History

Responding to the desperate need in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

In the late 1990s, Pat and Vicki Conroy began what would become Agape Street Ministry in Vancouver when they responded to a call in their hearts to “walk the streets of Vancouver — at night!”

These instructions were simple enough, but frightening. Stories of crime and violence on the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside had reached them while living in Texas, and even in Central America! But they had learned to trust God’s Voice, “Do not be afraid.... for I will be with you to protect you, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 1: 8), and, in his grace, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

The first night Pat and Vicki saw more than a hundred women, aged 12 to 55, working as prostitutes. Before long they were sharing the call from Jesus to, “tell the women that I love them!” Offer Agape – the unconditional love of our heavenly Father. 

In prayer, an image of a small bag of candy with a beautiful prayer card led the Conroys to collecting and bagging these as little gifts for the women they would meet each night. The candy bags were an instant hit and gave Pat and Vicki the opportunity to explain the scripture verse on the prayer card, and pray with the women right there on the street. In addition to candy bags, volunteers provide birthday bags, as well as small gift bags at Christmas and Easter, with personal items. Before long, they were connecting with many women each night and Agape Street Ministry, as it exists today, was established.

In 2001, Dan and Sharon Dobin expanded Agape Street Ministry to the Whalley/City Centre neighbourhood of Surrey, and in 2004, the Dobins assumed responsibility for the ministry from the Conroys. In 2012, a dedicated volunteer from Vancouver began outreach in Chilliwack with the help of Maureen Bliault who would for many years act as the Agape Chilliwack volunteer coordinator.

Over the past twenty years, red-jacketed Agape volunteers, often referred to as “the Candy People,” have encountered hundreds of women each week, amounting to tens of thousands of women per year. One woman they met explained: “There are people from one of the churches who walk around and give out bags of candy and blessings to people on the street,”  she says with a smile. “Sometimes, chatting with them and hearing them say,’ love you’, is all you need to hear to survive another day.” 

As of 2022, Agape teams continue to walk the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on a weekly basis, departing from the St. Kateri Centre at Sacred Heart Parish in Strathcona.

From the late 1990s until 2020, the late Theresa Wiggins and a faithful team of volunteers provided a Tuesday morning breakfast at the St. Kateri Centre for 30-40 women each week. 

Since 2004, in Agape Street Ministry’s healing and recovery home, Sancta Maria House, over 200 women have found a home, a family, and have come to experience the healing love of Jesus. The vision and mission of Sancta Maria House is “to reach out with the gospel message and share Jesus’ love with the women.”

The Lord has formed Agape Street Ministry explicitly for women experiencing sexual exploitation or struggling with addictions. Volunteers are called to listen to the women they meet, pray with them, and tell them that Jesus unconditionally loves them and it is through Him that freedom and true healing from addiction and sexual exploitation can be realized.