Wilson Boyd, the newly appointed minister of Cornerstone Assembly of God in Windham, was 18 years old when God called him to the ministry.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Boyd was a soldier in Korea when the country was experiencing a national revival in the mid-1970s. As a Christian serviceman stationed in Seoul, Boyd would spend his weekends evangelizing and handing out Christian literature to passers-by. He’d hand out thousands of the witnessing tracks in the parks, subways and on the streets of the city. Boyd remembers handing out up to 10,000 tracks an hour to the spiritually hungry Korean people.

In addition to spreading the written word of God, Boyd witnessed amazing miracles during this time in Korea. One time, he says, God held up the rain in a wall of water so Boyd could continue handing out the tracks. Multiple other times, Boyd witnessed screaming and yelling, and then calm, as demons exited the bodies of newly converted Koreans.

It was an amazing experience for Boyd and one that set him on the path of preaching and disciple-making. That path has led him him all over the country and world – from military stockades in Mannheim, Germany to prison cells in Augusta, Georgia and Warren County, Pennsylvania. Now, that devoted path has led him to Maine, specifically to Cornerstone Assembly of God on Cottage Road in Windham.

Reverend Boyd and his wife Peggy, who is herself an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God denomination, moved to Windham in October to start a new chapter in their devoted lives.

Not too sure yet about the cold climate here in Maine, the couple is nevertheless excited about their new home and plan on making the most of their church, its people and their community. Peggy is in charge of youth and children’s ministries at the church and Wilson will focus on the overall mission of the church as its lead pastor.

Not a man to waste time, perhaps because of his 20-year military background (he retired as a Sgt. Major from the US Army in 1994), Wilson Boyd has specific plans on lifting up the Cornerstone church community. Based on a set of guiding principles he developed during former stints in two Pennsylvania churches, Boyd has clear-cut benchmarks for developing fruitful Christians in his new pastorate.

It starts with a purpose statement which reads: “We have all been commanded to love God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves. We have been commissioned to go and work in the harvest fields of lost souls and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the purpose of the Cornerstone Assembly of God is to be a unified body of believers who are: Reaching Upward in our love for God through fervent worship and fellowship in prayer; Reaching Inward to love one another by committing to building Biblical relationships with each other and becoming a functional family of God; Reaching Outward to love and save the lost by showing we care and by becoming fishers of men. The three goals, Boyd says, will naturally lead to the ultimate goal which is watching people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Boyd also is guided in ministry by a further set of core beliefs based on the game of baseball. First base is “Every person has the right to a presentation of the gospel at his or her level of understanding.” Second base is “Every person needs a Biblical moral compass to guide and protect him or her throughout life.” Third base is “Every believer has unique gifts to be discovered, developed and used to strengthen the church.” And fourth base is “Every believer has a purpose in advancing the global mission of Christ and the church.”

Boyd is motivated to instill these core beliefs into the congregation at Cornerstone. He says discipleship is a main tenet of Christianity and that it’s his job to make sure it happens in each church he leads.

“I believe I’m doing what God called me to do. He’s my motivation. My relationship with Christ motivates me. I have no choice,” Boyd said. “Like Paul said, I am constrained to preach the gospel. Even if I tried not to speak it would come out. There’s an urgency, a need, a desire, a fire and passion to be part of the ministry which involves reaching the lost, but also the family of Christ.”

Boyd is especially motivated to provide a comforting and welcoming home for the Cornerstone community.

“I believe everyone who comes to our church is a gift of God to us. They have talents that God wants them to use in the body of Christ for His purpose. As a pastor, it’s my job to include them in our church, give them a feeling of acceptance and belonging,” Boyd said. “Once I’ve included them, I want to teach them basic principles of the faith and also teach them basic disciplines of the Christian life.”

Boyd said he will help his congregation learn their “spiritual gifts” and then train them to realize their potential. He says there are 23 spiritual gifts ranging from administration and craftsmanship to hospitality and leadership.

Because he can’t do the job himself, Boyd is planning on introducing a mentoring program that will connect individuals who are mature in their spiritual gifts with new Christians.

“It’s a process, a new vision for making disciples in the 21st Century,” Boyd said. “I believe God has sent us here to begin a discipleship-making program. I can’t think of one successful church that doesn’t practice discipleship-making. Those that don’t have lost their vision, and they’re in decline.”

When they’re not at church, Boyd, an avid hunter and fisherman, and Peggy, an avid shopper, see Windham and the Lakes Region as perfect locales for pursuing their personal interests.

“People have been wonderful to us since we’ve been here. We’ve really enjoyed Maineiacs,” Boyd joked. “It’s a little cold, though.”

Pastor Boyd, 49, is also a football fan and lifts weights. Last year, he also lost 60 pounds through Weight Watchers.

“The weight was a matter of prayer for many, many years and a heavy burden in more ways than one,” Boyd said. “But I found out that it had a lot to do with what I ate. I was eating food that was extremely high in calories. I eliminated the unnecessary carbs and I still eat about the same volume, just different foods.”

Peggy, who is administering the children’s ministry, says she has been enjoying getting to know the ladies in the church, some of whom have taken her out to stores in the area. She especially likes North Windham because of its many shopping opportunities.

“I’m a real bargain hunter. I’m a sucker for bargains,” she said.

Peggy also sews and makes wedding dresses and wedding cakes.

The couple have four children, two of whom are ministers. Susan, 29, is in the music ministry of Lighthouse Assembly of God in Ellwood City, Penn. Ronnie, 27 is a pastor of an Assembly of God church in Coalport, Penn. Jeremy, 24, works in a pipe making factory in Chambersburg, Penn. And their youngest, Katherine Nicole, is four and “full of surprises,” her mother says.

“We have a little joy in our maturer life,” Peggy said. “She is challenging though.”

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