Church Founders
Apostle Alvin and Reverend Lena Nicholson were born in Trinidad and Tobago and have been in Christian leadership since 1965. They are the Founders of Agape Ministries and pastored the church for 25 years before handing over the mantle of leadership in September 2021 to Pastors John and Sharon Reeves, who were the assistant Pastors for many years.
During Apostle Alvin and Reverend Lena's tenure as Pastors, they led a powerful ministry of leaders, young adults, youth and children with the highest level of integrity and spiritual aptitude and were known and sought after throughout the GTA. In 1997, they founded Uplift International, a subset of Agape Ministries, that functioned as an interdenominational outreach ministry, undertaking humanitarian and developmental missions to 12 African nations. There they provided food, medical supplies, pastoral care and leadership training.
Prior coming to Canada, Apostle Alvin served in the Caribbean for 18 ½ years in leadership at the West Indies School of Theology. Apostle Alvin has served as the General Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies and Reverend Lena has served in Aglow International as the International Outreach Director for the Caribbean; she has also served as a member of the International Board of Directors.
They are both graduates of the West Indies School of Theology. Apostle Alvin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Theology from Nyack College, New York, as well as his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the West Indies School of Theology.
They are members of the Canadian Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders. As apostolic leaders in the city of Toronto they are part of the Greater Toronto Area Apostolic Team. Apostle Alvin is the former Executive Director and Chair of the servant leadership team of Mission GTA, a network of networks in the city of Toronto. He is the current Chair of the African Canadian Christian Network, a network of Black Christian churches in the African Canadian community.
Apostle Alvin and Reverend Lena have been married since 1973 and are the parents of two married children, Dwight and Dannielle. They have three grandchildren.
