About AGAPE
Agape Origin Story
The roots of Agape Dental Missions reach back to the 1980s, when Dr. Mike Roberts began organizing mission teams through Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, where he served as Missions Pastor. In 1992, while serving as Executive Vice President of World Opportunities International, Dr. Roberts began leading teams to Honduras and Kenya, later continuing this work with support from Children’s Network International. During the 1990s, as Executive Director of the Christian Dental Society, his ministry became increasingly focused on medical and dental missions, taking dentists and physicians to Honduras, the Philippines, and Kenya. In 1998, Dr. Roberts became Southern California Area Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), connecting with physicians, dentists, and students throughout Southern California’s medical and dental schools while continuing mission trips to Mexico, Honduras, and Roatán.
In the early 2000s, this ministry developed into the direct predecessor of what would eventually become Agape Dental Missions. Dr. Roberts began organizing teams of dental students and dentists from UCLA and USC, joined at various times by students and professionals from Loma Linda, Western University, UNLV, and other medical, dental, and pharmacy programs. By 2005, annual UCLA and USC dental mission trips were firmly established, serving primarily in Guatemala, with additional trips to El Salvador and Roatán. The ministry benefited from long-standing partnerships with CMDA, Pastor Mario Rivera and Monte Sion Center, missionary dentist Dr. Mike Kadera, and numerous volunteer dentists and physicians. Dr. Roberts continued leading these teams until retiring from mission-trip leadership in 2017, when Dr. Tristan Galloway assumed leadership and carried the annual mission tradition forward. That continuing ministry ultimately provided the foundation from which Agape Dental Missions was formally established in 2024.
Agape Timeline
child safety initiatives
Empowering global change through dedicated support and immediate action
Providing access to education that empowers to a brighter future.
Providing healthy, hearty food to those who need it most.
Offering training programs that equip individuals with valuable skills.
and the love of Jesus Christ.
Simple steps to start making impact and see real transformation
