Aiding the less fortunate in the Year of Mercy is an important act of love, says ministry’s founder
The B.C. Catholic
Once a week, no matter the weather, volunteers from Agape walk the streets of the Downtown Eastside at night. They profess God’s love, and offer spiritual salvation and candy to the vulnerable women of the streets.
More volunteers are needed to answer God’s call to help those in need, said one of the Agape founders.
“We serve women who are in the sex trade, drug addicted, or transgendered on the streets,” said Pat Conroy, a director of Agape Street Ministry. “We have at least one night a week where we go out with a team, and they have a candy bag that they give the women.”
“In the bag is a prayer card,” Pat continued. “We read it to the girl, and we say to them, ‘What message does Jesus have for you tonight?'”
Pat and his wife Vicki founded the ministry to minister to homeless women and prostitutes with the love of Christ. “Our ministry is really an evangelization ministry,” said Pat. “We do help women when they need it, (but) we are not a feeding ministry.”
Despite having about 100 volunteers working weekly, and another 100 working monthly, Agape still needs more, Pat said. “We are looking for street volunteers in particular, but we always welcome volunteers for other things.”
The ministry is also looking for individuals to become part of the board as executives, as well as street team members for the Surrey and Chilliwack Agape branches.
“Pat and Vicki are really good at learning about other people’s talents and gifts, so, really, anyone can be made useful here,” Tegen Davidge, a volunteer with Agape, said.
Volunteering is not simply about sacrifice, Davidge noted. “For some, it might feel as if giving up one day a week is a huge thing, but you get so much in return. When we’re out there on the streets, it sometimes feels like we’re giving nothing, because there’s just so much that needs to be done, yet you receive so much back.”
“I think there are a lot of people who want to be more fulfilled, who want to be happier, who want to be in touch with themselves, who want to find themselves or find God,” said Vicki. “I really think a big part of the solution is reaching out to help somebody else.”
The Holy Jubilee Year of Mercy provides not only opportunities for personal growth and expressing gratitude to God, but also opportunities to grow in one’s faith, Vicki continued.
“In this Year of Mercy, it is so important for the faithful to get out of their comfortable pews and reach out to somebody less fortunate who cannot do anything for you in return,” she said. “It’s just a simple act of God’s love, a simple corporal work of mercy.”
According to the Agape newsletter, the ministry hands out 35,000 bags of candy each year to the women of the streets.
