Q and A

Why was Agape Girls started? The group was started in 2007 at a Christian School in North Carolina as a means proactively counter the ‘mean girl’ culture which seems to be on the rise in all school age girls. Our desire is to unify and connect the girls and moms in each class, promoting a spirit of friendship and kindness toward each other,  while they share the common bond of being together through the middle school and high school years. Agape Girls provides an organized structure for moms and girls to get to know each other better through the school year, thus, promoting respect and harmony in the entire class. Our goal is to reduce the negative peer pressure and ‘mean-girl’ experiences that can be found today in many schools.  We believe that once girls and the moms build respect for each other in a community, everyone will benefit through the school years. We plan fun activities that allow the girls to learn valuable life lessons from the moms about building relationships, the importance of friendship and how to be a good friend; as well as activities for the moms to get to know each other deeper. We realize that a strong bond between the moms in the class directly effect the behavior of the girls in the class. We hope that many Agape Girls groups will be established across the country and that many girls and moms will be blessed. Please let us know if we can offer information to get your group get started!

What does Agape mean?

Agape is Greek and biblically means a holy, Godly love and friendship.  It is an unconditional love that accepts everyone for who they are.  It is a selfless and enduring love.

Is Agape Girls divided by grade?

Yes. Each class has an Agape Girls group and everyone is included. The year the class graduates is the defining name for the group in that grade i.e. 2016 Agape Girls, 2017 Agape Girls, 2020 Agape Girls etc.

Is Agape Girls just for girls?

No.  It includes moms, too!  Girls greatly benefit from their mom’s influence, and moms have lots of experience and wisdom to share but sometime we don’t have a format to share.  Moms are a vital part of Agape Girls as we will share our hearts with not just our own daughters but with all the girls in our grade.  Also, this helps moms keep in touch with other moms.  One of the best ways to keep unity in the class among the girls is to have unity among the moms.

I don’t know if my schedule can handle one more thing.  How time consuming will this be?

This is not meant to burden moms at all.  We will meet approximately 4-5 times this school year for fun activities, and we will also meet for two service projects.  The rest of the club’s energy comes from camaraderie among the girls.

Are the events purely social?

While the events are designed to have fun and bond mothers and daughters, moms and moms, and girls and girls, they are also very purposeful.  Every meeting will highlight a Godly characteristic in a fun ‘age appropriate’ way through a ‘Life Lesson’ that is taught. Samples of Life Lessons are found in the information packet.  Topics include, but are not limited to: patience, honesty, love, forgiveness, fairness, wisdom, tenderheartedness, generosity, compassion, endurance, contentment, self-control, creativity, faith, joyfulness, thankfulness, enthusiasm, discernment, optimism, trustworthiness, humility and meekness.  Other values that may be discussed: understanding others, friendship, responsibility, self-respect, beauty, self-esteem/self-image, and love.  We hope to have a full curriculum of suggested ‘Life Lessons’ written soon to help all the different grades.

What if I want to help start a group for my class?

Any mom can start a group in her daughter’s class.  The moms that help organize the group are called the Coordinator Moms. If you are interested in being a Coordinator Mom for your class, look over the info on this site and contact Melanie Hempe at cmhempe@earthlink.net to register your group so we can provide you with ongoing information.

What if I don’t want to start the group but want to help?

Any mom in the class can help plan the activities, come up with ideas, help with service projects etc. Moms are also encouraged to share personal stories (that they are comfortable with) at their events to help the girls connect with the Godly characteristic or lesson.  Most importantly moms can pray.  Every mom is asked to pray for love, friendship, and unity among their class.

Who can be a member, and how do we join?

Each girl and her mom is automatically a member.  You do not have to do anything to join.  Just come to the events! Agape Girls is purposely meant to be inclusive of everyone.  This is a safe place for girls to know they are part of something that doesn’t involve sports, academics, etc.  Although 100% from the class is desired, it is not required.

 Is there a cost to participate?

There is not a mandatory cost to participate.  Events will have varying costs, and we will have a suggested donation for them depending of the cost of the event.  However, we will never exclude anyone.  So instead of collecting money for some events, we will have a donation box at each event that has expenses.