Entering Agapé Pregnancy Center of Loudoun, you might think you accidentally walked into someone’s house.
Plush couches, ottomans and crocheted baby blankets create a cozy, welcoming space. Shelves with baby books and clothing racks of little outfits are reminiscent of a nursery. And the smiles of the Agapé volunteers make the pregnancy center feel like home.
Agapé is an independent pregnancy center that grew out of the former Birthright of Loudoun center in downtown historic Leesburg. Like many pregnancy centers, Agapé provides mothers with maternity and baby items, including clothes, diapers, formula and other essentials. In partnership with an extensive network of other pregnancy centers, Agapé provides women with housing and medical resources, including referrals for ultrasounds.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge blessed the pregnancy center April 25 while Father Edouard B. Guilloux, parochial vicar of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, presided. With little standing room left, dozens of volunteers and staff crowded into the center.
“Thank you, dear friends, for all of you who volunteer and support this ministry, who work here, for giving us a beautiful example of imitating Jesus, of what it means to love him, to love his children and to embrace them,” Bishop Burbidge said. “Every time we come here to offer our time, material or spiritual benefits, let’s do so with childlike trust in the power of the Lord our God to make all things new.”
Bishop Burbidge then offered a prayer of blessing and walked throughout the pregnancy center, sprinkling the rooms with holy water. Before Bishop Burbidge delivered the final blessing, Executive Director Zoe Byer addressed the small crowd.
“I thank each of you for joining me on this journey. It has been a thousand percent a faithful walk, and (God) has shown up at every single step, right up to this blessing,” she said. “I recently heard a woman say that some women go their whole lives without witnessing a miracle, and I feel that we are blessed to witness one almost every single day.”
A former client, Emilie, whose name has been changed for privacy, recalled her unexpected pregnancy. “I am a young mom. I’m 21. I know there are younger moms out there, and I got pregnant in college,” she said.
When she walked into the pregnancy center, however, Emilie instantly felt at ease. “It was amazing. They’re so kind, they’re so understanding,” she said.
During her pregnancy, Emilie received a list of local resources, maternity clothes, breastfeeding materials, and a layette with bottles, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, bibs, baby clothes, and burp cloths. After her pregnancy, the center continued to support Emilie as her infant son encountered severe health issues and was hospitalized for a seizure.
Even Agapé’s name, which in Greek refers to God’s unconditional love, helps women of different backgrounds to feel welcome, Emilie added.
Another Agapé client, Lidia, discovered the pregnancy center in December. “The first time I went, I was very well-received, and before that, I did not have any knowledge of where to get help,” she said. Lidia said that Agapé gave her a layette, and “everything that the baby would need.”
Lidia’s newborn son is now two months old. “They gave me hope,” she said. “It is beautiful to be a mother, and now I’ve forgotten everything that is bad. Now I don’t care if I spend all night awake with my baby.”
In addition to ultrasound referrals, Agapé offers basic medical-grade pregnancy tests and referrals to faith-based counselors and appointments at Tepeyac OB/GYN, a pro-life, faith-based practice in Fairfax. Staff and volunteers reach out to clients throughout their pregnancies to ensure that their housing, utilities, food, and clothing needs are met, and help them obtain large items such as cribs and car seats.
The center assists mothers who have already delivered babies, too. Until the baby’s six-month birthday, both new and existing clients may select baby items. Beyond the first year of the baby’s life, Agapé continues to identify resources for clients in need.
“Navigating the system is difficult for anyone, but also if you’re facing significant life changes, it can be very overwhelming knowing who to call,” Byer said. “It doesn’t matter how much education, time, money or support you have, having a baby is a challenge, and we’re not meant to do it alone. We’re meant to be loved by others.”
Some 40 volunteers and staff give their time to Agapé, including six remote translators. Several women have volunteered for decades, including Barbara Kersten; board co-chair Susan Snyder; board co-chair Denise Dicks; and former executive director of Birthright of Loudoun Mary Lynn Linzmeyer. Byer began volunteering in 2022 and became executive director last year. “The faith of the women who serve in this facility, it’s phenomenal,” she said.
Today, pregnancy centers like Agapé have a greater need to network following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Byer said. “After Dobbs, the need to connect with other large organizations and other pregnancy centers in the area became more evident, and the need to refer for an ultrasound, because that makes a huge difference in a woman’s choice.”
Emilie shared advice with other mothers like herself. “Don’t give up. It’s really hard; give yourself some time. If you need some time off from school, that’s perfectly fine. No matter where you come from, you should look for help. Help is help, and there are so many teams out there who would like to help and are pro-life like Agapé.”
Find Out More
To volunteer or donate, go to agapeofloudoun.org.
