Staff
Kirk Craig
Executive Director and Co-Founder
kirk@agapedevelopment.org
Kirk Craig was born and raised in Houston, Texas, attending church at West University Baptist and school at Second Baptist. Kirk attended college at the University of Virginia and received a degree in Economics and Spanish. When he finished college (2000), Kirk joined South America Mission to serve as missionary in rural Bolivia in a church planting capacity for over two years. During that time, Kirk married Amanda Van Zandt, and together they continued ministry and economic development, including a small bakery business and a vocational carpentry program. Kirk and Amanda returned to Houston to live in the Third Ward and attend 1st Corinthians 13 Church. During that time, their son Elijah was born, and the seeds of Agape were planted. For further training in ministry, Kirk moved to Illinois where he received a Master’s of Educational Ministries from Wheaton College. During those 2 years, he served with various inner city ministries in Chicago that are transforming impoverished communities. In 2005, Kirk and Amanda returned to the Third Ward and launched Agape Development Ministries to serve young adults through Bible study and job readiness. Agape has grown into holistic neighborhood ministry, and the Craig family has grown to five with their children Elijah, Sophia, and Chloe.
Amanda Craig
Spiritual Counselor and Co-Founder
amanda@agapedevelopment.org
Amanda Craig graduated from Wheaton College in 1999 with a BA in Christian Education. During a summer internship, she had the opportunity to live in the Third Ward and participate in a community church that touched her heart and shaped her vision for the future. She furthered her education at the University of Houston, earning her Master’s of Social Work. She and her husband, Kirk, spent two years as missionaries in South America before returning to the states and beginning the work of Agape Development Ministries. Amanda now works in the ministry part-time, as she dedicates much of her time to family life. Kirk and Amanda have three young children–Elijah, Sophia, and Chloe. They reside in the Third Ward area.
David Hill
Program Director
david@agapedevelopment.org, 832-865-6235
David came to Houston to attend Texas Southern University, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in public affairs and criminal justice. Upon graduation, David was employed as a juvenile probation officer while also serving as a youth pastor in his local church in the third ward. David was married to his college sweetheart, Melissa Hill, in 1997 and two years later they left Houston in what became a five year mission trip where they served and ministered in inner city communities in Chicago, IL; Atlanta, Ga; and Jackson, MS. When the Hill family returned to Houston in 2004, David continued serving as an elder and associate minister in his local church in the third ward. David has always had a heart for teenagers and young adults and was excited to join the Agape family in 2006 part-time, and then on a full-time basis in 2008. David and Melissa now have four children: Asni, David, Journey and Grace.
Melissa Hill
Women’s Minister
hillsx6@sbcglobal.net
Melissa Hill is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana and was raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Jack Yates High School in 1990. While attending Texas Southern, Melissa responded to the gospel and submitted her life to Jesus. She later graduated from Texas Southern University with a Bachelors degree in Social Work. Shortly after graduation, she married David Hill and they have had four wonderful children. Melissa worked with the Center for the Retarded until the birth of their first child. She works part-time with Agape as Women’s Minister and homeschools she & David’s four children (ages 5-11yrs).
Sean Stewart
Resident Ministry Leader
sean@agapedevelopment.org
Sean Stewart graduated from Farragut High School in 2005. He graduated from Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, TN with an Associates’ degree in the Bible in 2008. Sean worked as a childcare provider and volunteered as a counselor for summer church-camp weeks throughout high-school and college. He worked at a residential treatment center for troubled and/or chemically dependent adolescents for a year before the Lord called him to Galveston to work as a full-time summer church-camp counselor in the summer of 2009. Following that summer, Sean enrolled in a year-long urban missions program called Mission Year and was assigned to its Houston site working with Agape Development Ministries as an administrative assistant and Backyard Bible Club activities coordinator. Sean came on board as full time staff in the summer of 2010 as a Resident Minister. Click here to support Sean’s ministry at Agape.
Emily DeLong
Resident Ministry Leader
emily@agapedevelopment.org
Emily grew up in the Dallas area with her parents and six brothers and sisters. She attended the University of Texas at Arlington where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2006. After college, she worked for a Dallas architecture firm and non-profit community design center focused in neighborhoods of South and East Dallas. During this time she gained experience in community development that focused on empowerment and sustainability. She worked in Dallas for two years before moving to Houston in 2009. In the fall of 2009 she was able to go on a short-term mission trip to Argentina to help an Argentine mission team develop and train church members in children’s ministry. In the fall of 2010 she began a two-year program at the Bible Training Center for Leaders which trains women to teach other women how to live and think Biblically. She currently works for Agape as the Resident Ministry Leader for the women’s Gateway House. Click here to support Emily’s ministry at Agape.
Jonathan Steele
Discipleship and Outreach
jonathan@agapedevelopment.org
Jonathan grew up most of his life in Buffalo, NY where his love for basketball and chicken wings was fostered. Jonathan moved to Houston in 2008 to marry and start a new phase of life with Taryn. He had previously lived in Madrid, Spain for three years where he graduated from Saint Louis University and lived and worked among a group of ragamuffins at a young church plant. In July 2009 Jonathan and Taryn landed in the Third Ward as missionaries with a desire to see God build a local church that served each other and empowered the community. In linking up with Agape Development Jonathan has found a group of people committed to seeing holistic transformation take place in the Third Ward. He is also currently enrolled part-time at Fuller Theological Seminary and is working towards a Master’s degree. Jonathan is anticipating fatherhood sometime in the Spring of 2011! Click here to support Jonathan’s ministry at Agape.
Anne Vickers
Office Manager
anne@agapedevelopment.org
Anne Vickers grew up in the small town of Franklin, TX (north of College Station). After graduating from Franklin High School, Anne attended Furman University in Greenville, SC where she received a degree in Nonprofit Management with a minor in Latin American Studies. During her time at Furman, Anne was an intern for two Greenville area nonprofit organizations that served the homeless population of the city. After college, she was a team captain on a Mission Year team in New Orleans, LA. During her year of service, she volunteered for a public school, church, and senior center in the St. Roch neighborhood of inner city New Orleans. Anne moved to Houston to work for Mission Year as an Alumni Mentor for the first team in the city. In August 2010, she moved to the Third Ward with her two roommates. She is passionate about building community and serving to bring transformation to her neighborhood. Anne has volunteered for Agape often since moving to Houston and is a member of Restoration Community Church. She is excited to now be working fulltime for the ministry.
Jenny Ouseph
Mission Year Intern, Web-Design/Community Garden
jenny@agapedevelopment.org
Jenny (Mariam Ouseph) from Charlotte, N.C – graduated from South Mecklenburg High School and graduated from college with an Early Childhood Education degree. For the past couple of years she has really been passionate about community living and simplicity. Jenny moved to Houston, TX with a non-profit organization called Mission Year in September 2010. Mission Year is a long urban is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. Mission Year believes and works with the command Jesus gave to “Love God and Love People”. They place teams in urban neighborhoods to build relationships with the urban poor. Jenny has been working with Agape Development since September 2010.
