Page 9 - Discover Summer 2020
P. 9
Nourished & Nurtured
With Love
By Kate Hofstetter
In the Greek language, agape (pronounced From its modest beginnings, the Agape
ah gah pay) means unconditional love or charity. Center soon out-grew its basement space. It
Not charity in the sense of sharing material goods moved to a leased property in old Moneta, and
with the poor, as we typically think, but rather a became an independent 501c3 corporation. Once
selflessness and concern for the good of others again, in 2012 it out-grew its space, and made the
without expecting anything in return. It is not move to its current location at 1159 Promised
borne out of emotions or attraction but from Land Road in Moneta. It now occupies 27,000
the will, and as a choice. It requires faithfulness, square feet in what was once a dress factory, years
commitment and sacrifice. ago. Today, a total of 18 local churches support
and are members of the center.
Shortly after moving to this area from
northern Virginia, Sue Lipscomb, who brought “We serve between 900 to 950 families a
with her over 20 years’ experience managing month,” Sue said, “Or nearly 3,000 individuals, if
busy real estate offices, took-on an even bigger you average three people per family.”
task for which she doesn’t get paid a penny. Her
Expanding on that old adage of teaching
payment, she says, is greater than money. Sue is
a man to fish instead of just giving him fish, the
the executive director of one of the area’s largest
center strives to show its clients how to take
and fastest growing nonprofit organizations: the
control of their lives through spiritual enrichment,
Agape Center at Smith Mountain Lake.
along with classes on nutrition, sewing, budgeting
It got its start in the basement of Radford and other life skills. They also offer a “Getting
Baptist Church in Moneta, as the vision of Ahead” class which consists of two classes weekly
Courtney Carr and Emily Donnelly-Back. It over a 9 week period. Besides dealing with just
was still in its infancy when Sue signed up as financial poverty, the conquering of “spiritual
a volunteer in 2004. It wasn’t long, before the poverty” and “relationship poverty” are addressed.
dream-that-became-reality blossomed into
“Situational poverty is not what gives us
its own thriving community. Over the years,
the largest number of clients,” Sue explains. “It is
the center has proven many times over that it
generational poverty that affects the most people.”
stays true to its name. It took unconditional
Agape’s volunteers instruct their clients on how
love to shore-up its foundation, just like it took
to break this cycle, by attending to more than just
unconditional love to build its membership.
physical needs.
Unconditional love expanded the volunteer base
to its current total of 400 or more dedicated souls, The Agape Center’s mission as stated on
and unconditional love is dished out every week its website is: “To reflect God’s love by giving of
to hundreds of local families. ourselves and our resources, as we submit to the
leadership of the Holy Spirit to mentor and help
www.discoversmithmountainlake.com 7
