Our Mission
AGAPE demonstrates the Truth and unconditional love of Jesus in a safe and confidential environment to women, men, and families experiencing pregnancy or the effects of sexual relationships.
“For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16
“Yet You brought me out of the womb; You made me trust in You even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.” Psalm 22:9
Welcome!
Dear Friends,
Welcome! I’m so glad you found our website today!
Since 1985, AGAPE has faithfully served the people of the Des Moines area—offering hope, support, and care through the front lines of pregnancy services and beyond. For nearly four decades, we’ve walked alongside individuals and families with compassion and grace, meeting both immediate and long-term needs.
We are filled with gratitude when we see how God continues to expand AGAPE’s impact through our faithful contributors, staff and volunteers. Today, AGAPE offers pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and STD testing, along with expanded life-skills classes, job training, and holistic family support. Our goal is not only to help in crisis moments, but also to equip families for lasting stability and hope-filled futures.
By God’s grace, AGAPE is flourishing. Each day we see His hand at work as we serve Him by loving others and shining the light of Christ in our community. The peace and love of Jesus are tangible here—people feel it the moment they walk through our doors.
To our faithful donors, volunteers, and prayer partners: thank you. You are the burden bearers who make this work possible. Your generosity, prayers, and time fuel the mission and extend God’s love to those who need it most.
I can’t wait to see what God will do next. Thank you for joining us on this journey of hope and transformation!
In His service,
Leanna
Executive Director
Team Members
Leanna has been at Agape since 2019. She is passionate about serving Christ anywhere that He calls her to serve. She desires to seek and serve the hurting and minister to the most vulnerable of individuals. There is no one more vulnerable in our world today than the unborn. If in any way she can be a voice or an advocate to save one life, it is worth a lifetime of ministry and investment.
Christina joined the Agape team in 2020 overseeing the social services department. Having been placed for adoption as an infant, she is so thankful that her birth mother chose life for her. She feels blessed to be able to serve the Lord while using her education and background in social services and crisis counseling. Her desire is to display the hope and restoration that she has experienced in her own life through her relationship with Jesus Christ.
Shelly joined the AGAPE team in the fall of 2025 to oversee clinical services. Because of her own experience of loss, grief, and healing, she became a nurse to meet others during their times of pain. During her time of extreme loss, she asked God: “How could you take the one person who knew me best and loved me most?” She then heard Him say, “I know you best and love you most. I will never leave you.” She feels honored to be able to sit and meet people the way that Christ met her when she was broken and alone.
Emily joined the AGAPE team in the spring of 2022. With Emily’s diverse background, she has used what she has learned, her passions, and her talents in serving the Lord at AGAPE. Her favorite part of working with families facing unplanned pregnancies is connecting with them through authentic relationship, while providing tangible support, resources, and skills to grow in their role as parents.
Gary joined the Agape team in 2024. He is passionate about finding ways to meet the needs of individuals in moments of crisis and offering Jesus as the ultimate answer in life. Gary has been a pastor for many years, serving in churches and care ministries beyond the local church. His desire is to activate people of faith in Christ to connect their beliefs to Christ-like actions.
Tim joined AGAPE in March 2025. He is grateful for the opportunity to work as the business manager, sharing his experience in corporate and non-profit sectors of administration and information technology. Tim's testimony of meeting and submitting to Jesus Christ is grounded on the priority of family as instituted by our Creator. Tim's desire is to serve the Lord by supporting the AGAPE team as it carries out the valuable mission of serving women, men, and families in central Iowa.
Katlin joined the AGAPE team in the summer of 2022. She is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a B.A. in Pre-Counseling and Bible and Minor in Theology. She aims to weave these passions together to see all people come to know Jesus as the only One who saves and satisfies. Katlin believes healing and growth are possible for every person, regardless of their walk of life and is thankful to serve the Lord at AGAPE.
Crystal joined the Agape team in the fall of 2020 as a clinic nurse. She has been a nurse for over 13 years and has enjoyed working in a variety of different clinical settings, learning a lot from each experience. She has been grateful for each experience, but none of them have spoken to her heart as much as the organizational mission of Agape Pregnancy Resource Center. After reading about the mission, she knew that she wanted to be a part of this family and serve in this capacity. She considers it a blessing to be able to pour her nursing skills, education, and experiences into helping those who are vulnerable and hurting and show them the unconditional love of Jesus and the support they need.
Brenda joined the Agape team as the Spanish Care Coordinator in 2024. She has a personal mission to meet people using her ethnic background and language to serve in any way that the Lord provides. The mission and work of Agape speak both to her heart and the life-changing power of her Savior. She is so grateful to be joining this important work!
Kaylee joined the AGAPE team in Fall of 2024. She has experienced firsthand the transformational power of the Lord in her own life as an adoptee and with her biological parents. She is passionate about healthy parent-child relationships and is currently pursuing her degree in Social Work. Kaylee believes all people have a place of belonging in God’s family and is grateful to share in that hope at AGAPE.
Pastor Bill joined the Agape team as the Fatherhood Program Coordinator in 2023. He has always gravitated toward helping people in need and desires to come alongside people to support their growth. Because of personal tragedies in his life, he has a real heart for the broken and hurting. Bill’s desire is to model the truth that Jesus is the answer to our deepest hurts and our darkest spaces.
Shanice joined the AGAPE team in January 2025. She knows firsthand how an unstable childhood can form and shape a person. Through God’s redemptive and transformational work in her life, she has found healing, hope, and unexplainable joy. She believes that God can change and redeem every story and change every life, every childhood, and every future. At AGAPE, she is excited to be a part of God’s supernatural work of changing children and families’ stories and to bear witness to His power to change through her own living testimony.
Board of Directors
Zach joined the Agape Board of Directors in 2024. His passion for prolife ministry came from having a family with adopted siblings. This has made a big impact on his life personally. Supporting families in their times of need is a great opportunity to invest in the local community, positively impact others, and glorify God.
Laurie joined the Agape Board of Directors in the fall of 2016. The mission of Agape is personal for Laurie as her husband, stepson, son, grandson, and son-in-law were all ''unexpected''. She understands that having information and resources available at that time is critical; having people available to provide truth, unconditional love, and a listening ear is life changing. The commitment and dedication of Agape's staff and volunteers to do just that day in and day out is amazing and so inspiring. To God be the glory!
Dennis Mueller joined the Board of Directors in 2022. He recently retired from his 50-year career as a CPA and felt that the Lord was leading him to use his time in meaningful ways to further the “works of His hands.”
Because of his longstanding relationship with Agape, volunteerism had crossed his mind, but he was unsure of how he could contribute so he waited and prayed for the Lord’s leading. Then the phone rang…and Denny answered not only “the call” but the call to join the board of directors. He considers the work of Agape to be a mission that Christ is a part of every day. Denny felt as if he was waiting for the call to be activated for Christ, and he is more than honored to join Him in this work.
Because of his longstanding relationship with Agape, volunteerism had crossed his mind, but he was unsure of how he could contribute so he waited and prayed for the Lord’s leading. Then the phone rang…and Denny answered not only “the call” but the call to join the board of directors. He considers the work of Agape to be a mission that Christ is a part of every day. Denny felt as if he was waiting for the call to be activated for Christ, and he is more than honored to join Him in this work.
Paul joined the Agape Board of Director in 2017. Paul is passionate about the mission and ministry of showing the unconditional love of Christ to all the lost. Having the opportunity to enable the staff and volunteers to speak the truths of the gospel brings him great joy. He is constantly amazed at the work that goes on at Agape and the daily impact that the ministry has on people's lives, in a very individual and personal way.
Julie joined the Agape Board of Directors in 2024. The mission of Agape resonates with her on a personal level, having found herself in an unplanned pregnancy as a teenager. After coming to Christ, her greatest realization was that she is both fully known and loved by God, no matter her past. She can now see all the ways God has protected and provided for her and her family. She is honored to be able to serve God through her time and testimony in this way for His eternal glory.
Doug joined the Board of Directors in the spring of 2020. He is passionate about service and has used his abilities and talents at Agape in the areas of construction, project management, and renovations. He is excited to be a part of a ministry that supports the stance for life and offers love, grace, and the ultimate Truth of the gospel to every person who walks through our doors.
Advisors
Dr. Stephen Feltz, MD
Medical Advisor
Andy Karas
Legal Advisor
EN 
ES