrow
to see what He has in store for us!”
The Agape Center is open Tuesdays
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays
from noon to 5 p.m. and the first and
third Saturdays of each month from 9
a.m. to noon. Donations are accepted
during those hours, and on Mondays
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To donate or
volunteer, or for more information
about the Agape Center, call the
center at 540-296-0609.
Agape Continued...
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540.588.5180
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540.400.3384
Relax...
Sensational Entertainment Home!
Oar Knot specializes in...
• Breakfast Served All Day
• Signature Deli Meat Sandwiches
• Freshly Brewed Coffees
• Unique Gifts & Fine Cigars
• Women's & Men's Apparel
• Large Variety of Wines
Coming in December...
Come Join Our Wine Club
(ask for details on your next visit)
Bridgewater Plaza | Hales Ford Bridge |
540-719-0411
Saturdays 1pm-4pm
YOU ARE INVITED TO OUR...
Free Wine Tastings
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Winter 2014
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