[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE AFFIRMATION OF APOSTLE DR. JOHN H. BOYD, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2011

  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House of Representatives 
recognize the Affirmation of Dr. John Haywood Boyd, Sr. as an Apostle 
of the New Greater Bethel Ministries, located in Cambria Heights and 
Queens Village with the Sixth Congressional District of New York. Dr. 
Boyd is a well-known and much-admired figure in clerical and civic 
circles in southeast Queens. He began his ministry in 1972 in a small 
canvas tent at the intersection of Francis Lewis and Linden Boulevards 
in Cambria Heights.
  From that site New Greater Bethel Ministries grew in number, 
influence, and impact, having established a food pantry and soup 
kitchen which fed hundreds of homeless individuals and families. Under 
Pastor Boyd's guidance, New Greater Bethel Ministries established a 
prison ministry to tend to the spiritual needs of incarcerated men and 
women. Pastor Boyd himself did outstanding work with the Inmate 
Community Improvement Program for which he received a certificate of 
recognition from the superintendent of the Queensboro Correctional 
Facility.
  In 1993, the New Greater Bethel Ministries expanded with the addition 
of a location on Jamaica Avenue in Queens Village. Where rundown 
structures once stood, Dr. Boyd built a 1500 seat worship and community 
service facility, complete with a Christian Literature and Media 
Center, a digital recording studio, a television studio, and a drama 
center. Later, Dr. Boyd opened the K-12 Bethel Christian Learning 
Academy and the New Greater Bethel Bible Institute.
  Despite episodes of illness and having now reached 85 years of age, 
Dr. Boyd still provides dynamic leadership to New Greater Bethel 
Ministries, ensuring that the church to which he had devoted his life 
continues to minister to the spiritual and material needs of several 
thousand members of its congregation as well as thousands of residents 
in the surrounding communities. Dr. Boyd studied at the Manhattan Bible 
Institute and earned his doctor of divinity from the United Christian 
College of New York. Over the course of his ministry he has received 
numerous award commendations from federal, state, and municipal elected 
officials, clergy, religious organizations, and community groups. He 
has been named ``Man of the Year'' by The New York Christian Times.
  Dr. Boyd has been married to his wife, Mother Margie Boyd, for over 
60 years. He has six children and numerous grandchildren and great 
grandchildren.
  On December 10, 2011, over 1,000 congregants, community residents, 
and guests attended the ceremony at which Dr. John Haywood Boyd, Sr. 
was affirmed as an Apostle of the New Greater Bethel Ministries.

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