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Everything you need to know about Ágape Church, our retreats, membership, sacred ceremony, and community.

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Getting Started

Ágape Church for the Soul, Mind & Body is an interfaith spiritual community rooted in prayer, sacred ceremony, medicine music, integration, service, and shared humanity.
We welcome people from many religious and spiritual backgrounds without asking them to abandon their existing beliefs. Our guiding invitation is simple: “Pray with me to the God of your choice.”
Ágape offers intimate spiritual retreats, community gatherings, integration support, opportunities to serve, and other ways to deepen a relationship with what each person holds sacred. Our work emphasizes preparation, reverence, personal responsibility, and meaningful connection before, during, and after ceremony.
We believe spiritual growth is strengthened through relationship with God as you understand God, with yourself, with the natural world, and with a community willing to walk beside you.
Ágape membership is open to adults who feel aligned with our beliefs, values, spiritual practices, and commitment to respectful community participation.
Members come from many faith traditions and life experiences. Some are deeply rooted in an established religion, while others are still exploring what spirituality means to them. Agreement on every theological question is not required. What matters is a sincere willingness to approach the community, its sacraments, and one another with reverence and integrity.
Becoming a member does not automatically register someone for a retreat or confirm that ceremony is appropriate for them. Retreat participation includes a separate registration and screening process so our team can review readiness, preparation, possible contraindications, and overall fit.
Related:Become a Member | Retreat Registration
Ágape is an interfaith church and is not limited to one religious denomination or spiritual tradition.
Our community includes people influenced by Christianity, Indigenous traditions, contemplative prayer, earth-centered spirituality, and other sincere paths toward God. We do not ask members to adopt a single doctrine, worship a particular sacrament, or describe the Divine in one prescribed way.
Instead, we gather around shared values such as love, prayer, humility, service, personal responsibility, reverence for sacred life, and respect for the beliefs of others.
Our interfaith approach allows people to deepen their spiritual lives without pretending that all traditions are identical. We honor the differences between paths while recognizing the shared humanity that allows us to pray together.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct
No. You do not have to leave your religion, church, or existing spiritual path to become part of Ágape.
We believe a sincere spiritual experience should not require someone to reject the faith, language, or relationship with God that already gives their life meaning. Many members remain connected to their own religious communities while also participating in Ágape gatherings and retreats.
Our role is not to convert people into a single belief system. We create a prayerful environment where each person can approach the sacred honestly and responsibly.
Participants are encouraged to discern how their experiences fit within their own faith, values, relationships, and daily lives. Questions are welcome, and personal beliefs are treated with respect so long as they do not diminish the dignity or spiritual freedom of others.
Related: Our Philosophy | Statement of Beliefs | Common Misconceptions
Membership is required because Ágape retreats are religious gatherings offered within an established church community, not public recreational events or commercial experiences.
Becoming a member gives each person an opportunity to understand our beliefs, the religious nature of our sacraments, our expectations for conduct, and the responsibilities shared by everyone who participates.
Membership also helps establish a relationship between the participant and the church before retreat registration begins. It confirms that the person has reviewed the foundation of our community and is approaching participation as part of a sincere spiritual practice.
Membership alone does not guarantee retreat participation. Each retreat registration is reviewed separately for preparation, contraindications, sincerity, and suitability for the gathering.
Related: Become a Member | Retreat Registration | Statement of Beliefs
You can become a member by reviewing Ágape’s beliefs and community expectations, then completing the online membership form.
The form asks for basic information and confirms that you understand the spiritual foundation of the church, our Code of Ethics & Conduct, and the responsibilities associated with membership.
Membership is not an application to be judged according to religious status, social background, or previous ceremonial experience. It is a conscious step into relationship with the church and an acknowledgment that participation carries both spiritual and community responsibilities.
After completing the membership process, you may explore retreats, gatherings, integration support, volunteering, and other opportunities offered through Ágape. Retreats require their own registration and screening process.
Related: Become a Member | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Explore Retreats

Retreats

Ágape retreats are intimate spiritual gatherings centered around prayer, sacred ceremony, community, reflection, medicine music, rest, and integration.
Each retreat is different, but the experience may include sacramental prayer ceremonies, fire or tobacco prayer, live medicine music, guided reflection, integration circles, breathwork, cacao, shared meals, time in nature, and opportunities for quiet personal contemplation.
The schedule is intentionally spacious. We do not treat retreat as a list of activities to complete. Time is created for participants to rest, process their experiences, connect with the community, and remain present with what is unfolding.
Our retreats are religious gatherings held within the spiritual life of Ágape Church. They are not recreational events or substitutes for medical or mental health treatment.
Related: Retreat Calendar | About Ágape | Retreat Registration
Most Ágape retreats are intentionally limited to approximately 10 participants.
Keeping our gatherings small allows us to offer a more personal, prayerful, and attentive experience. Participants have more opportunity to become familiar with the facilitators, volunteers, musicians, and other members of the retreat community.
Smaller groups also help protect the atmosphere of ceremony. Rather than feeling anonymous within a large event, each participant enters a shared spiritual container where their presence matters.
The exact number may vary depending on the retreat, location, accommodations, and nature of the gathering. Any specific participation limit will be listed on the retreat details page.
Related: Retreat Calendar | About Ágape
Yes. Many people attend an Ágape retreat without any previous experience with sacred plant ceremony.
Previous ceremonial experience is not required. What matters is sincerity, honesty, preparation, and a willingness to approach the gathering as a religious and spiritual experience.
Our registration process helps us understand your background, health history, medications, concerns, and reasons for attending. This allows our team to determine whether the retreat appears appropriate and to provide preparation guidance before your arrival.
First-time participants are encouraged to ask questions openly. You are not expected to arrive knowing everything, and you should never pretend to feel ready when you have concerns that need to be discussed.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide | Getting Started
Ágape retreats are hosted at carefully selected private properties and retreat locations, primarily in Texas.
Because we now gather at multiple locations, the setting may vary by retreat. Locations are chosen based on privacy, accommodations, access to nature, safety, and their ability to support a peaceful ceremonial environment.
For the privacy of our hosts and participants, the complete address is not publicly posted. Approved participants receive the location and arrival instructions before the retreat.
The general region or nearest city will be listed on the retreat details page whenever possible so participants can make travel arrangements before receiving the private address.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Planning Your Visit
Begin by becoming a member of Ágape Church, then select a gathering from the Retreat Calendar and complete the retreat registration form.
The registration form asks about your health history, medications, prior ceremonial experience, preparation, and reasons for attending. Every submission is reviewed to help determine whether the gathering appears appropriate for the individual and the community.
A registration form alone does not reserve a space. Your participation is confirmed only after the required registration steps and reservation donation have been completed.
Because each retreat is intentionally small, we recommend completing the process only after you have made the necessary arrangements to attend.
Related: Become a Member | Retreat Calendar | Retreat Registration
The recommended donation varies according to the retreat, location, accommodations, duration, sacraments, meals, and resources required to host the gathering. We do not charge for our sacraments.
The current recommended donation is listed on each retreat details page. These donations support lodging, meals, retreat operations, ceremonial preparation, music, facilities, supplies, community programs, and the continued spiritual work of Ágape Church.
We use donation-based language because participation occurs within the sincerely held religious life of the church. A donation is not simply payment for a product or experience. It is an act of reciprocity that helps sustain the community and makes future gatherings possible.
Any minimum reservation amount, payment schedule, or available support will be clearly stated before registration.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Donations & Policies | Support Ágape
Many retreats allow participants to reserve their space with a minimum nonrefundable donation rather than contributing the full recommended amount immediately.
The required reservation amount and any remaining recommended donation will be listed on the individual retreat page. These terms may vary depending on the gathering.
Submitting the registration form without completing the required reservation donation does not guarantee participation. In some cases, the individual may be placed on a waiting list until the required steps are completed.
Please reserve only after confirming that you are able to attend. Retreats are small, and an unused reservation may prevent another member from participating.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Retreat Registration | Donations & Policies
Any remaining recommended retreat donation is generally due before arrival, according to the deadline listed on the retreat details page or confirmation message.
Deadlines may vary by retreat. Participants should carefully review the information provided at registration and in their confirmation email.
Completing the remaining donation on time helps us finalize accommodations, meals, staffing, supplies, and other arrangements needed to host the gathering responsibly.
A reservation may be released if the remaining steps are not completed by the stated deadline and the participant has not communicated with our team.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Donations & Policies
After submission, our team reviews the information you provided, including relevant health history, medications, previous experiences, preparation, and reasons for attending.
We may contact you if clarification or an additional conversation is needed. Please respond honestly and promptly, since incomplete information may delay the review process.
Once the registration requirements have been completed and participation is confirmed, you will receive additional information about preparation, travel, arrival, what to bring, the retreat schedule, and the private location.
Submitting the form does not automatically guarantee participation. The review process exists to support responsible discernment and protect both the participant and the retreat community.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide | Health & Safety
Your participation is confirmed when you receive a direct confirmation from Ágape after completing the required registration and reservation steps.
Do not rely solely on a form submission receipt. That message only confirms that your information was received.
Your confirmation will generally include or be followed by preparation guidance, arrival information, location details, remaining donation information, and other important instructions.
Please review all communications carefully and contact us if you believe you completed the process but have not received confirmation.
Until you receive confirmation from Ágape, you should not assume that a retreat space has been reserved.
Related: Retreat Registration | Contact Ágape
Confirmed participants receive a retreat-specific packing list before arrival.
In general, participants should bring comfortable and modest clothing, layers for changing temperatures, personal toiletries, any permitted medications, a refillable water bottle, a journal, and other items listed in their confirmation materials.
Because our retreats may be held at different properties, needs can vary. Some locations provide linens and towels, while others may require additional personal items. Always follow the instructions for the specific gathering you are attending.
Bring only what supports your comfort, preparation, and prayer. Avoid unnecessary valuables, distracting electronics, or anything that may disrupt the shared retreat environment.
Related: Preparation Guide | Planning Your Visit
Participants should follow the preparation instructions provided for their specific retreat and sacrament.
Preparation may include avoiding alcohol, recreational substances, certain foods, unnecessary supplements, and activities that leave the body or mind depleted. Some medications may be contraindicated and must be disclosed during registration.
Do not stop taking a prescribed medication without guidance from the qualified professional who manages your care. Instead, disclose all medications and supplements honestly so we can determine whether participation may be appropriate.
Preparation is not about achieving perfection. It is about approaching ceremony with clarity, faith, responsibility, and respect for your body, the sacrament, and the community.
Related: Preparation Guide | Health & Safety | Retreat Registration
Yes. Couples, relatives, and friends may attend the same retreat when each person independently completes membership, registration, screening, and the required reservation steps.
Attending together can be meaningful, but each participant must enter the experience for their own sincere reasons. One person should not pressure another to participate or answer registration questions on their behalf.
During the retreat, individuals may have different needs, experiences, and levels of participation. We encourage loved ones to support one another without trying to manage, interpret, or control each other’s spiritual process.
Shared accommodations may depend on the retreat location and cannot always be guaranteed.
Related: Become a Member | Retreat Registration | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Yes. Members may return for additional retreats when they feel sincerely called and when participation remains appropriate.
Every retreat can offer a different experience because each gathering, community, sacrament, location, and season carries its own character. Returning participants are still expected to complete the registration process and disclose any changes in health, medications, or personal circumstances.
We do not encourage people to pursue one ceremony after another without taking time to integrate. More experiences do not automatically create greater spiritual growth.
Discernment includes knowing when to return, when to rest, when to serve, and when the deeper work is simply to live what has already been revealed.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Integration | Volunteer with Ágape
When a retreat reaches capacity, registration may close or additional applicants may be placed on a waiting list.
Because our retreats are intentionally small, spaces can fill quickly. A waiting-list position does not guarantee participation, but we may contact you if a confirmed participant cancels or if another appropriate opportunity becomes available.
Please do not arrive without confirmation. Private retreat locations, accommodations, meals, and ceremonial preparations are arranged according to the confirmed participant list.
You may also review the Retreat Calendar for another gathering that fits your schedule. New opportunities are added as dates and locations are confirmed.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Contact Ágape
Unless otherwise stated, retreat donations generally include shared lodging and wholesome meals for the scheduled duration of the gathering.
Accommodations vary by location and may include shared bedrooms, beds, cabins, or other retreat-style arrangements. Private rooms are not always available and should not be assumed unless specifically listed.
Meals are prepared to support the retreat environment and the preparation requirements of the gathering. Participants should disclose dietary restrictions during registration so we can determine what can reasonably be accommodated.
The individual retreat page will identify what is included and note any special lodging or meal arrangements.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Planning Your Visit
Transportation to and from the retreat is generally the responsibility of each participant unless the retreat details specifically state otherwise.
Participants may be encouraged to coordinate flights, rental vehicles, or carpools with other confirmed attendees. Any airport recommendations, arrival windows, or transportation options will be provided in the retreat information.
Do not finalize nonrefundable travel arrangements until your participation has been confirmed.
Because our gatherings take place at multiple private locations, travel requirements may vary. Review the information for your specific retreat carefully and communicate with our team if your arrival plans fall outside the designated window.
Related: Planning Your Visit | Retreat Calendar
No. Ágape retreats are religious and spiritual gatherings and are not presented as psychotherapy, medical treatment, psychiatric care, or a substitute for professional healthcare.
Participants may experience meaningful reflection, emotional release, spiritual insight, or a renewed sense of connection, but no particular outcome can be promised.
Our facilitators support the spiritual and ceremonial environment within the scope of their roles. Participants remain responsible for obtaining appropriate medical, mental health, or therapeutic care when needed.
Anyone experiencing an urgent health or mental health concern should seek assistance from a qualified professional rather than relying on retreat participation as treatment.
Related: Health & Safety | Integration | Code of Ethics & Conduct

Sacred Ceremony

Sacred ceremony at Ágape is a gathering of prayer, reverence, music, reflection, community, and communion with the Divine Creator.
Ceremony is not treated as entertainment, recreation, or spiritual tourism. Participants gather with sincere religious purpose and are invited to approach the experience with humility, faith, honesty, and personal responsibility.
Depending on the retreat, ceremony may include natural entheogenic sacraments, live medicine music, spoken prayer, silence, ceremonial tobacco, fire prayer, guided reflection, and other practices that support communion with the sacred.
The sacrament is only one part of the experience. Preparation, community, prayer, ethical conduct, and integration are equally important to the religious life of the church.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Explore Retreats
Ágape recognizes certain natural entheogens and ceremonial plants as sacred sacraments within the religious life of the church.
Depending on the retreat or gathering, these may include Ayahuasca or Yagé, Huachuma or San Pedro, Niños Santos or sacred mushrooms, ceremonial tobacco, cacao, and other natural sacraments recognized through the church’s evolving spiritual practice.
Not every sacrament is offered at every retreat. The retreat description will identify the primary sacramental focus whenever appropriate.
We do not treat these sacraments as recreational substances or commercial products. They are received within prayer and ceremony as sacred parts of Divine Creation.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Retreat Calendar | Retreat Registration
No. Ágape does not worship Ayahuasca, Yagé, sacred mushrooms, San Pedro, or any other sacrament as a god or deity.
We believe natural entheogens were manifested within Divine Creation and may serve as sacred instruments of prayer, reflection, communion, and expanded spiritual awareness.
The sacrament does not replace the Divine Creator. It does not replace faith, prayer, discernment, ethical responsibility, or the work of integration.
Members are invited to approach the sacrament with reverence while directing their prayer toward God as they sincerely understand God.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Common Misconceptions
Ágape believes natural entheogens may help sincere participants deepen prayer, examine their lives, encounter spiritual truth, and strengthen their relationship with the Divine Creator.
Within an appropriate ceremonial and religious setting, these sacraments may support experiences of unity, humility, forgiveness, gratitude, remembrance, and connection with nature.
We do not believe the sacrament automatically creates spiritual growth. Its value depends upon the sincerity, preparation, discernment, ethical conduct, and integration of the person receiving it.
The deeper purpose is not simply to experience an altered state. It is to become more loving, truthful, responsible, present, and useful to others.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Integration | Preparation Guide
No. Membership in Ágape Church does not require a person to receive every sacrament or participate in every ceremony.
We believe spiritual consent and personal sovereignty are essential. No person should be pressured, shamed, or spiritually judged for choosing not to receive a sacrament.
Participants may determine that a particular ceremony is not appropriate for them because of health, medication, emotional readiness, personal circumstances, or spiritual discernment.
A sincere relationship with Ágape may also include community gatherings, prayer, music, integration, volunteering, service, or other forms of participation that do not involve entheogenic sacraments.
Related: Become a Member | Community | Statement of Beliefs
No. Participation must be voluntary.
Before ceremony, participants receive information about the gathering and have an opportunity to ask questions. During the retreat, a person may decline a sacrament or choose not to participate in a particular portion of the experience.
No facilitator, volunteer, musician, or participant should pressure another person to consume a sacrament or interpret refusal as spiritual failure.
Spiritual sovereignty includes the right to listen to your body, your conscience, your faith, and the guidance of qualified health professionals.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Health & Safety | Retreat Registration
Ágape ceremonies are intimate, prayer-centered gatherings that emphasize live medicine music, spiritual sovereignty, personal responsibility, and community.
We do not attempt to reproduce a tradition that is not our own or claim authority through a lineage we do not carry. Our ceremonies have been shaped by the teachings, ancestral practices, personal experiences, and spiritual relationships that have influenced the church, while remaining honest about who we are.
Participants are generally seated or resting in a shared ceremonial space. Music, prayer, silence, and attentive support are used to help maintain a reverent environment with minimal unnecessary distraction.
The focus is never the performance or personality of the person leading. The focus is the prayer, the participant, the community, and the Divine presence that gathers us.
Related: About Ágape | Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Songs
Ágape honors the Indigenous peoples, elders, communities, and ancestors who preserved sacred plant knowledge across generations, but we do not present our ceremonies as belonging to a specific Indigenous tradition unless that tradition is being carried by an invited practitioner with the appropriate relationship and authority.
We seek to learn respectfully, acknowledge the origins of the practices we have received, and avoid false claims of lineage.
Our ceremonies reflect Ágape’s interfaith religious practice and include prayer, medicine music, community, and sacramental communion. They may be influenced by ancestral traditions without claiming to perfectly reproduce them.
Respect requires gratitude, honesty, humility, and a willingness to recognize where teachings came from.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Within Ágape, Christ Consciousness refers to an awareness rooted in Divine love, compassion, forgiveness, truth, unity, service, and recognition of the sacred within ourselves and others.
It is not used to require every member to adopt a single Christian doctrine or abandon another faith tradition.
We understand Christ Consciousness as an expression of the love and spiritual responsibility that Jesus embodied and taught. Members may interpret this through their own sincere relationship with God while respecting the interfaith nature of the church.
The measure of this consciousness is not religious language alone. It is reflected in how we love, forgive, serve, repair harm, and honor the dignity of others.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape
Medicine music is music offered as prayer and service within sacred ceremony.
Songs may help focus attention, support emotional movement, invite reflection, strengthen community, or guide participants back toward prayer. The music may include guitar, voice, harmonica, flute, percussion, silence, and songs drawn from different languages or spiritual influences.
Within ceremony, the musician is not performing for applause or placing themselves at the center of the gathering. The music exists to support the prayer and the spiritual needs of the community.
Ágape also shares Sacred Songs outside ceremony as a form of reflection, integration, and invitation into prayer.
Related: Sacred Songs | Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape
Prayer is the spiritual foundation of every Ágape ceremony.
Participants may pray through spoken words, silence, breath, song, gratitude, surrender, reflection, or direct communion with the Divine Creator. No one is required to use a specific name for God or follow a prescribed religious script.
Our invitation is simple:
Pray with me to the God of your choice.
Prayer helps orient the experience toward reverence rather than consumption. It reminds us that ceremony is not about demanding a vision or controlling an outcome. It is about listening, trusting, seeking guidance, and remaining open to what may be revealed.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Sacred Songs
Every person’s experience is different.
Participants may encounter emotions, memories, physical sensations, symbolic imagery, spiritual insight, silence, discomfort, gratitude, connection, grief, forgiveness, or a renewed sense of relationship with the Divine.
Some members describe encounters with ancestors, spiritual beings, sacred intelligence, or higher dimensions of consciousness. Others may experience something quieter and less visual.
No specific outcome is guaranteed, and a dramatic experience is not necessarily more spiritually meaningful than a subtle one. The value of ceremony is often revealed later through reflection, changed behavior, restored relationships, and the way a person lives.
Related: Integration | Statement of Beliefs | Health & Safety
No. Ágape believes spiritual experiences require discernment.
A vision, thought, feeling, or perceived message should not automatically be treated as literal truth or acted upon without reflection.
Participants are encouraged to consider whether an insight leads toward love, honesty, responsibility, humility, healthy boundaries, and respect for life. Messages that encourage fear, superiority, manipulation, harm, impulsive decisions, or avoidance of responsibility should be questioned.
Integration allows time to reflect, pray, seek appropriate guidance, and understand an experience without rushing to define it.
No facilitator should impose an interpretation or claim absolute authority over what another person experienced.
Related: Integration | Statement of Beliefs | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Some members report experiences they understand as communion with ancestors, spiritual beings, sacred intelligence, or dimensions beyond ordinary awareness.
Ágape respects these experiences while allowing each person to interpret them through their own faith, culture, and spiritual understanding.
We do not require members to believe that every vision represents an external being, nor do we dismiss experiences simply because they cannot be scientifically verified.
The appropriate response is humility and discernment. Any perceived guidance should be considered carefully according to its ethical character and the way it affects the person’s daily life.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Integration | About Ágape
Support is available throughout ceremony.
Facilitators and designated volunteers help maintain the ceremonial environment and may offer grounding, prayer, reassurance, practical assistance, or a calm presence when appropriate.
Participants are encouraged to communicate when they need help. Asking for support is not a failure and does not diminish the spiritual value of the experience.
At the same time, ceremony can include difficult emotions or personal truths. The goal is not always to remove every discomfort immediately, but to help the participant remain as safe, grounded, and supported as possible.
Any serious medical or psychiatric concern is addressed according to the circumstances and may require outside professional assistance.
Related: Health & Safety | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Integration
Physical touch should only occur with appropriate consent or when reasonably necessary to protect someone from immediate harm.
Support may sometimes involve offering a hand, helping someone stand, guiding them safely through the space, or providing another form of practical assistance. Whenever possible, consent should be requested before touch.
Participants may communicate their boundaries before or during the retreat. Those boundaries should be respected by facilitators, volunteers, and other participants.
Spiritual authority never overrides bodily autonomy. Touch must never be sexualized, coercive, manipulative, or presented as a requirement for healing.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Health & Safety
Ágape expects participants, volunteers, and leaders to respect the privacy of everyone attending.
Personal stories, emotional moments, spiritual experiences, health disclosures, and identifying information should not be shared outside the retreat without permission.
Confidentiality helps create trust, but it is not absolute in every circumstance. Information may need to be disclosed when required by law, when necessary to respond to an immediate safety concern, or when reporting serious misconduct.
Participants may speak about their own experiences, but they should avoid identifying or describing others without consent.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Retreat Registration
Photography, video, and audio recording are generally not permitted during sacred ceremony.
The purpose of this boundary is to protect privacy, reduce distraction, and preserve the prayerful nature of the gathering.
There is a reason visitors rarely see photographs of Ágape leaders carrying ceremony. Ceremony is never about promoting the facilitator. It is about the people who have entrusted us with their prayer and vulnerability.
Any photography outside ceremonial spaces should still respect the privacy and consent of everyone present. Specific retreat guidance will be provided when appropriate.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | About Ágape
Spiritual preparation begins with honesty, prayer, and faith.
Participants are encouraged to reflect on why they feel called to attend, what responsibilities they carry, and whether they are willing to receive what is needed rather than demand a specific outcome.
Preparation may include quiet time, journaling, prayer, reducing distractions, repairing unresolved obligations, discussing concerns with the retreat team, and reviewing the church’s beliefs and ethical expectations.
Ágape emphasizes faith over rigid intention. You may arrive with sincere questions or prayers, but ceremony should not be approached as a transaction in which the sacrament is expected to deliver a predetermined result.
Related: Preparation Guide | Statement of Beliefs | Retreat Registration
Integration is the process of reflecting upon a ceremonial experience and allowing its lessons to influence everyday life.
It may include prayer, journaling, rest, honest conversation, creative expression, community support, healthier boundaries, changed behavior, forgiveness, service, or professional care when appropriate.
A powerful experience does not automatically become lasting transformation. Integration asks what the experience is inviting you to practice, repair, release, or embody.
At Ágape, we believe the fruit of ceremony is not simply what a person saw or felt. It is what they are willing to live.
Related: Integration | Community | Volunteer with Ágape
No. Ágape does not guarantee healing, spiritual revelation, emotional relief, or any specific outcome.
Sacred ceremony may become a meaningful part of a person’s spiritual journey, but transformation is rarely created through one experience alone.
Growth requires participation, honesty, time, support, ethical action, and a willingness to integrate what has been revealed. Some experiences may initially feel difficult, unclear, or incomplete.
We avoid presenting ceremony as a cure or universal solution. Each participant remains responsible for their choices, relationships, healthcare, spiritual practice, and continuing personal work.
Related: Health & Safety | Integration | Statement of Beliefs

Health & Safety

Ágape approaches safety through honest screening, preparation, clear expectations, appropriate supervision, responsible retreat practices, and access to emergency services when necessary.
A sober member of the Ágape team is always present during sacramental ceremonies. This person remains available to observe the environment, assist participants, recognize concerns, and take appropriate practical action when needed.
Before attending, participants are expected to disclose relevant health conditions, medications, supplements, mental health history, and any recent changes that could affect participation. This information helps our team determine whether a retreat appears appropriate within the scope of what Ágape can responsibly provide.
Our gatherings are spiritual and religious offerings. They are not medical clinics, psychiatric facilities, or treatment programs. Participants remain responsible for seeking qualified medical or mental health guidance when needed.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Ágape does not require physicians, nurses, paramedics, therapists, or other licensed medical professionals to be present during retreats or community offerings.
A sober member of our team is always present during sacramental ceremonies to observe the environment, provide practical support, and help ensure that an appropriate response is taken if a concern arises.
Our facilitators and volunteers serve within spiritual, ceremonial, hospitality, and community-support roles. Their presence should not be interpreted as medical supervision or clinical care.
Participants should not attend with the expectation that medical treatment will be available onsite. Anyone who requires continuous medical monitoring, specialized care, or immediate access to a healthcare provider should discuss their circumstances with a qualified professional before registering.
Related: Retreat Registration | Emergency Procedures | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Yes. A sober member of the Ágape team is always present during sacramental ceremonies to observe the environment, support participants, and help ensure an appropriate response if a concern arises.
This person does not participate in the sacrament and remains available to communicate clearly, assess practical needs, contact emergency services, and follow the direction of 911 dispatchers or first responders when necessary.
The presence of a sober support person should not be understood as medical supervision. Ágape does not require licensed medical professionals to be onsite. In any medical emergency, our response is to call 911.
Related: Emergency Procedures | Retreat Registration | Code of Ethics & Conduct
In a medical emergency, Ágape’s response is to call 911 and request assistance from emergency medical services.
A sober member of the Ágape team is always present during sacramental ceremonies and is available to communicate with emergency dispatchers, provide the location and relevant participant information, follow instructions, and assist until professional responders arrive.
Our retreat locations are generally selected within reasonable proximity to an emergency clinic, urgent care center, or hospital. However, travel time, emergency response time, and the availability of particular services may vary by location and circumstance.
Facilitators and volunteers may provide practical assistance while emergency services are being contacted, but Ágape does not represent this support as medical treatment.
Related: Retreat Registration | Planning Your Visit
No. Ágape retreats are religious and spiritual gatherings, not medical, psychiatric, psychological, or therapeutic treatment programs.
Participants may experience emotional reflection, spiritual insight, release, discomfort, connection, or meaningful personal change, but no outcome is promised.
Our facilitators do not diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, provide psychotherapy, or replace the role of a physician, psychiatrist, therapist, or other qualified professional.
Anyone experiencing an urgent physical or mental health concern should seek appropriate professional care rather than relying upon retreat participation as treatment.
Related: Integration | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Retreat Registration
Health screening helps Ágape determine whether a participant’s disclosed circumstances appear compatible with the retreat environment and sacramental practices being offered.
The registration form may ask about medical history, mental health history, medications, supplements, recent procedures, previous ceremonial experiences, and other information relevant to participation.
Screening is based upon the information the participant provides. Ágape cannot responsibly evaluate information that is incomplete, inaccurate, or intentionally withheld.
Submitting a registration form does not guarantee participation. Additional questions, a conversation, or documentation from a qualified professional may be requested when clarification is needed.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
Participants should disclose all relevant health conditions, medications, supplements, recent medication changes, surgeries, allergies, pregnancy, and any other circumstances that may affect participation.
This includes prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, herbal products, recreational substances, and anything taken regularly or recently.
Participants should also disclose any history of serious cardiovascular concerns, seizures, fainting, significant breathing problems, severe allergic reactions, or other conditions that may require urgent medical attention.
The purpose of disclosure is not to judge or shame anyone. It is to support responsible discernment and help determine whether the gathering is appropriate within the limitations of the retreat environment.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
Yes. Some medications, supplements, and substances may be incompatible with particular sacraments or may increase the risk of serious adverse reactions.
Participants must disclose everything they are taking, including dosage, frequency, and recent changes. Do not assume a medication is irrelevant because it is common, natural, over the counter, or taken only occasionally.
Ágape does not instruct participants to stop prescribed medication. Any change to a prescription should be discussed with the qualified healthcare professional responsible for that care.
A participant may be asked to delay attendance when medication use, medication changes, incomplete information, or the absence of appropriate professional guidance creates uncertainty.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
Do not stop, reduce, or change a prescribed medication solely to attend an Ágape retreat.
Medication changes can carry serious risks and should only be made in consultation with the qualified professional who manages your care.
If a medication may be incompatible with a sacrament, the appropriate response may be to postpone participation rather than discontinue treatment without proper supervision.
Ágape may decline or delay participation when safe preparation cannot be confirmed. Attending a retreat is never more important than responsibly caring for your health.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
A mental health diagnosis does not automatically determine eligibility, but some conditions, symptoms, histories, or recent changes may make participation inappropriate.
The registration process considers factors such as current stability, recent crises, hospitalization history, severe dissociation, psychosis, mania, suicidal thoughts, medication changes, and the person’s access to ongoing professional support.
Ágape is not equipped to provide psychiatric monitoring, crisis stabilization, or inpatient care. Anyone experiencing an active mental health crisis should seek qualified professional support rather than attend a retreat.
Eligibility decisions are made according to the information available and the limits of what our spiritual retreat environment can responsibly support.
Related: Retreat Registration | Integration | Emergency Procedures
Some people living with PTSD, anxiety, or depression participate in spiritual retreats, but eligibility depends upon the individual’s current circumstances rather than the diagnosis alone.
Participants should disclose symptoms, medications, recent crises, hospitalizations, and any professional care they are currently receiving. Honest disclosure helps our team understand whether the retreat environment appears appropriate.
Ágape does not claim to treat or cure PTSD, anxiety, depression, trauma, or any other condition. Ceremony can bring intense emotions, memories, or sensations to the surface, so participants should consider their current stability and available support carefully.
Related: Retreat Registration | Integration | Preparation Guide
Ágape may decline or postpone participation when a person’s health, medications, mental state, recent crisis, incomplete disclosure, or other circumstances appear beyond what the retreat environment can responsibly support.
This may also occur when someone requires medical monitoring, psychiatric supervision, assistance with essential daily care, or access to resources that will not be available at the retreat.
A decision to postpone is not a judgment of someone’s character, faith, or spiritual sincerity. It reflects the limits of the setting and our responsibility to consider the well-being of the individual and the wider community.
Related: Retreat Registration | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Pregnancy or breastfeeding must be disclosed during registration.
Because participation may involve sacraments, dietary changes, physical demands, interrupted sleep, and limited access to immediate medical care, the retreat team may determine that participation is not appropriate.
Ágape does not provide obstetric, prenatal, postpartum, or pediatric medical guidance. Questions about pregnancy, breastfeeding, medications, or potential exposure should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.
Participants should never withhold pregnancy or breastfeeding status in order to preserve eligibility.
Related: Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
Facilitators and designated volunteers may offer grounding, prayer, reassurance, practical assistance, or a calm presence within the scope of their roles.
Participants are encouraged to communicate when they need support. Asking for help is not a failure, and difficult emotions do not necessarily mean something has gone wrong.
At the same time, Ágape is not a psychiatric crisis facility. If someone develops symptoms that suggest an immediate danger to themselves or others, severe disorientation, a medical emergency, or a condition beyond what the retreat can safely support, emergency services may be contacted by dialing 911.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Integration | Emergency Procedures
Any serious psychological reaction is evaluated according to the immediate circumstances and observable safety concerns.
Ágape may reduce stimulation, provide calm supervision, contact the participant’s emergency contact, or call 911 when emergency evaluation appears necessary.
Because licensed mental health professionals are not required to be onsite, participants should not assume that psychiatric assessment or crisis treatment will be available at the retreat.
A participant who has recently experienced psychosis, mania, severe dissociation, suicidal thoughts, psychiatric hospitalization, or another significant crisis must disclose this during registration.
Related: Retreat Registration | Emergency Procedures | Integration
Ágape generally selects retreat locations within reasonable proximity to an emergency clinic, urgent care center, or hospital.
This does not mean medical services are onsite or immediately available. Distance, road conditions, traffic, weather, emergency response times, and the services available at a nearby facility can vary.
In an emergency, our response is to call 911 and follow the direction of emergency responders.
Participants with conditions that may require immediate or specialized care should consider these limitations before registering.
Related: Planning Your Visit | Retreat Registration
Participants are expected to provide a current emergency contact, relevant medical information, medication details, allergies, and any information that may be important if emergency services are needed.
Emergency contacts should be people who are aware of the participant’s attendance and can be reached during the retreat.
Providing accurate information helps reduce delays if an emergency occurs. Participants should update the retreat team if anything changes after registration, including medications, health conditions, contact information, or recent medical events.
Related: Retreat Registration | Planning Your Visit
Contact Ágape before attending if you begin a new medication, change a dosage, stop a medication, receive a new diagnosis, become pregnant, undergo a procedure, experience a mental health crisis, or develop any other significant health concern.
Previous confirmation does not mean that new circumstances can be ignored.
Our team may ask additional questions or determine that attendance should be postponed. It is always better to communicate early than to arrive with information that was not reviewed.
Honest updates protect you, the facilitators, and the wider retreat community.
Related: Retreat Registration | Contact Ágape
Participants should disclose food allergies, dietary restrictions, and any history of severe allergic reactions during registration.
We make reasonable efforts to accommodate common dietary needs, but we cannot guarantee an environment completely free from allergens or cross-contact.
Participants with severe allergies should bring any prescribed emergency medication, inform the retreat team upon arrival, and understand that medical professionals are not required to be onsite.
If an allergic reaction appears to be a medical emergency, Ágape will call 911.
Related: Planning Your Visit | Retreat Registration
Participants should disclose mobility limitations, accessibility needs, or assistance requirements before registering.
Retreat properties vary, and some may include stairs, uneven ground, shared accommodations, outdoor paths, or limited accessibility features.
Ágape will provide available information and determine what can reasonably be supported at the specific location. We do not provide professional nursing care, personal care attendants, or medical transportation.
Early communication allows the participant and retreat team to make an informed decision before travel arrangements are finalized.
Related: Planning Your Visit | Retreat Calendar
Facilitators and volunteers remain present to support the retreat environment, maintain order, respond to reasonable needs, and observe the shared ceremonial space.
A sober member of the Ágape team is always present during sacramental ceremonies. This person remains available to recognize concerns, provide practical support, communicate clearly, and initiate an emergency response when necessary.
This presence should not be understood as continuous medical monitoring, psychiatric observation, or one-to-one clinical supervision.
Participants are expected to follow instructions, remain within designated areas, communicate when they need assistance, and avoid conduct that could place themselves or others at risk.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Sacred Ceremony
Participants are expected to remain within the designated retreat environment and follow the safety instructions provided by the leadership team.
Leaving the property, driving, wandering into unsafe areas, or separating from the group during or after sacramental participation may create serious risks.
Anyone who feels they need to leave should speak with a facilitator rather than departing without notice. Transportation decisions will be made according to the person’s condition and the circumstances.
A participant should never drive while impaired or before they have been cleared to leave safely.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Planning Your Visit
Alcohol, recreational drugs, and unauthorized substances are not permitted at Ágape retreats.
Participants must follow all preparation instructions and disclose recent substance use honestly. Combining substances or arriving intoxicated can create serious safety concerns and may result in removal from participation.
Only sacraments and ceremonial substances authorized by Ágape may be received within the retreat.
Participants should also avoid sharing medications, supplements, or substances with others.
Related: Preparation Guide | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Ágape offers integration resources and opportunities for community connection after retreat.
Integration may include group calls, circles, prayer, reflection, journaling, music, rest, service, and conversations with trusted members of the community.
Integration support is spiritual and community-based. It is not psychotherapy, medical care, psychiatric treatment, or crisis intervention.
Participants who experience ongoing physical symptoms, severe distress, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, mania, or another urgent concern should contact a qualified professional or emergency service rather than relying solely upon community integration.
Related: Integration | Community | Contact Ágape
Every participant is responsible for providing accurate information, following preparation guidance, respecting retreat policies, communicating changes, listening to safety instructions, and seeking professional care when needed.
Participants should not conceal health information to preserve eligibility or assume that spiritual faith removes the need for practical responsibility.
Our approach to safety depends upon honesty and cooperation between the participant and the retreat team.
Religious freedom, spiritual sovereignty, and sacred ceremony all carry responsibility. Caring for your health, honoring your limits, and protecting the community are part of approaching ceremony in a good way.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Retreat Registration

Community

Community at Ágape means walking together before, during, and after retreat.
We believe spiritual growth is strengthened through relationship. Ceremony may open a door, but community helps us continue the work through prayer, reflection, accountability, service, music, and honest connection.
Ágape is not built around isolated experiences or the personality of one leader. It is built through the shared presence of members who choose to support one another and contribute to something greater than themselves.
Some members participate through retreats, while others remain connected through gatherings, integration, volunteering, prayer, donations, music, and service.
Related: About Ágape | Integration | Volunteer with Ágape
After retreat, participants are encouraged to rest, reflect, integrate, and remain connected with the community.
The days and weeks following ceremony may bring clarity, emotion, questions, or changes in perspective. Integration helps participants consider how the experience may influence their relationships, choices, spiritual practice, boundaries, and daily responsibilities.
Ágape may offer integration calls, community gatherings, prayer circles, music, service opportunities, and other ways to stay connected.
The retreat does not end when participants leave the property. The deeper work often begins through the way each person chooses to live what was revealed.
Related: Integration | Community Gatherings | Sacred Ceremony
Ágape community gatherings are opportunities for members to pray, connect, reflect, share music, and strengthen relationships outside the retreat setting.
Gatherings may include fire circles, song circles, cacao, integration conversations, shared meals, prayer, guided reflection, or other community-centered practices.
Not every gathering includes an entheogenic sacrament. Many are created simply to bring people together in a sacred and welcoming environment.
Details, eligibility, and recommended donations may vary by event. Current opportunities are listed on the church calendar.
Related: Community Calendar | About Ágape | Integration
No. Many Ágape gatherings do not include entheogenic sacraments.
Community may be built through prayer, music, fire circles, cacao, shared meals, integration, service, and meaningful conversation.
We believe sacramental ceremony is one expression of religious life, not the only way to participate in the church. Members may remain actively involved without receiving an entheogenic sacrament.
The event description will clearly explain the nature of each gathering and whether any sacrament is included.
Related: Community Calendar | Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Ceremony
Cacao & Canciones is a community gathering centered around ceremonial cacao, prayer, live music, shared songs, and connection.
The gathering creates space for members and guests to slow down, open the heart, sing together, and experience the community through music rather than a full retreat.
Cacao & Canciones reflects Ágape’s belief that sacred music can carry prayer and help people reconnect with themselves, one another, and the Divine.
Event details, eligibility, location, and recommended reciprocity are listed when each gathering is announced.
Related: Community Calendar | Sacred Songs | About Ágape
Integration circles are community spaces for reflection after retreat or sacred ceremony.
Participants may share what they are processing, listen to others, ask questions, and consider how their experiences may be carried into daily life.
The purpose is not to impose interpretations or tell someone what their experience means. Integration circles support personal discernment, spiritual responsibility, and the recognition that understanding may unfold over time.
These gatherings are spiritual and community-based. They are not psychotherapy, medical care, or psychiatric treatment.
Related: Integration | Health & Safety | Sacred Ceremony
Not every community offering requires previous retreat participation.
Some gatherings may be open to members, guests, or people who are learning about Ágape, while others may be reserved for retreat alumni or participants with specific experience.
Eligibility will be listed on the event page.
Becoming part of the community does not require someone to receive an entheogenic sacrament. Prayer, music, service, integration, and respectful participation are all meaningful ways to build relationship with Ágape.
Related: Become a Member | Community Calendar | About Ágape
Members can stay involved through community gatherings, integration circles, volunteering, prayer, service, recurring support, music, and future retreats.
The most meaningful next step is not always another ceremony. Sometimes it is returning to community, helping another person feel welcomed, supporting an event, or taking time to live what has already been revealed.
Current opportunities are shared through the church website, calendar, email communications, and community channels.
Related: Integration | Volunteer with Ágape | Community Calendar
Yes. Eligible members may apply to volunteer at future retreats and community gatherings.
To qualify, volunteers must be active members and have completed at least two Ágape retreats. This helps ensure that each volunteer understands the culture, expectations, and spiritual nature of the gatherings they are supporting.
Volunteers are asked to make a $150 donation to help cover room and board when serving at a retreat.
Volunteer opportunities are limited and based on the needs of each gathering. Serving is not intended as a discounted way to attend retreat. The volunteer’s primary responsibility is to support the community.
Related: Volunteer with Ágape | Volunteer Application | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Volunteer needs vary by retreat and gathering.
Roles may include hospitality, welcoming participants, meal preparation, kitchen support, setup, cleanup, maintaining shared spaces, assisting with supplies, tending the grounds, administrative support, and helping leadership respond to practical needs.
Some assignments are visible, while others happen quietly behind the scenes. Every role contributes to the experience of the community.
Volunteers should be prepared to serve with flexibility, humility, reliability, and a willingness to assist wherever needed.
Related: Volunteer with Ágape | Volunteer Application
Volunteer participation in ceremony depends on the needs of the specific retreat and the role assigned.
Volunteers may participate in portions of the retreat experience, but their primary responsibility is to serve the participants and support the gathering.
A volunteer may be asked to assist during activities, prepare meals, care for shared spaces, or remain available while others are participating.
Anyone applying to volunteer should do so because they feel called to serve, not because they expect the same experience as a registered retreat participant.
Related: Volunteer with Ágape | Sacred Ceremony
Service is the practice of turning gratitude into action.
At Ágape, service may include volunteering, preparing meals, welcoming participants, sharing music, maintaining sacred spaces, helping with community gatherings, supporting outreach, contributing financially, or simply being present for someone who needs connection.
We believe service is one of the deepest forms of integration. It reminds us that spiritual growth is not only about what we receive. It is also about what we are willing to offer.
No sincere act of service is insignificant.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Volunteer with Ágape | Support Ágape
New members are encouraged to begin by learning about Ágape’s beliefs, values, ethical expectations, retreats, and community offerings.
Some members first connect through a retreat, while others begin through a gathering, music, prayer, or conversation.
We do not expect new members to immediately understand every aspect of the community. Questions are welcome, and relationships are built over time through sincerity, participation, and respect.
Membership is an invitation into relationship, not a promise that every gathering or sacrament will be appropriate for every person.
Related: Become a Member | About Ágape | Statement of Beliefs
Yes. Family members may participate in gatherings or church activities when the event is appropriate for them and they meet any listed eligibility requirements.
Retreats and sacramental ceremonies generally require each adult to complete their own membership, registration, and screening process.
Some events may be designed for adults only, while others may be more suitable for families or invited guests. Details will be provided for each gathering.
Ágape encourages members to consider how their spiritual practice affects their families and to approach participation with honesty, communication, and responsibility.
Related: Community Calendar | Become a Member | Retreat Registration
This depends on the specific gathering.
Some community events may welcome children and families, while retreats and sacramental ceremonies are generally designed for adults unless clearly stated otherwise.
Parents or guardians remain responsible for supervising their children at all times and should review the event details before attending.
When children are welcome, we seek to create a respectful environment that supports both family participation and the sacred nature of the gathering.
Related: Community Calendar | Contact Ágape
No. Ágape Church welcomes sincere members from many backgrounds.
Veterans and first responders are important parts of our community, and some programs or retreats may be created specifically to serve them. However, the church and its general retreats are not limited to those groups.
Our community also includes individuals, couples, caregivers, artists, parents, spiritual seekers, and people from many different professions, cultures, and life experiences.
Specific eligibility will always be listed when a retreat or program is designed for a particular community.
Related: About Ágape | Retreat Calendar | Ágape Heroes Foundation
The Ágape Heroes Foundation is a charitable organization created to support veterans and first responders through scholarships, community programs, retreats, and other forms of assistance.
Its work is related to, but distinct from, the broader religious life of Ágape Church.
Donations to the Heroes Fund help expand access for eligible veterans and first responders who may not otherwise be able to participate.
Availability of financial support depends on current funding and the needs of each program.
Related: Ágape Heroes Foundation | Support a Hero | Retreat Calendar
Limited financial support may be available for certain retreats through the Ágape Heroes Foundation or other designated community funds.
Scholarships are not guaranteed and depend upon available donations, eligibility, the specific retreat, and the needs of the applicant.
Some support may be offered on a sliding scale, allowing the recipient to contribute according to their current financial capacity while the foundation covers an approved portion of the recommended retreat donation.
Applicants should review the current scholarship information and submit all requested materials honestly.
Related: Scholarship Information | Ágape Heroes Foundation | Support Ágape
You may support another participant by contributing to a designated scholarship or community fund.
Donations may help veterans, first responders, or other eligible members access retreats and spiritual support when financial limitations would otherwise prevent participation.
When donating, use the appropriate fund or campaign listed on the website so your contribution can be directed according to its stated purpose.
Because scholarship availability depends on community support, every contribution helps expand what Ágape can offer.
Related: Support Ágape | Ágape Heroes Foundation | Scholarship Information
You may support Ágape through one-time donations, recurring contributions, event reciprocity, retreat donations, or designated gifts for specific programs.
Donations help sustain retreats, community gatherings, integration resources, operations, outreach, supplies, and the continued religious work of the church.
Financial support is an expression of reciprocity, not a measurement of someone’s spiritual value or belonging.
Members are invited to give according to their ability, sincerity, and relationship with the community.
Related: Support Ágape | Recommended Reciprocity | About Ágape
No. Recurring financial support is not required for membership.
Members who are able and feel called may choose to give monthly or on another recurring schedule. Consistent support helps the church plan gatherings, maintain programs, assist members, and respond to community needs.
Those who cannot contribute financially may still participate through prayer, service, volunteering, music, hospitality, and other forms of reciprocity.
We believe healthy community is built through many kinds of contribution.
Related: Support Ágape | Volunteer with Ágape | Become a Member
Potential hosts may contact Ágape to discuss whether a gathering would be appropriate.
Hosting requires more than providing a property. The location must support privacy, safety, accommodations, respectful use, and the spiritual needs of the gathering.
Not every property or proposed event will be a fit. Ágape retains responsibility for determining whether, when, and how an official church gathering is carried.
No one may independently use the Ágape name, represent themselves as acting on behalf of the church, or organize an Ágape ceremony without authorization.
Related: Contact Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct | About Ágape
Ágape expects members, participants, volunteers, and leaders to respect the privacy of others.
Personal stories, emotional experiences, health information, spiritual disclosures, and identifying details should not be shared without permission.
Photography and recording may be restricted, especially during ceremony, integration, or other sensitive gatherings.
Members may speak about their own experiences, but they should avoid exposing someone else’s private journey for content, promotion, gossip, or personal influence.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Sacred Ceremony
Concerns should be raised directly and responsibly through the appropriate church contact or reporting process.
Ágape expects members and leaders to honor personal boundaries, consent, confidentiality, ethical conduct, and the dignity of others.
Spiritual language should never be used to silence concerns, excuse misconduct, or discourage accountability.
Urgent safety concerns should be addressed immediately. Matters involving potential crimes, abuse, or immediate danger may need to be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Contact Ágape
Ágape encourages conflict to be approached with honesty, humility, direct communication, appropriate boundaries, and a sincere desire for understanding.
Community does not require people to agree on everything or avoid difficult conversations. It does require members to communicate without threats, manipulation, humiliation, retaliation, or spiritual superiority.
When appropriate, leadership may help clarify expectations, facilitate communication, establish boundaries, or determine whether continued participation is healthy for the individuals and community involved.
Forgiveness may be part of spiritual life, but it does not eliminate accountability or require someone to remain in an unsafe relationship.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | About Ágape
Yes. Ágape may restrict or end someone’s participation when their conduct threatens safety, violates ethical expectations, disrupts gatherings, harms others, or undermines the spiritual integrity of the community.
This may include dishonesty during screening, harassment, coercion, violence, repeated boundary violations, unauthorized substance use, exploitation, or refusal to follow retreat and community policies.
Membership does not create an unconditional right to attend every event or remain in every space.
Any action taken should reflect the seriousness of the concern, the available information, and the church’s responsibility to protect the community.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Membership Terms
“Together we are the medicine” expresses Ágape’s belief that healing and spiritual growth do not come from a sacrament alone.
The prayers, music, service, honesty, presence, accountability, and compassion of the community all contribute to the experience.
The phrase does not mean that members replace healthcare or that the community can solve every problem. It means that relationship itself can become sacred support.
When people gather with sincerity and care for one another, the community becomes part of what helps each person remember that they are not walking alone.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Integration | Volunteer with Ágape
Upcoming retreats, gatherings, integration circles, music events, and other opportunities are listed on the Ágape calendar.
Because dates, locations, and eligibility may change, the calendar is the most reliable place to find current information.
Members may also receive updates through email and official community channels.
Always review the event description before registering, since some gatherings may have specific membership, experience, age, or preparation requirements.
Related: Community Calendar | Retreat Calendar | Contact Ágape

Donations & Policies

Ágape does not charge for the sacraments we offer.
Recommended donations support the costs associated with hosting retreats and gatherings, including accommodations, meals, facilities, preparation, music, supplies, administration, community programs, and the ongoing religious work of the church.
The sacrament is received as part of Ágape’s sincerely held religious practice. It is not sold as a product or priced as a commercial experience.
The recommended donation for each offering is listed on the event page and reflects the resources required to responsibly host that gathering.
Related: Retreat Calendar | Support Ágape
No. Ágape does not sell or charge for its sacred sacraments.
Any requested or recommended donation is intended to support the practical costs of the retreat, the religious work of the church, and the community infrastructure that makes the gathering possible.
This may include lodging, meals, facilities, supplies, preparation, music, administration, and other operational needs.
The sacrament itself is not treated as a commercial product, nor is the quantity received in any offering guaranteed.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Retreat Calendar | About Ágape
Most retreats require a minimum nonrefundable donation to reserve a space.
The required amount and any remaining recommended donation will be clearly listed on the retreat details page. Submitting a registration form without completing the required reservation step does not guarantee participation.
Because retreats are intentionally small, please reserve only after making the necessary arrangements to attend.
Related: Retreat Registration | Retreat Calendar
Any remaining recommended donation is due by the deadline stated on the retreat page or in your confirmation materials.
Completing the remaining contribution on time helps Ágape finalize lodging, meals, supplies, staffing, and other retreat arrangements.
A reservation may be released if the required steps are not completed by the stated deadline and the participant has not communicated with our team.
Reservation donations are generally nonrefundable.
Each retreat requires advance commitments for accommodations, meals, supplies, staffing, and other costs. When someone reserves a limited space, that space may no longer be available to another member.
Any retreat-specific cancellation or refund terms will be disclosed before the reservation is completed.
Transfer policies may vary by retreat.
A contribution may only be transferred when permitted by Ágape and according to the terms provided for that specific gathering. Transfers are not automatic and may be limited by deadlines, screening requirements, available space, or other circumstances.
A new participant cannot simply assume another person’s reservation. They must independently meet all membership, registration, and screening requirements.
Contact Ágape as soon as possible if you are unable to attend.
Because reservation donations are generally nonrefundable, cancellation does not automatically result in a refund, credit, or transfer. Any available options will depend upon the retreat terms and how much notice is provided.
Failing to attend without communication may affect eligibility for future reservations.
If Ágape cancels or reschedules a retreat, affected participants will receive information about the available options.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include transferring the contribution to another retreat, receiving a credit, or another resolution communicated directly by the church.
Ágape is not responsible for airfare, rental vehicles, lodging, or other outside travel expenses. Participants should avoid making nonrefundable travel arrangements until their attendance is confirmed.
Some retreats may allow participants to reserve with a partial donation and complete the remaining recommended amount before arrival.
The available arrangement will be listed on the retreat page. Ágape does not guarantee individualized payment plans for every gathering.
Participants who need clarification should contact the church before submitting a reservation.
Limited financial support may be available for certain retreats through designated scholarship programs or the Ágape Heroes Foundation.
Availability depends upon current funding, eligibility, and the specific retreat. Support is not guaranteed, and applicants may still be asked to contribute according to their financial capacity.
Scholarship applicants should complete the appropriate application before reserving a retreat at the standard amount.
Related: Scholarship Information | Ágape Heroes Foundation
Financial assistance is limited and may be reserved for specific groups, programs, or circumstances.
Submitting a request does not guarantee an award or a retreat space. Applicants must still complete all membership, registration, screening, and reservation requirements that apply to the gathering.
Ágape seeks to offer support responsibly while honoring the limits of available community funding.
Yes. One-time and recurring donations help support the religious and community work of Ágape Church.
Contributions may support gatherings, integration resources, supplies, operations, outreach, scholarships, and other church programs.
Giving is appreciated, but financial contributions do not determine a person’s spiritual value or guarantee access to a retreat.
Related: Support Ágape
No. Recurring financial support is not required to become or remain a member.
Members may contribute through donations, service, volunteering, prayer, hospitality, music, or other forms of reciprocity.
Those who choose to give regularly help the church plan responsibly and sustain its ongoing programs.
Yes. Family members may participate in gatherings or church activities when the event is appropriate for them and they meet any listed eligibility requirements.
Retreats and sacramental ceremonies generally require each adult to complete their own membership, registration, and screening process.
Some events may be designed for adults only, while others may be more suitable for families or invited guests. Details will be provided for each gathering.
Ágape encourages members to consider how their spiritual practice affects their families and to approach participation with honesty, communication, and responsibility.
Related: Community Calendar | Become a Member | Retreat Registration
This depends on the specific gathering.
Some community events may welcome children and families, while retreats and sacramental ceremonies are generally designed for adults unless clearly stated otherwise.
Parents or guardians remain responsible for supervising their children at all times and should review the event details before attending.
When children are welcome, we seek to create a respectful environment that supports both family participation and the sacred nature of the gathering.
Related: Community Calendar | Contact Ágape
No. Ágape Church welcomes sincere members from many backgrounds.
Veterans and first responders are important parts of our community, and some programs or retreats may be created specifically to serve them. However, the church and its general retreats are not limited to those groups.
Our community also includes individuals, couples, caregivers, artists, parents, spiritual seekers, and people from many different professions, cultures, and life experiences.
Specific eligibility will always be listed when a retreat or program is designed for a particular community.
Related: About Ágape | Retreat Calendar | Ágape Heroes Foundation
The Ágape Heroes Foundation is a charitable organization created to support veterans and first responders through scholarships, community programs, retreats, and other forms of assistance.
Its work is related to, but distinct from, the broader religious life of Ágape Church.
Donations to the Heroes Fund help expand access for eligible veterans and first responders who may not otherwise be able to participate.
Availability of financial support depends on current funding and the needs of each program.
Related: Ágape Heroes Foundation | Support a Hero | Retreat Calendar
Limited financial support may be available for certain retreats through the Ágape Heroes Foundation or other designated community funds.
Scholarships are not guaranteed and depend upon available donations, eligibility, the specific retreat, and the needs of the applicant.
Some support may be offered on a sliding scale, allowing the recipient to contribute according to their current financial capacity while the foundation covers an approved portion of the recommended retreat donation.
Applicants should review the current scholarship information and submit all requested materials honestly.
Related: Scholarship Information | Ágape Heroes Foundation | Support Ágape
You may support another participant by contributing to a designated scholarship or community fund.
Donations may help veterans, first responders, or other eligible members access retreats and spiritual support when financial limitations would otherwise prevent participation.
When donating, use the appropriate fund or campaign listed on the website so your contribution can be directed according to its stated purpose.
Because scholarship availability depends on community support, every contribution helps expand what Ágape can offer.
Related: Support Ágape | Ágape Heroes Foundation | Scholarship Information
You may support Ágape through one-time donations, recurring contributions, event reciprocity, retreat donations, or designated gifts for specific programs.
Donations help sustain retreats, community gatherings, integration resources, operations, outreach, supplies, and the continued religious work of the church.
Financial support is an expression of reciprocity, not a measurement of someone’s spiritual value or belonging.
Members are invited to give according to their ability, sincerity, and relationship with the community.
Related: Support Ágape | Recommended Reciprocity | About Ágape
No. Recurring financial support is not required for membership.
Members who are able and feel called may choose to give monthly or on another recurring schedule. Consistent support helps the church plan gatherings, maintain programs, assist members, and respond to community needs.
Those who cannot contribute financially may still participate through prayer, service, volunteering, music, hospitality, and other forms of reciprocity.
We believe healthy community is built through many kinds of contribution.
Related: Support Ágape | Volunteer with Ágape | Become a Member
No. A donation does not override membership, screening, preparation, eligibility, or safety requirements.
Retreat participation is confirmed only after the required registration process has been completed and Ágape has communicated that the participant is approved and reserved.
When a registration cannot be accepted, the handling of any submitted contribution will follow the terms disclosed during the reservation process.
The retreat details page and registration materials contain the policies that apply to that gathering.
Because retreat formats, locations, accommodations, and reservation requirements may differ, participants should review the specific terms before submitting a donation.
When the general FAQ and a retreat-specific policy differ, the terms provided for the individual retreat should be followed.

Our Philosophy

This invitation expresses the interfaith heart of Ágape.
We believe people may know and understand the Divine Creator through different names, traditions, cultures, and personal relationships. We do not require members to abandon their existing faith or adopt one prescribed image of God.
To pray together does not mean we must believe everything in exactly the same way. It means we can gather with sincerity, respect, and humility while honoring the spiritual sovereignty of each person.
Our purpose is not to convert people to one religious identity. It is to create a sacred space where people from many paths may deepen their relationship with what they hold Divine.
Related: About Ágape | Statement of Beliefs | Become a Member
We call them sacraments because they are received within the sincere religious practice of Ágape Church.
A sacrament is not simply something consumed. It is approached through prayer, preparation, reverence, ethical responsibility, community, and integration.
We believe certain natural entheogens may support communion with the Divine Creator, spiritual reflection, expanded awareness, and recognition of the sacred within creation.
We do not sell or charge for the sacrament, and we do not treat it as a recreational substance or commercial product. Donations support the practical costs and religious work surrounding the gathering.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Ceremony | Donations & Policies
No. Ágape does not worship Ayahuasca, Yagé, sacred mushrooms, San Pedro, or any other sacrament as a god or deity.
We believe these sacraments exist within Divine Creation and may serve as sacred instruments of prayer and spiritual communion. They may help a person listen more deeply, examine their life, encounter difficult truths, or recognize the Divine within and around them.
The sacrament does not replace the Divine Creator. It also does not replace faith, prayer, discernment, personal responsibility, community, or integration.
Our prayer is directed toward God as each person sincerely understands God.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Ceremony | About Ágape
Intentions can help someone reflect upon why they are entering ceremony, but they can also become expectations about what the experience is supposed to provide.
Faith asks something deeper.
Faith invites us to prepare sincerely, pray honestly, release the need to control the outcome, and trust that what is needed may not always be what was requested.
We do not believe ceremony should be approached as a transaction in which a person demands a particular vision, answer, healing, or result from the sacrament.
A participant may arrive with questions, prayers, and hopes. Our encouragement is to hold them with humility and remain open to what the Divine may reveal through the experience.
Related: Preparation Guide | Sacred Ceremony | Statement of Beliefs
Ágape retreats are intentionally intimate because spiritual community requires more than sharing a room with strangers.
Smaller gatherings allow participants to become familiar with the facilitators, volunteers, musicians, and one another. They also help us provide a more attentive, grounded, and prayerful environment.
We do not want participants to feel processed through a large event or treated like customers. Each person’s presence affects the ceremonial space and the wider community.
Keeping retreats small supports trust, connection, observation, accountability, and the belief that every person who gathers becomes part of the shared prayer.
Related: Explore Retreats | About Ágape | Community
We believe spiritual growth is personal, but it is not isolated.
An individual experience may reveal something meaningful, but the effects of that experience eventually appear through relationships, choices, responsibilities, service, and the way a person treats others.
Community offers witness, belonging, encouragement, accountability, and opportunities to practice what ceremony may have revealed.
Healing that never reaches our families, relationships, or communities remains incomplete. We believe the work becomes more meaningful when personal transformation contributes to the well-being of others.
This is why Ágape continues beyond retreat through gatherings, integration, music, prayer, volunteering, and service.
Related: Community | Integration | Volunteer with Ágape
“Together we are the medicine” means that transformation does not come from a sacrament alone.
The prayer, music, honesty, care, accountability, service, and presence of the community all contribute to the sacred environment.
The phrase does not mean that members replace medical care, mental health treatment, or qualified professional support. It means that healthy relationship can become part of what helps a person feel witnessed, supported, and less alone.
The sacrament may open a door, but the people who help us prepare, pray, reflect, integrate, and live differently are also part of the journey.
Related: Community | Integration | Statement of Beliefs
We believe the meaning of ceremony is revealed through the way a person lives afterward.
Integration is the process of reflecting upon an experience and allowing its lessons to influence relationships, habits, boundaries, responsibilities, spiritual practice, and service.
A powerful vision does not automatically create transformation. Insight must be carried into daily life through patience, honesty, action, and accountability.
The true fruit of ceremony is not simply what someone saw, felt, or understood in the moment. It is what they become willing to embody once they return home.
For this reason, we do not view integration as an optional follow-up. It is part of the sacred work itself.
Related: Integration | Sacred Ceremony | Community
Service allows gratitude to become action.
We believe spiritual practice should not remain centered only on what a person receives. Over time, it should lead toward generosity, responsibility, humility, and care for others.
Service may include welcoming participants, preparing meals, tending shared spaces, offering music, supporting a gathering, contributing resources, praying for the community, or helping someone feel less alone.
Some of the deepest integration occurs when a person returns to serve the community that once served them.
No sincere act of service is insignificant.
Related: Volunteer with Ágape | Community | Statement of Beliefs
We believe music can carry prayer.
Within ceremony, medicine music may help participants return to their breath, remain connected to the sacred, move through emotion, or feel supported within the shared experience.
The musician is not there to perform for applause or become the center of attention. The music is offered in service to the prayer and the needs of the community.
Songs may arise from personal revelation, lived experience, religious tradition, ancestral influence, or the shared human longing to reconnect with the Divine.
At Ágape, the music is not separate from the ceremony. It is one of the ways the prayer is carried.
Related: Sacred Songs | Sacred Ceremony | Statement of Beliefs
We believe every person has a direct and personal relationship with the Divine.
No facilitator, pastor, musician, healer, or spiritual teacher should claim ownership over another person’s experience or position themselves as the only authority capable of interpreting it.
Participants must be free to pray in their own way, decline a sacrament, maintain personal boundaries, question an interpretation, and take the time needed to understand their experience.
Spiritual leadership should guide without controlling, support without creating dependence, and serve without placing itself at the center of another person’s journey.
Ceremony is never about glorifying the person leading it. It is about the prayer, the participant, the community, and the Divine presence that gathers us.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Ceremony
We approach spiritual experiences with reverence and discernment.
Participants may experience visions, memories, symbolic imagery, perceived messages, ancestral encounters, or other forms of spiritual insight. We respect these experiences without requiring everyone to interpret them in the same way.
We do not believe every vision or message should automatically be treated as literal truth.
An experience should be considered through prayer, reflection, ethical responsibility, community wisdom, and the effect it has upon daily life. Guidance that leads toward love, humility, honesty, responsibility, and respect may deserve deeper consideration.
Anything that encourages harm, superiority, manipulation, fear, or avoidance of responsibility should be questioned.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Integration | Statement of Beliefs
We recognize that sacred plant knowledge has been protected and carried through generations by Indigenous peoples, elders, families, and communities.
We approach these traditions with gratitude and respect while remaining honest about who we are.
Ágape does not claim to perfectly reproduce a tradition or lineage that is not ours. We do not believe wearing the appearance of another culture gives someone its authority.
Our responsibility is to acknowledge where teachings come from, avoid false claims of lineage, learn with humility, honor the ancestors, and carry what we have received with reverence and integrity.
When invited practitioners carry a specific tradition, we respect the relationships, responsibilities, and authority associated with their work.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Sacred Ceremony | Code of Ethics & Conduct
Ágape is devoted to prayer offered in a good way.
We do not worship darkness, seek harmful spiritual power, or use ceremony to frighten, dominate, curse, manipulate, or diminish others.
We recognize that spiritual work may involve grief, fear, shadow, trauma, personal conflict, and difficult truths. Acknowledging these experiences is not the same as glorifying darkness.
We approach difficult experiences through prayer, courage, compassion, discernment, and a commitment to healing.
We believe sincere spiritual practice should lead toward greater love, truth, humility, responsibility, forgiveness, wisdom, and reverence for life.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Sacred Ceremony
No. Ágape does not claim that our current understanding is complete, changeless, or the only possible spiritual truth.
We believe wisdom develops through prayer, experience, study, reflection, accountability, and the collective insight of the community.
Remaining open does not mean abandoning discernment. It means holding our beliefs sincerely while accepting that growth may require us to reconsider old assumptions, correct misunderstandings, acknowledge harm, and learn from others.
We practice nonattachment to rigid views so each person may develop a sincere spiritual path without being forced into another person’s conclusions.
Humility allows faith to remain alive.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Community
At Ágape, Christ Consciousness refers to an awareness rooted in Divine love, compassion, forgiveness, truth, unity, courage, and service.
We recognize these qualities through the life and teachings of Jesus while respecting that members may understand the Divine through different religious and spiritual traditions.
Christ Consciousness is not used to force a particular Christian denomination or doctrine upon the community.
Its meaning is expressed through the way a person lives. It is reflected in the willingness to love beyond convenience, forgive without abandoning accountability, serve without seeking recognition, and recognize the sacred dignity within others.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape
The purpose of ceremony is not simply to enter an altered state or have an extraordinary experience.
Ceremony creates an opportunity to pray, listen, remember, reflect, seek guidance, and deepen communion with the Divine Creator.
A person may receive insight, emotional release, spiritual connection, or a renewed understanding of their life. However, the lasting purpose is revealed through what follows.
We believe ceremony should help us become more loving, honest, present, courageous, forgiving, responsible, and useful to others.
Our prayer is not complete when the ceremony ends. It continues through the way we live.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Integration | Statement of Beliefs
We believe spiritual freedom and personal responsibility must exist together.
Members are free to develop their own understanding of God, interpret experiences through their own faith, establish personal boundaries, and decide whether a particular sacrament or ceremony is appropriate for them.
That freedom does not remove the responsibility to be honest, respect others, follow safety expectations, honor confidentiality, accept accountability, and protect the sacred nature of the community.
Spiritual sovereignty does not mean that every action is beyond question. Healthy community requires both freedom of conscience and ethical responsibility.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Statement of Beliefs | Community
To pray in a good way means approaching the sacred with humility, sincerity, respect, and responsibility.
It means entering prayer without seeking control over others, claiming spiritual superiority, or using ceremony to escape accountability.
Prayer in a good way honors consent, personal boundaries, the natural world, the dignity of the community, and the spiritual freedom of each participant.
It also means accepting that prayer must eventually become action. The way we love, serve, repair harm, protect others, and honor our commitments reveals whether our spiritual practice is truly shaping our lives.
We are humble people who seek to pray in a good way.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct

Common Misconceptions

No. Ágape does not require members to surrender their independence, isolate from family, obey a single leader, give up their existing faith, or accept one unquestionable belief system.
Members are encouraged to think critically, maintain healthy relationships, establish personal boundaries, and develop their own sincere relationship with the Divine.
Our leaders are expected to serve with humility and accountability. No facilitator, pastor, musician, volunteer, or member should claim ownership over another person’s beliefs, body, choices, finances, or spiritual experiences.
Participation is voluntary, and membership does not require attendance at retreats or sacramental ceremonies.
Healthy spiritual community should strengthen personal responsibility and freedom, not dependence or control.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape
No. Ágape does not ask members to abandon their religion, church, culture, or existing relationship with God.
We are an interfaith spiritual community. Members may come from Christian, Indigenous, contemplative, earth-centered, mystical, or other sincere religious and spiritual backgrounds.
Our invitation is:
Pray with me to the God of your choice.
We do not require everyone to use the same language for the Divine or interpret spiritual experiences in the same way.
Ágape exists to create space for sincere prayer, sacred ceremony, community, service, and spiritual exploration without demanding conformity to one denomination or doctrine.
Related: About Ágape | Statement of Beliefs | Become a Member
Members should sincerely understand and respect the spiritual foundation of Ágape, but they are not expected to interpret every belief in exactly the same way.
We believe spiritual understanding develops through prayer, experience, study, reflection, and personal discernment.
Members are free to ask questions, reconsider previous views, and understand the Divine through their own faith tradition.
That freedom carries responsibility. Members must still respect the sacred nature of the church, follow ethical expectations, honor the spiritual sovereignty of others, and approach sacramental practices with sincere religious intent.
Unity does not require complete uniformity.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | About Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct
No. Ágape does not worship Ayahuasca, Yagé, sacred mushrooms, San Pedro, or any other natural sacrament as a god or deity.
We believe certain natural entheogens exist within Divine Creation and may serve as sacred instruments of prayer, reflection, and communion with the Divine Creator.
The sacrament does not replace God. It also does not replace faith, prayer, discernment, ethical responsibility, community, or integration.
Members direct their prayers toward God as they sincerely understand God.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Statement of Beliefs | Our Philosophy
No. Membership does not require anyone to consume a particular sacrament.
Participation must be voluntary and based upon personal faith, health, preparation, readiness, and discernment.
A member may decline a sacrament, attend gatherings that do not include entheogens, or remain involved through prayer, music, service, integration, volunteering, and community events.
No one should be pressured, shamed, or told that declining a sacrament represents spiritual failure.
Spiritual sovereignty includes the right to decide when a particular ceremony is not appropriate.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Community | Code of Ethics & Conduct
No. Ágape retreats are religious and spiritual gatherings centered around prayer, sacred ceremony, community, music, reflection, and integration.
Natural entheogens are not offered for recreation, entertainment, experimentation, or spiritual tourism.
Participants are expected to become members, complete registration and screening, follow preparation guidance, respect church policies, and approach the gathering with sincere religious purpose.
Ceremony is not treated as a weekend escape or a guaranteed transformational experience. It is part of a continuing spiritual practice that includes responsibility before and after retreat.
Related: Explore Retreats | Sacred Ceremony | Retreat Registration
No. Ágape does not sell or charge for its sacred sacraments.
Recommended and required donations support the practical and religious work surrounding retreats and gatherings. This may include lodging, meals, facilities, preparation, music, administration, supplies, community programs, and other operational responsibilities.
The sacrament itself is not treated as a commercial product.
Participation may still require a reservation donation because hosting an intimate retreat involves real costs and advance commitments.
Related: Donations & Policies | Statement of Beliefs | Retreat Calendar
No. Ágape does not promise to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical, psychiatric, or psychological condition.
Retreats are religious and spiritual offerings. They are not substitutes for medical treatment, psychotherapy, psychiatric care, crisis services, or other qualified professional support.
Participants may experience meaningful reflection, spiritual insight, emotional release, or personal change, but no outcome is guaranteed.
Anyone experiencing an urgent medical or mental health concern should seek assistance from an appropriate professional rather than relying upon retreat participation.
Related: Health & Safety | Integration | Retreat Registration
No. Ágape does not require licensed medical professionals to be onsite during retreats or ceremonies.
A sober member of the Ágape team is always present during sacramental ceremonies to observe the environment, provide practical support, and help ensure an appropriate response if a concern arises.
This person is not presented as a medical provider unless they independently hold such qualifications.
In a medical emergency, Ágape’s response is to call 911. Retreat locations are generally selected within reasonable proximity to an emergency clinic or hospital.
Related: Health & Safety | Retreat Registration
No. A sober support person provides practical observation and response, but this role does not replace licensed medical care.
The sober team member may assist participants, communicate clearly, contact emergency services, provide relevant information to dispatchers, and follow the direction of first responders.
Participants who require continuous medical monitoring, psychiatric observation, specialized care, or immediate access to a healthcare provider should not assume that a retreat can provide those services.
Related: Health & Safety | Emergency Procedures
No. Ágape ceremony is a religious and spiritual practice, not psychotherapy.
Ceremony may involve reflection, emotions, memories, relationships, forgiveness, grief, or personal insight, but facilitators do not present the gathering as clinical treatment.
Integration support offered by Ágape is spiritual and community-based. It does not replace work with a licensed therapist, physician, psychiatrist, or other qualified professional.
Some participants may choose to discuss their experiences with an outside professional as part of their continuing care and discernment.
Related: Integration | Health & Safety | Sacred Ceremony
No. Every experience is different.
Some participants report visual imagery, symbolic experiences, memories, spiritual encounters, or a sense of communion with the Divine. Others may experience emotion, physical sensations, quiet reflection, prayer, discomfort, or very little that feels dramatic.
A highly visual experience is not automatically more spiritual or meaningful than a subtle one.
The value of ceremony is often revealed over time through changed behavior, greater honesty, deeper prayer, healthier relationships, and personal responsibility.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Integration | Our Philosophy
No. Ágape believes that spiritual experiences require discernment.
A vision, thought, feeling, or perceived message should not automatically be accepted as literal truth or acted upon immediately.
Participants are encouraged to reflect upon whether an experience leads toward love, honesty, humility, responsibility, healthy boundaries, and respect for others.
Messages that encourage harm, superiority, manipulation, fear, impulsive action, or avoidance of responsibility should be questioned carefully.
No facilitator should impose an interpretation or claim absolute authority over another person’s experience.
Related: Integration | Our Philosophy | Statement of Beliefs
Ágape honors the Indigenous peoples, elders, families, and communities who preserved sacred plant knowledge, but we do not claim to perfectly reproduce a tradition or lineage that is not ours.
Our ceremonies reflect Ágape’s interfaith religious practice and may be influenced by ancestral teachings, prayer traditions, medicine music, and relationships that have shaped the church.
When an invited practitioner carries a specific tradition, we respect the responsibilities and authority connected to their work.
We believe honoring ancestral wisdom requires gratitude, honesty, humility, and freedom from false claims of lineage.
Related: Sacred Ceremony | Statement of Beliefs | Our Philosophy
No. Ágape is an interfaith church that welcomes sincere people from many religious and spiritual backgrounds.
Christ Consciousness is part of our spiritual language, but it is not used to require membership in a particular Christian denomination.
Within Ágape, Christ Consciousness refers to Divine love, compassion, forgiveness, truth, unity, courage, and service.
Members may understand these principles through Christianity or through another sincere relationship with the Divine.
Related: About Ágape | Statement of Beliefs | Our Philosophy
No. Ágape Church welcomes members from many backgrounds.
Veterans and first responders are an important part of our community, and certain retreats or programs may be created specifically to support them. However, general church membership and most community offerings are not limited to those groups.
The Ágape Heroes Foundation exists to expand support for veterans and first responders, while Ágape Church serves a wider interfaith community.
Related: About Ágape | Community | Ágape Heroes Foundation
No. Membership does not require retreat attendance.
Members may participate through prayer, community gatherings, music, integration, service, volunteering, donations, and other church activities.
Sacramental retreats are one expression of Ágape’s religious life, but they are not the only way to build a relationship with the community.
Some people may become members and determine that entheogenic ceremony is not appropriate for them. Their membership and spiritual sincerity are not diminished by that choice.
Related: Become a Member | Community | Sacred Ceremony
No. Church membership and retreat eligibility are separate.
Membership establishes a relationship with the church and confirms that the individual has reviewed Ágape’s spiritual foundation and community responsibilities.
Retreat participation requires a separate registration and screening process. Health conditions, medications, recent crises, readiness, preparation, incomplete information, or other circumstances may affect whether participation is appropriate.
Membership does not override health, safety, ethical, or retreat-specific requirements.
Related: Become a Member | Retreat Registration | Health & Safety
No. A donation does not override membership, screening, eligibility, preparation, capacity, or safety requirements.
A retreat space is confirmed only after the required registration and reservation process has been completed and Ágape has communicated approval.
Submitting a form, making a contribution, or receiving an automated receipt should not be interpreted as final confirmation unless the retreat instructions clearly state otherwise.
Related: Donations & Policies | Retreat Registration | Retreat Calendar
No. Volunteering is an opportunity to serve the community.
Eligible volunteers must have completed at least two Ágape retreats and are expected to prioritize their assigned responsibilities throughout the gathering.
Volunteers may participate in portions of the retreat, but they should not expect the same experience as registered participants.
A $150 donation is required to help cover room and board while serving.
The heart of volunteering is reciprocity, humility, and service, not discounted access to ceremony.
Related: Volunteer with Ágape | Volunteer Application | Community
No. Participants retain ownership of their personal experiences and are not required to share private details with the group.
They may choose to speak during integration or community conversations, but silence is also respected.
Certain health, medication, safety, or conduct information must be disclosed during registration or when necessary to protect the participant and community.
Spiritual privacy does not permit someone to conceal information that materially affects safe participation, but no one should be pressured to publicly reveal intimate emotional or spiritual experiences.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Health & Safety | Integration
Photography and recording are generally not permitted during sacred ceremony.
This protects participant privacy, reduces distraction, and preserves the prayerful nature of the gathering.
Ceremony is not a performance or promotional opportunity. Personal vulnerability should never become content without informed permission.
Any photography outside ceremony must still respect the consent and privacy of everyone present.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Sacred Ceremony
No. Ágape respects confidentiality, but privacy is not absolute when serious safety, legal, or ethical concerns arise.
Information may need to be shared when required by law, when someone appears to be in immediate danger, when emergency services need relevant information, or when serious misconduct must be addressed.
Confidentiality should protect dignity and trust. It should never be used to conceal abuse, exploitation, threats, or criminal behavior.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Health & Safety
No. Forgiveness does not eliminate accountability, appropriate boundaries, consequences, or the need to protect others.
Ágape encourages compassion and the possibility of personal growth, but spiritual language should never be used to pressure someone into remaining in an unsafe relationship or accepting repeated harm.
A person may forgive and still establish distance, report misconduct, decline further contact, or support consequences for harmful behavior.
Peace and understanding require honesty, not avoidance.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Community | Our Philosophy
No. Spiritual sovereignty means each person retains responsibility for their body, beliefs, boundaries, choices, and relationship with the Divine.
It does not mean every action is acceptable within a shared community.
Members and participants must still follow safety instructions, honor consent, respect confidentiality, disclose relevant health information, comply with retreat policies, and avoid conduct that harms or disrupts others.
Freedom of conscience and community responsibility must exist together.
Related: Code of Ethics & Conduct | Statement of Beliefs | Our Philosophy
No. Ceremony may offer insight, prayer, perspective, or a meaningful spiritual experience, but it does not replace the continuing work of daily life.
Transformation requires honesty, time, reflection, healthier choices, accountability, service, and integration.
A person may have a powerful experience and still need to repair relationships, seek professional support, change harmful patterns, honor commitments, and practice what was revealed.
The measure of ceremony is not only what happens during the retreat. It is what a person becomes willing to live afterward.
Related: Integration | Sacred Ceremony | Our Philosophy
No. Ágape may have visible founders, pastors, facilitators, and musicians, but the church is not intended to revolve around the personality or spiritual authority of one individual.
Leadership exists to serve the prayer and the community.
No leader should present themselves as the sole source of truth, the only interpreter of spiritual experiences, or the owner of another person’s relationship with God.
Ágape’s philosophy is that ceremony is never about the person leading it. It is about the participant, the prayer, the community, and the Divine presence that gathers us.
Related: About Ágape | Code of Ethics & Conduct | Statement of Beliefs
No. Ágape does not teach members to reject medical care, mental health support, scientific knowledge, or qualified professional guidance.
Spiritual practice and professional care can serve different purposes and may exist alongside one another.
Participants are specifically instructed not to stop prescribed medication merely to attend a retreat. Medication changes should be managed with the qualified professional responsible for that care.
Faith does not remove the responsibility to make informed and practical decisions concerning health and safety.
Related: Health & Safety | Retreat Registration | Preparation Guide
No. We believe our understanding is sincere, but not complete, changeless, or absolute.
Ágape remains committed to learning through prayer, experience, study, reflection, accountability, and the collective wisdom of the community.
We believe humility requires openness to correction, deeper understanding, and the experiences of others.
Spiritual maturity is not proven by certainty alone. It is often revealed through the willingness to listen, reconsider, repair harm, and continue learning.
Related: Statement of Beliefs | Our Philosophy | About Ágape

Still Have Questions?

We’ve gathered the most common questions about Ágape Church, membership, retreats, sacred ceremony, health and safety, community, donations, and our spiritual philosophy.

If you still need clarity, please reach out before registering. We want every person to understand the nature of our community and approach participation with sincerity, preparation, and informed discernment.

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