From a Seed of Vision to Agape Institute

by Pastor Aaron Kumar

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Some ministries begin with a building. Others begin with a program, a committee, or an institution already carefully planned. The story of Agape Institute is different. Its roots reach back approximately seventy-five years, to the formative vision of the Apostolic Church of God 7th Day and the faith of its founders, Pastor Edward and Sister Evelyn Saunders.

The Apostolic Church of God 7th Day, Worldwide Missions Outreach with its International headquarters located at 24497 Fraser Highway, Langley B.C. Canada, was founded on July 11 1951, and incorporated in the province of British Columbia on October 15 1953. What began as a thought in the heart of one servant of God would pass through generations before taking recognizable institutional form. Looking back today, the Church sees not a single isolated event, but a remarkable convergence of history, mission, biblical study, international relationships, leadership, prayer, and what we believe to be the providential leading of God. Agape Institute was established in 2026, but the story that prepared the way for it began much earlier.

A Seed Planted in the 1950s

The story begins with Pastor Saunders and the establishment of the Apostolic Church of God 7th Day in the 1950s. Like many works of faith, the early Church was built not upon abundant resources but upon conviction—a conviction that the Gospel should be preached, believers should be taught, leaders should be developed, and the truth of Scripture should be carried from one generation to another. The words of the prophet Zechariah are appropriate:

“For who hath despised the day of small things?” — Zechariah 4:10 (KJV)

The early founders could not have seen everything that would emerge from their labour. They could not have known the technologies through which students would one day study the Bible across nations, nor could they have anticipated the international network of churches and leaders that would eventually communicate with the Church's Head Office in Langley, British Columbia. Yet a foundation was being laid.

The Church's constitutional and organizational heritage provided for teaching, spiritual oversight, ministry, missions, and the orderly development of the work. The present governance framework continues that heritage, identifying spiritual oversight, prayer, teaching and doctrine as central responsibilities of the Church and recognizing worldwide missions and theological education as important areas of ministry.

 The Institute was not itself specifically named in the original Constitution. Indeed, when the vision was formally considered in 2026, the Council of Elders recognized that Agape Institute would require formal incorporation into the Church's governance framework through an
appropriate constitutional addendum or amendment. Nevertheless, the remarkable reality remains: approximately seventy-five years before Agape Institute came into existence, a foundation had already been laid for a Church in which biblical teaching, spiritual formation, ministry preparation, mission, and the development of future generations could flourish.

A seed had been planted.
Its season had not yet come.

Seventy-Five Years of Preparation

Scripture repeatedly demonstrates that God's purposes may unfold over generations. Paul wrote: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV). One generation plants. Another waters. Another may finally witness the harvest.

This provides a meaningful way of understanding the journey toward Agape Institute. What Pastor Saunders and the pioneers began in faith was carried forward by succeeding generations of pastors, bishops, elders, missionaries, teachers, families, and faithful members. Through changing times and changing places, the Church continued. The vision travelled across geographical boundaries. The mission expanded. Relationships were established internationally. And eventually the Head Office of the Apostolic Church of God 7th Day became established in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

The present governance documents reflect a Church structured not only for local ministry but for international mission, spiritual oversight, administration, and theological education. What had once been a seed was beginning to take institutional shape.

A Changing Season for Worldwide Missions

Another significant development occurred through the Church's Worldwide Missions Outreach (WMO). For many years, Bishop Cooper in Jamaica served as International Overseer and provided leadership to the international work. His passing on April 19, 2026 marked the end of an important chapter in the history of the mission.

The Church honours those who carried responsibility before us. Scripture reminds us: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” — Hebrews 13:7 (KJV)

Yet the closing of one chapter can also create the circumstances in which another begins. In the period that followed, international communication increasingly came into direct relationship with the Head Office in Langley. Connections with churches and ministry leaders in
different parts of the world—including India, England, Jamaica and other regions—helped bring renewed attention to the need for coordinated spiritual leadership, biblical resources, ministerial development and theological education.

The reorganized Worldwide Missions Outreach consequently developed a regional model embracing North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania/Pacific, with the Head Office serving as a central point for communication, guidance and coordination. The mission was becoming global in a new way. And a global mission needed a means of equipping people to serve.

The Post-COVID Spiritual Awakening

At approximately the same period, something equally important was occurring within the spiritual life of the Church in Langley. The years following the COVID-19 pandemic became a season of renewed biblical study, prayer, questioning and spiritual reflection.

 A central question increasingly occupied the attention of Church leaders: What is God really like? Not simply: What have traditions said about God? Not simply: What assumptions have Christians inherited? But: What does Jesus Christ reveal about the character of God?

This question led again and again to the words of Christ Himself. Philip said to Jesus: “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”
Jesus answered: “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” — John 14:8–9 (KJV)

Those words became foundational. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” If we want to know what God is like, Christians must look to Jesus.

Jesus Christ — The Perfect Revelation of God

This conviction lies near the heart of what would become the theological emphasis of Agape
Institute. Scripture declares: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” — Colossians 1:15 (KJV) Hebrews goes even further: **“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person...” — Hebrews 1:1–3 (KJV)**

 The Church came increasingly to emphasize a Christ-centred principle of biblical interpretation: Jesus Christ is the perfect and decisive revelation of the character of God. God is not less loving than Jesus. God is not darker than Jesus. Jesus did not come to persuade an unwilling Father to love humanity. Jesus came to reveal the Father who already loved humanity. For: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...” — John 3:16 (KJV)

The Birth of Agape Theology

Within this season of prayer, study and spiritual searching, Pastor Ozzie Grant devoted years to studying the character of God, the great controversy between good and evil, the meaning of divine love, and the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Gradually, these studies developed into what came to be known within the Church as Agape Theology. Its starting point is wonderfully simple: God is Agape.

The Apostle John writes: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” — 1 John 4:8 (KJV)
And again: **“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” — 1 John 4:9–11 (KJV)**

Agape is therefore not merely something God does. Love describes who God is. This conviction calls believers to examine Scripture carefully through the revelation given in Jesus Christ, while approaching difficult biblical passages with humility, context and sound
hermeneutics.

That academic commitment is now reflected in Agape Institute's curriculum. Its theological courses require students to distinguish carefully between what Scripture explicitly states and what is theological inference, and to engage difficult questions concerning God's character rather
than avoiding them. Faith need not fear careful study.

From Revelation to Education

Eventually another question emerged: If God has entrusted these insights, biblical studies and international relationships to the Church,
how will they be preserved, examined carefully, taught responsibly, and passed to another generation? The answer increasingly pointed toward education. Not simply preaching. Not merely occasional seminars. But a structured institution devoted to: biblical education, theological study, spiritual formation, ministerial preparation, leadership development and Christian service.

The vision for Agape Institute was born.

On August 15, 2026, the Council of Elders formally considered the establishment of Agape Institute as an educational and theological training ministry of the Apostolic Church of God 7th Day. The vision included certificate-level theological and ministry programs, future academic
development, academic governance, faculty development, spiritual formation, student support, and exploration of appropriate recognition pathways.

The Council unanimously authorized the work necessary to develop and establish the Institute. Only days later, the Worldwide Missions Outreach formally presented the educational ministry as a resource intended to develop pastors, ministry leaders, emerging leaders and Church members through biblical education, spiritual formation and practical ministry training. The seed planted generations earlier was becoming visible.

An Institute for a Worldwide Mission

Agape Institute is therefore not envisioned merely as another school. It exists in relationship with a worldwide mission. The WMO framework calls for educational resources, Bible-study materials, leadership development, ministry training, mentoring, prayer, spiritual guidance and the sharing of ministry expertise across international regions. Technology now makes possible something Pastor Saunders could scarcely have imagined in the 1950s: A student in India can study with teachers in Canada. A pastor in the Caribbean can participate in theological training without leaving his congregation. A believer in Europe can join a biblical learning community with Christians across continents. Resources developed in Langley can strengthen churches thousands of kilometres away. And insights from those churches can enrich the Institute in return. What once required geographical proximity can now become a worldwide classroom.

Our Theological Foundation

At the centre of Agape Institute stands neither a personality nor merely an institution. Jesus Christ stands at the centre. Our desire is to study Scripture deeply while continually returning to the One who reveals the Father. Jesus said: “I and my Father are one.” — John 10:30 (KJV) And Scripture declares: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” — 1 John 1:5 (KJV)

We therefore believe that Christian theology must ultimately lead us toward the God revealed through Jesus Christ—the God of truth, righteousness, freedom, mercy, restoration and self-giving Agape love. This does not mean avoiding difficult passages of Scripture. It means studying them more carefully. Indeed, Agape Institute's developing academic framework specifically calls students to distinguish biblical text from theological inference, engage alternative interpretations, study context carefully, and allow Jesus Christ to inform the Christian understanding of God's character. Our calling is not simply to repeat inherited answers. It is to read carefully, interpret faithfully, compare Scripture with Scripture, and follow the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation.

Seventy-Five Years — And Now the Time Has Come

Looking backward, events that once appeared unrelated now seem to form part of one remarkable story. A pastor carried a vision in the 1950s. A Church was established. A constitutional and organizational foundation was laid. Generations carried the Gospel forward. Worldwide Missions Outreach connected believers across nations. Bishop Cooper and others faithfully carried international responsibility during their season. A new chapter opened following his passing. International relationships increasingly converged upon the Head Office in Langley. The post-COVID years produced renewed prayer and searching of Scripture. The character of God became a central theological question. The revelation of the Father through Jesus Christ became increasingly significant.

Years of study by Pastor Ozzie Grant contributed to the development of Agape Theology. The worldwide mission created a growing need for theological education and ministerial preparation. And in 2026, the Council of Elders unanimously authorized the development of Agape Institute. What appeared to be separate threads were coming together. The words of Paul beautifully express this confidence: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28 (KJV)

The Vision Continues
Agape Institute begins its journey with gratitude for those who came before us and faith concerning those who will come after us.
We honour Pastor Saunders and the pioneers who planted. We honour the bishops, pastors, elders, missionaries, teachers and members who watered. We remember Bishop Cooper and those who carried the worldwide mission through previous generations. We recognize Pastor Ozzie Grant's contribution to the development of Agape Theology through years of study, prayer and reflection. We recognize the leaders who have undertaken the work of transforming spiritual vision into governance, curriculum, academic structures and an educational institution.

But ultimately:

“Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7 (KJV) Agape Institute belongs to a story larger than any one individual.
Our responsibility now is to faithfully steward what has been entrusted to us.
To teach.
To study.
To question faithfully.
To equip ministers.
To develop leaders.
To serve churches.
To strengthen the worldwide mission.
And above all, to point every student toward Jesus Christ—the perfect revelation of the Father and the fullest expression of God's Agape love. Seventy-five years after a seed was planted, a new chapter has begun.

Welcome to Agape Institute.

Grand Beginnings for a Greater Calling

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)