If you are an Agape Chairperson for another Emmaus or Chrysalis community, please see the Community Agape page for files you may use as Community Agape from the New-Ark Area Emmaus Community.

Giving a gift of mealtime or bedtime agape is a wonderful way to show God's love for the pilgrims and for the team on a Walk weekend. However, there are some things that need to be remembered:

1. DON’T feel that Agape must be expensive or complicated. DO let God & your creativity be your guide.
2. DO provide enough pieces of mealtime agape for BOTH the team and the pilgrims. For a full walk, this typically means 55 pieces of agape.
3. DO provide enough pieces of bedtime agape for the pilgrims only. For a full walk, this typically means 32 pieces of agape (see the mealtime agape numbers above if you want the bedtime agape to go to the live-in team also).
4. DO specify if you want your agape to be distributed on a specific night or at a specific mealtime (write it on the box or bag). The agape room will make every effort to distribute the agape when specified; however, we also make sure that there is a reasonable number of agape items at each meal/bedtime.
5. DON’T specify agape for any Friday mealtimes. The ONLY mealtime agape on Friday is at dinner, and it is always the same items (includes the ROOSTERS; see the ROOSTER information below).
6. DON’T make special bedtime agape for ANY pilgrim. Pilgrim agape must be the same for every pilgrim and CANNOT be person-specific. (Team bedtime agape can be anything and can be person-specific if you choose.)
7. DON’T put individual names on bedtime agape for pilgrims, as there is limited time to distribute the agape at night.
8. DO make only letter agape for the individual pilgrims' letter agape envelopes for Sunday. This means DON’T make ‘SUPER AGAPE’!!! ('Super agape' is any gift -- a book, CD, jewelry, candy, etc. -- or oversized envelope that won’t fit into a 9" X 11" manilla envelope). If the agape room receives super agape for a pilgrim, we will try to get it to the sponsor so it can be given to pilgrim after closing.
9. Sponsors, DO wrap the personal agape (the letters requested and sent to you by family and friends) in a ribbon so the agape room can identify it.
10. DO pick up your “extra” or “leftover” agape. It will be in a basket at the next two gatherings. Any extra agape not picked up after the second gathering will be discarded. (Here’s a tip: if you make your agape the same for each walk, you can reuse your extra agape and you won’t need to make as many for the next walk.)

This is an easy craft for those that can work with yarn and plastic-canvas cross-stitching!! Approximately 30-60 are needed for each walk. The directions are available here for download.

If you have questions about agape, or would like to indicate your/your share group's willingness to help making ROOSTERS, please contact our Agape Chairperson, Eugene Haney (agape(at)new-arkemmaus.org).