Our purpose is to be the church where everyone is welcomed and inspired to be and to do their best for God to be glorified.

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Our Purpose

Our purpose is to be the church where everyone is welcomed and inspired to be and to do their best for God to be glorified.

Our Purpose Statement

Our purpose statement is taken from two Fundamental Scriptures:

“Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart…soul…and mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these
two commandments.’”

— Matthew 22:36-40

“Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you.’”

— Matthew 28:19-20

From these Scriptures, we derive the Five Main Purposes of the Church:

  • To “Love God with all your heart” is WORSHIP
  • To “Love your neighbor as yourself” is MINISTRY
  • To “Go…make disciples” is EVANGELISM
  • To “Baptize…” is to INCORPORATE INTO FELLOWSHIP
  • To “Teach them…all things” is DISCIPLESHIP

Hence, Agape House of Worship Exists:

  • To WELCOME everyone to Christ (Evangelism)
  • To welcome EVERYONE into God’s Family (Fellowship)
  • To inspire people to BE their best for God (Maturity)
  • To inspire people to DO their best for God (Ministry)
  • To ensure God is GLORIFIED (Worship)
  • We value PEOPLE because people matter to God and therefore to us. Hence at AHOW everyone is important, every member matters.
  • We value EXCELLENCE because excellence honors God and inspires people. That is why we give our best to God in everything we do.
  • We value DIVERSITY because heaven is diverse. Hence, we want to see a church where people, regardless of their background, worship, grow, serve, and live as a community of faith.
  • We value OUR COMMUNITY because we are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Hence, we seek to be a solution center for the needy and less privileged in our community.
  • We value GOD'S PRESENCE because it makes everything else meaningful. Hence, prayer and worship are key components of our church life.

Agape House of Worship (AHOW) is a growing, dynamic, contemporary, non-denomination church attracting people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The church was birthed following a calling and a burden placed by God on the lead pastor, Jide Lawore to plant a church in the Linden/Roselle area. After server months of meeting, prayer and careful planning in his house the church with about ten of his friends, the church was officially inaugurated on February 12, 2006.

From inception, the vision has been to raise a church where people will be enlightened, encouraged, and empowered to be all that God has destined them to be. And to be a community-focused church conceived as a place of comfort and a solution center for the hurting world in the community and beyond.

The first Sunday Service was held at Nuno’s Pavilion, 300 Roselle St, Linden, on February 19, 2006, with about 20 adult members. AHOW continued to meet at Nuno’s Pavilion until May 2007 when it moved to a hall at the Polish Legion of American Veterans (PLAV), at 2526 Grier Avenue, also in Linden. At PLAV, the Lord continued to bless the church as more and more people were added.

About the same time of the move to PLAV, the Lord led AHOW’s leadership to start a building fundraising campaign tagged “Arise and Build.” The campaign led into the purchase and reconstruction, into a beautiful house of worship, of an abandoned building that used to be a bar. And in September 2009, AHOW moved into this building at 302 E. 9th Avenue, Roselle. God’s blessing was much more evident in the project because all these happened during a great global economic recession.

By the grace of God, the church continued to grow so much that by June 2012 AHOW had outgrown the capacity of the new building, and a decision was made to start two Sunday services. By March 2013, AHOW launched another building campaign tagged “Possessing the Land (PTL) Campaign” which resulted in the acquisition, in January 2015, of a 37,000 square feet former industrial building at 239 E. 1st Avenue, Roselle. After 10 intense months of remodeling, AHOW moved into this completely remodeled building complex on October 25, 2015. The complex consists of a modern auditorium, ample space for children’s ministry, a youth chapel, a secondary (prayer) chapel, a banquet hall, and an office complex.

However, we are excited to let you know that the best of AHOW is yet to come. There is a greater future for us as a church and we look forward to you becoming part of such a great future. AHOW has never been about building a physical structure but about building a people for a habitation of God where God’s power is meeting every spiritual and physical need, and where everyone is inspired to be and to do their best for God to be glorified.

Meet the Pastor

PASTOR JIDE LAWORE (FONDLY CALLED PASTOR JIDE OR PJ) IS THE FOUNDER, LEAD PASTOR AND APOSTOLIC LEADER OF AGAPE HOUSE OF WORSHIP.

Born in Nigeria, Jide Lawore obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Nigeria. He migrated to the United States of America in 1998 in search of a better career prospectRead more

Meet The Pastor

Agape House is a team-based church. We believe leadership works best when it is provided by teams of gifted leaders working together in pursuit of a clear and compelling vision.

Currently the leadership of Agape House is comprised of eleven godly men and women who are sold-out to God and to His purpose. This team is led by Pastor Jide Lawore and together they direct the spiritual and physical affairs of the Church.

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