Aaron Coe: aaron@gallerychurch.com Lead Pastor I and a team of 8 others launched The Gallery Church in New York City in September 2006. I have a dream to see people passionately embrace their life's calling and live that out through the local church, in the context of the city.  In 2008, we at The Gallery Church launched City Uprising.  The vision of City Uprising is to "propel the church" in an effort to "prosper the city."  Since its inception, City Uprising has had a monumental impact on New York City.  One of the areas CU has had an impact in New York is in our work with people living with HIV/AIDS.  The Gallery Church has helped test over 1000 people for HIV since participating in the City Uprising event. My wife Carmen, my son Ezra James and I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Carmen and I were married in 1998 after dating for four years. We moved to NYC in 2003 to work with New Hope New York, a non-profit agency based in Manhattan. Carmen is now a freelance media planner working with clients in San Diego, Baltimore, Cleveland and NYC. Ezra James was born on July 8, 2006. He is the joy of our life. I believe that he will be a great addition to the New York Knicks in just a few short years. Freddy Wyatt: freddy@gallerychurch.com My Journey God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world. All my days were ordained for me before one of them came to be. The grace and wisdom of God have been woven through all my days, in good seasons and bad, He has been faithful. Having grown up in a loving family in Tennessee and nurtured in a bible preaching church, I heard the gospel often as a child. Even so, I was hard to the gospel. I was the master of my life, enslaved to selfishness. I was king. That changed when Jesus collided with my life. Upon hearing the gospel one more time, that Jesus died for my sin and rose from the dead to give me eternal life, I received Jesus as my new King and He saved me from myself, my sin, and the wrath of God. That day I began a journey of learning how to love God and people. I’m still learning. The summer before my freshman year in college, God made it clear He was calling me into the ministry vocationally. I wasn’t sure what all that meant at the time, but it has been an exciting ride. Playing Division I baseball at UT-Martin and studying at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY were special highlights along the way. I have enjoyed the privilege of traveling to preach in over 15 different states. I am so grateful for mentors and ministries that have left indelible marks on my life helping to shape who I am today. September 4, 2004 I married my amazing wife Susan. I joined her in New Brunswick, New Jersey as she was serving as a part of a church planting team. During that time, I met and worked with Susan’s former college minister, Aaron Coe in Manhattan. I would take the train into Manhattan from Jersey a couple of days a week and work on a variety of projects in the City with Aaron. Most captivating were our talks about what church planting looked like in New York City. At the end of 2004, Susan and I moved to Louisville, KY for me to finish my Masters. During that time, I began to preach at my home church in Tennessee. Our first child Jack Thomas was born December 24, 2006 and six days later we moved to Tennessee as I went on full-time as Pastor to Young families. Though Aaron and I would talk from time to time about partnering together in ministry, the timing was never right and the door never seemed to be fully open…until 2008. In the spring of 2008, a series of conversations with Aaron spurred me on to a season of prayer, fasting, and seeking council. We were already sold on the vision of planting churches in NYC and through special passages of scripture and several confirming life circumstances, the Lord made it undeniably clear that He was calling us to be a part of the church planting team at the Gallery Church of Manhattan. So with Susan pregnant with twins due December 16th (I told you she was amazing!), we moved to New York on the first of October 2008. And much to our surprise and excitement Elliott David and Lillie Beth were born November 7th! Why New York City? In light of God’s global purposes, New York City is the most strategic place in the world to plant churches. With over 170 languages spoken in New York City, with over 40% of Brooklyn/Queens being foreign born, and with the worldwide influence this city has, it is almost a no-brainer. God has built a relational web in this city that extends all over the world. Rarely can you plant a church in one city that impacts hundreds of other countries, but in New York City, you can. In addition to the global impact, there are millions that God loves right here in the city. 1 out of every 300 people in the world live within 50 miles of Times Square. Obviously everyone is not called to this strategic city, but I believe hundreds of others are to help plant churches and spread the gospel throughout New York City. Everything else about the city is icing on the cake. The diversity, the pace, the creative energy are all invigorating. However, when the city gets a little overwhelming it is always nice to retreat to Central Park for a quiet refuge. Jen Maala: jen@gallerychurch.com My Journey The first 17 years of my life were spent in the suburbs of Jersey sewing, cooking, expanding my event planning skills, and developing my Jersey accent. I was surrounded by a loving family who established my values and taught me about God’s love for me, and the importance of loving others. My college years were spent in Delaware at the University of Delaware from 2000-2005. There I was involved in the Baptist student ministry and attended Ogletown Baptist Chuch. During these years I really began to grasp what a relationship with Jesus meant and how much God loved me. I learned a lot about who God wanted me to be and began to discover and develop the unique gifts that He had blessed me with. As I surrendered my life to Him, life after college became much less scary and much more clear. In January 2005, I visited Nashville for the Passion conference where I met Aaron Coe. Part of the focus of the conference was New York City and the need for God’s love in this city. My view of New York began to change. It was more than just a place I would visit to see shows, concerts and other things. I began to think of the city as a place where there were people who were in need and needed to receive God’s love. It became clear to me that God’s post-graduation plan for me was destination New York! I didn’t know exactly what that would look like or what I would be doing there, but I knew that’s where He wanted me. After graduation I moved back home. My brother and I attended a collegiate worship/service week in the Bronx that Aaron happened to be leading at. I connected with Aaron that winter and found out about The Gallery Church. I have been attending the Gallery Church ever since the first service and have seen God do amazing things in the communities of New York City and create a growing family of Christians who love and support each other as they do life in this city. I worked for a year in the city before coming on staff at The Gallery. It has been such a blessing to use my gifts and talents to serve Him in so many different ways! It is so evident how God has gifted me and grown me for this journey. Why New York? My view of New York has transformed from an amazing place to visit, to a city that God loves and a city with needs that He commissions us to meet. God wants us to enjoy the city, but also desires that we love and serve it. He needs people in the city to display His love and compassion. I enjoy this city. The constantly changing and developing culture made up of hundreds of different cultures, the people, the parks, Yankees baseball, The Brooklyn Bridge, the history, the art, the music, the fashion, and the uniqueness of each neighborhood and community. I love this city and serve this city with a love and motivation that can only come from God.