In 1996, Reverend Douglas Diehl, pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, identified a need in northwest San Antonio for a crisis pregnancy center. Maria Hutton, a member of his congregation, responded to his request for volunteers to spearhead this mission and began assembling other interested people to serve on Agape’s board. For almost two years, the board worked to build community support among local churches and sympathetic individuals and, in October 1998, Agape opened its doors to its first clients at its northwest location.
Over the next four years, through word of mouth, newsletters and annual fundraising banquets, Agape’s pro-life mission gathered momentum. Our counselors faithfully attended to the emotional, material and spiritual needs of nearly two thousand women. Some women found their salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus at the Center; all experienced God’s love and concern for their lives, reflected in the care given by our counselors.
In May 2002, God blessed the Center with a highly successful banquet. New churches came forward with an interest to expand Agape’s pro-life vision into other areas of the City. By October, an ideal location for the second Center was found in downtown San Antonio, nestled between San Antonio College and Fox Tech High School and a block away from one of the City's largest abortion clinics. In November, a lease was signed, new counselors were trained and renovations began. God, the great provider of all our needs, brought us a brand new free ultrasound machine for the new Center and in January 2003 we opened our second facility on San Pedro Avenue. As of mid-2007, we have seen nearly 9,000 clients and introduced over 800 of these women and/or their friends and relatives to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
That brings us to our present, but our future has already been written. Everyone involved in Agape – from its Board to its volunteers to its supporters to its clients – has felt God’s hand on its activities. We have seen Him work miracles, both in the lives of our clients and in the growth of the Center. We are confident that God’s will is being done on earth, at least in part, through His healing touch at Agape.
