I have been doing a host of interviews for Christian magazines, websites, and even a conference, and I appreciate the interest in the work we are doing. I have been careful not to come off as some expert in the church-planting realm as I am a relative new comer. I get the intrigue as people hear about a church being started in the midst of the urban poor and college students is rare, and a bit crazy. Most people wonder if God is truly leading me or if I am just an idiot. (smile)

We have started Vertical Church in the West End and Vine City communities of Atlanta. Statistics show that there is more crime, AIDS, drugs, prostitution, etc. in those area codes than anywhere else in the metro area. Add to that the 10,000 mostly African American college students in the midst of these neighborhoods. I do concede that on the surface that does seem a little crazy. But, my heart breaks for the community and the students.

I remember being in college at one of those schools and doing all that I could be a voice for Jesus on campus. While a student I, along with some amazing friends changed the character and perception of men at our school and we saw about 10% of the campus coming together around the purposes of Christ. Then, I became a college pastor and continued to love students there from a different perspective. I am invested in the University system there. There is also the reality that I come from an under-resourced urban environment and that community feels like home.

I turned down an opportunity to plant a church in another (some would say better) community. I was even offered over $200,000 to do so, now it took me a few minutes to say, no, but I did. Probably cementing the thought that I am an idiot. But, the truth is that my heart doesn’t break over the other area.

In my limited church planting experience, I don’t know how or why someone would go through the pain, stress, and struggle to plant a church in a community that they don’t weep over. How can you reach, help, and/or support those who don’t tug at your heart on a regular basis? I wonder if that is why so many churches are focused on “church events” rather than community engagement? It grieves me to think that Vertical Church could become a church that is so self-absorbed that we don’t care about the community in which we exist.  This is not a critique of other more established churches, just a young church planters wrestle.

The bible says, “Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. Matt 9:35-36

I think that is supposed to be what happens in my heart as a pastor. I should be heartbroken over the condition of college students, who don’t know God. I think I should be heart broken over the drug addicted. I think I should be heartbroken over single parent families. I should be heart broken over child sex-trafficking, not just in India, but also in my community. That is what I think it means to be “missional”. Our hearts break in such a way that we have to do something about it, both in proclaiming truth and in service to others. By God’s grace that is what Vertical Church will do.

It’s interesting to me that there is a debate in the Christian circles about the role of service in local churches. Although I value of intense discourse in the Christian community, I am a bit frustrated at the tone. One camp says that good works by themselves do not communicate the message of the gospel. The other group argues that we best display God’s love through service. I would argue that both are true!

There is nothing more important to me than Jesus and his unconditional love shown on the cross. Without the cross there is no forgiveness from sin, and without the resurrection there is no life abundant. The key is that, the cross was the ULTIMATE ACT OF SERVICE! In the cross we see both the good news and service, they simply go hand in hand. There is no either/or, but rather a both/and. At Vertical Church we want to make sure that we love with unrelenting service and communicate God’s truth at the same time.

We hope to continue sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Historic West End/Vine City communities by:

- Mobilizing Atlanta University Center (AUC) college students to serve their community, logging over 750 community service hours

- Encouraging team members to relocate to the community

- Building on our strategic relationship with North Metro GNETS, a local K-12 school, and meet real needs in literacy, mentoring, training, staff care, and facility improvements

-Adopting single parent families for the holidays, school needs, and ongoing developmental opportunities

-Sending at least 20 college age students(18-25 year olds) to one of the largest, most powerful Christian gatherings in the US in January 2013 (Passion Conference www.268generation.com)

-Actively participate in key community revitalization efforts and offer assistance where needed

-Sending at least 7 college students and adults to teach conversational English in China for 5-6 weeks in summer through one of our partnering Christian organizations

-Building up a pool of life coaches to begin to offer life purpose training for college students and young adults

-Blessing the local businesses, neighborhoods, colleges, government, schools and organizations with random acts of kindness 

The mission is simple, but monumental: “Growing followers of Jesus to impact the world for God’s Glory.”

Vertical Church is a new Atlanta University Center-based ministry founded by Damian Boyd, Clark Atlanta University ’99, and his wife, Zarat Boyd, Spelman College ’99.“I’m excited to be back at the place I consider home,” Damian Boyd said about returning to the AUC.

Vertical Church is a service-oriented non-denominational ministry that will bridge the gap between the West End community and the AUC.

“If we can form a bridge between the campus and the community, we can help students find out who they are,” Mr. Boyd explained.

The Boyds want their ministry to be a haven for worship, fellowship, to serve communities, study, type papers and anything else college students require. The church aims to utilize service as an avenue to worship God, uplift the community, and to help students realize their purpose.

“Back then, the emphasis was more on finishing school so you can get a job. College was more career building,” Damian Boyd said about his time in the AUC. “I love how this generation cares about their community. I love how this generation wants to make a difference with their lives.”

The Boyds were heavily involved in campus life during their AUC years. Damian led a prayer movement at CAU and Zarat was Spelman’s SGA president. They understand how the AUC operates and see the need for a contemporary church within walking distance for everyone.

“We want to help develop college students not only in biblical literacy and spiritual understanding,” Mr. Boyd said. “But we want to also develop college students in the way they view their selves and the way they treat their entire lives.”

Vertical Church has established a relationship with Morehouse’s Bonner office of community service, and last week it was officially registered as a community service site on Tiger Points, Morehouse’s community service database.

Although the official grand opening is three weeks away, Vertical Church has already initiated a few community service efforts.  One of the projects was a scheduled Morris Brown College clean up.

“Morris Brown used to be the jewel of the AUC, and it’s heartbreaking that they’re no longer what they were. So we want to serve them, because the AUC is stronger when Morris Brown is strong,” Mr. Boyd said.

You can visit the AUC’s newest church at the official grand opening on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. in Rush Memorial Church on James Brawley Dr. in Atlanta.

Damian and Zarat have been college pastors for 13 years and have lived in Atlanta for 17 years. Damian Boyd is the author of College Impact:  Empowering Collegiate Students for Campus Influence.

Kobi Ansong

Associate Features Editor

Kobi.ansong@gmail.com

I have been working very hard, trying to launch this new church. It has taken a so much time, energy, and money that it is a wonder we have made it this far. With less than a month to go before we official launch, I am taking some moments to reflect on how far we have come.

Recently, I have written about a shift I have made in the way I see the church and my role as a pastor (that word still sounds strange to me, by the way). I wanted to start a church that serves the community in which it’s located. Our first responsibility is to share the good news about Jesus with people. But it’s hard for people to hear you when their immediate needs are screaming at them. We earn the right to speak to others about God when we first display the love of God. Service is a major way we can to do that! For the record, we don’t serve to earn God’s love. We serve because we are loved.

One of my favorite scriptures is, “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens.” Matthew 5:16 The reality is that people will not glorify our Father in heaven until they see the good works we do. I simply want to lead a church where our proclamation is proven by our compassion. I am honored, that God chose me to do so.

Before Vertical Church has officially launched:

• We hosted a campus cleanup on 9/11 (National Day of Service) at Morris Brown College, a college recovering from the loss of their accreditation years ago.

• We have adopted N. Metro GNETS, an under-resourced K-12 school in the West End to meet the needs of its students and staff. This school serves students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and is in desperate need of support (i.e. library resources, equipment and student mentors).

• We supported a college student teaching conversational English in China through a 6-week teaching missions program.

• We provided a gift basket for the GNETS staff after a week of intense monitoring & observation from the state department of education.

• We worked with a local Barnes & Noble to host a fundraiser for the GNETS book drive.

• We gave out over 45 college care packages with food, drinks and devotionals to college students. One student’s response – “You gave us real stuff.”

• We have also adopted a single parent family from the Vine City community for Thanksgiving and Christmas and provided much needed food, clothing and household items.

• We provided hats and gloves to children in the community by supporting the Keeping Kids Warm Project.

• A total of over 120 hours of community service have been logged.

I love being apart of a church that serves. In order to continue impacting the West End and Vine City area filled with college students we need prayer and support.

http://www.verticalatl.com/giving/

http://www.damianlboyd.com/support/

I had a dream a week back that messed me up. It truly bothered me and elevated some things in my heart. God at times gets my attention through dreams and visions. I usually know it’s Him when it either troubles me and/or stays with me for days following. My family and I then spent days with 40,000 radical 18-25 year olds, and it only confirmed what I was feeling.

Below is the dream, and what I believe is the underlying message.

Dream: I was in college and driving my car at the time. All of a sudden something went wrong with the seat. So, I began driving around looking for a place to get my seat repaired. I went to some indoor mall/flea market like the ones I used to frequent growing up in New Jersey. Somehow after not finding a replacement part, I exited the facility using back hallways that the average person never knew existed. For some reason, while in the same dream, I returned to the same flea market/mall and left the same way.

I promise you that this repeated itself 3 or 4 different times. I finally found the replacement part I was looking for, and as it had become my process, I started down the same secret pathway. At once, I realized I had made a wrong turn and was lost. There were people living and eating back there, and the environment took on a seediness that I hadn’t seen on my previous trips. The people started protesting saying I shouldn’t be back there.

Then I saw it, a young girl maybe fifteen or sixteen. She was naked and looked in distress. In that moment I knew she was a sex slave. Frantic and stunned by what I saw, I tried to get out of the building. I saw an old man protecting an open door and before I could walk through it, he responding to the cries of those who knew what I had seen by locking the door in front of me. I was now trapped. Then I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.

This is my second dream that dealt with child sex trafficking. You see I am familiar with this issue and have even spoken about it on a nationally syndicated radio show. I have helped raise money to stop modern day slavery, and have close friends on the front lines. So, I know and get the severity of this global issue. But, this dream still messed me up!

This week my family attended Passion 2012, a gathering of thousands of college students from around the world united to lift up Jesus and proclaim His name to the world. We have been a part of the movement for years and love the continued commitment to justice in the world. This year there was one cause and one cause alone, freedom for the 27 million people enslaved for sex and/or labor. Over 3 million dollars was raised to that end. To that I say, Hallelujah!

Here is the reality, you and I can hear 27 million are enslaved, and it can move us in our hearts, and we can go on with our lives. But to the one person stuck in slavery, it is real, and they are crying out for someone to help them. The truth is there are more people enslaved now than ever before in history. There are whole families that are the ‘possession’ of factory owners, all to sell us cheap socks to the American consumer. As a descendant of slaves, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT! Greater than that, as a follower of Jesus, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT!!!

This is not merely a dream. There are girls taken in the U.S., raped, abused, and forced to sell their bodies at the hands of pimps, and Atlanta is a major hub for this activity. It’s a big issue in the community where we are planting Vertical Church! Like my dream displayed, it is not just a problem in India, Thailand or some boarder town in Mexico. This is a reality for girls all over this country, and the fact that many people don’t even know it exists is terrible. Many young girls between 11-16 in the U.S. that go missing become sexual slaves.

I know what I am going to do, I will keep being a voice for the voiceless, and I am going to make sure that Vertical Church helps eradicate sexual slavery in our city. The question is what are you going to do? You can start by educating yourself on this issue. I have provided links below to help you get started. I agree with Passion, indifference is not an option! 

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://streetgrace.org/

http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/resource/past-articles/enslaved-in-america-sex-trafficking-in-the-united-states

http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/globalissues-stp

http://istoptraffic.com/