Inviting Chicago to Feast on the Love of Jesus

New To Agapé?

We'd love to answer any questions you might have about our church, our community, and what we believe. Please let us know if we can serve you in any way.

Thanks for your inquiry! Please tell us a bit about yourself and we'll get to your question right away.

What is Agapé?

Agapé is the most common Greek word in the Bible translated “love”

Agapé is the name given to meals shared by the earliest Christians often surrounding the Lord’s Supper. Those who gathered for these Agapé meals transformed their world by teaching and embodying the good news of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. What happened at the tables of Agapé meals was more than merely partaking of meals; indeed these meals were a continuation of the revolution begun by the King they celebrated at these tables.

Watch Pastor Jeremiah talk about Agape’s Mission, Vision, and Table Values.

Our Leaders

LEADERSHIP

JEREMIAH VAUGHT

ELDER

Jeremiah and his wife Maysa founded Agape Chicago in collaboration with a group of Rogers Park residents, many of them attending the sending church, Evanston Bible Fellowship. Prior to launching Agape, Jeremiah served in youth ministry, college ministry, and justice ministries. While in seminary at Trinity Divinity School in Deerfield and serving in Evanston, Jeremiah engaged the challenge by pastor Timothy Keller to see more healthy churches planted in urban areas.

In conjunction with strong conviction of the need for more churches in Chicago, while serving many people living in Rogers Park, the Vaughts came to the conclusion God wanted to use them to plant a church for Rogers Park. While getting to know many neighbors in the early years of seeking to start this church, Jeremiah noticed people would constantly throw around the word "love" only to describe their feelings of attraction, and appreciation, but hardly ever to discuss desires to sacrifice and serve to help others. Since love is who God is (1 John 4:6) and love is what Jesus demonstrates best through sacrificial death and victorious service (John 15:13), so Jeremiah remains convinced Rogers Park needs to encounter the God's love more than anything else. We all want to love and be loved, but without seeing and knowing the best love, how can we love like we should? This desire to experience God's love by making it known still drives Jeremiah & Maysa.

READ MORE...

STEVE JOHNSON

ELDER

Steve Johnson is a native Chicagoan born and raised right here on the Northside. He and Lorre, his wife of 18 years, have both been long-time residents of Rogers Park. After struggling with addiction for several years, the Lord delivered Steve into His service about 25 years ago. Since being called to faith, he and Lorre have dedicated themselves to serving the under-resourced, the under-served and the disconnected through a street ministry and outdoor church in Rogers Park called the Blue Sky Cathedral.

Steve has worked in the title industry for over 40 years and has earned a reputation as a knowledgeable and well-respected title resource for real estate attorneys and mortgage lenders. When he’s not working, he and Lorre tend toward reading and relaxing in Jamaica – when the opportunity to do so presents itself. Steve has been with Agape Chicago since it started and was tapped by Pastor Jeremiah to be a member of its first elder board, on which he has served faithfully for the past 3 years. As an elder of Agape Chicago, Steve facilitates the goings-on at the Blue Sky Agape Community which “strives to live out the Great Commission by bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to people on the streets of Rogers Park”. He also contributes to the pulpit ministry and preaches regularly on Sunday mornings. Pastor Jeremiah and the family of believers at Agape Chicago are appreciative of Steve’s contribution to our growth and maturity. We feel that the Name of the Lord has been glorified through his work.

READ MORE...

CHRIS VILLEGAS

ELDER

Chris is passionate about seeing a church humbled by and passionate about the Gospel. He came to faith in Christ shortly after the events of 9/11. Married to Wanchen, they enjoy welcoming friends into their home in order to share Christ-centered hospitality. They also enjoy sampling the diverse food offerings in the city. Chris is an infusion nurse at Swedish Covenant Hospital's outpatient Cancer Center. He enjoys P90X and hiking.

STAFF AND DEACONS

SCOTT ARNOLD

DEACON OF METRICS

Scott Arnold, has been with Agape Chicago since its inception. He has had many roles at the church, including being a "Deacon of Fun"! Currently he serves as the Deacon of Metrics and the leader of the No Returns Agape community. As the Deacon of Metrics, his job is to use his analytical and organizational gifts to use data from our services and agape communities to identify ways in how our church can grow in loving each other.

For No Returns, he labors alongside his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and empower them to invite the refugee and immigrant population to feast upon the love of Jesus

READ MORE...

MOLLIE HASSETT

WOMEN'S DISCIPLESHIP COORDINATOR

I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. It was the land of snowstorms and yes I did love the snow! I attended college in my home town to pursue a degree in Nursing. I have enjoyed an amazing career for many years. As I approached 40 years old I had accomplished some goals .I owned my own home., had an advanced practice degree, good friends,family and freedom. However there was something missing that I could not explain until a dear friend invited me to her small church.

It was there that I was introduced to Jesus Christ and His Word. My life would never be the same. I moved to Chicago in 2002 to pursue a Bible Degree. It is the joy of my life to serve the Agape community. I am blessed to mentor women and teach discipleship and Bible studies at Agape. Praise God for His faithfulness to me!
READ MORE...

JOHN BRUGGERS

DEACON OF A/V, FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR

John has been a part of Agapé since its launch, and is currently serving as the Deacon of A/V. A role well suited for a techie, as it involves overseeing the proper function and staffing of the audio and visual equipment each Sunday. Prior to coming to Chicago in pursuit of a graduate degree at DePaul University and becoming a programmer at Chicago Public Schools, most of his formative years were spent in Peru as a missionary kid.

RALPH MAGUNDAYAO

ADMINISTRATOR

Ralph is a professional screen and stage actor who also serves as the administrative assistant at Agape Chicago Church. Ralph assists the pastor and elders in communications, branding, as well as organizing volunteers in the church. Ralph is an alumni of the Moody Bible Institute and Richard J. Daley College and has been acting on and off for the past 10 years. In his spare time, he likes hanging out and traveling with his friends and spending time at home.

Beliefs

As a member church, we subscribe to the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), statement of faith.

Join Us
For Worship

Sundays at 10:30AM

At the Loyola Fieldhouse

Come and join us for our Worship Gathering as we feast on the love of Jesus together. We meet at the Loyola Field House (1230 W Greenleaf).

Our kids groups are divided into two classes, pre-school (2-4) and other age groups (5-11). We know not all children learn the same way so we do our best to teach age-appropriate lessons using hands-on, audio, writing/reading, and visual means of teaching.

Explanation of Gatherings

Our Service Order reminds us about how God calls people to feast with Him. The invitation to this feast is the Gospel. The Gospel is the proclamation that God the Father commissioned His Son Jesus, uniquely God and man, to live the life we never would and to sacrificially die that we might forever feast on God’s love. Because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we can be assured that death will not separate us from God’s eternal heavenly banquet. Jesus’ death is our preparation to be with God. Christ’s resurrection from the dead ensures that all are united with Christ will too enjoy a resurrection from the dead making it possible to forever feast with Jesus.

This invitation requires a response. We respond with faith and repentance. We look to Jesus, who prepares us for the feast. Jesus cleanses us and makes us ready for the feast through His pardoning blood. In Christ, we always have access to this feast. We feast as we reminded of the love of God. We feast when we hear God’s Word. We leave with a reminder that God’s work to invite the world to His feast is shared with us. We leave, prepared to share the invitation.

Recent Sermons

Riddle Me This

November 11, 2018
Are you perplexed by injustice and oppression? Are you motivated through envy and popularity? In Ecclesiastes 3.16-4.16, the Teacher continues to ruminate on life and points us toward justice, contentment,…
Preacher :
Passage: Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16

Meaningless Work?

October 28, 2018
After all, everything we that accumulate from all the work that we do - the little empires that we build – will eventually be left to someone else as an…
Preacher :
Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

The Name of Wisdom

October 21, 2018
Last week, we learned about counterfeit types of wisdom. The best counterfeits look a great deal like the real thing. This week, we will see that this preacher continues to…
Preacher :
Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:4-16
1 2 3 4 5 6

See all previous sermons here.

Subscribe to our podcast here.

Daily Bible Reflection

  • Hebrews 10: 19-39, Psalm 128
    November 17, 2018
    By Mollie Hassett It seems impossible that after all we have done that there should be any hope. I imagine countless believers have felt this way. We get distracted, we don’t measure up, just stuck and overwhelmed. The world we live in is difficult. We forget that Jesus has done it all as our redeemer and priest. We are part of a grand and beautiful narrative. It’s a compelling reality! The [Read More...]
  • Hebrews 9:1 – 10:18, Psalm 127
    November 16, 2018
    By Scott Arnold I could never imagine what it was like to be a priest. Daily, one would offer sacrifices for themselves and the people. Not only did they have to sacrifice for the sins you knew, but the sins you’d have no clue about! It would feel like an endless struggle, with no victory. Yet it was symbolic, pointing toward the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. The author of Hebrews shows us how the [Read More...]
  • Hebrews 8, Psalm 126
    November 15, 2018
    God is perfect and always remains the same. It seems odd, then, to suggest that some of God’s works in space and time have been improved upon. The covenants given to Israel through Abraham and David, not to mention the law given to Moses were good. Yet those good gifts are inferior to the new covenant given through Christ. The law distinguished Israel from surrounding nations, but the Lord [Read More...]
  • Hebrews 7, Psalm 124
    November 14, 2018
    By Scot Martin So many questions! Why so many animal sacrifices for sins for so many centuries? If we’re familiar with the New Testament, we may take it for granted that because Jesus bore our sins as a sacrifice on the cross, animal sacrifices are now useless. But Jews in Old Testament times were immersed in a God-established system of animal sacrifices that stretched for generation after [Read More...]
  • Hebrews 3:1-4:13, Psalm 122
    November 12, 2018
    Do you want to rest? The author of Hebrews wants to help. Entering and remaining in God’s rest is the writer of Hebrews shorthand for God’s eternal salvation through Jesus the Messiah. How do we enter and remain in this rest? We simply remain true to the Son of God who is superior to Moses. The book of Hebrews assumes the reader has a working knowledge of Israel’s major history. By comparing the [Read More...]

See all reflections here.

Agapé Communities

As a church, we are committed to growing in our love for Jesus, our church, and Chicago

Agapé Communities are the primary venue in which we seek to intentionally cultivate these three loves. This is why we encourage everyone to get involved in one of these groups. Currently, we have four communities.

Thanks for your inquiry! Please tell us a bit about yourself and we'll get to your question right away.

We Love Kids!

The Children's Ministry of Agape Chicago is an active part of the church.

During the service, we teach Bible lessons from LifeWay's Gospel Project Curriculum according to ages. We also do activity sheets, crafts, songs, memorization, and games all centered around the lesson for that day. Our class is divided into two classes, pre-school (2-4) and other age groups (5-11).

We know not all children learn the same way so we do our best to teach age-appropriate lessons using hands-on, audio, writing/reading, and visual means of teaching. We use Bible storybooks for the pre-schoolers and complete Bibles for the other children. Our teachers and helpers seek to love and encourage the children to learn the Bible and love Jesus, using positive reinforcement. We believe learning about Jesus should be fun but we take our roles as leaders seriously.. We share the Gospel at least once a month using a variety of age-appropriate means. We view the Children's Ministry as a means of discipleship where kids can develop friendships with one another. All children are welcome to join us.

READ MORE...

Check Out Our App!

Available for Apple and Android devices.

Download our app on your iPhone to listen to sermons on the go, and give online. Be sure to enable notifications to get reminders, news, alerts, and even prayer requests sent right to your pocket.

More Info

We would love to send you more information about Agapé Chicago Let us know how we can be of help.

Copyright © 2018 Agapé Chicago. Website by Great Commission Design