Two Random Thoughts

First, I'm glad to say that I have boldly and happily shared at least elements of the gospel with two people. It's an opportunity and responsibility I haven't taken up faithfully in a while. I'm glad that God has enlivened our hearts to this. I want people to know the truth, but my fear and self-preservation instincts have been hard to overcome. Leann has been doing a good job initiating friendly conversation with people we meet, which itself is very difficult for her. God is working in our hearts. Of this we are both sure.

Second, and totally unrelated, my computer died the other day while I was backing it up. I had just started, so most of my old files were still on my computer; pictures videos, podcasts, and a bunch of documents. Well, to make a long story short. I went to www.bootdisk.com and was able to create a bootable cdrom (for 4$) on Leann's computer, which I then used to boot up my computer. I got back on the old MSDOS bicycle and am right now copying all the files I thought I'd lost to my usb hard drive. If anything like this has ever happened to you, you know how much money I just saved by recovering my files myself instead of paying a techie. The other part is that my computer is still broke, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do, since I need a computer to do almost all of the work I am doing. For now I use Leann's, but she goes home in less than 2 weeks, but don't get me started on that.

My wife says I'm too wordy for the internet...

So here are some pictures. They should be worth around 6,000 words.

Quick Update

All,
I thought it would be encouraging to give a quick update on our progress here. Our family is doing well, as you have seen in previous posts. We are quickly finding ways to be of service to The Gallery Church. I am beginning to invest heavily in to the membership strategy of the church. This will enable the pastors of the church to provide better pastoral care. Also, it will encourage an accountable, involved membership. I am excited about this work. Leann has begun to think about doing art (and possibly music) camps, which, like the Church's Easter egg hunt, will be a great outreach opportunity.
Leann is going home to Clarksville in a couple of weeks to work for 6-8 weeks before Elias is born. Pray for us during this time. We have never been apart for more than a week.
We are in need financially. We have sent out support letters, hoping that our brothers and sisters back home will partner with us in our ministry here. We have begun to receive financial support, but will need much more help if we are to be established here. If you have not considered supporting our ministry financially, please do even if you don't know us personally. Check out this post for more details on how to support us.
I am getting in gear to start teaching guitar lessons, which should be great in several ways. It will be an evangelistic opportunity, a chance for me to use my talents, and a supplement to my income. I don't start teaching at Evangel till September, but I'm already working on that as well. I'm excited about working there, as the job allows me to work and minister at the same time.
That's probably more than you wanted to read, so I'll leave the rest for later. We are greatly encouraged that God is doing a good work in our hearts and in our church and in this city.

A bit of light from the darkness.

I have seen the standard subway performers, from the nondescript to the truly Global, but the guy we saw today took the cake, ate it, and spit it in my face. I had to, in Ripleyan fashion, document this mystical and musical oddity of light and sound. It's not that I've never seen anything so indescribable. It's really just that the only other interesting thing I saw today was a bloody-faced drunk guy trying to light a cigarette and find the door to Whole Foods at the same time. When I went in to check on him he had been apprehended by the nice people at the Whole Foods. Anyway, without further ado. . . Michael Shulman, the Electric Violinist

See Michael here

By the way, if you ever see him, remember, he does not play for tips...He plays for pasta.

Corey

ManHAPPY!

The first New York word he learned to say (in the UHaul on the way through town) was Manhattan. Somehow this morphed into ManHAPPY! He seems pretty happy to me.

Raising Financial Support

Here is our Family Update Letter that we sent out to about 200 people this week:

We arrived in New York on May 29 and have an apartment on Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens. We write to keep you updated on our family situation and ask for your support in a variety of ways as we answer God’s call to New York City as followers of Jesus and as church-planting missionaries. We will begin with a brief family update.

For most of our lives, we have attended First Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN. We are both gifted to be teachers and have taught within the church and without. Our first son, Ezra Franklin was born on November 27^th of 2007. He is 18 months old and is excited about all the busses and trains we get to ride, not to mention the occasional taxi. Ezra is an incredibly smart boy, and we are glad he gets to be with us as we make the boldest moves in our life. We hope that we are an example to him. We have another son on the way due in early October.

In May of 2008 Corey graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching, and has since earned endorsement for teaching middle and high school mathematics. Depending upon God’s plan, he has his heart set upon seminary, with the expectation of teaching and training within the church. By teaching at an Evangelical school here in New York he is already fulfilling his convictions in a large way.

Why would we move to New York City? We are convinced, that by following first the teachings of scripture- which we understand because of His Holy Spirit- God has called us to first, worship Him, second, serve the church, and third, serve others. Jesus said that there is a harvest and that few would labor in it. We have had trouble deciding how to talk about our decision to serve the church in NYC. The easiest way to say it is to say that God has called us, by his Spirit, through His word, and by the asking of his servant, Freddy T. Wyatt.

Corey’s official role at the Gallery Church is Worship/Pastoral Associate. He will be working as a missionary to assist in a wide variety of projects that will serve both the pastors of the Gallery church and the people of New York City. Though the Gallery needs his help, the church cannot support him financially. We will need to supplement our income by asking for the loving financial support of our church family elsewhere.

The thing we need most is for you to pray for us as a family. This move has been stressful for us, though it has come with many joys as well. Pray also that God would increase our joy as we are made to be light in a dark place. We know that many have made much greater sacrifices for the sake of His kingdom. Pray for our finances. We do not make enough to live in the city. The only way that we will be able to plant ourselves here is to raise support from our brothers and sisters. We were hoping to be able to work within the church without burdening the church, but with the high cost of city living, that will not be possible. Pray that our house at 99 Union Street in Clarksville will sell soon. Profit from the sale of our house would help sustain us here and would help the church. Finally, pray for the people of this city. The one who is not worth naming is under the impression that he owns this place. He is wrong.

Included is financial information for your consideration. If you are able and willing to support us financially, please prayerfully consider doing so after reading through this material. Please note that our projected income is based on what we currently know Corey will be making at his teaching job here. It is Leann’s desire to stay at home with our two children as long as possible; however she may too be working to provide additional income. My hope and faith is that any gift would be used by God to produce great return in His kingdom.

May God bless you,

Corey and Leann Boyd

Also, If you are reading this blog and did not recieve a support letter, but would like to support our work or the work of the Gallery church for His kingdom, go to www.gallerychurch.com and click “online giving” under the Gallery Info tab. It is simple to set up an account. Our fund is one of the "sub-fund" options. All gifts are tax deductible. We are not eligible for financial support from NAMB, so we are depending on our personal income and the faithful support of individuals.